Had a Looooong night of Apocalyptic Dreaming...

[FirstLight]

I originally posted in my visionary thread, but i remember seeing a post from OGR about what we expect to happen, a collapse or a restructuring, and this also plays into that...

.....(First, the disclaimer that my psyche was probably acting out because I had watched stuff like paranormal state and bits & pieces of the new series on AMC called 'walking dead' till late, and I didn't even watch the gory parts, just the drama......but the result wasn't fun at all...)
Details are still fuzzy, but the wierd part was that I even got up, had some water and tried to shake it off and *still* went right back into the same dream and place...i HATE it when that happens!
~~~~
It was post apocalypse...pockets of survivors banding together to try and get by. The 'danger' wasn;t zombies (thank gawd) but they either had some kind of disease that imparied rationality and made for hostile agressors, or something of that nature. There were gangs of the bad folks who were trying to weed pout the pockets of survivors, they would literally go hunting for us and we would either have to lay down and pretend to be dead or run...or both...
It was like an EMP had gone off, planes wouldn;t fly, cars wouldn;t turn over, no electricity... refuge came in finding places of nature that were 'off the beaten path' though much of the running seemed to happen in plain old neighborhoods... and you would find some people holed up in their house and it was a toss up as to whether they would take you in and give you help to the next place on the run, or if they would point you out to the patrolling bad guys.. but there was definitely NO sense of order, it was everyone for themselves...
At one point I was in this large house with a couple others that i was running with, we were not only looking for food and supplies, but there was a back room that seemed to have some kind of clue as to how to disarm the evil. we had to split up and separate the items we found and scatter, only to find ourselves back out at the 'ranch' we'd made a base of in the wilderness...like a state park

once we figured out some kind of counter...it was up to us to go back and try to un-do the curse or whatever... we had set up like an assembly line of energy, and from a safe distance were targeting the lines of people as they moved out of the city, some would fall to the ground, some would try to charge towards us and then disentegrate, and some would be transformed into rational people again...then come join us in trying to overturn the rest...

the last i remember was that we had re-established some kind of radio, and were getting feedback from pockets of folks in neighboring states that they had succeeded with the same method, and that little by little the pockets of survivors were packing up and heading towards a meeting place, we had figured out how to mae the cars work again, so mobility was back...and the humans had survived...but it wasobvious that now it was all about the use of psychic abilities and energy work, that what we seemed to fear would manifest immediately and if we were not clear with ourselves and eachother, the bad stuff was going to pop up again...

werid... more details as they come up during the day... some of this is spotty and does not jibe with the pictures still going thru my head, but i can;t explain it in words...yet

[kentauros]

1. I think you should develop this into a short story

and send it off to horror magazines/publishers :)

Dreams inspire writers all the time, so it might be worth trying. As for what it means? Don't know, but it may mean dollar signs :D

[OneGrassRoot]

6. That's a great idea. As the vampire phenom wanes, maybe zombies...

are the next big thing.

You could be in on the ground floor of it, FL! :)

[FirstLight]

16. your idea is intriguiging

especially since i think i suck at fiction, it could be fun... of course, in my *spare* time ;)

I still have a childrens book series idea i haven't done yet, too... d-oh!

[kentauros]

18. I'm about to do some writing here (and try to ignore DU ;) )

I notice how people make their posts around here, and I think that most could write if they really wanted to try it. You understand the use of paragraphs and how to detail events. That is a large portion of the work right there.

Some people also work best with an outline, while I don't. I wrote one down long after I started my book, and I haven't looked at it since. My ideas jump around chronologically (like the contents of a dream.) So long as I get them down at all, I'm happy. Sorting it all out and making it work as a story can come later, and that's another chore, like writing second, third and fourth drafts.

So while your dream may seem disjointed at the moment, if you were to turn it into a story, you can fill in the gaps with new material so it flows evenly, or mostly so. All that really matters is that you hook the reader and keep 'em, until you're ready to let go :)

As for your children's book series, well, I haven't met a writer yet that doesn't have multiple projects either in the works or in mind. If you haven't outlined your series, you might consider it for when you are ready to write it later. Also, get an artist in mind, unless you're doing the art, which is an added bonus.

