The careening arrow of time, relentlessly moves on, and I, the surprised passenger, catapult along, happy to be.
    While sitting in converse with another, I gave a fancifully brief, "invented" dream to make a point about the non-temporal overview that seems to manifest in dreams and creative activities. It (the invented dream) was "made up" on the spot, but it reminded me that this is an ever present process, this upwelling from the unconscious and realms beyond, which we (I) tend to quantify in "dreams" parsed out in the night. Yet it is always present, spilling out in associations, turns of phrase, intuitions, transient thoughts. The more I thought about this "invention of the moment," I noted it's strong compliance to the qualities of dreams, even tho it emerged mid-thought while fully(?) awake in conversation with another person. It included a reference to an imaginary person, (I gave him a name with ease, tho I have no immediate association to the name chosen??), presient knowledge, confabulated actions and dramatic exaggerations, all with emotive tension and surprise.
    [The actual "dream" as I told it in the moment was, "I am traveling, by myself, and come to an intersection, and have the strong impression that I should turn left immediately, which I do, only to see two actions simultaneously. I note a long lost friend on the right sidewalk (Alfred?) and watch in the rear-view mirror, as a massive/horrific collision of vehicles occurs in the intersection, I had just allowed myself to be diverted from, by the intuition to "turn left."]
    While I have personally and clinically had multiple version of "this dream," this particular one was "created" and told in the moment as a useful invention. Upon secondary reflection, after the fact, I noted strong pun elements in the directionality of the action, always to be looked for in any unpacking of dream content. "Going straight, or turning right, invited disaster, only following my intuition, turning left, avoided the calamitous potential, and produced the charmed encounter." Our literal waking ego mind, hears only the implied directionality in it's concrete form, but the "inner" ear notes that I should not insist on "right," as in being right, nor straight, as in inflexible, but left, as in "the path left chosen." I then encounter "Alfred" of which I have no personal association, but my first "hit" in a search brings me to a long posting about the "Mentor" archetype in which Alfred is noted as the mentor of Batman, an association that I fine useful. He is on the right, as in "correct" and his smile confirms the connection. The rearview mirror is that which reflects backwards upon the path not chosen.
    For a momentary concoction, in the midst of a rapidly flowing conversation, "this imaginary dream," ends up having more to it, beyond the making of a point, about the non-temporal nature of dreams and creative activities. It is an important reminder that dreaming is the primary condition of mind, and the epiphenomena of my thoughts, skittering upon the surface, like drops of water on a heated skillet, here for the moment, vanishing evanescently. I am not the source of the energy, that bubbles up, like magical springs, nourishing the attentive visitor, and creating life forms in it's wake. Grateful I am, to acknowledge the source, however unknowable. Tis' the fool who claims any presumption of authorship, as I am but a conduit for a grand designer. The spontaneous noun/verb inversion just used, invokes Yoda, another Mentor figure, which tends to confirm that I might be "on to something."
    Off I go, to search for the source of that spring....

