Copyright.

The other day the topic of body art came up into a conversation that I was having. While this topic isn't really unusual for me to discuss with people, this time I was thinking about it in a rather different way.

This discussion revolved around a tattoo artist's right to their own work. If an illustrator can draw an image and, if he so chooses, get that image copyrighted, can a tattoo artist do the same? Even though an illustrator works on paper and a tattoo artist works on a body does that matter? Does the canvas make a difference?

Now, I haven't done any research on the topic, so perhaps a tattoo artist can copyright their work. But if they infact can not I think that is ridiculous. Every artist has the right to their own work if that is what they desire. (Yes, I know that last sentence seems to go against my views of 'world property', but not everyone has the weird hippie ideals that I do.)

But even though I do not believe in the idea of personal property I find the whole concept behind the copyright process interesting. So, if the mood strikes I'll do a little research.

Control.

So, apparently there is a lot more documented research regarding a person's ability to control their dreams than I had expected. I mean, of course I knew that people had explored the idea before but when I got around to actually doing a bit of research myself I was surprised. And although there is no surefire way to teach a person how to have lucid dreams or exactly how to remember them, there are some tricks that people have discovered.

One of the first thing that one would encounter when looking up information about remembering their lucid dreams is the concept of the four "R's". Remember, Record, Repeat, and Realization. Remembering is the first, and often the most challenging step in this process. Lucid dreams happen when a person is in the REM phase of sleep, so if one is capable of processing the dream and storing it in their short term memory they will most likely be able to remember their dream upon awakening. Then the next logical step to ensure that you remember what occurred in your dream would be to write it down. Simple as that.

The next "R" has to deal with making the first two "R's" a habit. According to some studies, the more you are in the practice of remembering and recording your dreams, the easier it will become to not only fall into the lucid dream state but to recall it more accurately. In time, you will be able to realize that you are dreaming while the dream is occurring, which is the fourth "R". After you have mastered all of the four "R's" you have successfully mastered the art of being able to put yourself into a state where you are capable of controlling the dream scene around you.

Whether this whole system works for sure, I don't really know. But I'm completely fascinated with the concept. Without even trying I am able to recognize when I am dreaming and remember it upon awakening, so maybe I will start to record them and practice trying to manipulate the dream scene that I am in... I'll post again to let everyone know how it works out.

Lucid.

Lu·cid Dream (n)
A lucid dream is a dream in which the sleeper is aware that she or he is dreaming. When the dreamer is lucid, she or he can actively participate in and often manipulate the imaginary experiences in the dream environment.

In my opinion, the web defenition for lucid dreaming above is somewhat confusing. It states specifically that when dreaming lucidly, the dreamer can actively participate in the events and can often manipulate the environment. While this may be true for some people, I think that a little bit of clarifying is needed. In order for it to be considered a lucid dream must the person be making these decisions to participate by their worldly self or only their dream self?

Now, I know that the question just posed was a little confusing, so I'll use a personal example: When I am asleep in bed and I have a dream the majority of the time I am aware of the fact that I am dreaming. My dream self can go through an entire night's sleep worth of events while controling my surroundings, but in my real worldly head I still know that I am dreaming but I can not manipulate the world that my dream self is experiencing. Is that still a lucid dream?

If it in fact is not, then if there was a way that people could train themselves to be able to control the environment that surrounds them within a dream would we be able to have more insight into our own subconscious?

Santin.

Talent, as energy, is neither created nor destroyed; it either sublimates or frustrates us. Just as important as having a talent is betting on it, not only one day but every day.

Dream Selection.

I wish that we could say for certain what exactly causes the dreams that we have when we go to sleep. I have heard that all people dream every night, it’s just a question of whether they will remember any of it when they wake up. This is somewhat curious that I should be so interested in dreaming while we have been reading magic realism literature in my English class. The story Eyes of a Blue Dog is a perfect example of what I am curious about. In the story two people, a man and a woman, meet in a dream. Yet when the dream ends and they both wake up only the woman can recall what happened and the man has forgotten everything, Now I know that this is not just an occurrence from a story, I’m sure it happens in real life also. Maybe not the dream time meetings with other humans; I cannot be certain of that… but perhaps it could happen and if you cannot recall your particular dream from that night you would never even know.