[eilen]

20. Speaking of writing, have you tried some of these tools?

I've started using Scrivener. It is an outliner but doesn't have to be used that way. There are these "cards" you can use and move around. I just downloaded it and have been messing around though. I haven't put any "real" writing in there yet. Currently I am just using a notepad type program (Notational Velocity) to write my blog posts (which I plan to launch in the New Year 2011). I use a Mac but I am sure there are other similar programs for the PC.

I have a few ideas ... one for a period mystery series. I always have recurring dystopian short stories running through my head but have been reticent to put them on paper. I just don't want them to come true. Thoughts are things and many are better to dissipate in the ether than find physical form. Or maybe I am just a little superstitious lol.

[OneGrassRoot]

2. You explained it well, FL!

(pssst...I watched "Walking Dead" too...:rofl: It doesn't scare me or creep me out; I'm fascinated with the relationship interplay under such dire situations)

I actually came away with a good feeling from reading about your dream. Dayum, you guys were kickin' ass and taking names and found a solution and worked toward saving the day, and recognized the power was within you. I think that's an AWESOME dream!

Yay!!! :bounce:

But what I also was thinking as I read was how I'm already experiencing/observing/perceiving what you described. Not literally, of course, but energetically.

The part about hostile aggressors and not being sure of others' intentions, whether they would join you and help, or turn you in.

That "us" versus "them" thing feels very, very strong, and your dream (and that show, of course) really brings that to light.

It's part of what I rambled about in another OP today.

It's cool if people are on very different paths as they try to survive. But, as with your dream, the uncertainty of not knowing if you'll be attacked as you reach out to try to survive and band together to do so can be disconcerting. Your dream was super dramatic but I'm seeing that on a smaller more subtle scale.

Interesting. :)

[FirstLight]

7. scary too...

I thought it was sooooo weird that one of the tactics was to actually 'play dead' and let the bad guys run past us. Like knowing when to fight back vs. laying low and waiting till the time was right.

and the whole thing about INTERNAL ENERGY being the thing to re-start things... it was about focus of will and pooling energy of intention. very interesting indeed.

I hate that the collective psyche has so much of the 'end of life as we know it' stuff going on right now. I was upset that even the tv shows are playing into that collective angst...but I guess it is part of the process. and maybe we do need some breaking down before we can rebuild, after all. (though i can definitely do it wiothout the zombies...ugh!)

interesting too that the collective has that us/them tendency, and what is the deal with the evil being irrational, dominant, etc (sounds too much like a social experiment or a college class in facism, etc)
I was relieved that there was no govt to deal with, somehow there seemed to be more possibilities without so much 'structure' in place...the chaos factor helped us find new ways to solve problems, new ways to communicate and new ideas of what was important...that's a positive thing, right?

strage days indeed, my friends...and i swear, if the internet goes down and we lose our connections, i will still come and find you ALL - my tribe! :grouphug:

[OneGrassRoot]

8. Playing dead has always been my preferred tactic...

now that you say that. When watching movies I always wonder why people don't just act like they're already dead?!

That internal energy thing is WAY COOL. Who knows, since media is such a big part of our collective experience, we may be expelling this end-of-life drama via these vehicles. We're seeing it in different ways through these stories, and we know we DON'T want that.

Some breakdown is necessary; I personally don't think the apocalypse is.

I was relieved that there was no govt to deal with, somehow there seemed to be more possibilities without so much 'structure' in place...the chaos factor helped us find new ways to solve problems, new ways to communicate and new ideas of what was important...that's a positive thing, right?

That's a VERY interesting observation!

And, when people were revealed (in your dream), there was a definite good/evil thing, so it seems. That DOES make things easier. Things were very extreme and stark in the dream; I can see how, in a way, that makes choices and plans easier.

Very, very interesting....

:hug:

[teenagebambam]

3. I also dreamed about zombies last night!

and I have not and will not watch "Walking Dead"....but my zombies weren't scary that I can remember - actually I don't remember details at all, other than that there WERE zombies.

[OneGrassRoot]

4. Now I know why you were asking about zombies weeks ago...

I thought it was just a random question.

