Dream Analysis and Pop Culture Correlations

   

I've mentioned some dream experiences in the current series of autobiographical articles and there have been some more of these recently, beginning with a brief yet highly memorable one.  
 
I was in my car as always and all of a sudden there was the bizarre realization that I was in the back seat.  'How can I be here,' I thought.  'What happened?'  I glanced to see who was driving my car and saw the back of the driver's head was covered by a gray hood.  Then I awoke.  The meaning seemed obvious enough.  In relation to all my hopes and expectations of life, 'Michael' is in the driver's seat.  Michael is the most common nickname used for my unseen 'guide'/'guardian angel.'
 
I've been deciphering my recent dreams using a dream dictionary that a friend gave me last year.  
 
 

Wednesday Night/Thursday Morning (a week ago)

Early Thursday, there was a short dream of watching people getting out of a small boat that was on fire while stationed at a dock.  
  
The Illustrated Dream Dictionary entry about boats specifies:
 

See a boat and it symbolizes your life, so the other details should be interpreted accordingly.

  
The entry about fire offers the following:
  

FIRE  Fire is an important element in dreams, just as it is in reality.  Fire warns and purges and it can hurt if you get too close to it.  So it's a powerful symbol indicating a period of renewal, but also a certain amount of painful reflection . . .

 
Following the short image of the boat, a completely new dream began that I've forgotten in part.  Myself and two other men were playing some sort of game, first involving what seemed like hide and seek.  Then I realized one man was a young version of movie director Stanley Kubrick (1928-1999), perhaps looking the way he did at the time of "2001: A Space Odyssey" as I remember having read The Making of Kubrick's 2001 (1970) edited by Jerome Agel.  In the dream, I was happy to see Stanley abruptly begin grinding out a key for me using one of those machines for making replacement keys that you see at some stores.  I then awoke.
 

a photo from the book with Stanley holding a plastic model

 

Something I realize is that movies may have meanings and present correlations beyond the narrative storylines.  I've previously mentioned a discovered parallel between my life and the Stanley Kubrick movie "2001 A Space Odyssey."

  

In relation to my noticing synchronicities involving the word Bell since accepting the word as the last part of my pen name in 1995, I have an additional fact to share about "2001: A Space Odyssey."  I have learned that the title of the song that the computer HAL 9000 sings in the movie is "Daisy Bell".  A 2011 article about this facet of the movie is "Little-known sci-fi fact: Why HAL 9000 sang 'Daisy' in 2001" by Don Kaye.  It turns out that HAL 9000 wasn't the first computer in fact or fiction to warble the song.

  

Synchronicity of the names 'Michael' and 'Bell' is something I am bound to notice when giving my attention to names of characters, the cast and filmmakers of a particular movie.  'HAL' is the 'Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer' in the fictional storyline.  People can also be 'programmed' by having various assumed imperatives about what is the beneficial way to interact with others.  

 

Thursday Night/Friday Morning

On Friday before dawn, what began as a fairly ordinary dream suddenly presented what for me was a very unusual experience.  As I was leaving the room through the front door, glancing down I saw myself naked.  There simultaneously was a thought form.  I wouldn't describe it as 'clairaudient' exactly as the voice sounded different from the few clairaudient experiences I've had in the past.  The sentence communicated was "Oh my God I'm naked!" yet the thought form wasn't an expression of my reaction.  The expression was like a confirmation about the situation observed.  I remember thinking 'I must've forget to put on my clothes.'  That was when I woke up and realized the experience had been a dream.

Looking at my notes, I'm reminded about the storyline of the dream prior to my leaving the room.  For many of my younger years I would attend movie screenings with my twin brother Mike, a movie publicist.  In my dream Mike had screening tickets for a movie about Jesus of Nazareth and to this I responded something like "I think we know what happens in that" to express that I didn't want to go to see the movie with him.  Personally, I stopped watching movies and TV shows in early 1997. 

