Because learning about your brain and sleep can be fun . . .
Christmas is over but the Nativity story doesn’t end. On December 28 western Christianity celebrates a time when the Jesus’s family was saved by his stepfather. This incident came to be known as the Feast of the Holy Innocents. This incident as well as some other incidents in the life of Jesus’s stepfather, St. Joseph,…
Informally analyzing other people’s dreams is a whole lot like analyzing their handwriting or telling them about their personality by looking at their palm. It’s not science. None of the assumptions can be tested and they take a lot of leaps in logic. Don’t take it too seriously. Keep it fun. Take inspiration from other…
The subconscious has been known to pick up certain signals and hints the conscious mind misses. For example, when you meet someone and there’s something incongruous about what they say and the way they behave. That incongruity leads you to not trust them. Being in touch with your subconscious can help you zero in on the reasons for this feeling. It can even save your life.
In the Bible, God communicated with people in dreams. The angel Gabriel announced to the Virgin Mary that she would bear the Savior. Another angel came to St. Joseph and told him of Herod’s plans to kill off the oldest son of every Jewish family. There are many other instances in both the Old and…
It has to be a thought thunk by every stick-in-the-mud who refuses to touch hallucinogens: I’m no fun. Here I am holding a regular job. Here I am fulfilling my responsibilities to my family and society. There they are. They’re tripping out. They sure look like they’re having a good time getting wasted. Damn them!…
For generations, dream analysis teachers have suggested asking for a clarifying dream when you don’t understand the meaning of a dream. How do you do this? Now and then, a dream journaler will encounter a symbol or two in their dream he or she doesn’t quite understand even after they’ve employed the 3-step dream interpretation…
The “messenger” sat in the chair slumped over, breathing heavily, exhausted. Though his face was obscured, the way he was dressed reminded one of the Roman god Mercury, the deity of messengers. “Do you know how hard it was to get through to you?” the man said between heaving gasps of air. I shrugged. I didn’t. I had no idea…
Your dreams can be compared to the vital signs they take in a doctor’s office. Dreams are useful for self-diagnosis. It’s a rough morning. You feel sick after a restless night. You’re coughing up slimy yellow-green junk. You feel dizzy and vaguely nauseous. It’s time to go see your doctor, you decide. You call in…
Am I crazy? Am I insane? It’s a question people can have after they have an experience—or experiences—that defy easy explanation. Skepticism is valued in our society. Being skeptical shows you’re no fool. Knee-jerk skepticism, even cynicism, is easy. Sometimes it takes work and courage to ask questions. You may not like the answer either.…
Sometimes your subconscious practically hits you over the head when it’s trying to communicate. When that happens, dream interpretation can’t get any easier. A dream that’s boring or dull is a little more subtle. If you consult a dream dictionary, you’re actually begging to misunderstand yourself. In the dream, I was sitting around a table…
Vitamin B-6 can help you have more dreams. When you’re learning about nutrition, it’s hard to distinguish one B vitamin from another. That’s probably because of how they’re presented to the learner: all in one group. They all sound alike. They’re distinct, however; biochemically separate. As B vitamins they’re grouped by function. It’s an attempt to…
A number of shabbily dressed peasants were being interrogated by a law enforcement official: “Who did you see?” “I don’t know,” they said. “Say Stevie Nicks,” the official said, apparently feeding them answers. “Okay,” they agreed. “Stevie Nicks.” “Good,” he said. “That will make it better and safer for you.” Then it was the famous singer’s turn. She…
Something of a cross between George Clinton and Snoop Dogg, the lead singer wore dusty overalls and thick work gloves. The backup dancers were also dressed for farm work. No crops were being raised, however. There were no animals getting fed either. Behind them, a barn. A crowd grooved approvingly on a tractor and up in…