I had a series of memory flashes recently, triggered by a poignant song that was playing along while I was otherwise focused. It pulled me into a vortex of feelings and reflections, about a person from an earlier part of my life. She was pivotal in my early relationship development, and having thought of her on previous occasions, I was struck with the lingering feeling intensity this time around. Why this time, why now? Feelings are useful clues to the interior of our lives and one of many ways that the unconscious "flags" elements in the "exterior" world that have meaningful connections to what is going on inside. It is a form of projection. Generally, the unconscious does not have direct access to immediate verbal expression, unless "leaked" through slips of the tongue. More commonly it makes itself known though dreams, fantasy, and all too commonly as events in the "exterior" world that spark strong emotional responses, often unexpectedly, such as movies, passages in a book, something someone says, etc. Here was a person from deep past (5 decades?) making an insistent visit in the present. This provokes the reminder that, for the unconscious, timelessness is the temporal framework, and it is waking consciousness that trys to keep timelines current.
So, what could be provoking this tumult of memory. The best understanding that I would offer myself, is that this memory of a more innocent time, with a genuinely sincere and kind young feminine image was needed to compensate for a "lop-sided" aspect of my current thinking/feeling self. For the unconscious mind the "key" element is "feeling," so, the intensity of the emotional connection, during that time past, and the importance this person played in formulating my inner relationship with love of another, is a tribute to them and a strong statement of how these emotional events serve as "templates" for later use by the dreaming mind. I had multiple "other" relationships in the subsequent years, but they don't pop to mind as fervently as this person does, which makes it all the more curious that she pops forward now.
So, what do I do about this?? First allow that other thoughts and feelings are just as likely to be just as relevant, and to watch for them as the days unfold. Waking mind tends to want to say "this is it," in part as an ego-defensive, pre-emptive response. Take some action to recognize the content that is seeking recognition. Writing this blog is one example, actually writing to the person in question is also part of the process, as part of "taking some action" (ala Marie Louise von Franz admonition to her Depth Psychology students in response to dreams). I make no assumptions that this is exclusively "my" process, as this is the claim holding attitude of "little self." Is something happening in "that person's" life that nudges it way into my awareness. While this question is immediately "transpersonal" in it's nature, I always need to keep an open-ness of mind that I do not "know" the extent of mind. The dreams I have every night are sure reminders of this aspect, and a lifetime of drawings that "just appear" from beneath my hand, cause me to be cautious of any "claim" to ownership.
Does this "actual" person need to hear all of my inner dialogue, no, not really, that is self-indulgent at best, but a friendly contact is certainly warranted. I trust my intuition, as it has been a faithful companion and guide along a long and winding path. I tend to be better off, if I follow it's gentle nudging. If I ignore it's soft voice, "stuff happens," as they say. That which is not attended to from within, tends to manifest as "accident, or incident, symptom, or sychronicity" to paraphrase Carl Jung. If I have given this event it's proper attention, I can expect some form of affirmation in dream or fantasy. If I am "off" then a good thump on the head can be expected.
Watching the fantasies and associated feelings are just as important as DreamWork.
Just as I wrote that last sentence... the same song came on the stream I enjoy. Perhaps I am going is the correct direction?? Careful there Paul, hubris provokes the trickster everytime. ;>)

    I had a series of dreams last night that I found remarkable, both for their content and the potential implications of their "meaning." The area of question that is prompted is the mapping of content to (1)objective world, (2)subjective world and (3)interior brain process.
    (Dream Fragment #1) "I look up outside with a companion to notice two very large trees swaying intensely in the wind, leaning over precariously, particularly aggravated by some overly large kids toys strewn in the branches left their by one of my daughters. I decide I may have to climb up and remove some of them to lessen the burden, only to watch as the trees finally crash down onto the house, partially crushing a section. I find this alarming, in the dream. While examining the damage, I watch as a rolling earthquake moves through the ground, rippling the ground in front of me and further crashing parts of the already damaged house. I quickly move to inspect the damage and note that my neighbors house has some damage, but they are unhurt. We are all grateful, still stunned by the enormity of the event."
    First, objectively upon waking, I noted the time and day, and did not find any immediate correlation to weather, or earthquakes, but thought to stay alert to the potential, if this was a forewarning of some kind?? After a suitable interval, I fell back asleep and then had a dream (Dream Fragment #2) "of sorting, beginning repair, tossing out of less useful objects, saving others and noting some would be useful later. Some re-structuring would be necessary, but the disaster also made the process of re-building some parts in a different way possible, which I found productive as an assortment of people assisted me in the process and I directed them. This was fairly upbeat in tone, constructive would be a useful adjective."
    As the day moved on, no weather, no earthquakes, so the most immediate aspect of (1)objective check-ins are addressed. I am savvy enough to know that dreams are non-temporal, so this could just as easily portend a yet to happen, "objective" event, time would tell.
    So, second check-in, how does this relate to the perceived (2)subjective experience. Owning all of the elements, as "mine" I find some correlations, but "waking ego" is tricky stuff, lightening fast and prone to deflecting, so a three(3) day reflection interval is often useful, as well as a periodic re-visit farther down the road, to see what fits, after the reactivity of "waking ego" has had time to assimilate the revelations. Since this "just" happened, I will have to await some settling of the content and time to better assess subjective connections
    Which brings me to a "third premise," always watchful for the "this and..." aspect of depth psychology which assumes multiple determinants can be all operative, while keeping the door open for yet additional understandings. "Waking ego" is quick to prematurely close the discussion, in case some uncomfortable "truth' slip through, so keep the "door cracked open."
    What is this (3)third understanding. Our current understanding of brain physiology includes the knowledge of it's "plastic" nature. Learn something "new," and new connections, literally, are made in the physical structure, pathways strengthened. Move on in our life and old "paths" lose their strength, fade, and in some cases, get recruited by nearby areas for entirely new functions. This is a remarkable capacity allowing recovery from injury, and acquiring entirely new data sets as we march through our years. Sometimes we need wholesale upheaval and alteration, rather than piece by piece tinkering.
    So, back to the content of the dream. Imagery of strong elemental forces, such as fierce winds, storms, earthquakes, etc. are of a "low occurrence value" in the continuum of dream content, meaning that if we watch a bunch of dreams, these kind of elements don't occur very often, and when they do, they are often observed during times of transition and turmoil.
    Since there wasn't any, as of yet, (1)objective phenomenological correlate, and the (2)subjective check-in so far has only generated a few sparks, the (3)third premise comes into play. Imagine for the moment that a given dream can simultaneously represent all three of these streams and yet others (4,5,...). So, I am the observer of the brain, as it prunes and re-arranges a large section of territory, as part of the normal process of growth and development. From the "dream ego's" point of view, which is the only immediate perspective that I have available, sections are crashing down, whole branches are coming down, burdened by left over stuff, and taking out adjacent sections with it. Then rippling changes move through, as a second pass, further altering the landscape, but inevitably bringing about new growth, pruning, and re-purposing of sections. I experience the dream as a visual/emotive narrative, but what if it wasn't necessarily directed to my attention, but just a chronicle of activity which I happened to able to retrieve as a "dream," sitting by the door, listening in the conversation, only partially understood, if at all.
    Dreams are remarkable, and seen to be multi-variant in their purpose, content, level of meaningfulness, all going on in the night, and only occasionally referenced as a "dream," that I actually remember. If I take notice, do "something," like this Blog chronicle, then the likeliness that I will be assisted or informed by the "Self" are increased, at least that is my experience, and the recommendation of Jung and Marie Louise vonFranz. So much for this meander...
    Now, what might be a (4)fourth, (5)fifth, and (...)other premise. Experience has taught be to ask the question, listen for an answer, as voices drift into my attention as I sit beside the door...

