About
“Goodbye,” said the fox. “And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
“What is essential is invisible to the eye,” the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.
This blog is primarily about dreams–those glimpses into the unconscious that remain impenetrable to the waking eye. On this site I blog about many of the dreams I have had as well as my own thoughts on what those dreams might mean. In the process, I hope that readers will gain insights in ways to make sense of their own dreams and learn to value them as I have. I will also review some of the latest science on sleep and dreams. I do not think that science “explains away” the meaning a dream might have to someone by reducing it to the firing of seemingly random neurons during the night. I think that science can and does inform our understanding of the process of dreaming.
There aren’t many places like this on the internet. Most “dream” sites try to give you cookie-cutter answers to what a particular symbol or event means in a dream. If you dream of losing a tooth then you’re insecure or if you’re dreaming about butterflies then a metamorphosis is under way! Dreams don’t have such cut and dry meanings that apply to each and everyone. A butterfly can mean different things to different people, and different things to the same person at different times in his or her life. By showing how I analyze and utilize my own dreams, I hope that readers will be able to see unique and creative ways to look at their own dreams. For some they might be the source of creative inspiration for a story, song or poem. For others they can offer a safe place to confront inner fears and insecurities. For others who master lucid dreaming, they can become a virtual playground that tops any video game system’s virtual reality.
As an altered reality, dreams also give one unique insights into the nature of waking life and the very concept of “reality” itself. Dreams have long been valued in different ways by the religious traditions of the world and this blog will also explore some of those traditions as well as the spiritual meaning many people find in dreams today.
What is essential is invisible to the eye. What is essential about dreams is invisble to electrodes that map out brain waves and rapid eye movement. In a highly “rationalized” world–where everything is supposed to be measurable, quantifiable and able to be calculated in cost-benefit analyses–dreams are often our last, best window into a different kind of wisdom–the wisdom of intuition and the heart. When the highly compartmentalized rational mind shuts down at night we are able to experience ourselves in a much more integrated and meaningful way. This does not mean that I am against using reason–quite the contrary, in the light of day one can shine the light of reason on the phantoms of the night to discern more clearly what they might have to say to us. I have studied dreams as a student of Psychology and Religious Studies just as I have learned from the actual experience of fascinating dreams throughout my life. That is what I hope to
do in this blog. (I will also inevitably blog about sports, politics and my other passions–waking life is important to me, too!)
And I hope that others will feel inspired to value those experiences in life which can’t be put on a resume or tallied up on a balance sheet. It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.
Date: July 20, 2009