After going back to sleep, I had another dream, one more typical of most of my dreams.  The dream revisited some aspects of my career as a special education office worker.  In this dream, a high school special education student happened to be residing near my home and his young friends were upset because some manner of intervention was taking place.  I saw a teacher walking toward the boy's home and recognized him as a teacher with whom I once worked.  The dream seems so common to typical experiences of recent years that specific analysis seems unnecessary.  Sometimes the regular 'hodgepodge' dreams such as this one may also include thoughts and concerns about being a writer and blogger.  The next night (Friday night/early Saturday) the dreams also were of the 'hodgepodge' type and I didn't make any notes.

What seems most obvious about the 'seeing myself naked' dream is that there is a specific meaning provided in The Illustrated Dream Dictionary (1996) by Russell Grant.  
 
Here is the passage I found in the book —

NAKEDNESS Nakedness in a dream is quite common.  If you see yourself naked then things are about to improve.  You may even have a stroke of money luck. . . .

Some degree of interpretation would seem necessary for so simple a statement.  Spiritual wealth is always more important than material wealth.  A potential meaning for seeing myself naked is that anyone else can learn all the important details of my life in the current series of autobiographical articles in addition to reading my case study book Testament (1997).

As with dreams, symbols and metaphors in movies may express meanings other than the ones intended or improvised by the human artist who originated an artwork.  I mentioned in a previous article about an anomalous experience one morning in 1995 when my TV suddenly came on by itself and there was a scene from one of the old black and white "Topper" ghost movies.  I recorded in a written journal entry for September 24 that one character said "Now I know why you had me put away in the hospital!"  A bag of oranges was prominent in the scene.  The Illustrated Dream Dictionary offers this explanation of oranges symbolism:

Slow but steady progress is the message if you see oranges growing or boxed for shipment.  Eat one or drink its juice and a short-but-oh-so-sweet love affair is on the horizon. 

In addition to symbols, people's names also usually have meanings ascribed to them.  If one wants to be even more analytical, there are anagrams within names.  The Illustrated Dream Dictionary was written by Russell Grant and illustrated by Vicky Emptage.  One dreamlike movie with a Hollywood setting that I recalled while writing this article is "Barton Fink."  Looking at the listed names of characters, the cast and filmmakers, I discovered that actress Isabelle Townsend is seen in the final image of the movie.  
 
The famous 'sleeping prophet' Edgar Cayce (1877-1945) under hypnosis would orate channeled readings that included clairvoyance about medical treatments.  His son and psychic researcher Hugh Lynn Cayce (1907-1982) wrote about Edgar's readings about dreams (more than 600) in Venture Inward (1964).  The following are some excerpts from the readings about dreams presented in Venture Inward.

 

The great truth that must become apparent is the ease with which the individual may apply what may be obtained from his own subconscious self — the cosmic forces or universal consciousness.  254-46


. . . to every normal body with a developing mind, conditions are often presented through the subconscious forces during the sleeping state, wherein truths are given; visions are seen of things to be warned or taken advantage of; conditions shown in which would be brought advantages to the body — physically, mentally, morally, spiritually and financially.  294-34


The dreams when correlated with those symbols relating to the various phases of the individual, give that individual a better understanding of self, if correctly interpreted.  3744


This lesson should be gained: Life is action of the mind.  While mind is divided into two different phases, their active forces are one and the same.  The physical body proves to be a hindrance to the active force of mind rather than a help, save as the mind may be applied in the physical plane to the assistance and aid of other individuals.  294-70

As mentioned in my case profile article about Edgar Cayce, the following reading is also mentioned in Venture Inward.  Hugh Lynn Cayce explained that the following was given at the end of a reading interpreting a dream.
  

[From text of channeled reading 3976-3 given on January 24, 1925]

1. EC: Have some terribly hard times in China to-day.  In the Manchurian region, a flood and fire both.  Many peoples are passing into the Borderland, their entities taking their position as has been manifest through their environment in the earth plane at present time.  There are those conditions arising from this great boredom in the consciousness of many that will bring the revolution in the minds of many peoples, and begin that understanding of the purpose of the Gift of God to the World in the One made manifest in the flesh, and able to bring the consciousness made manifest in the world to the peoples.  Hence many will be able through this to lay aside the physical and again manifest in a physical before men.

