That’s the title of my Romantic Times “Behind The Scenes” article, published in the RTBookclub magazine on newsstands NOW! Can you tell I’m excited ;o) Can’t help it–it’s so much fun to see my love of dream theory making it, loud and proud, into the real world:
Technically, it’s in the September issue, but RT puts it out in early August. Just received my copy last week. Squeeee! Be sure to check out my discussion of all things Dream Theory at your local Barnes & Noble and Borders…
In the mean time, I’ll keep responding to comments out here, in case you want to hear more of my musings on such fascinating topics. It’s great to see everyone sharing their own dream memories. If you haven’t started leaving comments, don’t be left behind–commenting puts you in the running for great prizes (like the one pictured at the end of this post). Here’s the August Scavenger Hunt details:
August Scavenger Hunt/Dark Legacy Contest Details
Something I talk about in the article is Dream Sharing–how people who are really close can sometimes find themselves dreaming about the same thing at the same time.
In Dark Legacy’s case, it’s my psychic twins who start communicating again after ten years through the power of their dream connection. But in reality, my husband and I have done this on enough occasions for me to believe this fantastical theory could actually be a real phenomenon. More often, we’re each working through something involving our son or our family. Usually, we’ve just talked about whatever’s going on before we fall asleep. It may be days before we get around to mentioning what our sleeping minds were milling through. But more than once…it’s been about the same thing, in the same context, and the dream images have been strong enough for us to mention it. And, weirdly enough, we find our dream paths have crisscrossed.
Strange, right? Except it can happen when people are close enough. My psychic twins in Dark Legacy even share daydreams ;o) At first, psychotic ones. But, later, memories and finally healing dreams that might just save their lives.
Have you ever experienced dream sharing??? Tell us about it in the comments section. This will be the last “general” dream post this week–we’ll get back to scavenger hunting next ;o) Until then, one lucky commenter from this post or the previous one will win a great Vintage Harlequin Tote Bag (pictured below) from this year’s RWA National Convention, complete with a great selection of books I snagged (see the one from Janet Evanovich?) AND the flash drive containing the conference handouts!
Aren’t the bags great? There are vintage Harlequin covers pictured all over them. So, speak up in both posts about how you Dream On!, so you’re in the running:
I didn’t think I had ever dream shared but then I stopped and thought about it. I remember a few times when my husband and I dreamed almost the same things. Some variations but close enough to make me wonder now if we were actually dream sharing. He has been gone so long, I had forgotten about it. I’ll have to think about this some more and try to recall specific incidents. Thanks for reminding me. Have a great day and hugs to all.
I belive the “close enough” thing is absolutely a connection. When we’re close to people, we share passions and visions of the future. Which in dreams, become symbols and fantastic themes that can often become commen threads.
The key is to be open enough to talk about something this “out of the box.” To share what’s very personal and private to people–dreams–with someone close to you. It makes you even more vulnerable to that person, but like most every other risky thing in life the pay off can be an amazing thing.
My favorite “movie” example of shared dreaming is “Somewhere in Time.” What an amazing, if sad toward the end, journey of the imagnation…
BTW, the tote bag is so neat. I had seen picts but not as clearly. The books are a big plus. My TBR stack is getting really small. Hope I can replenish it soon. Hugs.
I haven’t experienced Dream Sharing, but I do dream quite often and am always wondering what they mean.
A few weeks ago I dreamed about a fox sitting on the end of my bed. It looked at me and then bared it’s teeth and claws and pounced on me. I woke up thrashing and screaming. Less than 2 days later, while on a nature walk with my hubby, a fox crossed the path in front of us. We’ve never seen a fox in the 2 years we’ve been walking that path. It was very weird and I’ve wondered about it ever since.
Native Americans (part of my ancestry) would suggest that the recurring fox was a messenger. Either of wisdom and nobel purpose OR trickery…don’t you love it when things are so clear ;o)
More general dream theory tells us that our minds often choose symbols that behave in agressive ways/attack us when we have an important decisions or choice to make. The fox might represent your understanding that you need to take action, before action is taken upon you, for example. You mabe be becoming more determined to act, and your subconscious mind’s working through/wrestling with the details while you rest.
Often, these kinds of dreams can be why we feel like we haven’t really rested at all, after a full night’s sleep. When this happens to me (a lot ;o), I try to slip into my dream memories as soon after waking as possible and listen to what’s still echoing through my mind. The next step is to ACT in my waking life, to deal with what my mind’s ready to do even though I might be subconsciously resisting still, so I can move on from the anxiety I’m feeling when I don’t really realize I’m feeling it (and get back to getting a good night’s sleep ;o).
I’m lucky. Anna. My husband and I often share a psychic link. We will often dream about the same “theme” and while the minute details might be different, the overall dreams track closely. This usually happens when one of us it out of town so its a way for our minds to stay close even when we are physically apart.
