Some of the cars approaching the stop light look like parade floats. Freud pays close attention when they slow as the light changes. A group atop a truck look like rebel soldiers from India in the era of the British Raj. People in costume on other vehicles seem to be enacting historical tableaux, showing the passage of great events.
Freud is adjusting his view that dreams are inner psychological experiences that have nothing to do with anyone except the dreamer (and of course the analyst). He is tracking resemblances between inner dreams and outer events, in the world as well as an individual life. He is a keen student of isomorphy.
With some excitement, he is also developing and modifying his theories - reflected in his "historical novels" (as he once called his works on Leonardo, Moses and Akhenaten) - that the evolution of a society or a religion can be compared to that of an individual. Standing outside the swirl of events, he can read their patterns better. Like the observer of a passing parade.
I woke from this dream before 4:00 a.m. today with feelings of satisfaction. It seemed well and good that Freud is alive and well in my neighborhood, his agile mind in motion, not stuck in past grooves. Freud, after all, was not - and, it seems, is not - a Freudian.
I am curious about the people dressed as Indian soldiers, maybe sepoys from the Indian Mutiny. Freud kept a statue of Vishnu, commissioned for him by his followers in the Indian Psychoanalytical Society, on his desk. In her memoir of her sessions with him, the writer H.D. describes handling it; the shape of this white figure reminded her of a lotus. I don't know whether Freud knew much about India, or studied Indian history. I will add that to my list of research topics.
As I record this short dream report, I do a quick count of the stack of books by Freud and about him on a table of current reading near my desk. Only ten. Ah, that's a manageable assignment for reading and re-reading. Only half the size of the stack of books by and about Mircea Eliade on the same table.
I have been writing a story about Freud, off and on. I have great admiration for the depth of his culture and his studies of archaeology, history, mythology, languages, literature, religion. I have often wondered what he makes of his own theories, wherever he is now. Maybe I'll have the chance to learn more about that through direct observation. Will "my" Freud choose to speak with me face-to-face? I'll be open for that.
Action plan: Finish my story about Freud.
Bumper Sticker: On my street, Freud is not a Freudian.
2 comments:
Freud as a student of isomorphy fasinates me. I have only had a thin slice of understanding of the Freudian Freud from college. Then rich pieces you have written. I find it interesting how he collected artifacts all around him.
As an active dreamer your writings woke me up to isomorphy and I have been dreaming with this a while. I want to try and explain how isomorphy is for me.
When you posted an image a while back it helped me know what was given to me in a dream about horses. This dodecahedron was on that isomorphic spectrum of "high intensity". It felt like a universal slap on the back, "get to it girl" like wink. In that dream I used it as a portal. I did print out a pattern and have folded a few like oragami. In a dream I had last night that I titled Another World, I knew this shamanic process I was in during this dream was represented in this object. When I slipped into the liminial state with this image and dream work I understood a little more about processes of midline growth as it relates to developing a forward stream of growth and working dimensionally. I am revisiting how a human embroy grows so midline for me right now refers to "midline stock" or you could say feminine midline.
For me isomorphy is around form and part of the broader umbrella of sychronicity. This is how my mind has organized it so far. Form right now is an amazing process of creation for me in dreams and waking life. Image and solid objects are part of form. As I write this I know life gets to live in form on this earth. There is a spectrum of the senses that happens for me with isomorphy and I suppose in the broader flow of sychronicity. But isomorphy is different for me because it's like an intimate lover to form.
Maybe this: From an understanding from Desda Zuckerman's work, we all carry within the form of us "Core". Core being the individuation of Source that is us. Imagine this human core continually birthing energetic threads. Well now if I imagine synchronicity as a "Sourced language", then isomorphy becomes the artist of this language. The artistry paints bridges of undertsanding that develop in the mind and hearts of us as threads come together as precursors to the making of form in the world. So then isomorphy speaks from form like a child of these threads. With in this view human energy threads form lattice pieces to form like placenta to a human being.
My apologies if this is too long.
Your new book came in the mail and I read the introduction so far. I suspect it's going to be like how reading Dreamgates was for me, lot's of dream portals, slow reading with lot's of adventures in the dreaming.
I enjoy the Gratitude I feel toward you Robert. I think you are a brave man, to share yourself the way you do.
Good dream for Mardi Gras with the floats & costumes.
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