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Electric Dreams

Volume 2 Issue #12

01 October 1995

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--Send all dreams, comments, articles and replies to:

Richard Wilkerson: <rcwilk@aol.com>

--For back issues and other access see

ELECTRIC DREAMS ACCESS INFORMATION AT BOTTOM

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CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE:

Editor's Notes and Day Residue

Dreamsharing Group Starting

Questions, Answers, Comments and Replies

Column: Dream Line by Christopher Hicks

Update: alt.dreams.castaneda :

Notes on _The Art of Dreaming_ from Henry Reed

Dreaming Attention and Lucid Dreaming by Sandy McIntosh

Dream Poetry: by Sandy McIntosh

Article: Philosophy, Mysticism, and the Lucid Dreaming Experience By John Mott

Review: Dream Related Web Sites - A Dream Journal

The Dreaming Studio (on Compuserve) Schedule

Announcement: ASD Regional Conference In San Francisco

Update on CyberDreaming:

DreamNet Home Page update

ASD Mail List discusses Dream Projects

Get Your Dreams Published - ED-Dream Scene Exchange

Global Dreaming News Deadlines for October

!!!!Halloween Night on the Net Global Dream Party!!!!

Dream: "forcing asd" by jay

Commentary on 'Forcing Asd' by BobC

Commentary on "Forcing Asd" by Brenda

Response to comments on 'forcing asd' by jay

Commentary on "Forcing Asd" by Richard

Commentary on "Reflections in Time." by TomND

Commentary on "Woman's World" by Cathy

Commentary on "Woman's World" by Jay

Commentary on "Boyfriend X" by Flare

Dream: "The Chase" by Flare

Commentary on "The Chase" by David K

Commentary on "The Chase" by Shadow

Commentary on: "The Chase" by Marian

Commentary on "Angel Workshop" (ED2-11) by Shadow

Commentary on "Angel Workshop" (ED2-11) By Mari

Dream: "Incredible Controlled Dream" by Blair

Commentary on "Incredible Controlled Dream" by Shadow

Commentary on "Night Trip" by Cathy

Dream: Oaxacian Animals" by Mary's Sister

Commentary on "Oaxacian Animals" by Marian

Commentary on "Oaxacian Animals" by Flare

Commentary on "Oaxacian Animals" by Marilyn

Dream: "Red Horse" by Flare (accidentally renamed Pegasus - editors mistake, sorry!)

Note on "Red Horse" by BG

Commentary on "Red Horse" by Shadow

Dream: "Sugar Cookie" by Jamal

Commentary on "Red Horse" & "Sugar Cookie" by Marian

Dream: "I Become a Water Beast" by Cathy

Commentary on "I become a Water Beast" by Shadow

Dream: Fish in A Bottle by Nutcracker

Dream: Fish in A Bottle - Part 2 by Nutcracker

Dream: The Long Walk Home by Nutcracker

Dream: Of Vampires and Christmas by Nutcracker

Dream: Gimme Shelter by Nutcracker

Dream: Too Cheap by Nutcracker

Dream: Shopping for Needless Stuff by Nutcracker

Commentary on Nutcrackers Dreams by Brenda Giguere

Commentary on "The House of Disrepair" by BobC

Dream: "Political Exposure" by Marian

Commentary on Marian's Untitled by Shadow

ELECTRIC DREAMS ACCESS INFORMATION AT BOTTOM

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EDITOR'S NOTES AND DAY RESIDUE

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We have an outpouring this issue of dreams, projects, parties and ideas. From the mystical experienced of John Mott to the edge of social dreaming by Christopher Hicks, to the Postmodern project of the Halloween Swarm, there are plenty of edges of dreamworld to explore. If you really like the edge, check out the Castaneda responses. Is it all a big sham or are these dream explorers carving out a realm different than normal or lucid dreaming?

Hey - send in those spooky dreams and scary nightmares - Halloween is on the way and next issue will be - eeeek issue #13!

Whose dreams are they? With the proliferation of dream text in ezines, web sites and usegroups, the question of ownership and copyright is one you might be sensitive to. The rules are changing and I'm looking into what they are. For now, you can assume the following: That dreamers who submit dreams retain the ownership of their text, but recognize that Electric Dreams is a public forum and the contents are available for copy without permission, unless the copier plans to use the text for money. In that case the dream editor will make an attempt to contact the dreamer. If the dreamer cannot be contacted, the dream editor may grant requests for publication.

Say, we still have room on the Electric Dreams staff for those of you who wish to contribute some time. Drop me a line if you want to join in on the inner global dream network of Electric Dreams!

DREAMSHARING: We are going to be starting another dreamsharing group shortly. If you would like to join drop me a line with the email address you want to use.

OK, that all for now - Enjoy the delightful dreams and comments we have and send in those spooky dreams!

-Richard Wilkerson

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QUESTIONS, ANSWERS, COMMENTS AND REPLIES

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COMMENTS ON COMMENT on shadows comment on 'lemur dream' in e.d. 2.9

shadow says of the laundry in the washing machine, 'i'll bet i could have worn some of it again'.

clearly shadow is a guy. ;-)

QUESTION TO ELECTRIC DREAMS COMMUNITY:

I would be interested to find out if there are common theme dreams among your membership.

e-mail: joelb@infi.net

COMMENT ON JOHN MOTTS WAKE/SLEEP DOORWAY ARTICLE in e.d. 2.10 by jay e. vinton

i thought john's description of his cycle's of effort rang very true for me. i experience similar cycles of involvement in activities.

his study of the transition from waking to sleep is similar to efforts described by jan janzen in his article in dream network vol 14, num 1&2. are the two in contact with each other? - Jay

WHAT ABOUT DREAMS CREATING FALSE MEMORIES?

Hi! I just recently found out about Electric Dreams and read my first issue and I love it! I have been interested in dreams for a long time but there are few people I know who I can talk to about things like that. Most people will just look at me like I'm weird if I tell them my dreams.

Anyway, I have a question. A few times I have had dreams in which I remember something that happened to me in the distant past. I did not dream about the experience itself--I only dreamed about *remembering* an experience. This was not an experience that happened to me in real life, but it felt like it did happen and I was so convinced that after I woke up I really had to think about it for quite a while to convince myself that it didn't actually happen. This is very strange to me because I usually know when I am dreaming, or at least when I wake up I know I've been dreaming and I have no problem telling dreams from the waking world. A couple of times I dreamed that when I was younger (late teens or early twenties) I had been in prison for a few years. It wasn't a modern prison. It was kind of like a eighteenth or nineteenth century kind of place where conditions were horrible. Believe me, I've never been in prison in my life, but when I woke up the feelings were so strong I was thinking, oh yeah, no wonder I blocked it out. Another time I dreamed that I remembered a sister who had died when she was young. In real life I have three sisters. I wonder if the feeling I had of remembering is anything like the so-called `false memory syndrome' that seems to happen sometimes to people going through therapy? Has anyone else had this type of dream experience?

Thanks, Mari

Mari - I've had those too. Its quite an odd thing that dreams can produce a whole alternative life and memories that don't exist and never did - yet feel as if they did! I'm quite skeptical about the repressed memory syndrome. I feel its a bandwagon that people jump on to avoid the more profound reality that the mind is a lot larger than we ever expected and actually "generates" whole worlds. I not saying that repressed memories can't be released by dreaming, simply that this is a minor function of dreaming, not a major one.

Gordon Globus has been exploring this capacity of the mind for a while and I recommend to anyone interested in this both his old book _Dream Life, Wake Life: The Human Condition Through Dreams_. (1987) Albany, NY:SUNY Press which approaches the issue from a phenomenological point of view (that the mind is basically a gestalt or world view producing event) and well as his newer works in the area of Connectionism. (Drop me a line if you want references for this - no book out yet, but several articles) -Richard rcwilk@aol.com

In the pages of ED we offer our dreams for comment and comment on other's dreams. This provides magnificent opportunities for personal growth. In these same pages we are guided on explorations of many dream-related issues. These journeys can hold just as much importance as working with the dreams themselves.

I would like to add one such journey to those we see regularly in ED. Dream Line will encourage us to step outside our 'Dream Community' into the world-at-large. We all agree that dreams can serve a useful purpose in our own lives. Dream Line will explore the role of dreams from a larger viewpoint.

As we approach the turn of the century it seems that the problems facing the human race are becoming increasingly complex. All too often, under the weight of this ever-growing complexity, people fragment into opposing factions or parties.

Unity. With each passing day unity becomes more and more a necessity. Where better to begin building unity than with something shared? To be sure other things besides dreams are universal human traits, but perhaps none are so filled with mystery and potential. Dream Line will look into the world, into our dreams, and back into the world. To what end? In personal dream work positive change and growth are goals. Dream Line will work toward these same goals for us as a race.

In each Dream Line an issue will be offered for all readers to consider. A request will be made for any dreams, comments, or opinions related to the issue. In the next Dream Line the issue, dreams, comments, and opinions will be presented with an emphasis on problem-solving and growth. In addition, Dream Line may review related literature or initiate experimental exercises concerning dreams and the waking-world.

As this first Dream Line is written the "trial of the century" is very close to coming to an end. The trial of O.J. Simpson has transcended any normal murder trial. In addition to the question of O.J. Simpson's guilt or innocence this trial has opened discussions of love, passion, abuse, rage, jealousy, race, and trust (to name a few). I would like everyone to consider O.J. Simpson's trial and send any dreams (old or new), comments, opinions, or predictions (based either on opinion or dreams of the verdict) to me at: JShadow876@aol.com

If you have any suggestions for issues Dream Line should work with please send them as well!

--Christopher Hicks

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Notes on Castaneda's _The Art of Dreaming_

from Henry Reed

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Carlos Castaneda Redefines the Art of Dreaming

The man who brought us Don Juan and the sorcerer's way of knowing has now brought us a new medium of exploration. After eight books, anthropologist Carlos Castaneda was silent for six years. During that time he realized that Don Juan's essential teaching concerned dreams. Castaneda re-organized his notes and has come forth with a new book, _The Art of Dreaming _ (Harper Collins). In it he describes the essential challenges facing the mystic dreamer, the seven gates of dreaming.

The first gate is to gain control over one's attention in dreams. The easiest way to do so is to look at things. Try seeing your hands. It builds the ability to maintain intentionality in dreaming.

The second gate is to learn how to wake up in the dream into yet another dream. This task builds the ability to change dreams at will.

The third gate of dreaming is reached when you find yourself in a dream, staring at someone else who is asleep and that someone else turns out to be you. You must have this dream as many times as it takes for it to no longer be a dream.

The purpose of mastering these challenges is to learn to consciously inhabit one's energy body.

The fourth gate of dreaming involves learning to use the energy body as a means of travel, to places in this world and out, and especially to places in other people's dreams.

The remaining three gates of dreaming can not be presented here until you find you are dreaming that you are reading these words.

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ALT.DREAMS.CASTANEDA UPDATE

Dreaming Attention and Lucid Dreaming

By Sandy

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What has been emerging from Carlos Castaneda's recent lectures is positive information that the kind of dreaming taught to him and the three other don Juan disciples (Taisha Abelar, Florinda Donner-Grau and Carol Tiggs) differs from lucid dreaming in a fundamental way. The key seems to be the focus of dreaming attention. Once lucidity is established the idea is to focus on specific details of the dream scene in quick glances in order to fix that particular dreaming world and enter into it more profoundly than one would in a typical lucid dream. From that point, the premises of Castaneda's books, especially "The Art of Dreaming," begin to make practical sense. Dreaming attention is further enhanced by the two waking practices, Tensegrity and Recapitulation. Information on each of these practices is available at the WWW Starfire site: (http://www.webb.com/nywebb/sf5.html). This site has links to the Carlos Castaneda Archives at earth.com and Ixtlan FTP Carlos Castaneda Archives, which maintain more or less complete sets of lecture notes from the Tensegrity workshops conducted by Castaneda and company during 1995. Sandy

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Dream Poetry:

Mrs. Chucklehenny vs. The Horrible Lizard Monster

By Sandy McIntosh

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My old nursemaid, Mrs. Chucklehenny, returned from the dead only to be bonked on the head by the horrible Lizard Monster when it fell down the elevator shaft. Oh, the rotting carcal stench!