On the other hand, supposing we could remember our dream upon awakening, if we could find a surefire way of knowing what the exact causes of our dreams were then we could have the control to choose what kind of dream we would want to have each night. For instance, I know for a fact that every time I read a magic realism story before I went to bed I would have very vivid and elaborate dreams, so if I want to have more dreams like that all I have to do is pick up one of the stories before I fall asleep. But beyond that I can see no reasoning behind the majority of the dreams that I have.

Maybe there is no real reason and the dreams that we have are just dreams… but I’d like to think that there’s more to it than that.

Side Effects of Reading Mystic Realism at Bedtime.

I am fortunate (or maybe sometimes it is a little unfortunate) that I can say I remember my dreams nearly every night. Whether it is my travels through a cartoon wonderland, a friend desperately trying to save me from a conspiracy, or a mission through the levels of my mind, I find all of my dreams rather curious. This is why at some point in my life I hope to take a class about the nature and interpretation of dreams. Sometimes when dreams are discussed around me I hear a person say something along the lined of, “What the hell did you eat before you went to sleep?” But I don’t know if I believe that has anything to do with the scenes that play out in your head. I think that while we are sleeping we are able to see into a part of our minds that has the potential to be an untapped resource to our own self-understanding. The only thing prohibiting ourselves from seeing the message that our subconscious is trying to reveal is the fact that we need the key to unlock it.

Just last night I had a particular dream that I very much wish I held the key to… and just a little preface; this dream may seem a little confusing to readers.

The dream took place in descending levels of my subconscious mind that, as the dream continued, went deeper and deeper. In addition to my mind being the setting, it was also one of the main characters, yet my body was different. My conscious mind was inside the body of Harry Potter and I was on a mission inside my own subconscious with my English teacher, Ms. Healey, and Ron Weasley.

Now, the earlier plot points of this dream are fuzzy to me now, but the general idea was that the three of us were supposed to discover clues in each level of my subconscious in order to be able to move through the door and descend to the next level in my mind. We had passed through several different levels when we came to a floor where there was no door. The room was vast like a warehouse but was furnished with décor that was odd but beautiful. There were large, ornate mirrors hanging on the walls, tall shaped shrubberies, and an extremely long banquet table with only two chairs. After the three of us had examined our surroundings we began to look for a secret switch of sorts that would reveal a hidden door when Ms. Healey began to scratch at a spot on the wall. After several seconds of intense clawing Ms. Healey, turning away from the nail marks she had made, looked a Ron and me with a manic face and began to speak in a language that sounded like gibberish. All of a sudden, in an attempt to make her stop, Ron hits Ms. Healey right across the face! Despite the fact that I had Harry Potter’s body, my mind was still astonished that Ron had hit my teacher. After several more slaps to the face, Ms. Healey returned to lucidity and at that moment I was woken up.

While I have absolutely no idea what I was supposed to gather from that dream, I think it is interesting that I can explain why I had it. I can with a good bit of certainty say that the unusual sequencing and the presence of my English teacher in this dream was the result of our class beginning to learn about magic realism in literature. And I also know that the Harry Potter characters were a result of my mom making a comment about a Harry Potter commercial after I got home that night.
But the question I am left with is why? Why that specific combination of elements from my day at school, my interaction with my mother, and what is going on inside my head? I’d like to think that if I had the key to understanding that dream it would reveal something astounding to me… but I suppose that I will just be left wondering.

Natural.

Something that never ceases to amaze me is the ability of nature to produce so many beautiful things. Recently I went to the Philadelphia Flower Show and I was astounded by what was able to grow from just three simple things; a seed, soil, and water. I walked into the room at the convention center and the vibrant colors, supple textures, and soft fragrances enveloped me, much to my surprise. I will admit that before I attended the Flower Show I had a rather strong distaste for flowers. I do not usually like the smell of flowers, except for lavender, and I typically find that I enjoy discovering beauty in nontraditional sources. While I was there I was able to see hundreds of elaborate displays by people who turn flowers into an art form, and after having conversations with several of them I have gained a new appreciation for things that are more traditional in their beauty. Like a sculptor with a fresh piece of clay, these artists spend extraordinary amounts of time caring for their living works of art… and perhaps, the creators of these floral displays have an even more unique gift than the sculptor because they have the capacity to work all the while knowing that they have no real control over the outcome. Although the florist plants the seeds, it is up to nature to decide what will become of the creation.