Artists, Dare to Dream!
By Renée Phillips

Van Gogh said, "I dream my painting and I paint my dream." Do you?

As creative individuals we know that we live in two worlds - the waking world that abides by logic and science and the mysterious world of dreaming.

In the dream world we may experience surrealistic events, view fantastic images and undergo profound transformations. It is known that probably everyone dreams, although many of us forget most or all of them. There seem to be more questions than answers on this subject of which much has been studied and written.

Scientists know that normally we dream for about one fifth of the time that we are asleep.

Just imagine! There is an abundance of inspirational symbols, messages and references waiting to be revealed to us as we lay our heads on our pillows.

Sarah Canfield, (www.sarahcanfield.com) "Butterfly and Balast", oil on canvas, 36" x 48". Artwork is copyright protected by the artist. All rights reserved. Do not copy image without the artist's permission.

We know that many artists have received their creative ideas from their dreams. The Italian Surrealist Giorgio de Chirico and the Belgium Surrealist Paul Delvaux were known to capture the dream phases of their lives and combine familiar images in bizarre contexts. The Spanish Surrealist Salvador Dali not only aspired to remember the exact details of his dream landscapes but he actually strove to induce them.

As exciting as it may seem many individuals feel uncomfortable about delving into this mysterious world and self-conscious about revealing their subconscious.

The great Indian mystic and physician Patanjali, who lived somewhere between 200 B.C. and 200 A.D., and who first recognized the power in the practice of meditation, said, "When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds; your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be."

Are dreams a revelation from some profound creative source within ourselves?

Through the ages the meaning of dreams and their significance have intrigued humankind. The most ancient civilizations believed that dreams carried messages from the gods.

Although scientists tend to agree that there must be a purpose to dreaming, they disagree over what this purpose might be.

Dream research is one of the areas where the layperson is as competent as the professional. It requires no special equipment beyond a notebook and pencil to begin the exploration and discovery.

There are many books on the subject that are written to help us understand and interpret our dreams as well as understand more about ourselves. One thing is true: Dreams can provide powerful tools.