Memories: Dreaming in Color for the First Time
The night I turned “flirty 30”, I dreamt in color for the first time. I remember this so vividly, because up until then I had only saw black, grey and white in all my dreams. Before this unexpected surprise, I didn’t even know it was possible to dream in color; my family and friends don’t talk about dreams regularly. I love dreams and have spent a lot of time reading interpretations. Dreams about rushing water usually a direct link to the dreamer feeling out of control in a relationship or a blazing fire can signify anger or the rebirth of something significant in the dreamer’s life.
Many moons ago, I read that the average person has 100 dreams a night and is lucky enough to recall one or two when the wake up. And when remembered, the focus is on what occurred and sometimes what we felt — emotionally and physically — and not the colors seen or sounds heard.
As a child, my dad and I discussed the toilet dream…You know the one where you think you’ve made it to the bathroom and relieve yourself, but you actually are still in bed. So you feel really warm for a bit and then wake up to the horrid truth, hoping you can either hide the evidence or that your parents won’t be upset that you didn’t make it to the porcelain god. While, I am reminiscing on dreams, I also recall those terrible bad report card/progress report dreams. This happened twice, where I was so afraid to show my parents a failing or low grade that my anxiety leaked into my dreams where I would give them the bad news and they would respond in an understanding manner, not freak out, whip me with a belt or punish me by taking away my lifeline aka my boombox (radio, for those born after 1999). I would become relieved that the truth had set me free — until the morning, when I realized ‘ahh sh*t, it was just a dream…still gotta find the right moment to present the doom’…dunh dunh dunh… Back to my epiphanous dreams can be in color moment…
In addition to dreaming without colors, I never heard anything in my dreams. If people spoke I just knew what they were saying, as if it were telepathic communication. Sometimes I felt things like… a penis in the few sex dreams I have had. I often saw blurred faces along with their silhouettes. I always just knew who they were supposed to be — usually a close friend or family member. And Sometimes I wouldn’t even see a blurred image of a body part, but I would know that a certain individual was present beside me or in the room. This night was so different though… Just before, my birthday I started counseling with a duo of older, Black women who provided a co-therapy service like no other. I truly believe my first encounter with them helped awaken these colors, awakened a part of me that had never been or ceased to be activated. The way color was presented in this dream reminded of the 1998 movie Pleasantville — whenever new emotions were experienced an object or body part turned a beautiful bright color. (If you haven’t seen it, I recommend not just to understand this reference.) I remember waking up thinking ‘OMG this is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me in my dreams!’
I will never forget that in the summer of 2014 my Chakras were starting to align and with a mainly blurred montage of grey and white as if a moving train was in slow motion. I observed the moving objects in: Purple, green, cream, blue. I cannot recall the objects, but I can see what I jotted down in my journal as if it was last night. I have not been the same since that miracle transpired. It’s as if I shed a layer and entered a section of the unfinished book that is my life. Every birthday is a new chapter for me, but this marked a new section entirely.
Now, my dreams are long movie productions that I could easily use as inspiration to compose a first draft for a mini series or film. I try to talk or journal about them as soon as I wake up, because I do forget dreams as the day progresses. By the end of the day I might only be able to grasps snippets from the night before. So here I am rambling on about my dreams, in the hopes that more people will be inspired to share their literal and unrealized dreams with me.
Mood: Everything I Wanted — JP Cooper
Do you dream in color or heard noises in them? Is there a dream you can never forget? Do you record your dreams or look up interpretations?
