DREAMS: FILMS OF THE NIGHT
By Rosemary Watts, © 1993

Everyone dreams every night. Perhaps one way that we can begin to pay more attention to our dreams is by viewing them as nightly movies presented for our entertainment, enjoyment, enrichment, and education.

There are four sleep stages which occur over a ninety minute cycle throughout the night. In Stage I, sleep is very light, close to conscious states. Stage II and III are deepening levels of sleep, and Stage IV is the deepest level of sleep. We dream in a stage known as R.E.M., Rapid or Random Eye Movement, which occurs after the first cycling of Stages I-IV. I like to consider Stage IV sleep as a Pre-production Meeting for our nightly films. This is a meeting where the Dream Producer, Director, Writer(s) and Technical Staff gather to discuss the upcoming film. They decide on a film genre (romance, comedy, drama, horror, abstract, etc.) and plan out the appropriate script and theme to be conveyed.

When R.E.M. sleep comes around, the film now adds the Dream Actors, Lights, Costumes, Special Effects, Location Shooting, Special Guest Appearances and other Technical Wizardry to make the entire movie experience a success. Once R.E.M. has been completed and the dreamer moves again into the deeper stages of sleep, the next Stage IV Pre-production Meeting will entail an evaluation of the previous R.E.M. movie. This is where the Dream Critics can display their expertise. Did the audience (the dreamer) really get the message of the movie? Was the genre appropriate for the subject matter? Did the acting and directing reveal the true intentions within the script? Can the dreamer garner any wisdom from the dream film which might be applied to their waking life?

If the movie (dream) gets two thumbs down for its production, the Pre-production Staff will once again try to determine the most appropriate manner of relaying the night's messages. Perhaps a horror film might capture the dreamer's attention. The theme might be correct, but perhaps the way in which the script was filmed was not clear. Is there another way to share the same message but within a different scenario? Would a personal comedy approach be more direct? Perhaps utilizing friends from the past might help the audience (the dreamer) associate more fully with the plight of the main character. Once again the movie process is begun and throughout the successive R.E.M. periods left in the night, dream film after film will be presented.

Our job in waking life is to capture our experiences of these nightly films. By writing down the movie(s) (dreams) upon waking, noting the action, characters and themes, we can get in touch with our film directors and writers within. We can access their messages simply by paying attention to the movies presented. Just as we would when seeing a film, consider the dream upon waking. Can you identify with the main character(s)? Can you recognize a theme and does it have any impact on or correlation with your waking life? If you could interview the film's director, what would you ask? If you wanted to know a certain
motivation for an actor playing a particularly impactful scene, how would you address your questions? How are you changed by this seeing this film (dream)? In this way, we can access the special messages in our dreams.

Dreams are a readily available source of inner information. They give specific suggestions,
guidance, problem solving tools, insights and feedback, as well as playing out a potential scenario for the benefit of allowing us to alter our waking choices. Allow the nightly filmfest to affect you. Remember, we don't have to pay a ticket price to enjoy our dreams. We only have to pay attention.

(Original printing: Pathfinder newspaper, Volume 3, Number 2, St. Louis, MO, March-April 1993.)