What Dreams May Come

Why do we dream? Australian aboriginals have dreamtime. Vishnu dreams the world. I have the strangest re-occuring dreams, usually of houses. When I was young I used to dream of a seaweed witch who lived under my house. I also have constant dreams of one particular person. Strange, beautiful, colorful dreams that seem so very real. In fact, I had a dream about him yesterday. I even had a dream about him before I met him. A dream that woke me in the middle of the night to answer some inaudible call and the first time I saw his picture I said, “oh, that’s him,” out loud. I was glad no one was around to hear me, they might have thought I was crazy.

Another person I had a dream about was Patrice, a French guy I knew in High School. I had corresponded with him and had planned to go visit him in the coming summer. Then I had a dream about him. He was floating in the deepest blue, sinking down and down and as he passed me I felt him saying good bye. It was peaceful and beautiful. About three months later I got a phone call from my French teacher. Patrice had died in a diving accident and she was sorry it had taken her so long to contact me.

I don’t blame you at all if you are thinking to yourself right now, “Holy shit, she has lost it.” Are you asking yourself if there will be some spiritual revolation? Will there be a link to Ramatha’s website at the end of this post? No. Because to be quite honest, it bothers me too. What I don’t understand is this – why do I have dreams that seem to be real? Patrice really did die. I really did dream about it before I knew it had happened. How do I know it’s not just a restructured memory? I have supporting documentation. All of the others I could find some logic that will dismiss them, but for this one I have my journal, letter’s from Patrice, a postcard from my teacher.

I can understand the mythological and metaphorical concepts of dreams. I can understand the psychological need for them. I can understand the physiological way they are processed. But they are still a mystery. So here is the best explanation I have, something my rational mind can at least pretend sounds reasonable. Other species have other types of sensory perception, dogs can smell things we can’t, sharks can sense magnetic fields, some animals can see better in the dark. What if we dream in order to access other information about the universe that our eyes, ear, nose, mouth and nerves are not meant to do? Perhaps when we sleep we get system updates from the universe. After all, here you are sitting at your computer (or holding your phone) right now. Can you sense the internet?

Irish Cream Dreams (from the food network)

• 20 gingersnap cookies
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup Irish cream (recommended: Baileys Irish Cream)
• Special Equipment: 4 (8-ounce) ramekins

Line the ramekins with plastic wrap creating a shell and leaving long flaps to cover the ramekins later. In a food processer, pulse gingersnap cookies with melted butter until small crumbs form for the crust. Press half the cookie crumb mixture, dividing evenly, firmly into the bottom of each ramekin. Reserve the other half of the crumb mixture for the topping.

In a large bowl, whisk heavy cream with sugar until soft peaks form. In a separate large bowl, add the espresso powder and condensed milk and blend until espresso powder is dissolved. Whisk in Irish cream then fold in whipped cream. Pour evenly into the ramekins. Top with remaining gingersnap crumbs and cover with the extra plastic wrap, pressing to compact mixture. Freeze until set, about 5 hours. To serve, remove plastic wrap from top and then gently turn ramekins over to release dessert onto a serving plate. Gently remove plastic wrap.