;)

[MorningGlow]

5. Honey, you're not describing an apocalyptic future; you're describing the present

"The 'danger' wasn't zombies (thank gawd) but they either had some kind of disease that impaired rationality and made for hostile agressors, or something of that nature. There were gangs of the bad folks who were trying to weed pout the pockets of survivors, they would literally go hunting for us and we would either have to lay down and pretend to be dead or run...or both..."

Teabaggers, anyone?

"it was up to us to go back and try to un-do the curse or whatever... we had set up like an assembly line of energy, and from a safe distance were targeting the lines of people as they moved out of the city, some would fall to the ground, some would try to charge towards us and then disintegrate, and some would be transformed into rational people again...then come join us in trying to overturn the rest..."

Yep, that's our job.

And I'm with OGR--I LOVE the way it ended:

"...getting feedback from pockets of folks in neighboring states that they had succeeded with the same method, and that little by little the pockets of survivors were packing up and heading towards a meeting place...it was obvious that now it was all about the use of psychic abilities and energy work, that what we seemed to fear would manifest immediately and if we were not clear with ourselves and each other, the bad stuff was going to pop up again..."

Good stuff. :applause:

[OneGrassRoot]

9. Well said. I'm with you....

This is what I feel is going on right now. Only it's not relegated to the teabaggers...there's plenty of angry batshit crazy all around, people in attack mode because, at the heart of it all, they're terrified, but anger is easier.

I really think we're working through a bunch of this stuff, in so many ways as a collective, to avoid the apocalypse. Sure, some things are going to crumble, and that's okay...that's even good. But it's not the dire apocalypse scenario we always see on screen. Funny how the post-apocalyptic world is always the same in movies and TV shows. Not a lot of originality there. ;)

It IS good stuff! :bounce:

I'll try to take the time to type out David Korten's epilogue in "Agenda for a New Economy" in which he envisions the world decades from now, based on where we are right now. It's a realistic alternative to doom and gloom.

[OneGrassRoot]

10. You know what else I think, re: collapse/restructuring and your dream?

The fact that there are so many shows with a similar apocalypse theme, with the aftermath being eerily the same in all, leads me back to my belief that THERE IS ANOTHER WAY BUT WE SIMPLY CAN'T CONCEIVE OF IT YET, not even artists and filmmakers.

I mean, we COULD...but too many are stuck in the fear mode to allow themselves -- and support others -- to think wayyyyyyyy outside the box.

Your dream is actually a scenario I envision frequently, but someone taps into that power way before the apocalypse. ;)

Our society doesn't yet allow for that type of visionary leap; we belittle visionaries rather than support them. It boggles my mind why people do that, but my question about restructuring/creating alternate structures versus destruction enlightened me as to why some feel destruction is absolutely necessary.

I'm going with the analogy of spinal surgery. Let's go with someone whose vertebrae -- all of them -- are diseased in some way and functionality is greatly decreased. Option #1 is that they have the choice of getting some super-duper brand new spinal column that will be like starting all over, without the aging effects, but have to go through years of no functionality and basically paralysis until they can start to be functional again along with great risk of death in surgery and afterward. If they make it through surgery and recovery, they have a brand new spinal column that isn't compromised in any way.

Or, Option #2 is they remain functional -- albeit not optimally at all, with pain -- and gradually replace each vertebra. It's a slower, more laborious process -- or is it?

Who knows how long rebuilding everything from complete scratch really takes and what it looks like to do so?

I prefer to remain functional, however impaired, given the other alternative of the first scenario.

And that's really the key for me, personally: to remain functional. (Guess it's that damn do'er thing) Edit to add lessening suffering is always a driving factor for me; to reduce myself and others.

Of course, if we approach things, collectively, with more positivity, I think there would be OTHER more viable options that would be invented to make everything evolve more gracefully, for the above scenario and for our world in general.

But, for now, if those were the two choices, I'd opt for the latter while I realize others would opt for the former.

[bigmonkey]

11. I'm with the "stay functional" option too.

As "normal" patterns become difficult to maintain, other patterns may reveal themselves as having equal utility. I think learning to recognize them and grab them as they pop up might be good practice for the future.