I kept telling her, "Don't eat its brains! Don't eat its brains!"

But a big piece of brain fell into her mouth and she began to chew.

I was aghast.

"Um," she slurped. "That's not so bad."

Everybody knows what happens next:

She metamorphoses into another horrible Lizard Monster,

and the two of them go at it, bashing each other on my bathroom floor, their windup keys grinding like hysterical transmissions.

Who wants to watch this thing again when we've seen it a hundred times already?

The lizard, the woman, the elavator shaft -- and me trapped alone in this padlocked theater!

Copyright 1995, Sandy McIntosh (Reprinted by Permission)

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Philosophy, Mysticism, and the Lucid Dreaming Experience

By John Mott john.mott@nashville.com

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I'm a regular reader of the alt.dreams.lucid usenet newsgroup. Its an interesting forum where kooks and scientists collide and the messages range from boring to stimulating concerning the subject of lucid dreaming.

Lucid dreams are shifty sorts of things and as a discipline we're in the early stages of trying to sort out the rules about how to proceed with discussing them with each other. There is still a lot of argument about matters which are not strictly related to lucid dreaming but which attempt to stake a claim at being important.

The first matter relates to essentially philosophical discussions of the "nature of consciousness" and the "what is reality" flavor. Another is a distinctly mystical perspective on the whole matter, in which lucid dreams are perceived to be evidence of other "planes" of existence or some such.

First I thought I would tackle the purely philosophical angle. The study of dreams brings out the philosopher in many people. A lucid dream, for those who have experienced it, is a conscious experience involving a significant chunk of our daily self awareness. It does not involve all of it because we do not readily have access to all of our normal daily memories and associations.

The fact that so much makes sense in dreams that isn't part of our daily world is a testimony to the way in which we are separated from our daily memories. Occasionally when I have been lucid I have been unable to remember my address nor have I been able to remember what my house looks like as well as many other ordinary details of my life.

There are huge holes, and when we dream we seem to draw upon a different set of memories and associations. I call these different memories and associations the "dream brain". Its an intuitive handle, not meant to imply an actual organ of any kind.

Nonetheless it is a conscious experience containing the essential "I-ness" with which we identify as being ourselves. Its us in there, in other words. Now, I had to suffer through freshmen philosophy in college as I'm sure many others did and I know I speak for many others in recalling the complete sense of futility I felt at the discussions that took place, many of which took the form of "prove you exist" or something equally inane. I apologize to anyone who takes it seriously but its just impossible for me to get anything out of it.

The discussions on the net continue in this great tradition by trying to define what "I" means in the phrase "I think, therefore I am", for instance, or worrying about whether reality exists outside of ourselves, which of course leads to an argument about what "we" are and what we mean by "reality". Its so tedious.

They go into great detail with lots of big words but the discussions

essentially come down to bickering over semantics and are marked with a complete inability to even establish a common frame of reference in which to have a discussion.

The reason that they're doing this is because this conscious experience implies something about the nature of consciousness, the nature of "us-ness" and they, in a well meaning way, want to define what this is.

However, this argument has been going on as long as there has been language before lucid dreaming even came onto the scene.

I do not question the fact of my existence, nor do I use language to justify my presence here, nor do I bother to define "here". The casual everyday use of the words have an obvious intuitive meaning and I will take no time in defending the use of them.

My efforts at learning more about lucid dreams have been an exploration of the transition between wake and sleep. I believe that this fringe area is the place to study because it readily contains elements of both states. Learning the transition has been difficult and has taken a lot of time and is an ongoing project. I do make progress, though.

It has never been the case that learning about this transition required that I question the nature of "I-ness". It has meant learning new skills, learning to sort of catch yourself in the act of thinking for the purposes of learning to be more quiet but this was not a

philosophical effort guided by ideas and concepts, it was an in-the-trenches effort at finding and learning a discipline, a discipline not unlike the discipline of learning a skill or a body of knowledge, pure application of self towards a goal in the way that everyone already knows how to do and has done in other areas of life.

When lucid in the dream environment we are aware of ourselves just as surely as we can be aware of ourselves in the daily world. This is an experience in life, a life experience, just as surely as going to a wedding is or reading the paper is. It does not occur in the daily physical world, though, and this sticky matter is what causes a lot of problems for people. The question "where do dreams occur" hints, to the philosopher, that "place" and "I-ness" may perhaps be intertwined.

For me its enough that the images and scenes and dream events do occur. I have found that simply accepting this without concern for a model of where or why is really quite easy, as easy as the fact that rolling out of bed every day to face the world does not require that I have a model either.

While the philosophers argue about terminology, many people post with a religious or mystical bent, seeking to associate the experience with their world view, world views which seem to invariably involve self denial or submission to their authority. These mystical legions insist that dreams are a link with something else, a path to God perhaps.

Lucid dreams are even farther "up" on the scale but of course these posts come frequently with warnings that there are dangers lurking which can only be warded off by (guess what) following their beliefs or rituals.

Many religions and systems use these experiences as part of their world view. There is actually a Eckankar center here in Nashville which I drive by on the way to a recycling center. The sign out front says "Religion in the sight and sound of God".

The logic behind that, I suppose, is that because lucid experiences are not physical they MUST, by process of elimination, be closer to God, where God is the remotest non-physical part of the picture and where the physical world is the lowest of the low in the universal pecking order, a place to get far away from, to hear them and their ilk talk.

Eck is but one of many systems which take advantage of the relative rarity of the lucid experience and cloak it in a mystique, keeping it tightly reigned in as a part of a whole package which, as you can expect, has as part and parcel rituals and beliefs and complete world views which you must adopt in order to have the experience.

Here I'll talk some about myself and my own approach and history because I think I can make a better point by talking about my own experience rather than simply critiquing what others say.

In some ways I could be called a fundamentalist New-Ager, if the essence of the New Age seeks a direct relationship with the life experience and its mysteries with no intervening systems or beliefs. I won't have any that nonsense of certain beliefs, rituals, writings, or

ideas interfering with me and life. No crystals, no spacey music, no drums, no books, no kooky ideas outside of my personal experience, no meetings with others of a like mind, no nothing. If its true in my personal experience then its true, period. I am very careful about

inferences or interpretations but my experiences are my guide. The life experience says it, I believe it, and that settles it, to paraphrase my fundamentalist Christian brethren, and I smile as the irony of the comparison is not lost on me.

I do not belong to any religion or follow any teachings because I've always been resistant to the idea that any formal body of ideas could be considered correct and exclusively true. That does not diminish my sense of wonder about life, though, it just keeps me from shaving my head and wearing orange or giving my possessions to some kook.

For me life is wonderful and mysterious but I'm a rugged individualist when it comes to my relationship with life or God, if you will. I don't let anything in between me and it, and I do not seek to contain it or define it with my own set of ideas and beliefs about things I don't directly experience.

With that as an introduction, I used to interpret my lucid dreams as mystical. When I say that I interpreted them as mystical I mean that they were not part of my daily life, they were a hint at the "something greater" aspect which we all feel from time to time. In that regard I was no different than the Ecksters or others. I assigned to lucid dreams the role of mystical experience and therefore when I would have lucid dreams I would have very deep and very strong feelings. I would frequently experience what can only be termed religious ecstasy after these experiences.

Now, religious ecstasy is a part of the life experience. I'm glad that I've had a chance to get my fill of it. You would think that this is a sort of state that one would seek out all the time, being bliss and all, but believe it or not that's not the case. Its very sweet as it occurs but its difficult to make the transition back from bliss into daily affairs, its distracting and leads to "bliss hangovers". You think I'm joking and there is a humorous aspect to it which is not lost on me but this was a real phenomenon and became a problem for me.

I would have lucid dreams frequently on the weekends when I could sleep later. Especially on Sunday mornings a few years ago in the fall they were becoming more prevalent and I would take long walks in the park alone just filled with joy and sweetness. It was so intense, though, that when I got back to the house it became very difficult to

just sit down and watch football, something I enjoy, because I was drained in a way. This could last for a couple of days and extend into work where it was difficult to make the transition back into the workaday world. As I said the experiences became more frequent and

this was occurring more and more.

It finally came to a head when I realized that in order to begin making real progress with dreams I was going to have to "un-mystify" them, to stop treating them like mystical experiences. I simply couldn't function in a healthy way being blissed out or recovering from it so frequently.

Isn't that interesting? I learned something from that. By overdosing on bliss I came to see it as a part of life, and something that can be part of a good life, but nonetheless something which could be overdone. It was NOT the case that this state was where we were supposed to all end up, it was just one of the life experiences laid

out on the table for us to sample from. I learned in a very deep and profound way that the best of life is NOT a state of bliss. It is NOT the place we should all be trying to get to. Its like being high, and when you get high you must come down again. Its a great high, but its

still a high. Of course, in moderation it can be very enriching.

Anyway, I had several long talks with myself in which I realized that something was going to have to change, that I was going to have to start treating lucid experiences as being more ordinary if I was going to learn more about them. The act of having these conversations and being honest with myself was all it took, a lesson I've since seen repeated. By simply focusing on and being sincere about the desire to de-mystify the experience I simply began to not treat them that way and so I stopped reacting to them in that way.

They lost their mystical quality, and I gained. I gained because I saw that treating them as casual everyday , things is ok, their function or nature did not change a bit. In fact I could really start a more earnest effort because the whole effort became less emotional, more

casual, more of a hobby. I still had to make the same efforts as before, they did not all of a sudden start happening with greater frequency but I removed one of the roadblocks which I had placed there and I could now pursue them with more efficiency.

That transition was an important building block. Now I work with dream material every day and it isn't a big deal to me. Its just part of the same mysterious and wondrous life I lead every day, just as casual and frustrating and rewarding and painful. Part of the same thing. Not different. Not alien. Not part of another dimension. Not another "plane of existence". Part of this place. Part of the same place where we worry about amperage ratings on air conditioning units and are surprised and frustrated by the actions of our family members and are gleeful about how deliciously bad-to-the-bone Clint Eastwood is in "For a Few Dollars More".

The same place where we wake up and find that we're out of coffee so we drive to the store before work just to get some. The same place that we watch our friendships deepen over time and become so easy. The same place where we watch the first few leaves fall from trees as the

summer draws to a close and find renewal in the never ending cycles in this place, this life.

I talked about all of that to show that I'm not dry and serious but also to show that we have a choice about how this experience can be treated. The experience itself is not affected by our view of it, just as the stars didn't care when we stopped seeing them as holes in the firmament and started seeing them as burning balls of hydrogen.

When I read posts by people pushing a mystical perspective on lucid experiences I remember my experiences and history and I think "they're missing out on something". They think that they're being respectful

but they're placing something on a pedestal which does not ask to be there, and as we know things on a pedestal are harder to reach. Why not just keep it here on the counter next to the flour and sugar?

It is so sweet to have these experiences be just part of the daily mix, not tagged as requiring extra mental effort to process or deal with. Not things which take away from our lives and require an emotional price but which instead add to our life, experiences which become dependable and counted upon and form a new leg to stand upon.

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REVIEW: DREAM RELATED WEB SITES

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It seems like just a few issues ago that Chris Beattie forwarded to Electric Dreams a copy of the page from a Web site on dreaming. Now there are dozens of dream sites and hundreds of related sites, including our own. How are we to keep up with all this when the main directory for this (yahoo) seems a month behind and we can hardly print all the sites each time in Electric Dreams?

Well, I suggest that Electric Dream could use a WEB SCOUT and if anyone would like to do this, they can travel the web and perhaps give us summary of the new sites and updates on our favorite dream sites.

This issue I'd like to just direct your attention and visitations to a Dream Journal Web site by Chris Zeth

in Philadelphia, PA

http://www.voicenet.com/~johngalt/dream.html

If you would like the complete listing of web sites as I see them, I can send you a working copy, drop me a line at rcwilk@aol.com or look at the IIDCC DreamGate file on online dream activity. (iidcc-info@igc.apc.org for automated information)

--Richard

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THE DREAMING STUDIO SCHEDULE (ON COMPUSERVE)

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A live online discussion group on dreams and dream-related topics

Monday, 10:00 pm EDT, 7:00pm PDT

on Compuserve in the New Age B Forum

Monday, Oct. 2: "Joys of Lucid Dreaming"

with accomplished dreamer, Joni Shea

Monday, Oct 9: Columbus Day, no conference

Psychic Dreaming Experiment on the Dreaming Bulletin Board

Monday, Oct16: "Just Got Back:

A Personal Look at OOBEs"

with Richard West, a remarkable Out-of-Body explorer

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ASD and the California Institute of Integral Studies

Present

Dreams, Spirit and Shadow

February 16-17, 1996

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Bogzaran, Bulkeley, the Coburns, Deslauriers, Garfield,

Krippner, Laberge, Magallòn, Siegel, Taylor and others

A Regional Meeting of the Association for the Study of

Dreams.