Most of the visitors to this blog know me only through the postings on Dreamwork, a lifelong passion, vocation and interest. I began life as an artist, before the training in Depth Psychology, and continue to create personal artwork. These have always been "dream-like" snapshots, and I thought to share one as a way of amplifying the scope of my comments on Dreamwork, Inner Dialogue, and the Creative Process. I had submitted a different drawing to the International Association for the Study of Dreams conference in Berkeley several years ago, in a similar process of bridging the domains.

This particular image arrived in my consciousness more complete than most, but several months elapsed before I started sharing and printing out proofs. Recently I printed out the "Red Bird" image at full scale, (3'x4') and replaced an image on the wall with this one. For those who might have followed along, the title ended up being "All is askew, except for You." I have always created images as a form of dialogue with an Inner aspect of the Self, letting them inform me. I never intend, as best I can manage, but let the image surprise me and teach me what I am meant to know at the point of it's creation. It is always an evolving process. This particular image did not get printed after the initial "completion" so I was pleased to have it ask for a change before hard copy. There is a "blue path" moving off to the right to the "odd house" in the near distance. I had noted that there had always been a small piece of the same path, approaching the brass railing. The spontaneous question emerged, how do "I" move between "here" (present tense, current state of mind) to "there" the quirky house with it's mysterious portent?? The drawing was requesting a "gate," a means of transition and access between the domains. I know, fancy Depth Psychology language, for a spontaneous, intuitive felt need in a drawing, but there it is, a gate is now in the picture. Time to move on to the next picture, and let this one talk to me when it wants to from it's now ensconced place on the wall. It is a dialogue, and between dreams and drawings, and little felt words in my inner ear, me and my life long companion chat. Also, for those who have been watching, the outside twisted frame has been dropped, as it interrupted the discussion and felt superfluous?? For those who are keen on such issues, I often include both large and small scale dimensions to "my" images, as this feels correct when they are being created. So... step back from the screen, squint your eyes a bit and see if anything "jumps out." Our unconscious usually includes both levels, and then some.... it is open ended.

