Dream of the Week: Cosmic City

I took a little dreaming break last week, with very few intentions and limited active practice. Every now and then I like to close up shop and let some dreams go. Aside from the general benefits of not trying to “achieve” anything, I re-learned an important, simple lesson.

Without practice and intention, there are fewer dreams and less awareness. It’s so important to have balance, so taking a step back during a stressful, emotional week was just what I needed. No judgment, just balance. In honor of this week’s “letting go”, I’m highlighting an experience from last year as this week’s dream.

January 19, 2019
Dream #0663
Cosmic City

II'm lying in bed in meditation counting my breaths and observing the hypnogogic imagery swirling behind my eyelids. Suddenly, dark purple colors explode in my vision, rapidly morphing and changing shape. Moments later, I am pulled into a fully realized dream bedroom unlike my own, floating up from the bed and then standing beside it, fully lucid.⚡️

It's the middle of the night and everything shrouded in darkness, but my eyes have adjusted to the lack of light. I look at my hand to double-check that I'm dreaming and confirm the state with a strange wiggle of my abnormally long and wavy fingers.

I sense a lack of stability, so I rub my hands together which does seem to help provide clarity and strength. I also ask out loud for the dream to stabilize, with no notable difference. As a final push, I ask for the dream to turn on the lights, but nothing happens. I notice a tiny bit of light appearing just below my vision (where the edge of my sleep mask would be) and I wonder if the mask is slipping off my face while I sleep in my actual bed.

It's time to take note of this dream world and what's here to explore. The place is a large, artist-loft style bedroom with tall ceilings and oversized windows. The curtains are drawn closed. I'm curious about where I am and head to the windows to find out.

With no expectations or intentions, I rush to the windows and tear open the curtains revealing a majestic city skyline, unlike anything I've ever seen before. The room is high up, offering a view of rooftops and the entire city twinkling at night as far as the eye can see. The most extraordinary thing about this particular nightscape is the unbelievably dense cosmic sky so clearly visible even against the city lights.

The sky is overwhelmingly full of big pulsing stars, and whispy, colorful nebula all moving in beautiful, flowing orbits. It's as if this city is nestled on a planet that's much closer to or much denser in cosmic stuff. One star shines brighter than all the rest with a white glow so bright, I can barely look at it. It's quite distant and not like the light of the sun, but feels special. I'm stuck there, happily transfixed by the mesmerizing scene before me, getting lost in the details of the sky.

A chubby little chipmunk sitting on the window snaps me out of my awestruck stare and I yell at him for interrupting this beautiful moment. He tells me to watch my tone and I wake up.

ProTip: Take a break every now and then. A key ingredient to lasting consistency is balance. Let some dreams go.

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