DREAM WORLD ONE: A Brief, and Rather Extraordinary, Account of the Universal Sleepscape
In the vast, uncharted backwaters of the unconscious mind, there exists a place known to the initiated as Dream World One. It’s the sort of place where the phrase ‘the sky’s the limit’ is considered rather pedestrian. After all, when you can conjure up a sky made of raspberry jelly, vanilla skies, and clouds of cotton candy, a mere ‘limit’ is laughably inadequate.
In this remarkable dreamscape, everyone – yes, everyone – shares the same dream. It’s like a cosmic cocktail party but without the awkward small talk and questionable canapés. Every hour of every night, as hundreds of millions, sometimes billions of Earth’s residents slip into their pajamas and under their duvets, they unknowingly RSVP to the grandest gathering in the galaxy.
However, not all attendees are aware of the party’s full potential. Many meander through Dream World One like bewildered tourists, gawking at the impossible landscapes and improbable creatures. These are the Non-Lucidians, or as the more enlightened dreamers call them, ‘The Sleepwalkers.’
Then, there are The Lucid Ones. These are the dreamers who’ve realized they’re in a dream and have decided to make the most of it. They’re the ones you see flying unaided, creating symphonies with a snap of their fingers, or conversing with Shakespeare over a cup of tea. For them, Dream World One is less a dream and more a playground of infinite possibilities. Quite often, sophomoric Lucid Ones act malevolently in their curiosities while pushing the boundaries of their new god-like abilities. These are what the Sleepwalkers and those new to lucidity experience as nightmares.
Now, here’s the twist–Dream World One isn’t just a nocturnal escapade. It’s also the final stop for those about to permanently check out of Hotel Earth. In the brief window after death and before the ‘Game Over’ screen, the recently departed get a complimentary, unfettered, fully lucid final tour of this dreamscape.
For those who have passed away, those twelve to twenty minutes of Earth time feel like an eternity in Dream World One. The dying first experience their life in a flash – that’s called Life Review. It’s like binge-watching your entire existence but without the need for a streaming subscription. This is the bootstrapping into Dream World One for one last fantastic voyage.
In this fantastical realm, the Lucid Ones of the living can mingle with the departing, exchanging stories, farewells, or even apologies. It’s a cosmic crossroads, a meeting point between the here and the hereafter. To those who have passed, it is an eternity.
So, as you lay your head down tonight, remember: you’re not just going to sleep. You’re diving into Dream World One, the most extraordinary adventure you’ll never remember. Unless, of course, you’re one of The Lucid Ones. In which case, do say hello to Shakespeare for me. He owes me a sonnet.
Waking Up in Dream World One, “An Ephemeral Soirée”
Dream World One is a place where the ordinary laws of physics politely decline to apply and where imagination reigns supreme, a world where the mundane and the miraculous coexist, a place where countless souls have found their paths intertwined in the most extraordinary of ways. A place where rendezvous and possibility meet.
Michael, a seasoned navigator of this dreamscape, is a lifetime resident of a bustling coastal city regularly blanketed in morning fog known for its cultural diversity, fabulous foods, vibrant art scene, and maritime history. His life, a tapestry of books and knowledge, has always leaned towards the extraordinary. By night, in Dream World One, he’s an architect of impossible structures, weaving stories that defy gravity and time; a seasoned Lucid One that navigates the dreamscape with the ease of a well-versed librarian strolling through familiar aisles. His dreams are a grandiose tapestry of adventures and quests peppered with literary references and philosophical musings. Here, amidst the floating islands and talking animals, he has penned countless unwritten epics and solved myriad problems and puzzles that the waking world has deemed unsolvable. And if you ever find yourself there, look up to the skies. That’s where you’ll often find him strapped into his winged sandals known as “talaria,” which allow him to fly and move swiftly as the Greek god Hermes.
Emily, another Lucid One, who lives across a vast ocean in a land of breathtaking green landscapes and dynamic cultures, brings her artistic visions to life not only in reality but also in her dreams. A graphic artist by day, she transforms into a fashionista of fantastical designs by night, pushing boundaries and waking world constraints; her creations are as vivid and extraordinary as her waking artwork. A relative newcomer to this boundless realm, she nightly brings a different flavor to Dream World One. As a graphic artist, her dreams are vibrant canvases, alive with colors and textures that would make even the boldest artists of the waking world envious. She fashions haute couture gowns dripping with moonlight for starlit masquerades with painted sunsets that outshine the beauty of anything ever seen in the waking world.