Companions on our journey:
    Depth psychology offers many deep and engaging ways of looking at the many faceted jewel of the little self. Shadow, anima/animus, are key landmarks on this interior journey, but closer to our side rides a variety of companions who we may not acknowledge to ourself, but are more easily seen by those who are close to us.
    These are the complexes. Did you imagine, "little self, waking ego" to be of a different substance than a complex. Not really, "little self, waking ego" is one of the complexes, differentiated only by our attachment to it and our identification with it as to "who we are." Yet, wait a moment, one of disquiet and disruption, usually during an emotional tussle with our partner, and who seems to take center stage??? An alternate self that is very much alive and charged with energy, but of a different coloration, with shades and hues we tend to disown in quieter moments, and do not want to talk about, for fear of stirring it to life again?? These complexes are constant traveling companions, aspects of "shadow," every ready to move to center stage when called forth to defend the realm.
    Complexes are a collection of acquired attitudes, emotions, self-perceptions, and perceptions of others. The "grandest" of these is "waking ego," with whom we quickly identify, but who among us have not heard feedback from others that we are acting in some less flattering way. "You are frightening, when you are angry," or, "You are using self-devaluing comments in broad sweeps," "which does not fit the general person that I know you to be."
    There are many variations on this, but each is characterized by an emotional charge, different sets of attitudes and ideas about self, ways of acting and body language. To imagine that the waking ego self is stable and persistent is an illusion. Perhaps a helpful one, particularly in the first half of life, but in the second and "third half" of life it becomes less tenable as anything solid.
    I am reminded of throwing spinning tops as a child, something that is little known today, but serves in this moment as a useful visual analogy. When the top is thrown, it spins at a fierce rate, and is relatived stable and holds position. It can wander, first being in one area of our imaginary "vend" diagram with many overlapping circles, then shifting to another adjacent circle of influence, which shares some of the characteristics of the first, but has a different center and flavor.
    As the "top" energy decays, or outside influences intrude, the "top" wanders and gyrates, moving from perceived center to another. In each moment, from the "top's" point of view, this is "who I am," and it acts as if no other point of reference is even present. These complexes can be very intrusive and dominating, like an unruly senior actor who has always played for the center of the stage, they are reluctant to leave, and rightfully don't take well to challenges to their hold of the psychic energy. They usually have been with us since early in our life, adaptive strategies of emotional posture and defense, that artfully and curiously protect the threatened "little self," but have an eerie way of holding the foreground once granted.
    Being willing to acknowledge their presence, recognize them in the reflective mirror of contemplation, requires humility and patience. We are challenged by the comments of others, to know these companions on our journey.

Listening at the door again
    To continue. There as many functions and types of dreams as there are people and commentaries, so any characterization, by me or others, is comparable to the parable of the blind men and the elephant, each only perceiving a small point of view, but fervently arguing it to be the truth. Recent research into the levels of norepinephrine during REM sleep suggest that as the stress hormone (one of it's functions) is decreased during REM, it allows more "relaxed" review of charged content, so as to consolidate and integrate, providing hope to PTSD individuals. Again, only one of many aspects of dreams (remember the blind men) and we are encouraged to adopt the attitude of "this/and" rather than "either/or" leaving the 'and' as an open end for further thought. What else might be going on....
    Most recently, as I watched from the cracked open door at the conversation in the other room, I was struck by the variations of deconstruction and construction motifs in some of the content, albeit only a small portion of the flow, but it caught my attention. Since I know that my Mind is constantly updating, reorganizing and re-prioritizing it's use of the neurons (physical structure for the moment only) then some portion of the conversation that I "hear" at the doorway of consciousness, conceivably, will be my "dream egos" view and translation of this process of consolidating and re-building.
    This is not to dismiss more comprehensive reflections on the content and images, but just a very narrow slice, for the moment. Since I only have the subjective lens of my "little self," to witness the "dream egos" view of this stream and dream content, my perception is limited. How I perceive it, invariably takes on the "garments in my subjective closet," which for me, are often "construction motifs." That I should have a dream one night of a dystopian landscape, and not feel an immediate connection to waking events, and have in a subsequent night, a dream of now cleared out space and buildings, followed by yet another night in which I am witness to "someone" connecting some intricate pipes and wires is a small arc of content, but the progression on this one thematic stream seems plausible.
    There were certainly other aspects of the content that had more subjective "grounding" in my awareness, and the dreams were certainly more detailed and substantial that my brief reference here, but... at least some portion of the endless flow of images and stories that I listen to intently from my perch by the door, could be a reflection of this small, but important aspect of consciousness, as witnessed by my "dream ego." My "self" is to my "dream ego" as it is to my "Mind" and as my "Mind" is to the greater "Self." An order of magnitude of unknown scale between each increment. My little "self" is but a small reflection of my "dream ego" and yet my waking attention perceives it (the small "self") to be the one who directs the flow, oh, the delusions of "self-importance."

