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Those most Memorable Dreams

I don't know why this is my most memorable dream because it is so short, but I had this dream when I was 5-ish and I still remember it so it must be important.

I am a little kid in New York, in the great depression, it's winter and I need a new coat. We don't have much money so my mom can't just take me to a normal store. We go through an alleyway and my mom doesn't want us to be seen by anyone so we keep having to stop because our feet are crunching in the snow and making a lot of noise. Finally we get to a little staircase/fire escape and climb up it to find the entrance to the store.

The store is really dark inside and there is only a desk and two racks of fur coats. I want to play with the coats, but my mom won't let go of my hand, she seems really worried for some reason.

The store owner arrives and my mother barters with her over the price of the coat. I look outside and see a little boy and I want to play with him so I run to the door and when I open it he is gone.

The dream ends with my mom making me wear the fur coat and leading me outside.

The dream is so odd, in that at 5 years old I had never even been to New York or learned about the great depression, I am almost convinced it must have been a book that I read and I just remember it as a dream. The really strange thing is that at 5 I was positive this was neither a dream or a book, but a memory, so one day I asked my mom if we would ever go back to the coat shop and she was really confused.

Perhaps it is one of your ancestors' memories? People on here have talked about having memories that can only come from their grandparents or some other ancestor return to them as dreams. It is fascinating stuff.

It's also interesting to think about in the context of reincarnation, if you are willing to explore belief in that sort of thing.
 
Hello my fellow Dream Travelers!

I wish that many of you are going to share your most memorable dreams in this thread, and it would be an honor to be the first person to share a Great One here. The dream that I want to tell you was already described in another of my Dream threads, but it was so powerful that it deserves an entry in this dedicated thread as well.

I call it The Catalina Dream and it was like this:

The first aspect of this dream is that I was not there physically. I was like a ghost, like some kind of invisible presence that could fly and float around watching and feeling everything around me. This has happened to me in other dreams, but in Catalina my level of awareness was incredibly vivid and clear.

In fact, it was so real and intense that I never dreamed anything like that before, and it has never happened since then.

I visited a large and splendid castle, all made of some kind of red rock that looked like marble. It was a very beautiful structure, a castle from some Fantasy world like those of my stories. The Gothic windows were large and covered by steel lattice, and the castle was surrounded by peaceful gardens and a creepy forest beyond that.

From outside it felt very peaceful, and yet somehow sad and forsaken. The sky was all gray, cloudy and sad. However when I entered the castle I discovered that everything was clean and beautiful, it was not an abandoned home. I could see every detail of the stairs, the windows and even the reflections on the polished marble floors.

Now, this sounds nice so far but the problem was that two princesses lived there.

I know that they were sisters even though they looked quite different to each other, and their parents were away from home in a travel or something. One of them was tall and blond haired, her face looked very white and pale like she was sick with something and her hands were like that too. She was beautiful, but eerie.

I never heard her voice, since she was just walking inside of the castle and her hands were always covered in blood.

The other princess was my real problem. She was younger than the first, and she had long black hair and intensely green eyes. I know that her name was Catalina, and she was a Mage, capable of flying around the castle and over the gardens and forests outside. She would also fly inside of tunnels filled with fire, which existed underground below the castle.

Just watching her, just being in her presence was a very intense and frightening experience.

I could feel all this cruelty and evil that came from her, she was a monster. I knew that she had killed many people, Catalina was feared in her world and I was scared that she would somehow discover that I was there... it was like she would catch me any moment, like I was in real danger even though I was supposed to be invisible.

Catalina and her sister wore nice clothing, dresses similar to those of the 14th or perhaps the 15th centuries in Europe. Catalina seemed to prefer green, while her sister favored various shades of blue. It was curious that Catalina and her clothing were immune to the violent fires as she flew inside of those horrible tunnels.

I followed Catalina around for what seemed like a very long time.

Then, she got sick with something and her condition became serious really fast. It was one day in a cloudy morning when she was in her room at the highest part of the central tower, writhing and screaming in pain, confined to her huge bed.

