Angelou believes that talking about your bad dreams gives them too much power. I believe that ignoring them gives them power as well. To take their power away, I believe you need to stand before the dream, or whatever bad thing you may be daunted by, and talk about it. Acknowledge its existence, stare it in the face, and confront it. Talk about it in a truthful way. Give it full-frontal acknowledgement with no self-imposed obscurities. Give the truth, the full truth, and nothing but the truth. Omit nothing. To not speak of the thing in hope that ignoring it will make it go away is to give it power over you, and let fear of the dream take you over.
I agree with her in the concept that dreams reveal truths about us. They are, I think, the subconscious’s way of speaking to us. If we pay attention to our dreams they can teach us and help us. There’s one dream I clearly remember. In this dream, one aspect in particular made me feel so very powerless. I was then able to fight it and liberate myself in a way I wasn't able to in my waking life. Before the dream, I didn't really see what factor in real life was making me feel so trapped. But after, I was able to determine that this feeling was stemming from a negative person in my life. My subconscious probably knew this already, but the conscious, decision making part of my brain failed to recognize it. The dream brought it to the forefront, and helped bring me clarity. I was then able to make some decisions that freed me and helped me no longer feel trapped. The dream revealed something to me about myself and my own life. If it hadn't been for this dream, who knows how long I would have remained trapped?
Like Angelou, I think I do sometimes have “total recall.” I remember some moments with crystal clear clarity. Where I was standing, the date, who I was with, what I was wearing. The slant of sunlight or the feel of the air, someones tone of voice or the look in their eyes. Every tiny detail that no one will ever care to know is painted in my mind. Other times, I remember next to nothing until someone describes it to me. I tend to recall emotionally charged moments the best, which I think is relatively normal. Whether it’s happiness or sadness, the pangs of regret or embarrassment, or the heat of anger, if there’s heavy emotion involved it’s very likely to remain in my mind. I don’t think it’s particularly better to be either someone who remembers everything or someone who doesn't. I believe it’s okay to be somewhere in between.
I agree with the idea that “easy reading is damned hard writing.” It is so remarkably easy to just put crap down on a page. But to hone it and makes the words live- that takes skill. That takes hard work. I do think, however, that if you can “get in the zone,” as they say, it becomes much easier. The words flow better, and read smoother, and generally come to you with a lot less effort. It’s just a matter of slipping into the right mindset, into the world of words, which may not be something everyone can do. Then you need to put in just a bit more work to make your words really breathe.
I agree with her in the concept that dreams reveal truths about us. They are, I think, the subconscious’s way of speaking to us. If we pay attention to our dreams they can teach us and help us. There’s one dream I clearly remember. In this dream, one aspect in particular made me feel so very powerless. I was then able to fight it and liberate myself in a way I wasn't able to in my waking life. Before the dream, I didn't really see what factor in real life was making me feel so trapped. But after, I was able to determine that this feeling was stemming from a negative person in my life. My subconscious probably knew this already, but the conscious, decision making part of my brain failed to recognize it. The dream brought it to the forefront, and helped bring me clarity. I was then able to make some decisions that freed me and helped me no longer feel trapped. The dream revealed something to me about myself and my own life. If it hadn't been for this dream, who knows how long I would have remained trapped?
Like Angelou, I think I do sometimes have “total recall.” I remember some moments with crystal clear clarity. Where I was standing, the date, who I was with, what I was wearing. The slant of sunlight or the feel of the air, someones tone of voice or the look in their eyes. Every tiny detail that no one will ever care to know is painted in my mind. Other times, I remember next to nothing until someone describes it to me. I tend to recall emotionally charged moments the best, which I think is relatively normal. Whether it’s happiness or sadness, the pangs of regret or embarrassment, or the heat of anger, if there’s heavy emotion involved it’s very likely to remain in my mind. I don’t think it’s particularly better to be either someone who remembers everything or someone who doesn't. I believe it’s okay to be somewhere in between.
I agree with the idea that “easy reading is damned hard writing.” It is so remarkably easy to just put crap down on a page. But to hone it and makes the words live- that takes skill. That takes hard work. I do think, however, that if you can “get in the zone,” as they say, it becomes much easier. The words flow better, and read smoother, and generally come to you with a lot less effort. It’s just a matter of slipping into the right mindset, into the world of words, which may not be something everyone can do. Then you need to put in just a bit more work to make your words really breathe.
What you say about writing being something to work at but that can also come so naturally and effortlessly at times is right on, I think. I have also had a couple of dreams lately that I later saw as almost prophetic or at least quite intuitive. And your idea that ignoring troubles instead of facing them head on can often feed the issue's power is also true--sometimes the avoidance leads to much more stress than needed.
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