Saturday Night/Sunday Morning
  

Prior to going to sleep for the night, there was an inkling that I considered about 'where is this all leading' in relation to my sudden upsurge in dream recall and analysis — apparently a guided aspect of the relationship with my guide existing in the ascended state of Oneness (or 'God Force').  There did occur another dream with what I consider to be a very unusual aspect.

I began my day on Sunday at 6:00 am.  My preceding dreams were again of the 'hodgepodge of daily life experiences' sort and I realize I wasn't in thinking mode as has been noticeable during some of my dreams.  The memorable part is the end of the night's dreams after finding myself telling my brother Mike that I wanted to do some shopping.  One of the things recalled is myself saying that I wanted to get "pillows" — an item not listed in the dream dictionary.  I'd vacuumed them the previous day.  My brother soon seemed to become bored with shopping.  Then I found myself in the technology section of a store.  I heard myself say that I wanted to find an "end-of-life device" yet this didn't seem jarring or strange at the time.  Now I'm startled as I'm certainly not suicidal and would never consider such a thing although I'm accepting of others making that choice if there is some major illness or discomfort involved.  It is a subject I've thought about in recent months due to increases in suicide rate statistics.  My spiritual understanding is that it is unwise to consider suicide because it is better to surmount problems prior to making the transition to the ascended state.  The Illustrated Dream Dictionary advises about the symbolic interpretation of the theme of suicide when found in a dream.
  

SUICIDE You need a change of scene or to relax more.  Things are clearly getting on top of you.

  
My dream experiences are evidently something determined as potentially offering spiritual guidance if the meanings are interpreted correctly.

 

Sunday Night/Monday Morning

The initial dream was of common circumstances quickly forgotten; however, later as has happened on other nights last week, a memorable dream transpired just prior to my waking and beginning the day.  This dream reflected some of my contemplations as an author this winter.  I learned about some form of book publishing project where a template was provided consisting of the work by some other writer.  The publishing process made it necessary for an author to expand on that material.  Then I received this enormous book that began with a short description of what I'd planned on the very first page as one of countless similar descriptions contributed to authors using the template.  I noticed that the title of the book was Michael.  Some glitches were noticeable in my description evidently deriving from the automated system during uploading.  Two sentences were superimposed in a blank area of my entry.  This was repetitive and redundant.  Also, I'd used an underline code for a couple terms and the automated system unexpectedly made these words appear in red ink.  I noticed this had also happened with some of the other descriptions contributed by other writers.  Then I awoke.
 
This dream makes me recall my feelings of uncertainty in relation to the question of publishing some other book during this time of Kindle and other commercial platforms that simplify the publishing process.  Ever since publishing the Internet version of Testament in 1997, I've avoided any commercialization of my writing and blogging.

There have been several dreams (or dream state experiences) from different periods in my life that were fairly unique.  Some of these have been described in previous articles.  While living in Pasadena in a lovely apartment on East Orange Grove Blvd., there was one movie-like dream that had a hell-like setting.  It didn't disturb me as one might expect and I based a short story on the experience.  I don't recall the precise year or where I was working at the time.  It seemed weird to dream about something I didn't take all that seriously although I was always interested in metaphysical subjects.  My hell dream may have been a guided experience to motivate me to take my spirituality more seriously.  I recall a childhood dream that ended with my realization that "God is here (with me)!"  It was more like a science fiction movie twist than something involving any type of actual spiritual insight.  Now I know differently and this is one of the main motivations for sharing the details of what I've learned throughout my lifelong path of spiritual discovery. 
 

Monday Night/Tuesday Morning

On Tuesday morning there was another dream  of the 'hodgepodge' type about my former school job.  My interaction with young people in the dream reminded me of the interim last year during the teachers' strike when my assignment was being stationed in the school library with a group of students.  I found it very revealing, in particularly about the challenges facing young people with learning disabilities.  The video seen below was used to instruct the students about different musical instruments and the end result when people contribute their individual talents in a group effort.  