There were several men around the bed. They looked like monks with black clothing and pointy hoods that covered their heads, and they must have been some kind of doctors since they were trying to assist Catalina. I witnessed all of the awful scene from a position above the bed, like I was floating directly above the desperate princess.

To my horror, the doctors or whatever that they were started to cut and slash Catalina with those metallic claw-like instruments, something like hooks. She screamed even higher, and then one of the doctors cut into her chest and she was opened like a pair of doors or something.

There was no blood, no internal organs, not even bones... she was all dark and empty inside, like a fire had destroyed and incinerated everything inside of her. Then, this large and colorful butterfly appeared from some part of that darkness and it flew out of the room through the open window nearby.

Catalina began to fly and she followed the butterfly, chest-opened and everything. I followed them too. They flew together in circles higher and higher, until the great tower looked very small so far below. Then, Catalina caught the butterfly between her hands and she spoke to it with a unusually kind voice:

No te vayas, tu me enseñaste a volar... (do not leave, you taught me how to fly).

And after that I woke up scared to my bones, shaking and gasping for air.

This dream happened thirteen years ago, and I am still shaken and scared to this day. It has been the most powerful dream in my life, and I very much doubt that some other dream can be stronger at some moment of my future. Catalina, her sister, her castle and her butterfly shall always be a part of my life.

I am already working to finally create a Fantasy novel inspired by this dream.
Yes this is a fair dream and a good base for a novel, though firghtening it seems to be one of those motivating experiences that make us write
 
this is a frightening one but a good base for a novel, sorry for the duplicated content, I´m afraid I posted the previous one in the wrong space
 
This Sticky thread of The Dreamscape is dedicated to the sharing of your greatest dreams.

The same can be done in other threads, but the idea behind this one is to share and describe in detail those dreams that have been the most powerful and intense that you have experienced. You know, those dreams that really shook you and that you can still remember very well even many years later.

Even if the Dream in question was frightening, maybe there is some Storytelling potential in it. If the dream was pleasant and made you feel great, even better!

We can discuss our greatest dreams, and talk about how they could become a story or assist in one.

The Dreams shared here do not really need to be applied to the storytelling and writing process. If you want to share a memorable dream just for the pleasure of it, you are welcome!
 
Hi from down here, first of all thanks to you all for being here and second...here you are a recent dream I had. It gave me a character that has enriched my stories.

In my dream I was talking with my mom at the dinning room, she told me something about death and life I can remember, then I see a mom and her daughter, they look like old school anime, very Japanese and stylish, I tell the daughter why flying and she tells me why not. She and her mother then grab each other´s hand and they fly following a winged creature I didn´t recognize but I guess it was a butterfly. then I got back to my room and I´m in my bed. The character gets down thru a skylight just close to my bed. This character is half hominin half frog and he´s wearing a tuxedo and top hat and he has some sort of a gauntlet in his left hand, it is clearly a weapon. he has some sort of a hovering ball in his right hand, He says nothing but it´s firghtening somehow, then I woke up and found this character is the perfect baddie to my world building project. I named him El Tasador de Cristales and you will soon know a bit more about him as depicted in my world building project
 

Laurence

Inkling
My dreams nearly always follow the theme of some kind of endless drudging battle - usually protecting someone. As I can't punch or use weapons in dreams it's often a case of lifting up and slamming those terrors against the floor over and over for eternity.

When I was a kid I used to try to wake up as soon as possible. I'd have to kill myself (usually by drowning) to do so, but now I just get on with it.

Anyone else had anything similar?
 

