Truth in Dreaming

     The perfect thing to write about struck me suddenly the other morning.  It was a bolt of inspiration, like opening a door into Springtime.  The subject was one of those new truths that bubbles up from time to time, distilled out of suffering and experience left to simmer quietly over time.  Like many such revelations, it was profound, yet simple, a shift of thought that welcomed peace and happiness into the soul.

     All was there in that quiet moment.  This one harmonious chord was accompanied by the phrasing and ideal words to be able to share the secret with any who were open to the idea.  I determined immediately that I would put it all down on paper the minute I woke up.

Yes.

It came to me in a dream.

     Cliché, certainly, but cliché for a reason.  There isn't a culture on this earth that hasn't placed some importance on what goes on behind our eyelids when we go to sleep.  Even beyond the concept of prophetic dreams or magical significance, we may consider the psychological significance or the physiological changes that occur while we dream.  Recently, scientists have been exploring the idea that dreams allow us to play out scenarios, giving our brains practice for real-life crises or increasing our capacity to learn.  And though I think some dreams are nothing but a collage of random elements that happen to be sparking through my mind, I've always been open to the possibility that they might be telling me something valuable.  We dream for a reason, and if there is something we can gain from it, we'd be fools to ignore our dreams.

     On this eureka morning, I woke, seemingly only a moment after the discovery, but before I could scratch a word on the notepad I keep at the head of the bed, the secret was gone.  The feeling of peace lingered, but a smaller irritation at the loss of that perfection gnawed at the edge of it.  Dreams fade, even those with clarity and realism that pierce the usually abstract environment and hit the core of you.  Keeping a notebook handy is a good way to capture those bright spots before they dim; but even so, I've gone back to my sloppy notes plenty of times to find that what seemed amazing in the middle of the night couldn't stand up to the morning light.  There have been true discoveries I've made in the altered states of brain activity either while dreaming or in the half-sleep before or after the main show.  I've hit on solutions to nagging problems or worked out plots or story elements when my mind was free of mundane pressures.  Often, contemplating the adventures of my dreams will point to things I've been worried about and indicate healthy ways to cope.  I've even had my share of mysterious dream events that might be classified as precognition or clairvoyance.  Then again, there are some duds.  But even when it appears the gifts of a dream are useless or inaccessible by the light of day, they may still be a benefit.

     Among the jobs of your dreaming mind, I believe, is a duty to care for your mental well-being.  When you're stressed, sometimes your mind will throw you some unfounded comfort to carry you through.  In my experience, I've noticed dreams of finding money often came right when I didn't know how the bills would be paid.  The recurring dream of finding a secret room in the back of Grandma's closet came most often when my life was chaos with no safe place to hide out.  None of it was real, but it was the brief respite from worry that I needed to catch my breath and be strong again.

     So this green and peaceful dream may just have been the relief I needed in a time when I'm feeling some pressure and worry.  It may have been the comforting arm of my Self or the Universe giving me the strength to be steady through the rocky patches, reminding me that troubles lead to Truths.  Or this may be just the hint of a truth that's not quite ready to come to the surface.  Either way, when dreams are whispering peace and harmony, you can bet I'll be listening.