Something moving in the sand
I woke up this morning from a dream of somewhere very familiar to me, but somewhere I couldn't quite place. I puzzled over it while my frantically time-efficient morning routine had its habitual way with me. I could picture the interior of the place clearly, but beyond being able to identify the time in my life when I would have known it, and an approximate geographical location, I couldn't pin it down.
The somewhat absurd idea flashed through my head that I could search for it on the net.
Google is great for that sort of thing where words and names are involved. For example: There's a term used in linguistics related to the softening of sounds. It plays a part in the grammar of Welsh and Irish. I want to know more about it but can't remember what it's called. I go to Google and search for 'softening Irish linguistics' and I get a long list of links to pages many of which discuss lenition. I can do similar things to find the name of someone well-known, possible solutions for a technical issue, or the title of a book. It becomes much more difficult, however, if I'm trying to identify a painting or a sculpture from memory, or a piece of music based on a fragment of melody. Pinning down shadowy dream images is right out.
Now, later in the day, I find the only memories I have of the place are memories of this morning's recollection of a dream. I suspect it isn't somewhere I've actually been in waking life. What I'm wondering now is: Did I only dream that it was a place I was familiar with, or was I familiar with it in my dreams?
Can a dream produce an illusion of familiarity or is familiarity experienced on a different level? I.e. can one's dreaming mind project an impression of familiarity onto a thing the same way it can project an impression of the colour blue?
As I mentioned earlier, I could identify this place as being very much tied to an earlier time in my life, but I don't recall having any dreams related to it then. Do we have access in our dreams to memories of other dreams we may have had years ago even if those memories aren't available to us when we're fully awake?
The somewhat absurd idea flashed through my head that I could search for it on the net.
Google is great for that sort of thing where words and names are involved. For example: There's a term used in linguistics related to the softening of sounds. It plays a part in the grammar of Welsh and Irish. I want to know more about it but can't remember what it's called. I go to Google and search for 'softening Irish linguistics' and I get a long list of links to pages many of which discuss lenition. I can do similar things to find the name of someone well-known, possible solutions for a technical issue, or the title of a book. It becomes much more difficult, however, if I'm trying to identify a painting or a sculpture from memory, or a piece of music based on a fragment of melody. Pinning down shadowy dream images is right out.
Now, later in the day, I find the only memories I have of the place are memories of this morning's recollection of a dream. I suspect it isn't somewhere I've actually been in waking life. What I'm wondering now is: Did I only dream that it was a place I was familiar with, or was I familiar with it in my dreams?
Can a dream produce an illusion of familiarity or is familiarity experienced on a different level? I.e. can one's dreaming mind project an impression of familiarity onto a thing the same way it can project an impression of the colour blue?
As I mentioned earlier, I could identify this place as being very much tied to an earlier time in my life, but I don't recall having any dreams related to it then. Do we have access in our dreams to memories of other dreams we may have had years ago even if those memories aren't available to us when we're fully awake?