Dream Themes

I have a very active dream life.  I have vivid dreams pretty much every night and remember almost all of them.  If you've spent any amount of time around me at all, you've probably heard me blather a bit about some dream or another that I had just recently.  They're just so interesting to me.  One thing that I find particularly interesting is that I have several  recurring dream locations and themes.  When I was a kid, I'd have nightmares about running away from either Nazis or drug pushers. Nowadays, my recurring dreams are a little different.  I'm not sure what it is about these particular things that makes my unconscious mind feel the need to probe and re-probe while I sleep, but I thought I'd compile a list of some of my more frequent dream theme repeaters.  

Water

Frequently there will be a large, pulsing, powerful source of water.  An ocean or a sea.  Sometimes it seems to be getting closer or larger or moving inland.  It can be threatening, but mostly I'm just drawn to it on a deep emotional level.  

I also have a lot of weird water/LDS temple dreams.  There will be big waterfalls in the middle of the building, or water cascading down stairs or down the walls in locker rooms.  One time I dreamed that the basement of the temple was filled with water.  The walls were lined with stores and temple patrons could glide along in gondolas, Venice-style. 

Organ



These started a couple years ago when I started playing the organ in church.  In my dreams, I'll show up late for church and everyone will be waiting for me to play.  The organ will be pulled away from its spot and unplugged, or buttons or pedals or keys will be missing.  The bench might be way too high or way too low.  Sometimes it's in my church building, sometimes it's in other churches.  The sound might be all wrong.  Sometimes there won't be any books and I'll be trying to play hymns from memory.

That School Dream


I frequently dream that a review of my high school records showed that I was actually few credits shy of graduating from high school, which means that I have to go back and re-do my senior year.  I'm my current age, and I know I have a Bachelor's degree, but for some reason I still have to go back.  There's all the usual locker distress (I can't remember my combination!) and then I inevitably forget about a class or two until the semester is almost over.  I'll scramble around, trying to catch up on all the missed work and material, looking into correspondence courses, and generally panicking because I might have to do it all over again.  .  

Houses



There are a couple of homes I frequently visit in my dreams:

The McCabe's house.  I would say at least once a month I dream about the house of my childhood best friend, Becky.  I spent many a happy day (and night) there from a very young age up through high school, and the place has wormed its way into my psyche in a serious way.  It's an interesting house, with lots of rooms and unusual carpet colors and two stories (something I've always loved in houses).  In my dreams it often has even more rooms and sometimes secret levels and winding tunnels.   (The house pictured here is the McCabe's house.  They sold it recently--and not to me!)

The Liddell's house.  My "best cousin" Ashley and I would take turns spending weeks at each others' homes during the summer.  I also spent a lot of Easters and Thanksgivings at Ashley's house, since she lived in  Utah, not too far from our grandparents.  Frequently my dreams center around bathroom mix-ups, a theme I blame on my once having accidentally walked in on her other grandma naked in the bathroom.  And probably because I'm making this list, last night I dreamed that Ashley and I were going to begin attending high school at her Alma Mater, Carbon County High. She was concerned the other high schoolers would make fun of me for having gray hairs.

Dream houses.  Sometimes I dream about luxury homes that I live in.  They feature lots of winding staircases, big bathtubs, and huge windows.

I very rarely dream about the home I grew up in.  I suspect this is because I spend so much time there now.

Anyway, there you have it.  A good inside look at my unconscious mind.  So please, someone, pull out your copy of The Interpretation of Dreams and let me know what's going on in there.  Or at least share your own recurring dream themes.