That’s so cool, having dreams that keep you close while you physically must be away from each other. It’s pretty close to a them I use in Dark Legacy, where shared nightmares draw my psychic twins back together after years of separation–because it’s the only way they’ll survive… Community and relationships and our need to share our realities are always themes for me, and now that I’m writing about dream theory the symbolism only gets stronger.
I do not think I have ever experienced Dream Sharing. If my husband dreams, he does not remember them. He says he does not dream!! Like my other posts, I dream almost every night and they are mostly odd, but very entertaining. I would hate to think someone else was dreaming the same thing:)
I have enjoyed the dream blogs and would love to win one of the totes. They are great looking, and I can always use more books:)
You remember in “Field of Dreams” when he’s dreaming about the the baseball field and everyone thinks he’s nuts, including his wife–until she realizes she’s having the same dream. In life, that’s when I start thinking there’s something going on–when you’re dreaming about things that are significant to the other person.
There you go–our dreams (whether sleeping or waking) are significant to the important people in our lives. That’s the theme running through Dark Legacy and now Secret Legacy as I begin to write the sequel. It’s a common theme in our lives, too. If only we can be secuer enough to share our fantasies and innermost desires with those we need to love and accept us ;o)
I’ve never experienced dream sharing. I can see how it would be possible for two people to dream about the same thing, but I don’t know anyone who has experienced it.
I don’t think I’ve ever experienced this before. Usually I am so annoyed at my boyfriend’s snoring that I’m not getting much sleep anyway:-)
Ah, earplugs… They’ve saved my marriage. It’s never good to want to smother your husband/boyfriend with a pillow when his snoring wakes you up at night ;o) Bad for dreams and the relationship!
I just conferred with Honey and we don’t seem to recall any
same subject, same time dreams over our many years together.
He does recall the times I’ve scared the daylights out of him
when I’ve awakened him with the screams caused by horrendous
nightmares. Those absolutely terrible dreams occurred when I
was using Ambien, I also had a major “sleepvisiting” incident
while under the influence of that medication.
Love the bag, the books look good, too!
Pat Cochran
How very collective unconscious of you! No, I have never had a shared dream. Although, my husband insists that I can send thoughts to him when I am awake. Nothing useful just odd songs and weird thoughts. If I could do that with useful stuff, it would make life much easier.
Wow, that bag was a hot ticket at the conference. Someone told me people were offering to buy them from the conference-goers.
I have never dream shared that I know of. I dreamt and still dream about Mom or Dad(both have passed on)and my one sister does also but I don’t believe the dreams are of the same nature. Interesting stuff though about sharing dreams.
Love the tote also and the books.
My husband has suffered from sleep apnea and wasn’t dreaming. Now that he is being treated, he is sleeping better, but not dreaming that he remembers. I have always been a vivid dreamer. We are on the same “wave length” and often are thinking the same thing at the same time and make the same comments.
No, I can’t say that I have.
I am afraid I am one of those people who forget their dreams as soon as they wake up.
I remember dreaming as soon as I awake but the dream rapidly fades until after a minute or so all I can remember is vaguely that I dreamt and very little of what the dream was actually about
I have never experienced dream sharing. I think that would so interesting.
This has happened to me a couple of times with my twin sister. We also finsih each othedrs sentences or start taling and we say the same things. weird huh? One Christmas we got each other the same gift and she lived in California and I lived in Arizona. We had not even talked about wanting one or giving each other a clue about it.
My grandmother was an identical twin. They both married and her twin moved to another part of the country and they rarely saw each other. When my great aunt (over 20 years ago) died and my grandmother went down to help settle her estate, she found so many similarities in the “separate” lives it was spooky. Remember, this was back before the time of Internet communication and so forth–it wasn’t as if these ladies were having long conversation and forgetting that they’d discussed something. For example, neither could afford a sliver pattern when they married but had collected one years later–my grandmother and her sister, never speaking about it, had both chosen the same pattern and collected exactly the same number of pieces, down the the serving piece… The way the mind works never ceases to amaze me.
Great post, Anna. I’m with Carol, I forget my dreams within minutes of waking up. Plus I don’t think I’ve ever dreamed shared.
Some of my dreams are prophetic… so I prefer no dreams really… but haven’t experienced dream sharing!
Dreams are such a complex subject!
Congrats on your article in RTBookclub magazine.
I only remeber once that I shared the same dream with Mom and it was a scary one about a relative’s death.
I have a horrible dream that all my teeth were falling out, crumbling in my hand, scared me so much, that I woke up checking my teeth. Then strangly enough my husband called me from work telling me that he had a strange dream about me……. I asked him what, he said he dreamt that my teeth were all falling out. I said to him” no way, you cant be having the same dream as me”, I explained to him what I dreamt of as well, and we are both in complete shock…How is it possible to dream such a strange dream like that on the same night….. spooky isnt it…