The Dreams We Dream

On September 25th, 2023 I woke up from an odd dream that would birthed Cosmic Grove Oracle into existence. Around this time, my dreams started becoming a lot more vivid and detailed, and I was beginning to lucid dream as well. The best way I can describe what lucid dreaming feels like for me, is being dropped into a video game. Not me controlling a character on a screen, but my human self being sucked into a make believe world, fully conscious and understanding that what I'm in, is not real. I'm aware that I can move around and explore. I have autonomy over where I want to walk, fly, float or hyperjump to. It's different from a dream where, in dream logic, I can accept that my childhood home is actually a grocery store at the bottom of the ocean. When I'm lucid dreaming, everything feels much more realistic, and the things that aren't, I'm able to observe as I would if I were a human who was plopped into a videogame. I remember lucid dreaming recently where I was walking through a grocery mart. I saw post cards on a spinning rack and leaned in close to look at them. From a far, I knew the cards had artwork and writing but when I examined it, all the words were a staticy, melted mess of ink. One rule in dream world is that you can't read words. If you've ever watched the TV show Evil, (great show, highly recommend), the main protagonist, Psychologist, Kristen Bouchard, is experiencing what she believes is sleep paralysis. Specifically a demon. During these episodes, she's found ways to remind herself that she's asleep, one of which, is reading words.

Typically, you cannot read in dreams. The reason for this, is that reading is a function of the right side of the brain, while dreams originate on the left hemisphere of the brain. "Some people share language-processing ability across both hemispheres, and in some people, it’s even concentrated on the right side. Furthermore, reading, in particular, involves the optic nerve, which processes the words you see, and, for people who read in Braille, even the touch-processing sensory cortex.

Nevertheless, the many parts of the brain that have to do with interpreting language are toward the back and middle of your brain and, in general, are much less active while we are asleep."

It's not unheard of, but it is very rare for most people to do.

My dream on September 25th was not lucid, but it felt important. Someone in my dream wanted to start a company that was divinely inspired by Aliens. Dream logic, stay with me. I remember telling this person that they needed to follow their dream and make this business happen. In my hand, I had a sheet of stamps that were really beautiful. They were of an art deco landscape with large rounded hills or mountains, waterfalls and planets, in shades of a sunset -- peach, orange, yellow, red. On one stamp in particular, I read the words very clearly, "Cosmic Grove" in bold white lettering. I said, "It's time to start anew," and then handed the stamp to her. After I woke up, the name Cosmic Grove was stuck in my head. Why? I wasn't sure. I meditated on it and wrote it down. I sent a text to a close friend who might understand the possible significance of this dream. I couldn't shake the words, or the feeling. What did "start anew" mean? Being that I was giving this knowledge to a nameless stranger, was I supposed to pass on this message to someone in my life? Or was I passing along this message to myself? Maybe I was supposed to start anew?

13 days later I would be sent home from my job and go on leave for a back injury I had sustained 5 months earlier. This work-leave would kick off a 5 month journey of deep discovery, healing and surrender that I was not prepared for. But that's a blog for another day.

Cosmic Grove Oracle had been born into the world and I had the task of figuring out what to do with it. I knew it was linked to the Spiritual journey I'd started back during the Summer Solstice. But what path was I to take it on? First I thought it was making Oracle Cards inspired by this design. Then I thought, maybe it's a website or a community of like-minded people. Maybe it had to do with my Tarot reading and clientele. At present I still haven't fully grasped the plan for this name, but I am certain that I am in alignment with it. This one dream has opened up avenues I never considered before, and put me in a position to rethink my entire career and purpose in life. And that's pretty special. So pay attention to your dreams, I'm a firm believer that they are always trying to communicate things to you that you're not picking up on in your waking life.