Spiritual seekers across cultures have turned to their dreams for inspiration in their innermost quest. Powerful dreams offer a direct and intimate gateway to our spiritual self. Thus, cultivating dreams brings us in touch with the numinous in all its manifestations. This includes both light and shadow aspects. As Jung once wrote, "It can be expected that we are going to contact spheres of a not yet transformed God when our consciousness extend into the sphere of the unconscious."

This conference is dedicated to the exploration of transformative power of dreams to align the self and the community toward a lived and meaningful vision of the sacred.

Invited addresses 7-9 p.m. Friday Night

Who was that masked man, I wanted to thank him--

Dreams, Spirit and Shadow.

Jeremy Taylor, M.A. is a Unitarian Universalist minister and an internationally known author, teacher and dream worker.

He is past president of the Association for the Study of

Dreams (ASD) and is author of Dream Work: Techniques for

discovering the Creative Power in Dreams and Where People Fly and Water Runs Uphill: Using Dreams to Tap the Wisdom of the Unconscious.

Saturday Afternoon

Dream Messages from the Dead

Patricia Garfield, Ph.D.,

Internationally known pioneer in the field of dreams, Dr

Garfield is the author several books including Creative

Dreaming; Women's Bodies, Women's Dreams; Pathway to

Ecstasy; The Healing Power of Dreams; and Dream Messages

from the Dead (forthcoming).

Concurrent session: Saturday morning and afternoon

Transpersonal dimensions of lucid dreaming Fariba Bogzaran, Ph.D., faculty member at John F. Kennedy

University teaches classes on Dreams and Consciousness

Studies. She had done extensive research on the

transpersonal aspects of lucid dreaming. She is the

director of the Center for Dream Creations and has pioneered non-verbal approaches for working with dreams through trance and expressive arts.

Dreaming as a Spiritual Practice

Kelly Bulkeley, Ph.D. is the author of The Wilderness of

Dreams and Spiritual Dreaming and the editor of Among all

these dreamers (forthcoming). He is a visiting scholar at the Graduate Theological Union at U.C. Berkeley and Chair of the ASD Education Committee.

Shaman's Dream: A Spirit Guide Adventure

Chuck and Shirley Coburn

Chuck Coburn is a professional psychic, teacher and

lecturer. He is the author of Funny You should Say That... A lighthearted awakening to psychic awareness.. Shirley Coburn is dreamworker and co-producer of educational films. She serves on the board of Directors of the ASD.

Dreams and Meditation

Daniel Deslauriers, Ph.D. is core faculty at the California Institute of Integral Studies where he teaches classes on dreams and imagination. He is co-author of the book Le rêve: sa nature, sa fonction et une méthode d'analyse. He has done qualitative research on dream incubation, dream understanding, body awareness and spiritual dreams.

Power Points in the Dream Mandala

Stanley Krippner, Ph.D., is a professor of Psychology at

Saybrook Institute and past president of the ASD. He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and The American Society of Clinical Hypnosis. He has co-authored several books including Dream Telepathy and Dreamworking and edited Dreamtime, Dreamwork.

Integrating the Shadow in Lucid Dreams

Stephen LaBerge, Ph.D., author of best selling book Lucid

Dreaming, is a research associate in the Department of Psychology at Stanford University. He is also the coeditor of Conscious Mind , Sleeping Brain: Perspectives on Lucid Dreaming and the founder of the Lucidity Institute.

Mutual Dreaming: The flight from the Shadow

Linda Magallòn, M.B.A. is the author of Mutual Dreaming

(forthcoming), and does research on lucid, telepathic, mutual and flying dreams. She is co-founder of the Bay Area Dreamworker Group and a former publisher of the Dream Network Bulletin.

Light and Shadow in Turning Point Dreams

Alan Siegel, Ph.D. is a psychologist in private practice in Berkeley and San Francisco and is on the faculty at the California School of Professional Psychology. He is the editor of the ASD newsletter and the author of Dreams That Can Change Your Life: Navigating Life's Passages Through Turning Point Dreams.

In addition:

Panel on current research on dream and spirituality

with Nora Archambeau and others

LOCATION: CIIS, 765 ASHBURY STREET, S.F. CA 94117

Cost: Friday evening public lecture, $10, $8 (students)

Entire Workshop (including Friday evening public lecture),

$100

REGISTRATION: CIIS, Public Program, (415) 753-6100, ext.

241.

ASD Contact Person:

Daniel Deslauriers, Ph.D.,

East-West Psychology

CIIS, (415) 753-6100 ext. 157

**If you say you saw this on internet or GD news when you register, you will receive a "Dream Guide to Internet" at the registration table! **

(Source: Daniel Deslauriers )

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CYBERDREAMING UPDATE

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INDEX

DreamNet : Dream Network Journal's Home Page update

ASD online : Mail List discussion of Internet Projects at Berkeley/Claremont 1996

Get Your Dreams Published - ED-Dream Scene Exchange

Global Dreaming News Request

Halloween Night on the Net

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Dream Network Journal on Web

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As I mentioned last issue, the Dream Network Journal now has a delightful new web site you can visit. As one of the ED subscribers mentioned to me, I haven't yet found any links on the site to our Electric Dream site. But DN journal does provide each issue a free space to Electric Dreams.

Need backissues, info on dream sharing, updates on special events or just want to order your subscription from the web? You'll be able to find that all at the new site.

http://waking.com/waking/dream/

the email address for DNJ and Roberta Ossana is: DREAMSKEY@delphi.com

or phone 1-800-To-1-DREAM (800-861-3732) to order a subscription

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Association for the Study of Dreams (ASD)

Update and information

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The Mail List is up and running and we are discussing ways of having a great show at the Claremont next year in terms of computers and Internet.

We are looking into the proposals and will then will be doing some Internet education and specific projects planning.

There is still time to sign up for the class we will be taking on Internet from Specturm College.

Enrollments for the free workshop, "Exploring The Internet" will be accepted through 9pm, Friday, October 6. If friends or co-workers wish to enroll, they can send a message with their name and e-mail address

to: Register@Horizons.Org -- or fax to (818) 834-8221.

If you have computer or internet dream projects for the

1996 Association for the Study of Dreams Conference, or

are interested in participating either via Internet or

directly in Berkeley, CA at the Claremont Hotel, please

contact:

Richard Wilkerson at <rwilkerson@igc.apc.org>

This project is going to be lots of fun - hope you can join our discussion list.

WHAT, NEVER HEARD OF ASD!? If you would like more information on becoming a member of the Association for the Study of Dreams, email my rwilkerson@igc.apc.org address and say

"Richard, I need more information on ASD membership and I want to hear about those special bonuses for saying I heard about ASD on Internet!"

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Get your Dreams Published! + Free issue!

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Hey, I haven't heard from Dan that you are sending in your dreams! This is a really cool way to get your unconscious published and you don't want to miss out. Send a copy of the dreams you send us to Dan Holzner at dan@appres.com

If you get published, you get a free copy of the magazine! (minus shipping).

Let's just swamp Dan's email with dreams this month!

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Global Dreaming News Deadline

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The next Global Dreaming News goes out October 13th. If you have articles, research, conferences, exhibitions or anything else that news- wise might interest the world of dreams, send it to Richard Wilkerson at rwilkerson@igc.apc.org

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Halloween Night on the Net

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Want to join in something really spooky on Halloween? Pick up your cyber-brooms and let's swarm the Net!

The Fly-by-Night Club and IIDCC DreamGate are co-sponsoring a night of global dream sharing, pranks, visitations on Internet, USENET, WWW, as well as other spots. Get out those spooky dreams cause we plan to ring your doorbells and keep you up on a series of on and offline events from around the world. If you want to be on the party list to get updates (and visits from strange flying creatures)

send your email address to D'Bat <dreambat13@aol.com>

If you want to help us *plan* this event, D'Bat is handling that too, so send all email there.

What, never heard of _Night Flyer_ magazine? Stay tuned to Electric Dreams for the full scoop as Night Flyer swoops onto the electronic dream scene.

=======================================================

MORE DREAMS DREAMS DREAMS DREAMS DREAMS DREAMS

=======================================================

====Dream: 'forcing asd' by jay 9/24/95 ====

in my dream, my work office is in the same building as the asd office. their office is a couple floors above ours. we are also sharing the same answering machine. there is something about the answering machine announcement message that i want to change. i walk

up the stairs with another woman from our office. the answering machine is on the floor of the hallway on their floor. i pick it up to examine it and accidentally push a button labeled 'force' on the left side of the machine. this appears to wipe out the announcement message. now i feel guilty for having messed with their machine without their permission. i try to figure out how to restore the

message but can't.

footnote to 'forcing asd' by jay

i should have explained. in waking life, asd is the abbreviation for the association for the study of dreams.

==== Commentary on 'Forcing Asd' by BobC ====

In the beginning of the dream the dreamer is sharing an answering machine with the asd department directly above him. (It might have been helpful to know what asd stands for since it may be pertinent to the interpretation).

The dreamer states, "there is something about the answering machine announcement message that i want to change." Possibly the symbolism of changing the message or routine machine response may indicate the dreamer wants to change his routine response to a person or situation. The dreamer walks with a female colleague up the stairs to change the message.

The female colleague may symbolize a real work colleague and/or work situation, or she may indicate another relationship in a personal area of the dreamer's past. In any event, it appears that the dreamer finds the idea of changing a routine mechanical response "uplifting" or "elevating" in some way, since he is going up the stair to accomplish it (i.e. literally going "above himself"). The dreamer pushes a button labeled "force" on the left

side of the machine, wiping out the machine that both he and the asd department use. Since often in dream symbolism the left is interpreted as the past, the symbolism here could mean that the dreamer is going back to a past behavior of using force or coercion to initiate a change that he wants, rather than doing it by cooperation and discussion. The dreamer can't restore the message (restore communication)? Possibly the repressed conflict which was the source of the dream is that the dreamer wants to initiate change in some type of ongoing situation but fears he will make things worse

because he may inadvertently push someone else's "button." If he does he fears he will erase all future communication. If the dreamer disagrees with the above interpretation, then it is wrong.

Only the dreamer knows.

==== Commentary on "Forcing Asd" by Brenda ====

Lucid dream fanatic that I am, it's impossible for me

not to talk about how commonplace are difficulties with

machinery in dreams. Dreamed machines and devices fail

so regularly, so universally, that it is one of the

finest built-in dreamsigns there are. By dreamsign I

mean a tipoff to the dreamer that they are dreaming.

With practice these dreamsigns can be recognized, and

you can figure out you're in a dream. But it's quite

amazing how accepting we are of bizarre anomalies

while experiencing the apparent diminished capacity

during dreaming. Of course, your failing phone

machine would not necessarily be an obvious dreamsign

since it failed in a fairly believable way. (Recently I

blithely accepted the failure, in a dream, of something

that should NEVER fail: in an elevator, I floated to the

ceiling... the failure of gravity to work right! And

all I was concerned about was that I was the only one in

the elevator with this problem!)

There are various ideas as to why people dream about

malfunctioning devices. It is sometimes said that the

proper functioning of devices is just plain hard for the

brain to create. After all, dreams come from within, and

don't have stable outside information to keep them on

track. This also would account for written material being

chimerical and unstable in dreams. Another angle on this

"malfunction junction" is that in dreams we often seem to

end up running worse-case scenarios. We rely on things

going well in real life, and seem to prefer it this way(!)

This includes machines. It seems reasonable that we would dreamily entertain notions of things not going well.

Though devices are among the most specifically obvious

failures in our dream worlds, they are not the only ones.