November 2002 was when I began working in high school special education.  I was hired during the week when I was serving as a substitute office worker at an elementary school.  While at the elementary school, on one occasion it was necessary for me to go outside of the office.  That was the precise moment when a choral group of students began to sing.  The lyrics were: "Welcome from the children of the world . . ."  I then knew that God was gifting me with a place to be in the world. 
 

Tuesday Night/Wednesday Morning

I began wondering about how long this current interlude of heightened dream recall would continue.  The first dream sequence of the night was so negligible it was forgotten before I could even make any notation.  
  
At 3:20 I awoke after I heard a particular Pop song playing in my mind in the same manner as a previous incident with a different song.  The song was "That's Amore" that I probably heard when I was very young.  I thought it was Frank Sinatra singing yet maybe not.  This morning I saw that all the YouTube videos of the song feature Dean Martin and the lyrics were found to include 'bells' and 'bella.'  Following that song, I began thinking about the Howard Jones song "What Is Love Anyway?" and this also was surprising.
 
Later during the intermittent periods of sleep there were two other songs that briefly came into my mind instead of any dream scenario experience.  The two well-known Pop songs were also about love: "Endless Love" and "Evergreen".  Awake, I felt pleased about this.
 
There were three successive dream vignettes before I awoke to begin the day on Wednesday.  First, a dream began where I was at my computer when a young man come into my room without my having let him inside through the front door.  He was accompanied by an older man.  I remember being oblivious to them while concentrating on my work.  Then I recalled that they were there and asked them what assistance they needed.  The young man said he needed me to sign paperwork concerning an apartment in the complex.  My response was to tell him that I wasn't the manager and started to show him where he needed to go.  The scene changed to my front door and several more strangers came into my apartment.  An older man held out a letter for me of some kind.  I couldn't discern any particular emotions on the man's face while beginning to wonder if this was some type of registered important letter.  A third dream vignette followed where I was looking up something—presumably in the dream dictionary—and I saw a single word on a page:
 

oppression 

 
That was when I woke up.
  
The Illustrated Dream Dictionary entry for 'letter' in this interaction would seem to be "news is on the way to you from a distance."  My New World Dictionary definition of 'oppression' is:
 

1.  an oppressing or being oppressed  2. a thing that oppresses  3. a feeling of being weighed down, as with worries or problems; physical or mental distress

Wednesday Night/Thursday Morning

On Wednesday night I ate dinner and went to sleep earlier than usual and there was a hodgepodge dream that could only be vaguely recalled when I awoke.  The dream involved my attending some public evening event.  Inside the exhibition hall, I found myself in the way of a facility staff member who needed to use the telephone on the wall behind me.  A few moments later, everyone seemed to be asleep in the darkened room.  I began planning to leave and tried to remember where my home was located during this past time in my life and where was my parking space.  Suddenly I was driving near the airport and going too fast.  Then, as I was trying to recall where I was going and where was my parking place, I realized I was already in my bedroom while still in the dream.  As I considered where that was now, I awoke.  The clock indicated that it was still before midnight on February 12.  As I wondered if this had been eventful enough to make a note about, something happened that has happened several times over the last few years.  One of my hands was lifted a few inches off the mattress and then dropped back down.  It was my unseen 'guide'/'guardian angel' reminding me that I'm never truly alone.  However, when I attempt to pose yes or no questions to this 'I Am' presence there is seldom any response for yes or no although this coded communication can happen at times when I'm engaged in my usual activities.  If I'm driving and get a tap on the leg indicating 'no,' I change my route in case this is some manner of warning.  On the occasion when my car was rear-ended when a dog was in the street, there probably wasn't enough time for any warning from my guide.

After going back to sleep there was further vague dreaming yet the only part I can remember was what happened right before I awoke this morning.  I was driving in traffic and had to stop at the intersection because students were crossing the street.
  
This seems like a fitting place to conclude this article.  The activity of making notes about dreams possibly may enhance the symbolic aspects and one's ability to remember dreams.  The next article in this series will resume my chronicling of the transformative year of 1995 when I realized my life could never be the same.