Their chance meetings in this shared dreamscape were as unpredictable as the world itself. Time, after all, was a mere suggestion in Dream World One. Yet, when their dream paths crossed, the air buzzed with creativity and unspoken understanding.
One such encounter unfolded beneath a sky of swirling auroras. A new Lucid One had been hard at work painting a pastel masterpiece. Michael, having conjured a library with infinite stories, found Emily weaving a tapestry of starlight.
“Working on a new collection?” Michael asked, materializing beside her.
“You could say that,” Emily replied, her fingers dancing through the cosmos. “And you? Writing the next great dream novel?”
“Something like that,” he chuckled. “Though I find our conversations far more enriching. Care to fly with me?”
“But of course,” Emily replied. “Lead the way.”
Their dialogue, a blend of whimsy and wisdom, flowed effortlessly. They shared stories of their waking lives, their aspirations, and the peculiarities of being Lucid Ones.
As they conversed, a peculiar phenomenon occurred. Walking a little before they took to the air, the world around them began to blend their imaginings. The library’s walls stretched into infinity, becoming canvases for Emily’s starlit art. Meanwhile, Michael’s words wove themselves into the fabric of her creations, giving life to characters and narratives. Together, their shared presence, thoughts, and words, seemingly a new collaborative work was manifesting in their wake.
But the night was not without its shadows and occasional nightmare narratives. As Lucid Ones, they were acutely aware of the Sleepwalkers, those who traversed the dream realm unaware. Emily and Michael often pondered their role – were they to be mere observers, or did they hold a responsibility towards these unknowing souls? Is it possible they could teach them about their limitless potential?
Their discussion took a deeper turn as they approached the Edge of Consciousness, a static train station if you will. One of many places of transition from the living world, a boundary where the dreams of the living blurred with the final journey of the departing. Here, they encountered souls embarking on their last grand adventure, their Life Review that proceeds their seemingly eternal stay. It is a crossroads, a place where the living briefly touch the essence of those departing from the earthly realm. In this space, Michael and Emily encounter souls on their final journey, sharing moments of profound connection and exchanging stories and wisdom that transcend the barriers of life and death.
Emily, ever the empath, regularly reached out to these souls from time to time. And this was one of those days, offering comfort and a listening ear. Michael, with his wealth of knowledge, shared stories of hope, resilience, and possibility.
As dawn approached in their respective corners of the world, Emily and Michael both sensed their time was short. Alight, as it is called, is the last moments before the living ones begin their transition back into the waking world. A place where Lucid Ones find themselves bargaining with an inevitability, begging for just a few more moments with which to remain. Reluctantly prepared to part ways, they knew that each departure and return to Dream World One might not bring them together for some time, but the bond they’d formed transcended the ephemeral nature of dreams.
“Until next time,” Emily said, her image starting to fade.
“Until next time,” Michael echoed as the library and starry tapestry dissolved into the gentle pull of waking reality.
And so, our protagonists returned to their lives, carrying with them the wonders and mysteries of Dream World One – a place where every night was an opportunity for adventure and discovery, filled with hopes of an unexpected reunion.
Despite the vast distance and time difference that separates their physical worlds, Michael and Emily, regular oneironauts, those with the ability to travel within a dream on a conscious basis, find themselves repeatedly crossing paths in their sleep. Here, in this boundless realm, their adventures take flight, unencumbered by the physics or logic of the waking world.
Their individual experiences are as varied as they are fantastical, together, their creations are orders of magnitude greater than their individual experiences. Michael, with his two decades of lucid dreaming, regularly guides Emily, the relatively newer dreamer, through lofty landscapes that defy description. Together, they create and scale mountains that touch the stars, dive into the deepest of oceans glowing with bioluminescent wonders, and wander through cities where the buildings pulse with life.
But it’s not just a playground. Dream World One is also a crossroads, a place where the living can briefly touch the essence of those departing from the earthly realm. In this space, Michael and Emily encounter souls on their final journey, sharing moments of profound connection, exchanging stories and wisdom that transcend the barriers of life and death.
Each night, as they lay their heads to sleep, separated by oceans and continents, they embark on a journey to meet in Dream World One. It’s a place where their creativity and curiosity find no bounds, where every dream is a doorway to another adventure, another story.
And so, as Michael pens his tales by day, inspired by the night’s escapades, and Emily weaves her artistic magic into her waking life, they both know that when the sun sets, a new chapter awaits in Dream World One – a chapter where they are the authors of their own extraordinary narrative and on occasion a magnum opus.
One day you too will join them there. With a little practice, you could meet with them there sooner rather than later.
If by chance you meet them, tell them Hypnos, father of the Oneiroi, says hello.