Who among us hasn't experienced our own failures in dreams...

failures to be properly clothed, failures to get somewhere in time, failures to know what the test answers are (or even why we haven't been in class at all!) Our dream feet fail us leadenly, our dream weapons fail us, and when we look for our dream lover, they often aren't there, or are someone unwanted!

My own list of mechanical failures may be idiosyncratic

or universal; I'm not sure. Typically featured for me

are: cameras, tape recorders (especially when I'm using

one to record dreams), wristwatches, telephones, watches,

computers, printers, and clocks.

Also failing regularly in my dreams are: my makeup going

on all wrong (like in some strange color or unworkable

texture), horrible haircuts or hair colors, clothing not

right, people around me behaving strangely, and unappealing bathroom facilities... the latter being one of my least favorite scenarios. Sometimes my dream ego's appearance is not what it should be, either... some bizarre wound or a tattoo from out of nowhere, or my face not even mine!

So why does your Forcing ASD dream stick in your waking

mind? Was it particularly vivid? Easier to remember than usual?

As to the word "force" being featured in the dream, I have no sense at all as to whether it has meaning. Does it feel that way to you? Phone machines relate to the idea of gathering information. Maybe that's a clue if you strongly feel the dream may have some meaning. Did the dream frustrate you greatly or mildly? What was the overall emotional texture of the dream, if you can recall? That's pretty much where I prefer to begin.

Happy exploring,

Brenda

==== response to comments on 'forcing asd' by jay ====

thank you, brenda, for your comments on 'forcing asd'.

i sent it in to electric dreams because i don't remember many of my dreams, and while it probably doesn't seem that striking to others, it seemed to me, to be the most significant of the several dreams i have had recently. i am interested in trying to pick up on some of it's meaning for me. i have found that having other dreamers respond to my dreams usually brings out much more if it's meaning for me.

as for the significance of the 'force' button on the answering machine, i do feel it has significance though i am not sure what. i am a very thinking, verbal processing kind of person, so i always pay attention to any written words in my dreams. i don't know whether it

refers to my trying to force dreams and dreamwork, or whether i am feeling the force of dreams and dreamwork on me, or whether it refers to something entirely different that i am not yet aware of.

the predominant emotional texture was the feeling of fear of exposure with regard to the fact that i had intended to, and in fact had attempted to tamper with something belonging to others without their knowledge or permission.

thanks again for the comments, Jay.

==== Commentary on "Forcing Asd" by Richard ====

If this were my dream ...

Well, I can't resist the temptation to point out that if the dream parts are taken subjectively (as parts of the dreamer) that ASD, the Association for the *Study of Dreams* would, (for me in this view) take on that complex aspect of myself that studies dreams. Given this twist, the part of myself engaged in dream study is sharing a line with my "work". Now is this literal work or is The Work, a symbol of the Opus and creative work of one's life time? Both the literal and non -literal interpretations seem to appeal to me and I'd like for them to remain unresolved, a little of each. And so there is a presentation of how my work is sharing the same line (line of thought, political line or simply channel?) as dream study. Generally this would appeal to me, but this image brings to light that while both my work and asd can use the line to call out, the messages coming in are calling for some re-arranging. Or, I might say, the *way* I want to receive the messages. Again, a double message here - its the automatic message I want to put out to those trying to contact us. I slip and push the work message, and the dream study message gets erased in this process. Is this my eagerness to complete my Work, the Self? Am I guilty when my Work message gets out in front of my dream message? Is it ok to be guilty? I often find guilt is stimulated by old systems I no longer value. It then becomes more a marker of my distance from those old values than a signal to return to them. Whatever my choice, the restoration of the Dream Study message is one I feel I cannot restore alone.

==== Commentary on "Reflections in Time." by TomND ====

(See Electric Dreams 2-11)

>It is a dark and dingy world. Gray skies, gray walls,

>concrete skyscrapers.

Contasts: light for consciousness, dark for the unconscious; grey skies suggests a twilight environs, lack of coloration (emotion); and skyscrapers suggest conditioned (man-made) existence.

>I am a known time traveler.

This information is public, or conscious. Travelling into time would be distinguished from timelessness, so another metaphor would be "incarnation." Of course, another wold be dreaming.

>society in my dream does not look fondly on time

>travelers because they go back and change the past which

>effects everyone (so they think).

If it affects what everyone thinks, it probably affects one's consciousness.

>So, I end up going underground because I am continually

>hunted or considered an "untouchable".

There is a certain contamination conferred by time-travelling. A curious pun, "going underground," under the surface of ordinary, conscious life, or dwelling in the unconscious, though the phrase is pythian commentary which does not occur in the dream. But keeping this situation somewhat "hidden" is not repression, since the dreamer remains quite aware, so that living this kind of inevitable lie indicates in distinction a sharpening of awareness-- a consciousness of the unconscious.

>So, I am living in the back of an auto repair garage in a

>tent.

A provisional kind of existence, compared to thoroughgoing identification, located where-- or almost hiding out amidst-- the vehicles with which one identifies for purposes of expression in conditioned life are maintained.

>There is a large round mirror which sits on the

>floor and leans against the large tool bench. I can see

>my reflection in the mirror however it is very hazy

>because the silver is losing its luster.

Roundness suggests the symmetry of identity, but this suggests Buddhism's stainless mirror, or from Sufi poetry, that mirror through which seeing into being passes-- but its mental reflectivity gives a hazy picture.

>I cannot time

>travel on my own accord. It just happens.

Once onstage, one acts out of the character, in a play, or if one stays in character, in life.

>The only way

>I know that I will be going back in time is when I look

>in the mirror and I see my reflection as a hunched over

>old man with a long silver beard and a very

>weathered-beaten face.

There is often a peculiar truthfulness to mirrors in dreams, perhaps because the dream is a mirror; the face of this father time figure could perhaps contain humanity.

>I look in the mirror and there is

>the old man (who is me). This frightens me. I go into

>my yellow tent and am hurled into the body of King

>Arthur. I am in the middle of battle on my horse in a

>hazy forest. My black horse rears up as I smote some

>silver knight. This wins the skirmish and my men (about

>3 of them) and I return to the castle (not a lot of

>detail)

The relation between identity and identification is like that between dreamer and dreamt; the Arthurian myths could make a considerable digression, but relevantly here in an autocommentary of the dream, conflict (conflictedness) for control (Arthus's kingdom) is in salient in detail black horse-- vital instinct which necessarily remains unconscious-- instinctive authenticity-- and silver night (the reflective intellect) in battle-- in which instinct beats down (represses) mind.

>I am back in my tent. My time travel did not change

>anything in present time.

Repression may be expedient, but seldom resolves anything.

>A boy came to my tent. He was

>also a time traveler. He was very scared because he was

>young and did not know how to handle the situation and

>felt he had no control. I told him he could stay with

>me.

Since the dreamer is female, the adoptee is probably an emotional. One would anticipate this is the missing element that would mediate between such conflicts as Arthur's with the silver knight. Here one has a sense of the whole thing starting over again...

>When looked at his reflection in the mirror, he also saw

>the old man. He was terrified.

A kind of emotional naivete; on the one hand (the dreamer's role), one has a dream and wakes the next morning no worse for it, on the other hand emotionally (the boy) loss of control, even loss of oneself, is terrifying.

>He then disappeared. I went back to sleep.

So the second sentence chiefly restates the first.

>When he returned to my tent, he was covered with blood.

A frequent occurrence at birth and death.

>I had a image of Dali's Christ on the Cross with the boy

>being Christ in the picture.

Christ reconciles God to the world, perhaps like the dreamer to her dream.

>The boy did not know what had happened.

The unconscious has intervened; there is a dissociation, more or less a forgetting and a sleep, as one might not remember her dream.

>The police stormed the garage and demanded the boy.

Police investigate, uncover facts, and in general suggest a focus of attention, functionally conscious attention.

>The boy had

>traveled into a sociopath's body and had brutally

>murdered a family (husband, wife and two boys).

With death in dreams some dissociation is suggested, but with murder, then by repression-- that would certainly repress the victim. The whole family being four suggests again another play on the consistent theme here, identification as it may forfeit identity; or, identity has been repressed in the service of identification.

>The police were trying to arrest him for the murders, but it

>was not his fault. I tried to explain to the police that

>time travelers could not control the actions of the

>body's they went into.

>

>It was just like entering another human's body, but

>having to live by their feelings, morals, and mind.

Precisely.

The police did not understand.

It is not within the _comprehension_ of conscious attention.

They dragged the boy off.

But it is within control of focus of the mind.

> His eyes were very sad. I never saw him again.

>

>I woke up and was quietly distracted all day.

So, a picture of the situation, which is sometimes enough.

==== Commentary on "Woman's World" by Cathy ====

This dream seems to me to be about the burden of women

confronting their unequal situation in the world. The

dreamer is with the women of her family of all generations.

They are with no men. To go on without men is difficult, and the dreamer wants male love, but feels that the only

options for male love are fundamentally lacking (both

financially and emotionally). The weight of the great

grandmother is the burden of women's history of oppression.

It is a crushing weight, one that the dreamer cannot escape from and that fouls the bed of love. The dreamer gets no help from the other women in trying to craft a relationship with men--the women want to be supporting, but men seem to drive them apart and start them fighting.

The male lover by the swingset is a sign of his instability and inconstancy--he swings back and forth. Ultimately, in the world of love, men seem untrustworthy and women are no guide or help. What the dreamer does with this insight is get angry.

==== Commentary on 'Womans World' (E.d. 2.11) by Jay ====

if this were my dream...

i am struck by the part of the dream where my anger finally breaks through, and i say 'f*** you, i'll do it myself', rather than fight with those around me about it. at which point my grandmother grins and joins me, emotionally, in my endeavers. this feels very good to

me.

==== Commentary on "X Boyfriend" by Flare ====

there is something unresolved going on here. he may be an x boyfriend, but the dream does not indicate that the dreamer wishes him to be so.

think to yourself.. what were the circumstances of the "breakup"? did he breakup with me or did I breakup with him? how far was the relationship? were we really going to get married? was my dream indicating a wish that went unfulfilled? I want to find my x and tell him that I love him. Make sure that you do that.

this dream seems to indicate to me a lot of desires in my heart that i would want to resolve so that i can "move on" in good faith, knowing that my last relationship was resolved and not left "hanging around in a mall someplace". the futuristic mall is an interesting place for this dream to occur. perhaps it is yet another indication of what future plans were left unfilled. the boyfriend is sad, perhaps indicating that he did not want it to turn out this way, either. whatever the situation, go and resolve it.. good luck with your endeavor.

Flare

==== Dream: "The Chase" by Flare ====

I am in a dark section of a strange town that seems vaguely similar to Santa Fe, NM but it is not. I am running down a dark alley with adobe houses to my right and left and artworks hanging on the walls. As I pause to notice the artwork, they are all dark and mysterious abstracts that I can't make sense of. Then I hear it. Voices coming through the paintings and calling to me. I am scared of them, though some of the voices I recognize to be my closest friends.

The voices I recognize are telling me to "run" and "get out of here before they get you too!" I am scared and ask them in the silences of my mind how I can help them. "There's nothing you can do for us.. run!"

The voices I don't recognize are all threatening to come after me if I don't leave right away. They scare me into running further down the alleyway, past more artworks that contain the voices of more of my friends and the menacing strangers.

There is a bright light at the end of the alley and I run for it, leaping into what I thought would be safety...

I find myself wrapped in my dark trenchcoat( that I wasn't wearing in the alley) and standing on that same street corner in Los Angeles where my boyfriend was shot and killed. I scream knowing what is about to occur and not being able to stop it from happening. I scream out of despair and fear, not wanting to see what is about to happen. The rest is already recorded in another volume of Electric Dreams as "Recurring Nightmare".

All the while, I hear my friends' voices screaming for me to "run" and "get away before they get you, too". So I end up running down the dark street of Los Angeles. As always, the dark shadow of the dog/wolf is running on the other side of the street, matching my pace. The difference this time is that I can hear those voices from the alley.

What's happening?

Flare

==== Commentary on "The Chase" by David K ====

In my model of the Psyche there are a collective of personalities within the individual human being representing inner voices, instinctual pressures, cultural heritage. My preferred term for this collective is the committee. The committee is the process of interaction of archetypal forces at root in the human psyche. These forces appear to us as dream figures wearing the masks of those who are familiar to us in life.