Sheilawisz

Queen of Titania
Moderator
This character is half hominin half frog and he´s wearing a tuxedo and top hat and he has some sort of a gauntlet in his left hand, it is clearly a weapon. he has some sort of a hovering ball in his right hand, He says nothing but it´s firghtening somehow, then I woke up and found this character is the perfect baddie to my world building project. I named him El Tasador de Cristales and you will soon know a bit more about him as depicted in my world building project

Hello CoffeeFlower and Welcome to the Dreamscape! I am sorry for my very late answer, it's just that I am not as active anymore in this site as I used to be. Also, I have been concentrating my limited keyboard time on writing certain story of mine. Your dream sounds very Fantasy-style, and that villainous character is dark and intriguing.

Are you a Spanish speaker? That's my native language, you know! =)

My dreams nearly always follow the theme of some kind of endless drudging battle - usually protecting someone. As I can't punch or use weapons in dreams it's often a case of lifting up and slamming those terrors against the floor over and over for eternity.

When I was a kid I used to try to wake up as soon as possible. I'd have to kill myself (usually by drowning) to do so, but now I just get on with it.

In my dreams, I have killed myself many times and that always results in my transformation into some kind of ghost. Also, in dreams I often use various kinds of weapons and killing people is pretty normal and enjoyable for me in my dream worlds.

What you experience sounds as a type of dream lucidity, I mean that you somehow know that you are dreaming and you kill yourself in order to wake up. Why drowning? When I commit suicide in dreams, it's often by jumping off a cliff or something like that. Do you swim into a lake or the sea and intentionally dive deep in order to get drowned?

In my personal experience, lucidity and nightmares are not compatible.
 

Laurence

Inkling
In my dreams, I have killed myself many times and that always results in my transformation into some kind of ghost. Also, in dreams I often use various kinds of weapons and killing people is pretty normal and enjoyable for me in my dream worlds.

What you experience sounds as a type of dream lucidity, I mean that you somehow know that you are dreaming and you kill yourself in order to wake up. Why drowning? When I commit suicide in dreams, it's often by jumping off a cliff or something like that. Do you swim into a lake or the sea and intentionally dive deep in order to get drowned?

In my personal experience, lucidity and nightmares are not compatible.

Woo woo! Yeah I've nearly always had a bit of awareness at least once a night - the dreams I remember in the morning anyway. I can't imagine why drowning. It typically involves lying on my back just under the surface of shallow water and often the 'bad guys' manage to drag me out before I wake up. I wouldn't consider these nightmares - I've done it a million times and removed the scare factor. They're more than endless, tiring thrillers now, though they're sometimes pretty sad if I'm protecting someone else.
 

Ashaxan

Acolyte
A long time ago, I had this dream and, a long time ago, I made a painting inspired from it.

I just arrived. The sky is a calm blue. But not like the one I know. Perhaps not from Earth. Time don't seem to rule this world. The air is soft, caressing my skin and waving my hair. I'm half naked, water to the knees in the middle of a very very quite sea. I walk through this infinite mirror, not deep at all.
I
have no memories. I'm fine. But why am I here? A future is probably waiting for me beyond the horizon, but it is so far away that it fade with the sky, where nothing comes to disturb. No land, no wave, even not the reflection of a cloud but only this huge rock that emerges from its own reflect, out of the water, just in front of me. A proud tree has found refuge on its back and seems to sail towards its destiny.
I get on board of this unexpected ship, no matters where it goes, at least for one night. But are there nights in this world?
The light tends to diminish and clouds will not get long to form, I suppose. I'm going to sleep, again, there. I'll see where that gets me.
 

Sheilawisz

Queen of Titania
Moderator
Hello Ashaxan and Welcome to Mythic Scribes!

All I can say is that the dream you have described is freaking beautiful, and I would say that it carries some very powerful spiritual meaning in many of its elements and symbols. The fact that you created a painting inspired by this dream is even more interesting, so... can we please get a look at this painting of yours?

I am thinking right now about the dream-like paintings of the unbelievable Remedios Varo, are you familiar with her works?

So many of my dreams would make very cool surreal paintings, but sadly my drawing and painting abilities are quite limited. Anyway, I can remember a lot of castles, cities and landscapes that I would love to paint.

Do you have experience with dream-enhancing foods and substances?
 

