Dreams, Drunks, and Pregnancy

I've written a teeny bit about dreams and pregnancy already, but I was thinking about this just this morning as I lollygagged in bed. Since Andrew got back from Guam, I've tried to get up in the morning with him, to spend a little time with him before he works all day. He used to not work quite as much, but lately, it's been lots of long days, so any time I can spend with him is a bonus. But the last few days I've been petering out too early, needing a nap at about 9 in the morning, which interferes substantially with getting anything productive done. So, late sleeper today.

But also, it meant a longer period of lucid dreams. Do you know the difference between a lucid dream and regular dreams? Lucid dreams are dreams you remember, and you often can influence the events of the dream while dreaming. You're variously aware that you're dreaming. Often, if you can be a lucid dreamer, you can do cool things in your dreams like do magic (sometimes I can) or fly (same-- sometimes I can do both magic & fly). They're the coolest feeling dreams; you wake up feeling rested, but energized in a way that regular old muddy dreams don't do. Often, you work out "issues" in these dreams. If you've been thinking about something really hard, perhaps trying to solve a problem or anticipating a special event, you'll dream about it and the dream will help suggest a solution. I'm not saying, as a lot of folks do, that they are psychic dreams that can predict the future. But they are possibly another level of consciousness in which you can see a bigger picture of your life and therefore use more of your brain's power to see solutions. I have gotten over blocks in my writing by thinking hard about the subject just before sleeping and then dreamt about it-- you have a freedom of ideas when you're asleep that your conscious mind doesn't allow. Sometimes you wake up and still think it's a stupid idea, but sometimes it helps you work on ideas.

Anyway. This morning I had a few dreams that almost cracked the lucid dreaming boundaries. These dreams are part of a pattern of dreams I often have about the town I grew up in/went to high school in. They often feature the people I knew then; I'm visiting them, or planning to visit them. The dreams this morning were very vivid, and I was me in the dreams, and I was dealing with issues that I have thought a little bit about lately. But I was also getting my hair done. :) That was a fun part-- doing the hair, makeup thing. I was going to go visit an old friend. My mom didn't approve, but in the dream, I thought it was none of her business and told her so. In real life, I wouldn't visit this person. But it's possible that the dream is suggesting a need to think about the relationship I had with said person-- and I can see why it would come up lately. Some sort of resolution will come of the dream's issues, someday. It doesn't make me anxious, or sad, or even happy. I just sort of know that the issue will resolve.

But after actually waking and lying in bed for a few minutes thinking about the dreams, rested on cool comfortable sheets with pillows cocooned around me and the dim morning light soothing me into more and more wakefulness, I thought about dreams. Sometimes when you're really drunk you have bizarre dreams, too. And pregnancy seems to bring on, at least for a lot of folks, (sometimes me, too) a wide range of naughty sex dreams. So it's a good thing you can't be both drunk & pregnant (well, you could, I suppose, but it's just not a good idea.) You might have dreams of a totally different variety then.

Anyway. If you think you don't have dreams (everyone does-- you just don't remember yours) and you'd like to work on that, there's a website I found while writing this post that might interest you. It has some suggestions on how to lucid dream, or to improve your lucidity. It looks a little "new agey" but interesting at the same time. It's really a cool feeling to have lucid dreams, and it doesn't have to be tied up into deep philosophy and stuff. I view it a lot like the way I view the way I read Tarot cards-- as a way of focusing thoughts you have but aren't really aware of having, of getting in touch with your own subconscious. Like good therapy is supposed to do. It's not magic, or religion, but it can really change the way you think about yourself, and make you more aware of your world.