I believe one way of looking at your dream is that it paints out a conflict within your unconscious life. There are dark figures of the shadowland which speaks of some repressed contents. Shadow figures are pursing you. The wolf is a classic symbol of the shadow. There is a natural instinctualness to this dark figure. Something in your unconscious is demanding attention, chasing you down.

A strategy I might take is to try engaging with approachable figures from the dream with active imagination. Sit down with each figure and ask, "Who speaks now?" Get them to describe themselves. Get life stories. Draw portraits. Go wild! You want to name the figures you meet so you can work with them in the future. A word of caution: in approaching hostile or menacing figures, if their initial hostility falls away to a neutral or positive aspect then it is appropriate to continue. If the figure remains hostile, do not force a confrontation, seek the advice of a professional dreamworker. DK

==== Commentary on "The Chase" by Shadow ====

I am in a dark section of a strange town that seems vaguely similar to a town I know. I am running down a dark alley with adobe houses to the left and right. The houses are just atmosphere. On the walls artworks are hanging. I pause to take notice of these artworks. They are dark and abstract, the depths of my psyche. I cannot seem to make sense of them. Then I hear the voices. They are calling to me. I am afraid of these voices that come from the paintings. I am afraid of something within myself. Some of the voices I hear are those of my friends. They call out a warning to me. They tell me to run and to get out of here before 'they' get me too. In the silences I ask of my friends, "What can I do for you?" They tell me there is nothing. I am again urged to run. The other voices are threatening to come after me if I do not run. These voices speak of very deep conflict. On the one hand I have voices telling to run because I can't help them and on the other I have voices threatening to come after me if I don't run. The message from both sides is clear: RUN. Yet, I did ask my friends what I could do to help them.

I run down the alley toward a light. I leap into the light, expecting to find safety on the other side. Instead I am in a VERY familiar place. I am wearing my dark trench coat. In the alley I ran toward the light. I ran in fear. Perhaps fear of dealing with all the trauma that I lived through once so many years ago and am anxious to expel from my psyche (the light). Yet, in running as I did, I complete a circle that brings me right back. I am stuck in the cycle, using the same coping skills. These skills got me through the original event, but I am now beyond that and I need to work through everything with some new and improved skills, which are represented in my dream by the addition of hearing the voices from the alley. I am healing! This dream whispers of a beautiful future.

--Shadow JShadow876@aol.com

==== Commentary on: "The Chase" by Marian ====

.Paintings are representations of peoples ideas and/or feelings usually arising out of their unconscious or intuition. The image of the dark mysterious abstract paintings that you can't make sense out of and that

have voices might refer to a confusion about to the source of the fear.

The fear being the message to run which is heard from both friends and menacing voices. The message is clear but the reason for the message and where the voices are coming from is mysterious. If this were my dream I would consider the voices to be a metaphor for the threat and

fear that I feel, probably as a result of the shooting. (I am assuming this actually happened. I did not see your original account of your recurring

nightmare.)

The light I ran to and the trenchcoat did not provide the

expected safety. Instead they brought me back to the scene of the shooting and I encounter my fear and despair. I still hear the voices telling

me to run. There is some threat that these fears and my despair may 'get me.' Since this is a recurring issue and a major one, I would look into finding some outside support to engage in a dialogue with these voices

and to figure out how to stop running. I am speaking metaphorically but perhaps I could literally do this in my dreams also. I hope this sheds some light on your dream. The images of the paintings with voices is a

very compelling one.....

==== Commentary on "Angel Workshop" (ED2-11) by Shadow ====

I am in a house made of old antique wood. The antique wood speaks of the past. Perhaps an old unresolved issue. I am here to give a workshop, which is part of my work; part of how I interact with the outside world and survive. My co-worker, an aspect of myself/a safe but confining job/an intimate relationship, and I get into an argument. There is some conflict with my system of relating with the external world? I turn around, I was not facing him, and say "Well then I'll do it myself." I walk into an adjoining room, a related area or issue from the past. There are about eight people in the room. The one that I focus on is a tall, slim man with brown hair. He is dressed casually. This is masculinity that is not overwhelming. He holds a 60's style (past) lamp. I go over to see what the problem is. I reach out with my left hand only to see three ringed bumps around my left wrist. They look like three rings protruding under my skin. **The following is highly speculative** The 60's style lamp and the three rings could be time indicators to the unresolved issue or time of the event that left its impression on the dreamer's psyche. In this case the 1960's, three decades ago. Or, the three rings (and the number three) could represent a situation where the dreamer had three choices to make. Perhaps this could even be a future situation and the dream occurrences of the number three could be prompting the dreamer to be prepared for this important decision. I realize that both of these suggestions are extremely speculative. However, as I sat to write this both the ideas 'jumped' into my head. I would feel that I were letting the dreamer down somehow by editing them from this commentary. Back to the flow of the dream. I looked at the lamp and saw that it was not producing the intensity of light that it should. Some of the connections to the lamp were not working and there needs to be a complete connection. I am the lamp. I am not shining like I could because some of my relationships (work/personal/intimate?) are not 'complete'. I look back toward my co-worker. I think that perhaps I still need him, at least until I get the lamp, my relationship(s) fixed and resolve the "Issue of the Three's". I relinquish myself to my co-worker and agree that we need to work together, but I am not happy about it. This dream encourages me to take some sort of action, moving toward resolving some issues. I offer the above as being a possibility.

--Shadow JShadow876@aol.com

==== Commentary on "Angel Workshop" (ED2-11) By Mari ====

Hi! First, I have some questions about your dream: You were in a house made of `antique wood'. What do you mean by `antique' wood? Was it dark or light, polished shiny, was it aesthetically pleasing to you, or was it in poor condition? How did you feel about the house you were in? Also, someone was holding a `60s style lamp', does that mean a lava lamp?

Anyway, it seems to me that this dream is about energy and/or light and feeling connected to the source. First, you got in an argument about money. Money represents the exchange of energy. What was the argument about? Did your partner want more money? Do you need more money? How do you feel about money in general? Do you feel you have any issues about money or prosperity that you need to explore?

Then, you went into the other room and someone was holding a lamp, a lamp that wasn't putting out enough light. Something in the lamp was not connected. You said there needed to be a complete connection. The lamp equals light/enlightenment. Since in real life you are working with angels and light energy this is very significant. If the right connections are not being made, how can you have light?

You held out your left hand to take the lamp. Are you left-handed? Most people that I've seen doing energy work (including myself) will usually use the left hand to receive energy from `the source' and the right hand to give energy. I'm assuming that you used your left hand to receive energy from the lamp and help to `complete the circuit.' But you noticed three ringed bumps around your wrist. I think these bumps are something that is cutting off the flow of your energy and not allowing you to receive from the universe. Thus, you are depleting your own reserve of energy when you give to people. Maybe you are one of those people who give and give and give but won't allow themselves to receive for some reason. Maybe they think that receiving would be to admit weakness or maybe they are just stuck in the role of giver/supporter and don't know how to do anything else. Like The Little Red Hen you told your partner `Well then I'll do it myself.' The Little Red Hen was unable to get anybody to help her, but of course they all wanted to enjoy the results of her labor. She refused to share the bread that she baked, but I wonder if she really enjoyed it herself when she had to either eat alone or allow the others to take advantage of her. The point is if you don't connect up with the source you are going to deplete yourself very quickly.

You said the number three was showing up a lot in your life. Three is a magic number. `Three time's a *charm*!' It is the number of the Christian Trinity, father, son and holy ghost, as well as the number of the Goddess, maiden, mother and crone. Three is the number of change, synthesis, intuition and harmony. Three is a dynamic number that is very different from the polarity of two and the solid stability of four. There are many threes that are significant -- birth death rebirth; past present future; subconscious conscious superconscious; body mind spirit; child parent adult; illusion knowledge magic; thesis antithesis synthesis; belief thought emotion; etc. In Greek myth there are three Fates -- one spun the thread of life, one wove it into the pattern of life, and one cut the thread to end the life. My guess is that the number three is a clue for you to pay attention to the way you are handling the synthesis or integration of changes going on in your life. My interpretation of the color neon blue is that it represents the healing energy of the work you are doing with angels. That's just my own intuition, for what it's worth.

I hope this helps. Sweet dreams!

==== Dream: "Incredible Controlled Dream" by Blair ====

Sunday, July 09, 1995

To all Dreamers: I would like to share this dream with you. Do with it what you like--publish it, comment on it, share it with friends and neighbors, or trash it. I have many more to share. Send comments to Blair at

102023.126@compuserve.com

This started out as an ordinary dream, but I took control of it when I realized it was a dream. This represents significant dream control progress!

I dreamed I was in a building half resembling a dorm, half resembling a shopping mini-mall like in some very nice hotels. I was walking toward the parking lot with some co-workers (fictitious dream people). I asked where we were going.

One told me we're taking Anna S. to dinner. I didn't know Anna, but I knew that she was visiting from the home office that day. (In reality I don't know an Anna S.)

I decided not to go to dinner, but to go to the dorm cafeteria instead. I was wearing a beanie hat, so I wanted to go upstairs first to comb my hair. I took

off the hat and noticed my hair was very flat, and noticed I was balding in front (balding is a recurring dream theme). I noticed that the cafeteria closed

at 7:25pm, but it was only a couple minutes shy of that, so I didn't have time to go to my dorm room.

I put the hat back on and went in the cafeteria. It looked like a Hickory Farms store. I didn't see anything I cared for so I left. Then I noticed the

cafeteria was next door. I looked for the posted closing times. I found a board that said, July 9 Aladdin Hotel The Allman Bros Band.

This is correct in reality--I was going to see them that night.

I decided to see if it was too late to join my co-workers. I rushed out to the parking lot and saw that they were just starting to drive off. One car stopped

for me. I got in the back seat drivers side (symbolically a weak position).

As we got onto the street and turned west, I noticed that there was no driver.

I was puzzled. I was suddenly in the front passenger seat (symbolically a more powerful position). The car looked like my car, but I noticed a few differences

so I knew it wasn't. I noticed it wasn't a Nissan.

I looked at the steering wheel and read some numbers on it. Then I looked again and saw the numbers had changed. Then I did it again, and they changed.

ALERT: I now knew that this must be a dream! This was a technique I learned in a dream book to become conscious in my dreams. So I became conscious and took control of the dream!

I said, "If this is a dream, then speed up." The car took off very fast. I could feel the G-forces.

The car started to slow as we approached a line of cars stopped at a light. I said, "If this is a dream, go through the cars."

The car still slowed to a crawl, but merged with the car in front and went through it like a ghost.

I noticed that as we passed through cars, the people in those cars were at moments occupying the same space as the passengers in my car. As we passed through one, I said, "Become this woman," referring to a middle-aged woman in the back of a car.

I became the woman. I then said, "Have sex with the man next to you."

I only imagined this happening. As the woman I kept my eyes closed and saw nothing and felt nothing, but waited with anticipation.

In reality, this probably represents an inhibition toward such an oddity.

I wanted to get back to my car. I was back in the car, we turned around--east, still nobody was driving. We were on a very bumpy road. We approached a very low overpass. I willed that we go through it. The overpass met our windshield and the car passed right through like a ghost.

Another accomplishment: I felt myself awakening. Recalling another dream technique, I reminded myself to go into a spin. This might keep me in the dream state. I grabbed the steering wheel and turned it slightly. The car went into a spin and kept me dreaming.

We kept heading east on the bumpy road. I said, "Take off and fly."

The car took off and flew following the road to some steep desert trails. I was on the top of a hill (I don't know how I got up there). I found two metal pipes. They

were about 1" in diameter, flimsy, and bent at the top.

I decided to use the pipes like ski poles to ski down the slope on my shoes. I went to the edge of hill and found a very rugged and steep slope down. I decided not to go down that way. I was somewhat afraid, but I was more

concerned with getting the seat of my pants dirty, then getting my car dirty.

Also, I heard people talking at the bottom of the slope.

Then I reminded myself I was dreaming. I saw a different slope that was

smoother and decided to go on that one. I backed up a few feet from the edge

and played air guitar with one of the poles. I raised the pole over my head,

then fell down on my knees and back for the end of the performance.

I rose straight up somewhat gracefully.