Listening at the door of the dreaming mind

Our mind "dreams" continuously with bursts of notable activity at intervals in the night, only a few of which we notice. Like ignorant children listening at the door to adults talking, we gather little from the conversation, declaring it so much foreign language babble. Oh the arrogance of the little "self" who rules the conversation in another language nonsense, reluctant to imagine there is knowledge transpiring to which we are not privy. Yet this activity is ongoing and is best thought to be the mind talking to itself, in commune with still deeper layers and potentially transpersonal components. Some of the conversations are modest in scope, sorting through the items of the day that the little self has had to contend, putting them into the larger context of the Mind that has a far more comprehensive scope of future and past, and always in reference to a greater Self that transcends the individual. Some conversations are Large, beyond the scope of the individual who experiences the dream, meant to be attended to by a wide audience, most cultures and thinkers reference these as "Big Dreams." To imagine that I create my dreams, with my little self, denies reality. Why would I surprise, scare, puzzle and amuse, with images and concepts grandly beyond any that my waking ego self can imagine, if I am the creator of dreams. I sit by the door of the greater mind, listening intently, gaining glimmers of insight, occasionally spoken to directly, but always humbled by the marvel that I am witness to, including the modest limits of my understanding. Learning to understand this language is a life's work, always with the assumption that at the end I will remain a child in the reflection of this larger Self.

Here is a poetic reflection that came to mind.

Entrancing Gems of Mind

Entrancing gems of mind, cast up upon the shore
Stumbled on by my waking self
first dismissed as "just a rock."
Waking self is cautious of surprises
particularly those outside of its control.

Both ancient in pedigree, but fresh in the new light of day
Uncountable facets reflect archaic time eternal
and the modest cares of yesterday
Not subject to only the tide of yesteryear
It casts it's light forward into
the dark of tomorrow and futures unseen.

I awake, calling it a dream, but I was only a tertiary
witness to a marvelous staged event.
With minimum volition I played my part
inter-played with untold various characters
only occasionally having recognizable features.

All the facets of these jewels, part of a whole
revealing mysterious shades of thought within
catching fragments of context all the world around
Who is the creator of these gems?
Whose light finds it way into my mind.

I have shared postings on Dreams and Consciousness, in a tucked away folder on my site, but it isn't a "blog" and doesn't allow questions and other's thoughts... so I thought to try posting it here to see what it stirs up.

Question about Identity in Dreams
For those who don't know me, I have maintained a Dream Journal, for "3+? decades" and have used this dialogue as a growth experience and knowledge training opportunity, seeing patterns in rapid evolution, sifting out the repeated motifs, noting the 'unusual," as I sit here, listening to a video stream on NPR from Robert Louis Stevenson and his encounters with "the little people," who helped him in his writings. The question that was posed included the puzzle, who is the 'creator' of dreams. If I claim them to be of my own creation(?), how do I become surprised, or alarmed and frightened. James Hollis (Depth Psychology author/analyst) shares the thought of a multiplicity of "selves" only a fraction of which we have any volitional relationship. Are we directing our attention to the Self, the Objective Psyche as suggested by Robert Waggoner.
I have been doing DreamWork with others for more than two decades, and recently had an unusual experience, and I toss it into the stream to see if it floats, and who may pick it up.
I had a dream the other night, only part of which I will include here.
"I am in college with similar age related peers, in a lecture hall, engaging in the lecture, seated in rows of seats, 3 or 4 seats in from the walkway in the middle. I feel to be here appropriately, and am not surprised as the lecturer walks up the aisle, turns to look down my row, and directs a question to me 'directly' using a name (Walter), which while reasonably common, is not my name. But in the dream, my dream ego (the point of view of the one who experiences a dream) is immediately solid with the identity, feels like the lecturer is addressing me with an expectation that I should respond."
Only upon waking do I question the curiosity of being a differently named and identified person, which, from within the dream, seemed correct.
I have had many dreams in which I have been a women, animals, disembodied points of view within a scene, a third party observer watching myself, but in each of these cases I did not experience myself as personified by a different specifically named entity, but as myself inhabiting another identity. I currently only have two immediate associations to the personal name, which I will pursue for my own edification, but the question is directed to the aspect of identification being so distinctly other.
I have not "bumped" into similar dream reports by individuals I have worked with, nor in the body of literature I have read, thus the curiosity.