Bequeathing Dreams

[steepholm]

Kath Langrish writes here of an interesting case of an "inherited" dream.

I suppose the key question, as far as the inherited aspect is concerned, is whether the dream really is confined to her family. Maybe many people have a variant on this dream, and it's just that Kath's family is sensitized to it by family tradition? I don't remember having it myself, at any rate.

Do you?

Comments

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I had something like that as a child- only it wasn't a dream but something that came to me when I was drifting off. First I'd see a perfectly smooth white disc- like bone china or porcelain- and then- I knew it was coming but could do nothing to stop it- the disc would be corrupted with a mesh of fine hairline cracks- like a dirty spider's web. It felt horrid.

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

Kath's daughter also reported the phenomenon when she was half awake. It sounds very similar.

[malkhos.livejournal.com]

This sounds like a phosphene rather than a dream.

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

That's a new word to me - thanks!

Family dreams

[jenalexanderbooks.wordpress.com (from livejournal.com)]

Several people have reported similar-sounding dreams in the comments on the blog now, including Stroppy Author who makes an interesting interpretation. Thank you for carrying on the conversation here :)

Re: Family dreams

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

Thanks for sending me back. Yes, some interesting contributions!

[katherine langrish (from livejournal.com)]

Phosphene - well it might be, but if so not merely optical; it came trailing clouds of emotional horror. I've always considered it a dream, and having experienced it personally and seen its effects on my own children, I can tell you subjectively at least, it felt and looks like a dream.

But polyphilo's drifting-off experience sounds exactly the same kind of experience, and I'd be frankly surprised if this weren't a fairly common human perception. The similarity of imagery between my own, my mother and grandfather's, and daughters' dreams are striking, however - but anyone who gets it might be glad to know they aren't alone.

[ethelmay.livejournal.com]

Tolkien had a recurring dream of a giant wave, didn't he? He said he bequeathed it to Faramir, and later found out his son Michael had also had it.

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

You probably have to be of Númenórean descent.

not about dreams, I'm afraid

[anne rooney (from livejournal.com)]

steepholm, is your avatar really a dinosaur with its pants over its head?

Re: not about dreams, I'm afraid

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

Hush, Anne - that's no way to talk about the Mari Lwyd! I used its noble profile in honour of the nightmarish subject, but this is my usual icon.

Back to dreams (tho that is an interesting avatar!)

[jenalexanderbooks.wordpress.com (from livejournal.com)]

I think what we understand (rather than theorise) about dreams always has to be subjective, Kath, and as you described this as a dream I had no doubt that was what it was - also, emotion is the key. Really interesting too about Tolkein's wave, ethelmay. We may have universal dream experiences of light/movement/uneasy emotion, but these take different forms - orb, wave, roughs and smooths - in different families/groups. That difference is what I find interesting...