Ashaxan

Acolyte
Thank you Sheilawisz.
I didn't know Remedios Varo. Thanks for mentioning her interesting work. It is much more surrealist than mine.
Personally, I tended to describe my vision as it could be from our 'dimension', as tangible as possible but of course, it isn't. The souvenir of a dream is fuzzy and evanescent by essence, if not, then it is a reality.

No need of substances, just let it go and catch it. And write it or draw it whilst you you have fresh memories of it. If not, unless it is traumatic, it will be gone forever.
A lot of castles, cities and landscapes... Oh yes, defenitelly. And exotic worlds and unexpected situations. To a point that it is not dream anymore but imaginary. It is a state of mind. Welcome to the club.

Anyway, here is the painting I was referring to in my previous post. Years have gone since. I would probably paint it quite differently today, but the composition would be pretty the same.


Herve_LEBLAN_Traditional_DERIVE.JPG
 

Sheilawisz

Queen of Titania
Moderator
Hello Ashaxan!

First of all, thank you very much for allowing us to appreciate your unbelievable painting! It really transports me to that world you visited in a dream, since it looks like you managed to remember and paint every detail. The colors are quite magical as well, everything in there feels so peaceful and the reflections on the water are so beautiful too... Very impressive.

You had a super memorable dream that night!

Yes, I also believe that certain very special dreams are actually spiritual travels to other worlds and realities. It has happened to me a few times, with the Catalina Dream being the most powerful of them all. I was terrified in that place, and I would definitely paint everything that I saw there if I just could paint as good as you.

I do write my dreams in a Dreams Journal, it's a very good and useful practice for us Dream Travelers!

About Remedios Varo: I had the opportunity to see many of her paintings personally, some time ago. I took plenty of pictures of most of them that day, and now that I think about it... I should start a Remedios Varo thread here in Mythic Scribes, why not? I just need to have more time in my hands one of these nights, so I can start to upload and share the photographs.

The Catalina Dream is still waiting to transform into a new novel of mine, perhaps someday...
 

Ashaxan

Acolyte
Hi Sheilawisz,
sorry for my late reply. I am so busy right now to complete a graphic novel. Actually its theme is based on the dream...
You had this Catalina Dream, which obviously impressed you. I suppose it is related to a 'emotional' travel you did on the island for real, and your spirit had afterwards to react with. But what else?
Every time such a thing happen, it raises questions: where do they come from? Resting or rebooting the brain, or some kind of connection with a parallel reality thanks to our disconnection from the mental preoccupations? And, what would be the purpose of them, if there is any? Of course, no answer will occur, but only opinions. A great source of inspiration anyway... My opinion is: catch them if you can and bring them in our reality if they deserve it. It is poetry.
 

Faye

Acolyte
This Sticky thread of The Dreamscape is dedicated to the sharing of your greatest dreams.

The same can be done in other threads, but the idea behind this one is to share and describe in detail those dreams that have been the most powerful and intense that you have experienced. You know, those dreams that really shook you and that you can still remember very well even many years later.

Even if the Dream in question was frightening, maybe there is some Storytelling potential in it. If the dream was pleasant and made you feel great, even better!

We can discuss our greatest dreams, and talk about how they could become a story or assist in one.

The Dreams shared here do not really need to be applied to the storytelling and writing process. If you want to share a memorable dream just for the pleasure of it, you are welcome!

Maybe 10 years ago or so I had a dream that I was in the grocery store, at the checkout counter with one of my older brothers. He and I then were flipped into a alternate reality playing out while our "normal selves" were stuck in space and time. In the alternate reality, we were riding huge dragons, but instead of flying through the air, we were "flying" underwater. We were trying to kill the evil hydra-ish merfolk (think World of Warcraft) who were taking over the city. The city was hanging upside down on these giant under water cliffs (think Avatar the Last Airbender). The time sequence began to speed up as the battle became more intense, to the point where we would spend only a few moement in each reality before getting flipped back.
This Sticky thread of The Dreamscape is dedicated to the sharing of your greatest dreams.

