Yes, I hope you realize your dreams in 2026. Of course, I mean your aspirations. Which are often revealed in another type of dream: daydreams.
But on this blog, I only write about the type of dream that occurs during REM sleep.
When working on these entries, I struggle at times, because:
Though I don’t want to be redundant, I find myself using the word “dream” over and over and over. Every other sentence, it seems. I’ve just haven’t found any good synonyms.
Sometimes instead of beginning a sentence with “in the dream”, I’ll say “in the scenario” or “in the scene”. But neither “scenario” or “scene” ever sounds quite right, though both bring to mind the cinematic quality of dreams.
Maybe the answer is: to borrow a few words from other cultures, as we often do. A culture that truly values dreams could have a number of words to describe various types of nightly dreams. I’ll investigate.
But not today. I have other things to do today. Things I need to do in order to turn my dreams—my aspirations—into reality.
In pursuit of those goals, I’ll continue to look into the dreams that come with sleep. My daydreams may reveal what I want. But my REM dreams can show me how to get there. Can show what’s blocking me. Which usually means: how I’m blocking myself.
In a recent dream, a curse was placed on an innocent man.
The dream seemed to be warning.
But when I took a deeper look, I realized the message was mostly positive.
In the dream…
I’m at a large modern convention center. People are gathering here for a big event.
Near the main entrance, I talk to a tall Black man.
Suddenly, his head and neck are covered by a dark hood. The man freaks out. He can’t move.
Acting spontaneously, I pluck the hood off his head with one sweep of my hand. Then I throw it on a chair just inside the entrance door.
Lying on the chair, it appears to be just an ordinary sweater. Nevertheless, I believe it still holds the curse.
I go back to the man to check on him. Surely he’s shaken by the experience. But no, he seems okay. Unfazed.
Before we can speak, he spots some friends in the parking lot and rushes off to greet them.
Now I must find a way to dispose of the sweater without the curse rubbing off on me.
Here’s the good news: I acted decisively and got the hood off the man’s head without a problem. However…
…that sweater was still contaminated by the curse. I had to get rid of it.
Or did I? On the head, it was a hood. A threat. But off, it was just an ordinary sweater.
The curse was not in the material, but in the way it was being used. Used correctly, it could keep the man warm on cold days. Used incorrectly, it would block his vision and he’d feel paralyzed.
Of course, this character represents an inner aspect. In the dream, he’s a stranger to me. Apparently, this aspect has been hidden in my shadow.
So then, what are its qualities?
Well, once free, the man hurries off to greet some friends. So this aspect would seem to be social in nature. A part of myself I don’t often express these days.
Solitude feels comfortable to me. Yes, I can have fun at social gatherings. But taking the next step is a problem. I have difficulty going from contact to connection to friendship.
I’ve thought a lot about this dilemma recently. Maybe the problem is innate. Maybe the way I am is simply the way I was made. Or the way I learned to be, starting at a very young age. Maybe it’s impossible for me to change at this late stage.
The dream countered those thoughts by telling me:
Yes, you do have the ability to be social and create friendships. The problem is, you’ve blocked that aspect of yourself. Which results in inner disturbance. Anxiety. Agitation.
The dream says I can change—if I wish. And apparently I need to change in order to create harmony within.
There’s much more to the dream. But at this point, I feel I’ve gotten the basic message.
Now it’s up to me to act on that message. Well, okay, but how exactly can I activate that inner aspect? Maybe I can find some guidance in a future dream.
Again a dream seems to be commenting on what I’m doing creatively…
I see it as part of a continuing conversation.
In the dream…
I’m with a group of six or seven people. We seem to be at the edge of a park where a big event is taking place.
An unseen member of our group says we’ve lost something—some small item—and orders us to find it.
But after he storms off, we don’t bother to look for the thing. We know it’s gone forever. Instead, we try to come up with some replacements. Maybe what we create will make up for the loss.
While the others work in a separate area, I focus on my own project…
…which involves tying some shreds of plastic wrap around the branch of a tree.
When I’m finished, I don’t know what to think about what I’ve done.
Because my piece is meant to function as art, I thought the dream might be about my creative work,
If so, the dream seems to be saying my work has lost something. But what would that be?
The brain fever, perhaps.
When I first began writing poetry, I would catch hold of an idea and rush madly ahead, racing to keep up with my inspiration. Recently, I realized: I no longer wrote with that same brain fever.
Don’t get me wrong—I still write with spontaneity. But the output is not so wild, not so extravagant. But also not so superfluous. Not so overblown.
So the work has improved. Trust me, it’s better.
Even so, I’ve been feeling a little nostalgic lately for those old days of brain fever.
Is that the loss spoken of in the dream?
I’m not quite ready to go with that interpretation. But whatever the loss is, in the dream I respond in a positive way. I look for possible replacements.
Okay, but maybe what I create is not so positive. That plastic would seem to represent artificiality.
I thought of how the artist Cristo once wrapped a piece of Australian coastline in synthetic fabric. When I saw those photos, I said: Cristo, leave those natural environments alone! They’re fine just the way they are. You’re not adding to their beauty.
So then, am I adding unnecessary artifice to my poetry?
Maybe so, but while writing this entry, I realized:
Because of those plastic ties, people in the park are more likely to notice the branch.
In any case, I was just experimenting, right? In the dream, I’m not yet sure whether I like what I’ve created.
I’m now trying to detect that “plastic” in my creative work. If I can find it, I can then make a decision.
But what about the others in the group? What about that guy who tries to boss us around?
I see that irascible man as an inner critic. The good news is: I’m not cowed by him. I’m going to do what I know is for the best.
But it’s also good that I hear his voice. Through him I become aware that’s something has been lost. I believe all negative aspects have a positive side.
As for those other aspects—the other people in the group—I don’t see what they’re doing in the dream. Which says to me: much is happening on an unconscious level. Which says to me: I need to become more aware of what’s going on beneath the surface.
Obviously, I’ve thought a lot about this dream. And yet, I still don’t understand it very well.
But maybe in time, I will. I believe it’s part of a continuing conversation between my conscious mind and my dreaming—or unconscious—mind. Future dreams will likely expand on what’s been said in this dream. By listening to those dreams, I may get some additional insight into this one.
And perhaps find out what’s happening below the surface.
Michael Patton
Dream Steps : a bloneironic 