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One thing I know, the unconscious holds treasures
that the waking mind may resist.
Using dream material in writing is both daring
and exciting. It makes use of raw creative energy.
The night writer uses the familiar and the
strange to grab our attention
long enough for us to learn something about ourselves.
One thing to notice – dream stories capture
our imagination with absurdity and at times fear
with a twist of humor. Without these elements we
would not remember the dream and its’ meaning
would be lost.
This piece of work is a sample of the inner world
of the Night Writer.
Use your imagination to picture a thick green forest
with one central path. Notice the trees, ferns,
the sound of the birds. Smell the pines, feel the
earth beneath your feet.
The sun is shining through the branches, reflective
light dances around you. Take your time, notice,
there is no rush and there is nothing in your way.
As you move along the pathway the sky turns electric
blue. In front of you the trees now change from
what you thought were pines to white birches, illuminated
and glowing.
You wonder why you have not seen these birches
before. The sound of crackling bark fills your body
as the paper thin covering unwinds from the trees.
The sound is deafening, like a million loci eating
their way into your mind.
Stay with this absurdity as you move from logical
thinking mind to the mysterious world of the unconscious.
Think of this as cleansing your emotional palate,
getting you ready for a new message.
At the moment when the sound overwhelms you, the
trees quiet and an old woman appears. Bent, knarled,
leaning forward on her cane, seemingly unaware of
your presence.
A part of you perceives the woman as a kindly grandmother
with all the associations you have of such an elderly
person. You follow the woman into the familiar cave
tracing her footsteps. Finally she turns to face
you. You recognize the as a woman as an acquaintance.
She has no relationship to you but you hold the
association that she is elegant, intelligent, successful
and she knows all of your shameful thoughts and
deeds.
Without words this creates a feeling of intense
fear that floods your body self loathing. You turn
back and run toward the exit of the cave.
Rounding the corner into the clearing a monstrous
bat obstructs the light casting a shadow that is
large and threatening. Its’ blackness dwarfs
your presence obliterating all light, leaving you
alone. With intention the bat slowly and seductively
spreads her wings blocking the cave opening, trapping
you inside.
The sound of your pounding heart pulsates through
the cave. Your breath is heavy as you turn to run
into the darkness. Blinded, you stand alone. Without
options you fall to the ground and begin to crawl.
Exhausted you find yourself in a space that is dimly
lit.
A small flame burns in a corner of the cave. The
fire light is reflected into a pool of clear water.
Here, at the bend in the cave, a man calmly waits
for you.
Basically you have been through hell and here stands
a neatly dressed man in a serene place with a purple
box in his hands.
Now if this was happening in the real life you
might be pretty angry at this guy for waiting in
a safely lit area, listening to your horror and
not coming to save you from the obnoxious woman
and the ferocious bat. But in the world of dreams
you stand up and as if participating in a sacred
ceremony graciously receive the box as a gift.
After all that you have been though you would think
something wonderful was in the box but as you lift
the cover a swarm of bugs flies up, circles your
head and before you can speak the bugs are attracted
by the fire’s flame. In an instant their burning
is transformed into shimmering trails of color.
You feel great relief as if you have been given
an answer to a life long mystery that up until now
has eluded you.
Tomorrow the symbols of this dream may seem to
vanish into thin air. The messages about relationship
to Self and others will be metabolized making subtle
behavioral and cognitive changes.
A word of caution about the Night Writer: He
is a playwright that casts characters right out
of the psyche of the dreamer. Each character is
part of the dreamer’s personality, internal
or external world. That may be comforting or a bit
disturbing.
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