Sunday, July 16, 2006

Funky Dream

Have you ever had a weird dream about someone you miss? I had one last night. Before I tell you about the dream let me give you a little history. It was about John. I was particularly close to him during my teen years and he made a huge impact on me. Sadly, he was killed in a plane crash in 1997 and a piece of me went with him. I've never felt the same after that. It's hard to explain. Of course I got past the innitial shock of it all but that piece of me, still remains missing.
Now onto the dream.
We saw eachother in a hotel lobby. We were staying at the same one at the same time. He and I were walking in a hallway. It was some sort of market place or open-air mall, I really couldn't tell which. It was, however, someplace foreign. {I think it was Israel because, of course, that's pretty fresh in mind right now with all the stuff going on over there. I was there in 1997, about a month and 1/2 before John died.}
The marketplace was humming with activity. There were people everywhere and it was very crowded. A few people recognized John but for the most part, we were left alone to walk along.
{Have you ever encountered smell in a dream? If I had before, I don't remember. I DID in this dream though. I could smell his cologne and the scent of his tan suede or leather coat. It was very, very vivid and I can still smell it now even when I remember parts of the dream.}
As we walked along, our chatter was animated and cheerful. I don't recall anything that we spoke about but it felt happy and warm. It was as if 2 people who hadn't seen each other in a long time were re-connecting. We were walking along, arms around each other chatting and as we walked past a particular merchant a man approached me {he was a mafia Don} and told me that I had a phone call. He pointed to a set of double doors. John sat down and waited, chatting happily with the merchant as I ran off to my phone call. As I walked through the double doors, I was transported into a gothic night club scene. [I knew exactly what it was because I hung out in the Goth-Vampyre crowd in my teens in Colorado and early 20s in NYC- shhh don't tell my mother!]
As I walked through the night club I kept looking for the phone. I remember walking past people I KNEW and others that I had to imagine! I walked past Medusa and her hair of snakes hissed at me, I walked past a guy dressed as a VW Beetle with a dashboard around his neck, I walked past a purple Fairy-Vamp and an array of other motley little groups of people. Still, I found no phone. I gave up. I got agitated because I started thinking that the mafia guy didn't really send me to answer the phone but he wanted something with John, so I hurried back to where I had left him and was relived to see him still sitting there, enjoying the company of passers by. He saw me, got up, excused himself and came to hug me. We started walking along, arms around eachother again and entered an elevator which took us outside. We were still hugging. He was talking quietly but now I can't remember what he was saying, I think it was something very comforting because I remember that neither of us wanted to stop hugging. I could smell his cologne and could feel the warmth of his arms around me.
{Well all good dreams must come to an end eh? At that point, my dog, Bailey, decided that she was going to howl for no obvious reason, and wake me up. *sigh* I wish she had waited a bit longer as I really wish I could remember what it was John was saying to me. The dream left me with a sense of comfort and in a very calm mood. I have been missing him for a long time and it was great to 'hug him' again after so many years. Ahhh.. the power of our minds. It's amazing the stuff we subconsciously think about!!}

I hope you have good dreams too!!
Does anyone analyze dreams? I'd love some feedback. What's with the Mafia Don? The openair marketplace? The elevator and the Goth Night Club?!

7 comments:

Pacian said...

I don't want to tread on anyone's toes by saying this, because I know a lot of people are into interpreting other people's dreams in a big way, but I think that when it comes to interpreting dreams it is the dreamer who has the biggest role to play, not any expert, however knowledgeable or well intentioned.

For example, books on interpreting dreams often say that rabbits symbolise sex or reproduction, because, you know, what are they doing for half their lives? But a friend of mine is terrified of rabbits - when she was a kid she lived in the countryside and she stumbled upon a ghastly bunny-corpse. To her, rabbits in a dream might be more likely to signify death. Quite the opposite of sex, really.

The Goth Night Club is a great example. It's a part of your past. Other people may be able to generalise or use their own experiences, but only you know what it means to you, personally and in respect to your friend.

But when it gets down to it, I think you may already have given this dream all the interpretation it needs when you wrote:

The dream left me with a sense of comfort and in a very calm mood. I have been missing him for a long time and it was great to 'hug him' again after so many years.

:-) Sorry for the essay and sweet dreams!

Cheryl Wray said...

Cool post! I have also had dreams that seemed so vivid that they really felt real! I don't know anything about dream interpretation (and not sure I put too much stock in it anyway!), but I just think it's cool that this dream let you reconnect in a way with your friend from so long ago. Like you were getting to see him again!

Debbie said...

Wow! Don't let a shrink get hold of that one :-). Seriously, I whole heartedly agree with "Pacian". Dreams come from the mind of the dreamer and as we discover looking at other people's interpretations of themes for various art forums like Studio Friday and Illustration Friday, etc., no two people come up with the same image for the same word or phrase!!

I find dreams amazing and you are a person that feels and smells in a dream. I bet you dream in color too. I've had every sensation in a dream that I've had in life with the exception of pain. I always thought that was odd. I've had a lot of chronic pain over the years so I guess I've decided to block it out.

Out of curiousity - were you thinking of him or did this just hit you out of the blue? Every time I have a really odd dream I try to pinpoint the trigge for it. There always is one no matter how bizarre the dream. Sometimes its from life, or a movie, or book, etc.

Thanks for the interesting post...and the knowledge that I'm not the only one who has weird dreams :-).

Anonymous said...

Very cool Gabi. I don't remember my dreams when I have them. It's a shame really. That being said though, when I do remember them, they are always about someone from my past and it's like a warning to me. I don't necessarily dream about the person that contacts me or I see, whatever, but my forsight into the future comes in these remembered dreams. Freaky huh?

Kim -today's creative blog said...

Gabi, I don't think the dream meant anything other than having another moment with your friend. I also believe that your friend may have had something to do with you having the dream. As far as the mafia guy, maybe he represented death since he made you feel uneasy and you were so relieved to see your friend when you returned. ???? And the Goth stuff.......maybe just something from your past and a representation of how far you have come.

On a side note.........I finally sent the ribbon. :)

Artful Creations by Tracie said...

Hey Gabi!

I dream all the time, and I'm very fortunate that I remember my dreams 90% of the time. I dream in color as well although I don't know if I've ever had any smells that I recall. I have twice cried in my dream and woke up crying! (freaky each time I tell ya).

I agree with some of everything your pals have said. I believe that there was a recent memory that triggered your thoughts of him, I also believe that he somehow helped you to dream that. I also believe there truly is no analysis accurate enough to depict the true meaning. And lastly, I fully believe that what you summed up to be the best reason why you dreamed about John!!

XOXOXO

Anonymous said...

I've also have had some funky dreams. I can't analyze your dream however some people believe that those that love us can visit us while we dream...my grandmother visited me in a dream the night she died so that has made me a believer. At her funeral my uncle told me that she wished to see my new born daughter. It was at that moment that I wondered if it was all more than just a dream...