The same can be done in other threads, but the idea behind this one is to share and describe in detail those dreams that have been the most powerful and intense that you have experienced. You know, those dreams that really shook you and that you can still remember very well even many years later.

Even if the Dream in question was frightening, maybe there is some Storytelling potential in it. If the dream was pleasant and made you feel great, even better!

We can discuss our greatest dreams, and talk about how they could become a story or assist in one.

The Dreams shared here do not really need to be applied to the storytelling and writing process. If you want to share a memorable dream just for the pleasure of it, you are welcome!
 
I've probably written this before somewhere, but in any case...

I've had heaps of important dreams that assisted my story telling, but possibly the most intense dream I ever had is as follows:

As a young adult, I returned to my primary school which was divided into the upper and lower school and separated by a wall and some stairs. In the dream, the two schools were now separated by a deep chasm and a river. We were at assembly, and when it ended, people started straggling off to class, but I remained, in company of some younger children, staring down into the river (about 50 metres below and maybe 50 metres wide).

All of a sudden a very large shark appeared - about the size of the one in Jaws - and started circling, but I could tell it was watching me with intent. All of a sudden it disappeared, then re-emerged in an explosion of water, trying to jump.

I watched, mesmerised, as the younger children shrieked with excitement, and the shark continued to jump. Every jump, he got higher until he was coming right out of the water and would plummet back with a huge splash. Higher and higher he jumped until he was level with me - staring at me with his dead black eyes. Then he was higher than me and kept jumping until I could hardly see him he was so high.

Then, with one last massive leap into the sky, I saw him drift across and knew he was falling right on top of me. I got out of the way and this enormous shark smashed into the asphalt of my school. But rather than be destroyed, he was quite unharmed, and immediately started wriggling towards me. I ran up to the front of the school where the old double entry doors were, but when I got inside it was no longer a school. It was now the main lounge of the bar I used to go to (where bands often played) and it was totally mobbed. I remember the smell of beer and cigarettes as I pushed through the crowd - who parted most reluctantly - but jumped out of the way when they saw the shark wriggling in through the door.

The crowd stopped me getting away and just as the shark caught me...I found myself sitting up in bed.
 
My biggest reoccurring dream is of snow.

It falls like a heavy rain, white and cold. Everything is quiet. Cities are buried. The seas freeze, as snow falls. People drive, then walk, through the drifts, in a desperate search for warmth. From pole to pole, white void engulfs the world.

And the snow falls still.
 

Hunter

Dreamer
So, this is one i had a few years back, it was more or less a recurrent dream, similar to what you would call a series of dreams, In every dream, I was in an abandoned zoo like enclosure, a really big one, with my little dog, in the enclosure there were many wolves, but they either ignored me or watched me for a little while before leaving us alone, then, the big bear appeared, it was a bear that did not like the fact that me and my dog were in there, there was a door at the other side of the enclosure, and we had to get to the other side without the bear devouring us.

First time my dog and me were able to sneak past it, the second time though, we had to climb to the mail on the ceiling, becaus the bear would try to climb for us and fail, and then, the last and third time, there were no wolves in the enclosure, the bear then appeard in front of us, and he took a step, into the mud, and like if it as a movie, i could see the front leg of the bear, the fur was greenish in color, and something was wrong with the bear, but with that scene, my dream stopped there, and i never again had a dream about that enclosure never again
 
One of my most memorable dreams was weird and scary.

I was going camping with my mom and stepdad. We were staying in a really nice cottage (that they wouldn't have been able to afford in real life) and it had some walking trails near it.

So we decided that we were going to hike one of these trails. But when I walked out of my room, they were gone, so I ran outside to see if they were waiting out there, but they weren't.

So I started panicking and started walking down the row of cottages and I was walking past a space in between two cottages and someone grabbed me from behind and pulled me into that space.

And that's where the dream ended. Does anyone think that's writing material?
 
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