Dreams

Could dreams be magical versus REM?

Random scenes playing as we sleep, a portal to our subconscious, or perhaps a journey into another world? Dreams are very mysterious, yet we experience them almost every night. Sometimes I wake up with tears in my eyes because I witnessed something very beautiful. Sometimes I wake up sweating in fear because I witnessed something frightening. Sometimes I wake up and can't remember any details of my dream but know I had dreamed something.

My dreams (literal not metaphorical) have influenced me in ways that would require several blog posts to explain. Some have been so vivid that I can't help but hearken back to my previous post about reality. My greatest fears have been shaped by nightmares I've had. My greatest ambitions have been shaped by some of the most beautiful dreams I've had. Interestingly, I still remember these dreams as if they were actual memories. It makes me pause and legitimately question what is real. I know this world where I'm typing up this blog is real because of an innate feeling, but if these dreams can affect me so emotionally and affect the choices I make in life, aren't they real in some capacity? Of course, my greatest goal in life is recreating a scene in one of my most vivid dreams.

My dreams often combine the ordinary with the fantastical.

Some of my dreams are more fantastical. Recreating scenes from my favorite fiction or fan fiction. Sometimes I am a super hero, a knight (a la Game of Thrones), and many other larger-than-life roles. Many times my dreams combine different elements and aspects from various fictions creating really fascinating visions. It's even more fascinating when people I know play as different roles. I wish I kept a dream journal to record some of these dreams, but I can forget these very quickly upon waking up and at best can only remember a few instances of it.

Sadly, I won't get into my more vivid dreams which I could almost confuse as real memories because they are deeply personal to me. With that said, I still ponder the possibility if these visions were more than simple byproducts of random eye movement (REM). My dreams that mesh my experiences with my favorite media can be byproducts, but my really vivid dreams forged out of pure inception cannot be merely explained as such. Where did these dreams come from? A question I may never answer. Nevertheless, I strive everyday to steer away from my nightmares and to bring my beautiful dreams into reality.