I noticed a bus passing by. Suddenly I could see what was going on inside the bus. There were all the stars of M*A*S*H in the bus in their underwear.

Colonel Potter was enraged yelling, Horse Hockey! I have my project to do!

B.J. Hunnicutt responded, "But Colonel, you hit that bumpy red-faced chicken in

the face!"

I imagined the Colonel hitting a Korean woman's chicken because she wouldnt evacuate a property that he was to capture.

End of dream.

Reality note: The previous evening I was in the alt.dreams newsgroup. I read a note where someone explained that they have dreams where they notice that they can't read, or they can't tell time. I sent a reply explaining that this is a talent. I explained how he can use this to indicate that he is dreaming, then take conscious control of the dream.

==== Commentary on "Incredible Controlled Dream" by Shadow ====

I am in a building that is like a dorm or up-scale mini-mall, a structure or system (myself). I am walking toward the parking lot with some co-workers, aspects of myself. I ask where we (I) are (am) going. One of the co-workers tells me that we are taking Anna Schwartz to dinner. She is visiting from the home office today. Anna, a representative of the home office, a higher power, or perhaps a belief system. I decide not to go to dinner with Anna Schwartz and my co-workers. I decide to sustain myself from within myself, the cafeteria. Before I go to the cafeteria I want to go up to my room and comb my hair. I know that it is flat. I also notice that I am balding in the front. This speaks of a feeling of inadequacy, or better yet, it could be symbolic of a revelation of some sort. But I don't have time to deal with the feelings of inadequacy, or the possibility of revelation. The cafeteria is like a Hickory Farms store. I do not find what I need within the cafeteria (myself). I rush outside to try and catch my co-workers to see if I can still go with them. Will the higher power forgive? Can I, again, integrate a restrict belief system into my life in such a way as to sustain me rather than drain me? I get into a car, in the back seat, which I perceive as a weak position. The car turns to the West, fast-paced life style, instant gratification. I am puzzled that there is no driver. I am now in the front passenger seat, a power move. The car looked like my car, but it wasn't. I noticed some differences. This is not my belief system/idea of a higher power. I looked at the steering wheel, the guiding force behind the whole vehicle. I will the vehicle to speed up and it does. I can feel the intense pressure of this high speed (life style?). As we approach a line of cars stopped at a light the car slows down. I will it to go through the cars. It still slows down, to a crawl. It does pass through the cars, through other belief systems and philosophies. I find that I can see the passengers in these other cars. I will myself to become a woman that occupies my space as the car passes through hers. I then will her/me to have sex with the man next to her/I. Nothing happens. The idea of frivolous sex does not seem to be part of what I am truly looking for. I want to get back to my car. I am back in the car. Now it is heading East, toward a slower life style, spiritual gratification. Or, perhaps, it is back inward. Still there is no driver, no guide or leader. What direction is my old belief system? We are on a bumpy road, a hard and difficult path. We approach a low overpass, a obstacle. I will the car to pass through the obstacle. Am I fearful to stop and study it? The obstacle might offer me an education of sorts. Oh well, I am beyond it now. I am in danger of awakening. I use the 'spin' technique to maintain dream state. We are still on the bumpy road. I will the car to fly and it does. We follow the road to some steep desert trails. This is an artificially accelerated journey. I am on top of a hill, a position of much power. I do not know, however, how I got here. I find two metal pipes. They are flimsy and bent at the top. Metal, which is a strong material, is here flimsy and bent. This may be symbolic of the apparent contradiction of an unseen entity (flimsy) taking on a role of power (metal) in my life. I struggle to find my place in all of this. I think of going down one side of the hill, but I stop. I am not so much concerned with how it might affect my car (belief system) than how it might soil my own bottom (me). I also hear people at the bottom of the slope and I have concern for them. I notice another slope. This one is much smoother and I decide to go down it. I back up from the slope and play air guitar with one of the metal pipes. I am afraid to take a 'leap of faith' and instead rely on my own talents. I notice a bus going by. Suddenly I can see what is happening inside the bus. The stars of M*A*S*H are in the bus in their underwear, exposed. Colonel Potter, the authority figure, is angry. "I have my project to do!" He says. B.J. Hunnicutt speaks of the Colonel's use of violence to obtain a goal that seems to be quite aggressive itself. How do I feel about the Colonel's use of violence? And, perhaps more importantly, how does this method of interacting with the external world fit into the issue of my quest for a belief system and my search for sustenance? I see this as a "Big Dream" dealing with not just personal concerns, but issues fundamental to all of us! Thank you, Blair, for sharing this one.

--Shadow (Jshadow876@aol.com)

==== Commentary on "Night Trip" by Cathy ====

(SEE Electric Dreams 2-11)

This seems to me a beautiful dream about shared interests and friendships. The two friends journey into the city of Venice--a city of beauty, a dream-like setting with a

carnival history, a city that recalls the past. In the

dream, images of childhood and old friendships continually re-occur. The dream is an affirmation of shared interests (books, travel) but also accepts the rivalries of friendships (one friend is luckier, one is bolder and can steal) as well as its disagreements (cute or gross shell of Winnie). The anticipation of future journeys suggests the friendship is happy and healthy and going forward.

==== Dream: "Oaxacian Animals" by Mary's Sister ====

I recently visited Big Bend National Park with a good friend. I was very excited about going because I love Nature and have visited quite a few beautiful natural spots throughout my life.

The first day we arrived was spent finding a decent campsite.

Throughout the day, we wandered through the park looking for water, trees (very scarce in Big Bend!) and an environment that felt good.

Finally, we settled on a place and began the process of setting up the tent, preparing food (no meat) and getting ready for the fast approaching evening. After our meal, we sat around and talked.

Finally it was time to go to bed and this is the dream I had. I would appreciate any insight anyone may have. This is a saver for me!

I found myself in a natural environment...I couldn't see myself but I was there because I could see everything and even smell the air. There were no other human spirits around.

The first animal that came to visit me was a wolf. It was a gray wolf.

I could see it's eyes, it's coat separated into individual hairs. I could even smell a wet furry smell. Most important were the eyes. It seemed to stare into my eyes. We were looking at each other. Then the wolf turned into a rendition of the Oaxacian carved and primitively painted sculptures that I've purchased in Mexico and seen in the expensive gift shops that abound in Dallas. I felt the strength of the animal and the beauty of the carving and painting. I also felt somewhat sad that it had changed, but somehow felt that it was as it should be.

Immediately, I saw an owl. I spent most of my available moments looking into its eyes. Again, it seemed as though we were communicating. I felt the owl. I almost was the owl. It, too, turned into the Oaxacian painted carving. I don't remember the exact progression after that, but I was visited by snake that turned into a

beautifully painted dragon. Then it turned back into a lizard, not a snake. And then into the dragon again. I saw a deer, a rabbit, an eagle, and a bear. Each followed the same progression from real to primitive expression.

Not a word was ever spoken. But, I felt that a message was being conveyed to me from another plane of consciousness.

When I woke the next morning, the dream stayed with me. As I hiked the park over the next four days, almost every animal I had communicated with in my dream, I actually saw. The only exceptions were the bear and the wolf.

Over the past few months, I've thought of that dream many times and have been unable to determine its meaning. But, I do know it is important. Help!

==== Commentary on "Oaxacian Animals" by Marian ====

What a beautiful dream! If this were my dream I would see it as a reflection of my day and the connectedness I felt with nature - an awareness of a presence, of a life force greater then oneself. I would see the animals and the Oaxacian or primitive sculptures as a metaphor for this. This spiritual presence of nature is honored in the art of primitive cultures. This dream illuminates the soulful or spiritual aspect of the daily events. I am far from an expert on Jung's theories so I won't try to

answer the question about the collective unconscious.

==== Commentary II on "Oaxacian Animals" by Flare ====

To the dreamer: Living in New Mexico, I have come to realize that each of the animals represents a spirit. You may want to check out the possibilities that these animals are a part of your own soul and spirit.

According to American Indian culture, each animal brings a special gift with it. The animals are seen in visions, most commonly. There is an infinite amount of literature on spirit world of the American Indians.

Check it out...

For example, I went to Santa Fe this weekend with my parents and began reading into "fetishes", carvings done by American Indians of different animals. All the animals you described in your dream are all animals of

the spiritual realm of American Indians.

The gray wolf: a spiritual guide of great wisdom and insight. One to be paid attention to.

The lizard: a symbol of dreams and dreamers.

Definitely, look into what is written about each of the animals and find your own, personal meaning..

"My friend, you've just had yourself a vision." Thunderheart, the movie.

Flare

==== Commentary on "Oaxacian Animals" by Marilyn ====

I am sure that there are countless things one might find in this dream and that more and more will emerge from it for the dreamer. I was struck by one phrase though, perhaps from my own viewpoint as artist: where the dreamer says that the creatures changed from real to primitive, I would have said from concrete to abstract-- from individual to metaphorical. For me the dream becomes a springboard into the symbolic, an invitation to

contemplation of the art of living on a very high level.

This may not help with any of the specifics, but the dream suggests tribal medicine cards, philosophies, outlooks-- a more "natural" art of living.

==== Dream: "Red Horse" by Flare ====

It's late in the evening and I'm standing on the beach somewhere. I do not know where I am right now. I watch the moon set into the sea and notice it appears reddish. I look up and notice a red horse standing on the shore, also watching the red moon sink into the ocean. The red

horse has a dark red coat and white tail and mane. His hooves are a deeper red than his coat, almost maroon. His eyes are black, not the usual brown of horses. He rears into the air and beautiful, white, feathery wings spring out from his sides. I go to the magnificent

animal and begin to stroke his long neck. The horse looks into my eyes and almost seems to be inviting me to go for a ride. I hoist myself onto his back and notice that there is a name written somehow on his shoulder,

under the wing. It reads "Destroyer".

I wonder about this as the horse lifts himself into the air. I pull my black trenchcoat around myself because it's getting colder in the sky as we climb into the air. Far ahead, I see another horse and rider. The horse is black with black hair, hooves, and eyes. The black horse screams in defiance against its rider, and the rider, dressed in gray, goes tumbling into the sea. The black horse flies off into the night, such a perfect blend that it is impossible to see him anymore. I ride my own magical horse for what seems and eternity. The horse periodically looks back towards me and neighs softly. We land on another beach, and as his hooves hit the sand,

great clouds of steam and sparks fly out to the sides. I get off the horse, thank him for the ride, and ask him to remember me. The horse nods in assent, then takes off at a gallop down the beach.

--end of dream--

Flare

==== Note on "Red Horse" by Brenda ====

Why can't I have dreams like that? Mine are usually about things like looking for a decent place to relieve myself, or showing up clueless for some kind of exam.

Whatever you're doing, keep it up. I'd sure love a dream with 1/10 of what that dream had.

Do you ride horses in waking life at all?

Brenda Giguere

==== Commentary on "Red Horse" by Shadow =====

It is late in the evening and I am standing on the beach somewhere. This is a place of boundaries between the solid land and the fluid water. I do not know where I am right now. I watch the moon set into the sea and notice that it has a reddish hue. This red moon is powerful. As it sets so too does its power fade. I look up and notice that there is now a red (power) horse standing at the shore. He rears up and beautiful white, feathery wings spring out from his sides. I go to the magnificent animal and stroke his neck. He looks into my eyes and seems to be inviting me to go for a ride. As I hoist myself onto his back I notice that there is a name on his shoulder. It is, "Destroyer". Is he my destroyer, or the destroyer of the "darkness" that haunts my dream-life? We rise. It is cool up here so I pull my good-old-black-trench coat (such a frequently appearing garment!) around me. Would it be enough to protect me from this Destroyer were he to turn against me?

Far ahead I see another flying horse, this one black as night, and a rider. The black horse screams in defiance against the rider, who goes falling into the sea. Perhaps this is a warning of possible danger. The black horse then goes flying off into the night. He is so black that it is as if he becomes the night. I ride my magical Destroyer horse (such freedom) for what seems like an eternity. Periodically the horse looks back and neighs softly. We have a positive relationship. He might be a destroyer, but it would appear that he is working for me rather than against me. We land on another beach, some place different from where I started (progress). As his hooves hit the sand great clouds of steam and sparks fly out to the sides. Such power is released from the destruction of the darkness; for so long that darkness has held that energy. I get off the horse and thank him for the ride. I ask that he remember me and he replies by nodding before he gallops away down the beach. This is one of many possibilities.

