This past week I've had a series of dreams that are disturbing, weird, freaky, or just hilarious. I promise you that each was rich in overwhelming detail and if I were to indulge you with it, I'd be able to write a few short stories out of them. I am even considering doing the same and illustrating some of the vividly grotesque and enchanting images therein. Here is a list of dreams I had this past week, mind you, this is only about five... I have two or three dreams a night and these are just the ones I can recall great detail. There are others that weren't as memorable because they lacked shock value and captivating imagery.
I had a dream that I performed a marriage ceremony with an animal sacrifice ritual.
I had a dream that I was lactating suddenly after cuddling my son and talking about babies.
I had a dream that I was a work-study student and found an abandoned infant in the bathroom.
I had a dream that I was on a medical university campus and my car was stolen from the parking lot.
I had a dream that I took a married man's sexual advancements under consideration.
Interested yet? Yes? I'll tell you what happened in each of these dreams, and since they're so long and detailed, I'll do my best to be concise.
Dream 1: The Marriage Sacrifice
I stood atop a desert canyon covered in succulents and rocks with a young couple; we all wore pure white cotton cloth. I held a mantra manuscript in my own handwriting, the couple held fertility symbols: a venomous snake and an apple tree. I chanted some mantras, held their hands in my own and declared them lawfully married. Nearby lay a machete, some bronze-ware pots and dark soil. I proceed to chant sacrificial mantras over the items, provoke the cobra, kill it with my machete, and transplant the tree with the upper third of the snake's body lightly buried into the pot. The blood of the victim rejuvenated the soil, his eye peered straight out, and his body stood erect with his hood fully expanded as if he were guarding the tree. I skinned the lower two-thirds of the snake and adorned the bride with the snakeskin. I filled a bronze pot with soil, sprinkled it with blood, buried the remains, and sent them on their way with their nuptials. The entire ceremony lasted less than an hour.
Dream 2: Spilled Milk
Krishna Chandra and I sat on our bed comfortably and talked about babies at length. He asked me if I wanted more children, and I told him that I only wanted a child if she was a perfect replica of him-- intelligent, affectionate, generous, warm and understanding. I reminisced about his infancy, held him close to my breasts and kissed his beautiful face. I told him how wondrous those days were, how happy he made me, and I shed tears of joy as I gazed into his tender eyes. Immediately, I felt my breasts tingle, swell, and feel wet. When I asked him to move his head from my chest, my swollen breast fell out of my blouse and sprayed milk. He was surprised and in awe, "Is it milk?" he asked. I asked him to taste it, and he exclaimed it was the sweetest milk he ever tasted. Unbearably swollen, Krishna Chandra milked and massaged my breasts while I gushed milk all over his face. He giggled and laughed like a baby, jumped up and down upon the bed, and I beamed with happiness. I told him that my overwhelming love and affection for him brought on this phenomenon.
Dream 3: The Orphan
I was on work-study program at a prestigious university campus where I studied music. The other students mostly left for the day; we had a performance the next morning and I was in charge of cleaning the hall and bathrooms for the concert. The director of the music department left me only a single key, he warned, "All the doors will lock behind you except the bathroom, you must lock them yourself." I understood my charge and got to work quickly by first spraying the hard surfaces in the restroom and left to vacuum the hall. When I returned, I gathered the trash bags, replaced them, and wiped the disinfectant from all the hard surfaces. As I neared the last stall, I noticed a staircase leading to the ceiling. It must have been part of the old structure because the attic was sealed shut and the stairs led nowhere. At the top of the narrow stairs was a bundle of laundry, and it appeared to move slightly. I went up the ladder and grabbed the linens. It was an abandoned newborn, umbilical cord still intact. I called campus police, informed the director, and tried to calm the now crying infant. They said I needed child services and no one on campus offered me any further help. I saw a couple students and prodded them for information. No one had information, but the students enthusiastically helped me care for the baby girl.
Dream 4: I was on tour at a medical university campus. I was indecisive about my plans but heard the school had a great program that interested me. I drove my little Honda to the campus with my family, dropped them off at the auditorium, and left to park the car. I circled around the parking lot like a vulture waiting for a carcass to pick, but at least they had covered garage parking. Finally, I parked near the hospital, and left excitedly toward our rendezvous point. Chandan and Krishna Chandra had fun in the student center playing games, snacking, and interacting with other families. When I reached, the boys said they made up their mind: they loved the campus and I was applying ASAP, end of story. The tour no longer interested them, they had ventured off with some student volunteers and gotten the low-down. "Let me finish this game and we can be home in time for dinner." said Chandan. "Sure... is that okay with you sona?" Krishna Chandra agreed, I could go pull the car around while they finished their chess game. A few of the other attendants laughed and said they wished their relatives were as supportive and eager about their decision. Happily, I set off; as I neared my space, I looked around in confusion. I spotted a young man I recognized, an old friend and asked him if he could help. "Strange, are you sure you're on the right level?" "Of course. I parked right here in front of the hospital driveway; I remember this space exactly." He helped me call the campus security, and I gave my car's description. I walked back to tell the boys what happened. They came out and helped comb the parking lots.
Dream 5: I was on vacation with my family on the beach where I met an older, handsome, charming man. He was very debonair, the type that you see in old classic films, perfectly coiffed and charismatically witty. He told me he was also on vacation with his family, but he was restless and bored. I caught his eye, he told me we could have an affair as perfect strangers and never see each other again. At first, I was offended by his offer, but he asked me to sleep on it and reconsider. He was staying at the same hotel, gave me his room number, and assured me he could keep a secret. No one ever has to know about our tryst. As the day passed, I soon forgot about the man, and filled the day socializing and enjoying my friend's and family's company. When I got back to my room, I found a cryptic post-it note with a number, no name, no detail, no further information. It was him! His brazen audacity shocked me; what if my husband had suspected something? It kept me up at night and I tossed and turned until I finally began to relent. "Maybe?"
When I first started school we had a project in one of our classes-- setting out a long-term goal, short term goals, and life long dreams. Of course, it didn't take long for my dream to come pouring out and when it did, I realized why I was so miserable. I have been locking my deepest, most daring desires away because I was afraid others would laugh at it. I don't care anymore. In fact, I've found that it helps me to discuss it with people and pick other people's brains. There are people in this world who have experience beyond our own and if we don't express our interests, there is no way they'll ever know who we really are. They will never have an idea of our inner most inclinations and that person may be a hidden gem, a treasure trove of knowledge waiting to give its bounty.
me that she was self-sufficient and perfectly capable of serving herself, what need was there for a servant when we are borne in ignorance and serve our senses since birth! Admonished, I apologised, and rephrased, "Devi, what tasks should I perform that serve me best?" She said, "Naturally, you're inclined towards the arts, so you should perfect those traits and qualities that are your strongest. Master this, young one, and you'll be a favourite among the damsels of Braj". She introduced a simple choreographed step, which I mimicked perfectly, then another, and again. We continued for some time until it was time to rest and eat. Somehow, it seemed that she did not cook, ever, her plants, vines, and trees produced food that were so complete and perfect, it would satiate all thirst, fatigue, hunger and unrest. So she continued tutoring me in political arts. "In Braj, you must master diplomacy, tact, wit, and stratagem in order to manage the various camps. Each has their strong suit, yours is to know their hearts and engage them rightly. Master this, and you'll learn the secrets of the universe." Much of what she taught was veiled in cryptic allegories and coded messages about battle, politics, and military stratagem.
