Dreams & Visions...

I happen to be one of those folks who takes my own private dreams and visions to heart. I often have totally vivid, full-color, beautifully-composed dreams streaming in my head in the depths of a deep sleep. Some of my dreams have been so fully real, I'm not sure if they were actually dreams or visionary states. I suppose I sort of believe in visionary states, because I have experienced them. I have had strange beings visit me. I have had dead people drop by for a chat. Waking from one of these visions is always a bit disorienting. I think to myself, "Did that really happen?" I have written a few songs recounting my own visions, I think of them as my visionary tales. Bringing important information to the light of day. What's funny, most of the oddest and strangest songs in our band's catalog are the songs inspired by "true to life," events; true on the street, or true in the throes of a fever-dream. How to interpret dreams and visions? I don't really know. Is it my subconscious mind sending me signals? Am I tapping into a realm of myth, a vast collective consciousness? Is it all just garbled, random access memories? Am I receiving coded and not so coded, messages from another realm? Am I truly bonkers? All good questions. Who knows?! Maybe none of the above. I do know some of my most impact-full dreams and visions have changed me in some deep way. I have often received information that changed me, and the way I navigate in the world. Sometimes these visions seem to be warnings, danger signals. One super-vivid, unforgettable vision seemed to be telling me that my creative work was super-important, and necessary. That was a good, validating one, no doubt. I have also had some super-disturbing visions, sometimes it takes me days to shake the imagery and the residue of dread. Anyway,  it is all so hard to explain, weird & freaky too. Still, I sort of think of these dreams and visions, even the dark ones, as a kind of amazing and useful gift. Often I have to used them in my life, and in my attempts at playing in the creative realms. Really.