DREAMING in Images and Words - Norman Sasowskynormansasowsky.com/DREAMING_IN_IMAGES_AND_WORDS...

Norman Sasowsky

DREAMING inImages and Words

DREAMING in

Images and Words Norman Sasowsky

The Moment Press Newark, DE 19715

The dreamer.

Copyright 2014Norman SasowskyThe Moment PressP.O. Box 656Newark, DE 19715norsky@udel.eduhttp://normansasowsky.com

I dream in images.

I see places and people.

I don’t hear them

talking but I’m aware of

what’s going on.

I’m surprised by where I

find myself - not being able to

trace back why I’m there.

The same thing occurs

when I create images - they

too appear involuntarily.

I dream, more than I’dlike to, not having any controlof the situation.

Sometimes the samedream, or its general patternrepeats itself and doesn’trequire analysis to interpret.A childhood experienceemerges in slightly differentforms as if it might happenagain.

Luckily, I rarely havea frightening dream.When I do I can escapeby waking and calmingmyself.

They leave quickly,as if not wanting to bediscovered or under-stood, but theexperience is usuallypowerful enough to forcesome analysis.

My most troubling and recurring

dream is about loss or abandonment.

I’ve been married a long, wonderful

time, the abandonment has to do with

being separated from my wife.

I must have suffered a difficult

parting from my mother whom I never

knew, so it is no surprise that such an

incident should remain so etched in

my unconscious life.

In my dream I lose contact with

my wife, and when I try to use my cell

phone I can’t seem to make it work.

I struggle to make the call.

In another recurring dream,

I’m walking in a forest, dreaming,

I think, and a person approaches

me and starts to tell me his life

story. I’m not sure of where he came

from, who he is, or if I want or need

to hear his story. It feels as though

I’m trapped in a book and I’m

compelled to listen, read on, or

participate, because I am drawn

into it.

Remembering my dreamsis another issue. They tend toleave memory quickly. If Imake notes immediately uponawakening I’m able to capturethem.

Sometimes, quieting downenough, in meditation, a pre-vious dream will surface.

Some of my dreams havebeen preserved in my Notebooks.

Another dream, I haven’texperienced in a long time, Ifind myself walking along ashore. Somehow it feels likethe Oregon shore, althoughI’ve never been there. All ofa sudden a giant wavecomes out of the sea andthreatens me.

I was surprised to learnthat such occurrences doexist. I have a great respectfor oceans.

My dreams arrivemarching across mysleeping self.

It’s like going tothree feature films eachnight and frankly, eventhough they say dream-ing is healthy, I wakeup tired from them.

The dreamer, dreaming.

OccasionallOccasionallOccasionallOccasionallOccasionally I hay I hay I hay I hay I havvvvve thee thee thee thee thewwwwwonderful eonderful eonderful eonderful eonderful experience ofxperience ofxperience ofxperience ofxperience of f f f f fllllly-y-y-y-y-ing efing efing efing efing effffffororororortlessltlessltlessltlessltlessly oy oy oy oy ovvvvver someer someer someer someer somelocalocalocalocalocation.tion.tion.tion.tion. I ha I ha I ha I ha I havvvvve no fe no fe no fe no fe no fear ofear ofear ofear ofear offffffalling and I seem to haalling and I seem to haalling and I seem to haalling and I seem to haalling and I seem to havvvvveeeeesome control in directing thesome control in directing thesome control in directing thesome control in directing thesome control in directing theffffflight.light.light.light.light. It gi It gi It gi It gi It givvvvves me a sense ofes me a sense ofes me a sense ofes me a sense ofes me a sense ofunununununusual pousual pousual pousual pousual powwwwwererererer,,,,, an a an a an a an a an ability I’bility I’bility I’bility I’bility I’dddddlikliklikliklike to possesse to possesse to possesse to possesse to possess,,,,, b b b b but notut notut notut notut notenough fenough fenough fenough fenough for me to tror me to tror me to tror me to tror me to try hangy hangy hangy hangy hanggggggliding or anliding or anliding or anliding or anliding or anything likything likything likything likything like thae thae thae thae that.t.t.t.t.

In other times and places one could goto an individual who was thought to be able tointerpret dreams, to make sense of them andto offer directions or suggestions as to what todo. Probably such persons still can be foundbut I suspect what someone else finds in mydreams.

Why do I keep returning to dreamsabout my former work situation andcolleagues? Or other parts of my history? Mymind is always firing, sending “messages”back and forth. Some messages seem clear.Most others just seem to arise for reasons thatremain a mystery. My physician says I’m notresponsible for my dreams.

We wake, or think we do. Our eyes open and our limbsstart to respond, or do theymove on their own? Before werealize it our bodies start tomove about. We begin put-ting the pieces into place sothat we can give some form tothis state and convinceourselves that we are awake.Sometimes it takes a greateffort because we are disori-ented - we don’t know wherewe are or how we got here.With some luck the pieces fittogether. As the day proceedswe reaffirm everything weknow and believe.

We reach our “normal”state before returning to sleepand once again lose control ofwhere our thoughts andfeelings take us.

Now I accept them like the images that comefrom me, the paintings I create, works of art attheir best, doodles at their least.

I used to take my dreams too seriously. Ithought they were my unconscious self sending amessage encouraging me to act or feel guilt.

I think that sleep, thenecessary precursor todreaming, is similar to death -an endless, pleasant, dream-less sleep.

In all innocence I

approached the dream not

knowing that the situation

had already been resolved.

I made the first move. No

response. Tried again.

Same reaction, nothing.

Sleep itself is a greatmystery - why we sleep, howwe “fall” asleep and whatdisturbs our sleep. All I cando is surrender and hope forthe best.

My dream and wake lives are parallel - creating stories. I tendto think the waking one is the “real” one, but I’m not at all sure.

Additional professional information can be obtainedby visiting the following internet site:

http://normansasowsky.com

The site includes many more paintings, portraits,artist’s books, and a curriculum vitae - exhibitions,publications, collections.

A CD containing similar material plus an 11minute video is available by contacting the artist at:58 S. Manheim Blvd., New Paltz, NY 12561,845 419 2427

youtube.com has several videos search:1norsky.