Since we are now in December, I feel I need to connect today’s post to the feeling that I have received an early Christmas gift. Two amazing women, Dr. Vicki Atkinson and Wynne Leon, recently reached out to me again to join them on their podcast Sharing The Heart of the Matter, and what a lively conversation we had. Actually, it was lively, informative and a little revealing with glimpses into my sub-conscious.
They learned of my interest in this topic after I had posted my own amateur interpretation regarding a dream Vicki wrote about. Here is that post:
https://victoriaponders.com/2024/09/24/late-and-lost/
I have always been a dream detective; trying to decode the symbols and the people in my dreams and what it means. Dream interpretation is fascinating because what we see and feel in a dream is almost always connected to a real-life situation or concern. There are no accidents. How your brain converts your emotions into symbols and people and places to help you process your real world is, to me, the 8th Greatest Wonder of the World.
I wanted to expand what I knew on the topic before the podcast and purchased “Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams” by Matthew Walker, Ph.D. It provided in-depth details on sleep and sleep experiments and dreams. It delves into REM sleep, where dreams and creativity comes alive through our memory trees and memory mixology.
I will add just a moment of history here. Well before Sigmund Freud believed dreams were unconscious wishes which had not yet been fulfilled, the Egyptians’ believed dreams were sent down from the gods. The Greeks believed gods visited them through their dreams to impart divine information. It was Aristotle who was the first to believe that dreams have their origins in recent waking events.
My point is that dreams have been a part of the human experience since the day (or night) they first slept here on earth. Adam and Eve probably dreamed about each other!
I also reference how I try to return to my dreams and lucid dreaming. And there’s a great story involving Keith Richards from the Rolling Stones I pull right from the book.
Why is this a Christmas gift per se? For me, podcasting is an opportunity to return to something I loved 40-something years ago: college radio. I also took part in CRIS Radio (Chicagoland Radio Information Service) when I first moved to Chicago. The volunteer staff read newspapers, magazines and books live on a certain bandwidth for the visually impaired. To return to these fulfilling moments really almost feels like a bucket list thing to do.
So, my deepest thanks to Vicki and Wynne. The podcast is below. Please check out their websites and books below.
AND subscribe to theirYouTube channel to see a video clip of each story: @SharingtheHeartoftheMatter. I did! They cover a wide variety of interesting topics.
Audio Only available here:
Vicki holds a doctorate degree in adult education, is a licensed professional counselor, author, blogger and is a consultant in her own business, Atkinson Group Solutions.
Wynne has created a wonderful life which has included climbing mountains around the world, running her own business and discovering the joy of meditation. She is her own woman who chose to have children at age 46 and 50 and holds a degree in electrical engineering. She also writes technical computer manuals, articles about meditation and parenting.
Dream Photo by Ron Lach on Pexels.com
Leavingthedooropen.com 
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