If a dream is 1/60 of prophecy, doesn’t that make it nullified by 60 parts, and what do you do, anyway, when it’s about a dead relative?
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When I hear 1/60th, I always think of “butel b’Shishim” or nullified by 1/60, which is a concept behind why we (back when I was in the Orthodox Jewish community) boil eggs in odd numbers of at least 3 at a time, if I recall correctly, but applying the concept to dreams as part prophecy seems to wipe the whole idea out, no? And why write down a dream, anyway, if it is nothing but “a bit of undigested potato,” as Scrooge retorts? (‘Tis the season, right?)
If “Adulting” includes taking care of one’s mental health, then it would seem, to me, to be imperative to use every tool at one’s disposal to take care of that health. Journals have long been ack’d as such a tool. Poetry, not so much, but possible also useful.
In any case, if the heat coming on can recall the cigarette smoke of one’s dead parent in a DC summer, and thus (presumably) force a dream about being in a sinking boat with that parent as dead weight (no smoking in the dream, oddly), then maybe it is less prophecy, and more therapy. (Need I add that accessible and affordable long-term trauma therapy would help millions of people who are merely coping to actually thrive??)
I’ve always kept a dream journal, even when I had to hide, cipher, or destroy it. I find that the act of writing something down by hand does two things for me:
- I never need to look at it again, as I remember what I write down (came in handy in university), and
- I seem to think far more clearly with a pen in my hand.
With Shabbat coming, I’ll have more time to ponder the question of whether this question is still worth pondering, and how to attack the issue of useless disappointment with the failures of failed parental units, and anger with the one that threw you under the bus. At least the lockdown makes it easier to deal with the constant expectation of smiling and looking happy, so that being alone allows time to sit with the emotions and sift through them, seeking to solve the problems, or to engineer solutions. Mine have involved seeking a community (does that make me a True Seeker, and can I join the Anlashok, please?) that will enable me to build family connections who can help me believe that this world is worth bothering with, and who will not condemn my decision, 38 years ago now, to refuse to bring any new life into this world until it was safe for every possible child I might bear. We’re not there yet, and I’m gladly awaiting the end of my potential to bear new lives, even if Mother Nature still seems to think it’s a good idea (I’ve been telling her for years that my uterus is useless, to no avail most months, except the 6 month stretches that I went without, notably at Annapolis, when I was at least trying to eat!). Sorry for this ramble, which was meant to say that keeping a journal can at least help in processing some of the debris of a broken life, and more importantly, a journal tells you what your emotional processes look like, less subjectively than your memory, and a journal keeps a record of how others have treated you, which I’ve found crucial in more than one abusive relationship.
The dreams, I guess they will keep until I review them later, in a different frame of mind. For now, time to finish getting ready for Shabbat (this post I’ll schedule for a less busy time…).
Shabbat Shalom ! שָׁלוֹם
Action Items in support of literacy and hope that you can take right now:
1.) Search for two different resources to translate the word “dream” into Hebrew.
2.) Share them with us in the comments, here, please.
3.) Share your thoughts on how you think the USA having EU style health care might change American society,
4.) Write a blog post or tweet that uses a Hebrew word, tells a good story, and makes a difference. I’m working on that through my historical fantasy #WiP, #WhoByFireIWill. Once published, donate one or more copies to your local public library, as I intend to do.
Dear Readers, any additional ideas toward learning, especially multiple #LanguageLearning as part of on-going education and empathy-building, to #EndPoverty, #EndHomelessness, #EndMoneyBail & achieve freedom for All HumanKind?
Support our key #PublicDomainInfrastructure & #StopSmoking for CCOVID-19:
1. #PublicLibraries,
2. #ProBono legal aid and Education,
3. #UniversalHealthCare, and
4. good #publictransport
Read, Write
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These words inspired me, as a CAP and Jr. ROTC cadet, to a life of service towards Duty, Honor, and Loyalty to equality for all… Shira