--Shadow (JShadow876@aol.com)

==== Dream: "Sugar Cookie" by Jamal ====

In this dream, I am at the edge of a vast desert. Ahead of me is nothing but fine, light brown sand, every grain exactly the same size. There is no wind, no dunes, no ripples. The sky is a solid computer-blue, cloudless and sunless. The horizon is one solid and unbroken line. As I stand in the cool air, there is not a thought in my mind. I feel as though I am completely aware of every single grain of sand in the desert.

As I stand there scanning the horizon, I get the feeling that something is about to happen. When my surroundings begin to solidify, I notice an object on the horizon, a tower. I cannot tell how far away it is, but I sense that it lies at a distance of at least several hundred miles. Suddenly, the tower sends out a telepathic summons. Completely emotionless, I begin to accelerate toward it. At this point I realize that I am without form; I am nothing but a disembodied awareness, soaring through the clear desert air.

When I arrive at the tower, I see that it is a perfect obelisk, about three thousand feet high. It is composed of one solid piece of extremely dense gray-black material. I come to the shocking realization that the very density of this material is what pulled me toward it. The gravity here is impossibly high, and its force pulls me upward with blinding speed, along one side of the obelisk. As I rush toward the apex, a beautiful warmth begins to permeate the core of my being. I find that I am congealing into a material substance. I know that I am heading for the most wonderful and revealing experience of my life, yet I remain spiritually quiescent. I feel that I could slide forever up the smooth wall of the obelisk.

Suddenly, I slam to a halt. I am hovering three feet above the tip of the obelisk. I am quivering, humming, and bristling with yellow energy. From an altitude of thee thousand feet, the sand and sky look exactly the same as when I was on the desert floor. The tip of the obelisk is not a point, but a flat surface, about one foot square. Lying on the exact center of the square surface is the sugar cookie. It is a beige-colored cookie with tiny eyes, a tiny nose, and a tiny mouth. These facial features resemble tiny chocolate doughnuts. The cookie is looking at me. It is omniscient. I realize that I am looking into the face of God.

I begin to realize that the cookie is about to deliver a message. Its chocolate-cheerio mouth breaks into a wide grin, and I am flooded with a sense of maternal love. The desert, the sky, the obelisk, the sugar cookie, and myself, a bristling yellow ball that has now become a small sun, seem to have become merged into one conscious entity.

Finally, the cookie directs a high pitched radio emission directly toward the center of my awareness. The signal is so intense that I wake up.

For five minutes I basked in that elusive ether that exists between dreams and everyday awareness. Over the next few hours I experienced feelings of nostalgia for the days of my early childhood.

==== Comments on "Sugar Cookie" and "Red Horse" by Marian ====

There are two dreams that I found very interesting and moving and that made me question how I was looking at dreams. I can't find the first dream but it was the one about performing brain surgery. The dream seemed to be in reaction to an actual car accident involving a car she

usually would have been riding in and she would have been killed had she been in the car. The second dream was "Sugar Cookie". Here the cookie was the equivalent of God's face and the dreamer was left with a feeling of nostalgia for his early childhood. In both these dreams it seemed to me to make sense to view them as a whole, like a painting which has created a strong mood and feeling. It didn't make sense to me to analyze and break down the events or ask questions such as, "What is the significance of the tripod structure put on the man's head?" I am satisfied with the explanation that our minds are wonderfully imaginative and the reason for this particular item is not as important as the powerful

impact of the dream as a whole. There are other dreams, however, where it seems more important to me to ponder the symbols. The dream, "Red Horse" by Flare is one such dream. I wonder about the significance of the colors, red and black: a red horse and a red moon and a black horse blending in with the night sky.

I love the Electric Dreams. It is a treat to read all the interesting dreams and to compare the different possible ways of understanding them. I hope someone will

have a completely different view of the dreams I mentioned and further expand my awareness and understanding! I am concerned about the message that we received about it becoming illegal to do WWW. I don't

understand what this refers to. Could this be explained further?

Thanks. Marian.

==== Dream: "I Become a Water Beast" by Cathy ====

I was walking on the back lawn of a large, stone mansion

that sloped down to a small lake. The house was of golden-colored stone, with many floors and windows. As I walked along the lawn, I saw a lovely women with auburn

hair, about 30, dressed in a forties-style suit, lying on the ground. She was shot in the head from a sniper or two at the windows of the mansion. I fell flat on the ground beside her. Her hair was red against the lovely, bright green lawn. A white foot-long rock was the only meager cover, it seemed in the dream. Now that I look back on the dream I wonder why we lay on the ground when the attack come from above? Why didn't we run for the tree? Why if she was shot in the head, wasn't she dead? However, in the dream it seemed logical to take cover by laying on the ground.

I then tried to escape with a indeterminate female figure

from a pair of killers, now clearly a man and a woman. We were at the front of the house trying to get into an old vehicle, pre-1961 at the latest, probably early 50s. The woman was slow because she was injured. I might have been shot in the shoulder. We didn't make it to the car.

Then I was lying on one side of a wire fence. The killers were on the other side shooting it out with some other people with rifles. I was pretending to be dead and had sniffed chloroform or something. They were planning to bury me in a shallow grave. I was panicked at the thought of being buried alive.

They decided to bury me on a small island in the lake.

However, as they moved my body I began to wake up.

For some reason, I had been thrown in the lake as if dead. I had been in the lake for a year, haunting the island summerhouse. I was aware of other ghosts in the water and around the estate. I had mutated into a water-breathing being.

I was entering the mansion, only now it was a castle to get revenge. I seemed human, but I was this water-being, somehow able to breathe air as well now. I was with a

group of evil people who were walking past these trained

reptilian beasts. The beasts were black, dog-sized

lizard-like animals that only tolerated the evil people and were very deadly. However as I walked by they sensed my water beast nature and loved me, licking my hands and following me. I felt a surge of power and could tell this made the evil people very nervous.

As we climbed the stairs, I realized I felt limited by

gravity. I wanted to swim in 3 dimensions. I realized I had no fear of heights and to fall from the stairs would be like swimming in my lake. I was a very tall dark-haired woman with dead white skin. My fingers were lightly webbed. In real life, I am a short blonde woman, no webbing ...

I really enjoyed this dream despite the ghoulish beginning, and in fact felt that I kept rejecting the way the dream kept forcing me into certain death. I don't know if this counts as a lucid dream or not, but I simply kept stopping the dream and jumping to a better situation in my battle verses the killers. The end of the dream, although set in a very Gothic, nightmarish stone staircase, was actually rather pleasant.

==== Commentary on "I become a Water Beast" by Shadow ====

I am on the back lawn of a large, stone mansion, a place of wealth and strength (my unconscious). From within this support comes a perceived danger, as evidenced by the woman who has been shot in the head. She is dressed in clothes from the 40's. She does not belong here in the present. She is from the past, an aspect of myself that is no long productive. I fall to the ground. The woman and I take cover behind a small white rock, another indication that this aspect cannot function in the here-and-now. Perhaps she served a purpose at some time in my past, but now she is in danger and so am I by being near her.

I am now trying to escape with this woman. The killers, I can now see, are a man and a woman. This 'killing team' is a gender balanced one that is seeking to destroy myself and the woman (both female). They are acting to bring about a state of balance? The woman and I try to get to an old vehicle, but we do not make it, again something old that no longer adequately serves a purpose.

Now I am on one side of a wire fence and the killers are on the other side shooting it out with some people with rifles. I am within myself and they have now moved to the external world to do battle in waking life? I play dead by sniffing chloroform or something like it. The killers are planning to bury me in a shallow grave. They plan to bury the past, but not destroy it. Back into the Earth so that the energy stays in the system. I panic at the thought of being buried alive. The killers decide to bury me on a small island (my conscious self) in the center of a lake behind the mansion (my unconscious). In other words, this issue will be 'put to rest' as it is brought into the conscious to be buried. As they move my body I start to wake up.

For some reason the killers throw my body into the lake, as if I am dead.

I have been a year in the lake. I have seen other 'ghosts' here (the mystical workings of the unconscious). I can exert influence on the conscious by haunting the summer house on the island. I am more than just a ghost. I have mutated into a water-breathing being. I am intimately linked with the unconscious; it sustains me.

I am entering the mansion, which has mutated as well and is now a castle. Whereas the mansion was my unconscious, the castle is symbolic of the Collective Unconscious. I am here for revenge. Revenge upon the killers? I appear human, but I am still the Water Beast. I am with a group of evil people (Shadow). We are walking past these black, dog-sized reptilian creatures that only tolerate the Shadow. They are very dangerous and serve well as guardians to keep the Shadow in its place. As I walk the reptilian guardians sense my unconscious nature and love me. They too are unconscious beings. They lick my hands and follow me. I am empowered by this. I can tell that the evil people very nervous.

As we climb the stairs I feel limited by gravity and have a desire to swim in three dimensions. I do not fear falling from the stairs, as this would be just like swimming in my lake (the unconscious). The more I rise from the Collective Unconscious and my unconscious the more restricted I feel. I am a very tall, dark-haired woman with dead white skin and webbed fingers (a beautiful incarnation of a water-breathing-Collective Unconscious-revenge seeking-personal deity). Of course there are limitless possibilities...

What an absolutely wonderful dream! There is so much to work with that I fear I left so many possibilities out. With this dream one could literally write pages and pages. I would like to bottom line my gut impressions: Conscious-->letting go of, by working through, some ineffective coping skill(s) that used to work, but no longer do. Or, maybe letting go of a role that is no longer necessary (mother, wife, friend, etc.) Unconscious-->This is much more open. There were so many symbols that could be representative various aspects of the dreamer's conscious, as well as the Collective Unconscious. The dream seems to work toward creating and defining a safe, workable relationship with the Shadow. In addition, there definitely seems to be some work going on related to the issue I just spoke of in the light of the conscious.

Thank you, Cathy, for sharing this beautiful dream!

--Shadow (JShadow876@aol.com)

===== Dream: Fish in A Bottle by Nutcracker =====

I was drinking a 7-Up in one of their old green glass bottles, but the bottle was in the shape of a fish. The bottle was pressed glass with raised (fish) scales. (8/30/95)

<I was on the plane to MI, in that state of half asleep/half awake, when you can hear people talking all around you, yet you can't make out what they're saying. It was while we were sitting on the runway, waiting to take off.>

===== Dream: Fish in A Bottle - Part 2 by Nutcracker =====

There was a man standing at the kitchen sink, his back was to me. He was wearing a button down shirt (not tucked in), shorts and sandals. He had hairy legs. He set the bottle down with his left hand, which is how I spotted it. The bottle was shaped like a fish. The bottle was shaped the same (as in a previous dream), but was more translucent, a paler shade of green. (9/5/95)

===== Dream: The Long Walk Home by Nutcracker =====

I was walking toward home, wearing only an extra long t-shirt (to my knees and white canvas tennis shoes). I'm in a part of town I'm not familiar with. I took a back road thinking it was a shortcut, but it dead ended and I had to turn around. I could have cut through someone's yard as there was a sidewalk leading from the back to the front, which came out to the main street, but I didn't want to risk trespassing so I turned and walked back the way I came. As I walked down the main street, I came upon a tree filled with small colorful birds. The only one I recognized was a cardinal. None of the birds flew away as I passed by, even though they were sitting on branches level with my face. They were beautiful. They were all colors; blues, greens, yellow and salmon. I kept on walking and came to a store that in its display window had posters and t-shirts with birds on them. It was a very colorful exhibit. It made me smile. I kept walking and ended up at home. I was in the backyard when I heard someone calling my name, over and over. It was my next door neighbor, the judge. I went over to his house (entering through the garage) to talk to him. I was going to ask him how his son was doing since our neighbor K. was murdered the weekend before, but just then his son came in the room and I kept quiet. The house was a disaster. There were boxes of stuff everywhere. V. was telling me how he had so much stuff in storage already. He said the basement was full also and that two blocks away, underground, he had even more stuff in storage. (9/5/95)

[Unfortunately the part about the murder is true. Two teenagers shot for a car stereo by someone one of them knew, and it wasn't my neighbors friend. Very sad.]

===== Dream: Of Vampires and Christmas by Nutcracker ====

I had gone into a bar with a girlfriend. B. joined us there. He was wearing a business suit. Then he disappeared for a while and came back dressed as a vampire (white shirt, black suit, cape, his face was painted white and his eyes were darkened with makeup). I thought, ok, it's either theme night here at the bar or he's lost his mind. I'm embarrassed to be (seen) with him. Shortly after, we meet a friend of my girlfriend's, Tammy Lauren (Julie/Dave's World). She offers to give us a ride to a party she heard about. She tells us to be careful of her car. It's an old car that she had restored. Of course I immediately `ruin it' by spilling my drink or something in it. She rolled her eyes and gave me one of `those looks'. As we're driving along we pass a really nice neighborhood. We drive by slowly. There's Doris Day outside one house. In the front yard are dozens of boxes full of old (antique) Christmas ornaments. She's throwing them at the car as we pass by. I yell out the window, "I love your movies, Doris." Her home is really cute. It was made of brick, yet looked `gingerbread-ish', much like many of the homes you find in San Francisco, the Victorian ones. We went further down the street. It looked like one giant garage sale (in the middle of the night?). I asked Tammy what was going on. She said that anything people have and want to get rid of, they put out on the street every Christmas and people come by and take what they need or what they think someone else could use. We stopped and got out of the car. It looked like one giant wall of items stacked earth to sky. There were so many neat things (kids toy pianos, furniture, baby items), but I didn't need anything and fortunately I didn't know anybody who `needed' anything. (9/5/95)

===== Dream: Manipulation by Nutcracker =====

I had gone into a cafe with a friend. We found two empty chairs near a table full of girls. My friend took a seat in one chair and as I was about to sit in the other, two of the girls moved closer to my friend so I couldn't sit next to her. I sat down, put my feet on the one girls' chair (the leader of the bunch) and pushed her away from the group. (9/5/95)

===== Dream: Gimme Shelter by Nutcracker =====

B. and I were sleeping on the ground under what? A bridge or tunnel of some sort. It must be warm out - we don't need blankets. It was dark when we found this spot. Upon waking, I got up and looked around. There was a walkway directly behind us that went from one side (of the bridge?) to the other. We could have been killed by.....who knows.....anyone walking by. At the end to our left there are some stairs. As I looked towards them, two people (a man and woman) come up the stairs and walk past us. (9/5/95)

===== Dream: Too Cheap by Nutcracker =====

[I can only remember bits and pieces of this dream]

We had gotten a hotel room and it was really nasty looking. I was thinking to myself, "why would B. pay $39 for this when for $59 we could have stayed at the new La Quinta (like in San Antonio)? (9/5/95)

==== Dream: Shopping for Needless Stuff by Nutcracker ====

I was in a store shopping. I had a cart full of stuff (Mah-Jongg game pieces - to make a bracelet out of, red nail polish, etc.) I stopped for a moment to look through my cart and decided, "I don't need all of this!" I then went through the store putting everything back. Back on the shelf go the Mah-Jongg pieces. Now where did I find that nail polish? I finally find it (I had taken the last one from the display). I look at it again, trying to decide whether or not to keep it. No. I don't particularly like the color - it's a wishy-washy shade of red. I'd prefer fire engine red, which they don't have of course. As I put it back, I look through some other items on display. There's a bottle of nail buffing compound that you put on like nail polish and then buff off when dry. It's gray in color. There's also a bottle of top coat/nail ridge filler. It's white. The clerks are putting new products on the counter to fill up the displays with. I look through the stuff, but there's nothing I need. As I'm about to leave, a lady (customer) corners me and tells me how she has such a hard time trying to figure out her statement from the store each month. I said, "I know what you mean," but I'm really thinking, "Maybe you shouldn't spend so much then." Then I leave. (9/6/95)

==== Commentary On Nutcracker's Dreams by Brenda Giguere ====

FISH BOTTLES, FINGERNAIL POLISH, AND FIRE ENGINE RED

Comments on Nutcracker's New Dreams

by Brenda Giguere

95.09.12.11:15 PDT alone, no music

It was fun coming back to a full e-mail box after two weeks out of the country. I hope to catch up with everything in the next few days and offer some responses to the many intriguing dream accounts that were waiting there. Your dreams inspired me to write out a few comments before I even unpacked my suitcases.

Dear Nutcracker,

Hopefully this isn't in the wrong spirit, but I thought you might want to know that the bottle in the shape of a fish does exist... there is a fairly commonly available Italian wine that comes in a green glass bottle exactly as you describe. I have saved a few myself because they are quite decorative. They come in both small and regular sizes, and are available in many cities all over the world in gourmet and specialty food stores. The color of the glass is very, very similar to the old 7-up bottle green such that you describe. Perhaps you've seen this bottle and it was non- consciously stored in your memory, and being near a lake might have triggered the association. You might not even realize you've seen such bottles.

Again, perhaps this isn't the sort of commentary you are seeking but I enjoyed reading your account of the shopping for useless things. It continues to fascinate me the extent to which I find the form, feel, and content of other peoples' dreams to be similar to those of my own. Purely in terms of formal content, your description of picking up such items as Mah Jongg pieces to make into bracelets or trying to find a certain shade of nail polish are remarkably similar to dreams I often have myself. In terms of mental state, probably more significant is the idea of engaging in a busy activity, then wondering about the purpose of that activity... "why am I doing this?" is certainly a question that arises in dreams. Anyone questioning whether there is ever significant cognition in dreams (there are still people who somehow believe there isn't) need only question a few dreamers or read a few dream journals to find out how commonly occurring this question arises as a thought during the dream state. We engage in rote activities in both dreaming and wakefulness; we engage in conscious and deliberate activities during wakefulness more often than in dreams. Our thinking is certainly much clearer overall during wakefulness than in dreams, but we still think about things with varying degrees of clarity in both states. Studies are being done recently that explore the thought process in wakefulness and dreaming, a subject that is of particular interest to Dr. Tracey Kahan of Santa Clara University. I plan on reporting soon on Dr. Kahan's research. (Descartes assertion might need another one: "I think, therefore I am" could be followed by: "I think, but think less clearly; therefore I am possibly dreaming.")

As a writer and dreamer whose emphasis is on lucid dreaming, I feel it is worth mentioning that in this moment of questioning we are actually beginning to ask The Critical Question regarding our state, that is: "Where am I, and what am I doing?" We seldom get to that point of clarity of thinking in dreams where we can say, "Aha; I am asleep and dreaming in bed, and what seems like activities I am engaging in are really mental constructs that seem as if I were actually doing these things!" But instead, it seems, we usually only become dimly aware that our rote activities may not quite make sense... "why am I picking up all of these things? What am I doing, anyway?" We are almost figuring out we are dreaming, but not quite getting there except on those special occasions called Lucid Dreams ("I am dreaming! I understand what this implies!")

By the Way...

(Of course, bracelets out of Mah Jongg pieces are not a useless idea. Bakelite Mah Jongg bracelets sell for quite high sums of money, at least here in California, and are quite lovely; the pieces themselves are available much more reasonably than finished bracelets).

Colorful Birds

As for the lovely birds and tee shirt dream, I am very envious of such a creative and colorful dream. Again the associative process that defines dream narrative is quite strikingly present... you describe yourself as wearing a tee shirt, and are walking along in an environment presumably that might include birds, and lo and behold, beautiful birds appear to your dream-self; before too long your mind has created for you some tee shirts that have bird designs on them. Good for you; this is called creativity! Please contact me if you would be willing for me to use this dream as an example in the book I am writing on creativity in dreams called "Lace Boots and Lunchbox Desks."

Thank you for sharing these dreams and allowing me to indulge in these comments.

Brenda Giguere, dreaming at home again...

==== Commentary on "The House of Disrepair" by BobC ===

The dream begins with the dreamer visiting an old lover/friend. He is standing by the kitchen sink, so perhaps he is trying to "clean up his act" or behavior, but it's apparent his house (life) is a mess. He wants the dreamer back in it, but there is nothing there for her. He's killing himself by letting his blood run all over the place, while he's waiting for a nurse to arrive to save the blood for insurance. (Is the dreamer both the ex-lover/friend's nurse and insurance policy)? The dreamer offers to remodel the ex-lover's house, but her dream mind moves on before he answers, possibly because the dreamer already knows the answer. She can't back to this particular relationship again, at least, not until there are drastic changes in her ex-love.

The dreamer next is in a very large public building. She is eating a sandwich with someone. Perhaps metaphorically the dream mind is telling the dreamer that the relationship she has with her companion is a snack, not a full course meal. She knows shortly that there will be a fire storm that will be over soon. The fire storm begins and ends very quickly. The dreamer's concern is that her son has not been hurt in the fire storm. " By the time I find him it is over and everything is o.k., just a few smoldering embers here and there." "Smoldering embers" is often used to describe romantic feelings that remain after a relationship has ended. Perhaps then, the dream concerns a present relationship that appears stable, but is not. The dreamer expects it will end, does not mind it ending, but does not want her son to be emotionally hurt by the ending of the relationship. The second part of the dream may account for the first part. Often when things are going badly in a particular area of our lives, we dream of "the good old days," when things in that area were (in retrospect) going better. The dreamer thinks of an ex-lover, but the dream mind immediately helps her to realize that the old relationship also had many problems which she can't "remodel" or fix. The dreamer's task is not to move backward, but rather to move forward beyond the "smoldering embers."

If the dreamer disagrees with the above interpretation then it is wrong. Only the dreamer knows.

==== Dream: "Political Exposure" by Marian ====

I am in some sort of public building. In one room there is a comedy act and the woman ends up exposing her breasts. I am aware of how large and appealing they are and that mine are small. As I walk around I see several older men with young beautiful women. I am going to meet with president Clinton. This is because he is with a young beautiful Asian woman who is also a friend of mine. I wonder how he was able to meet her. I am surprised to see the Asian woman has cut her hair very short.

It is a bit fuzzy seeming - somewhat like my son's hair. We will be going on a walk through Central Park. There is a lot of security everywhere. The walk is on a one way path so we only have to worry about what might be behind us. They will take our coats but it is raining so I wear

mine to get to where we meet with the security. Clinton suddenly puts his arm around me and sort of pushes me down and says something like, "Did you see that?" He explains that this is what he'll do if there is a security problem and some danger. Then, while his face is still close to mine, he takes out his false teeth. (This is a very clear, strong image.)

As I am waking up I am fantasizing about being captured by Iranians and tortured and trying to explain that I am just an ordinary Vermonter. I think about how missing my family would be the hardest part. Then I wondered why I was having these thoughts and I remembered the dream.

I am female and 48 years old. I love to hear any insights you might have about this dream. Thanks!

==== Commentary on "Political Exposure" by Shadow ====

I am in a public building, exposed to the world-at-large. In one room there is a comedy act and the woman ends up exposing her breasts. I feel inadequate because hers are large and appealing whereas mine are small. Somewhere in my life I feel less than what I should be. As I walk around I see several older men with young beautiful women. Do I long for youth? Am I jealous of youth? I am going to meet President Clinton, a powerful man. Perhaps there is a connection between power and youth. I am going to meet him because he knows a friend of mine. This friend is a young, beautiful Asian woman. How does he know her? I am surprised to see that she has cut her hair very short. We will be going on a walk in Central Park. There is security everywhere. I am afraid that I may lose something, or that I already have. The walk is on a one-way, so I am not concerned with what lies behind us, at least that is what I say, but maybe what is back there really does bother me. They want to take our coats, but it is raining so I decide to keep mine until we meet up with the security persons. The coat protects me from whatever is 'raining' down on me, those feelings on inadequacy maybe. Suddenly Clinton puts his arm around me and sort of pushes me down. He is showing me what he would do if there were danger. He, representing power--No, Clinton better symbolizes maturity I think. He takes out his false teeth. Depending on one's political opinions this part could be picked up and ran with! But this is not the place for that and, most likely, the symbolism is more personal than political. I see Clinton, who just demonstrated his ability to deal with danger pulling out his dentures, which shows his age. This act shifts the focus from youth and power to maturity. At times youth can mean power, but only with age does maturity come. Of course this is just but one of the infinite range of possibilities.

--Shadow Jshadow876@aol.com

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