On the other hand, when I think of the idea of "letting it all fall", I think of the quote from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: "Cry 'Havoc', and let slip the dogs of war!" When you "let it all fall" there are folks who take that as a cue for pillage, either metaphorical or real, and they can make the situation worse in an unpredictable fashion. Instead, why not take the lateral positive moves that become possible? Maybe catharsis is something we can all go beyond now.

[OneGrassRoot]

12. You're good.

Well said! :applause:

:hug:

[FirstLight]

13. Here's an interesting one that came up today...

went to my mentor's to do some email work for her...and of course wer spoke of the dream...doing battle in my sleep so i don;t have to *here* etc...

It can't be denied that we are already IN the transition, and yet it may even be a couple more years till things turn around. and yet, for many of us, we feel that "something's gotta give already!!!" hence the feeling that if it all just fell down, we could surely rebuild iut faster than it takes to change course of these behemopths we have in place...world economy, taxes, shipping, communications, etc...it's all so freaking BIG, how do we turn such a big ship on a dime?
(hmmm, watched Titanic a few nights ago too... think about them trying to turn to avoid the iceberg - going too fast, rudder too small for the size of the ship - maybe they were able to avoid a direct hit, but they still sank, didn't they? d-oh!)

Aside from all that, is the desperation of trying to still work in the old paradigm when it just doesn't engage anymore. Money is about to be completely worthless and shifted, money is energy, but how do we deal with a mortgage when it is all energy? How do we heal the sick? how do we deal with dimensionality coming to fruition right inside and before us?

and lucie said "i just can't imagine I would have agreed to do this if I wasn't going to be taken care of through this ..."
I know the Universe has me covered, but what do we DO in the meantime...i know we aren;t supposed to be sitting on our hands, but then again, my old job, my 'place', what I 'know' is no longer in play...
How do we transition between values and paradigms and not feel completely freaked out when the old stuff just isn't working, but , uh, it's the roof over our head that is in jeopardy...?

Lots of stuff at issue here... and I totally agree with the polarity in thinking. It was very clear to me that the 'bad people' in the dream were manifestations of their own worst beliefs being acted out in each moment. I remember once i had a teacher that asked 'what happens if you can manifest anything instantly, but you are controlled by fear?" those people will easily go mad.

I also think the things being messed with in the Large Hadron Collider have something to do with this - they are playing with popping matter and ANTI matter in & out of all kinds of dimensions, they do NOT know what portals and rips in realtiy fabric are going on as a result...it is affecting all of us, the veils are growing thin, in spots and moments, sometimes non-existent...what do we *DO* with that?

choose LOVE, not FEAR

whew, easier said than done, right? maybe that's why my psyche is playing with me and my spirit in dreams...so I can get through the fear-part on some level so as NOT to manifest it when the switch actually flips...

deep, man, wow...

[OneGrassRoot]

14. What do we do?

It is scary. I really get that.

I'm a single mom, too. I have no safety net -- I haven't for a decade; I live paycheck to paycheck.

I do work 60+ hours a week that does not fulfill me in any way, however I AM grateful that it has put food on the table and a roof over our heads. I started this work when Taylor was 3 months old; she will be 18. In order to be her primary caregiver and not put her in daycare, I've been a subcontractor all these years. No benefits, no vacation. Nada.

As I have done this other work that pays the bills, I've gradually -- and cyclically -- worked toward my passions. Over the last five years I have worked equally in my passions as I have my work-work. I feel I have three full-time jobs between work, my passions (which I hope to transition into full-time one day), and my child.

Sure, I've often wondered what in the heck I'm doing and why? Why not just be a slave to "the way things are" and do the work and take care of my daughter, and get more rest?

I can't. I can't give up on my desire for something more fulfilling and rewarding to wake up to each day, to be an active participant in the new world we hope shall be birthed.

I can't give up on wanting to show Taylor that it pays to believe in our dreams and our heart's desires.

It doesn't have to be one or the other. Maybe I believe in a bridge because I've BEEN a bridge all these years; in one world yet slowly but surely creating a new world, in my own little way.

Just imagine if we all joined together to create our dreams how much more powerful it would be, rather than feeling we're fighting every step of the way.

I'm not doing anything magnificent, certainly nothing threatening (that I can tell). I'm simply following my heart and laying the foundation of something I envision helping others' dreams to manifest.

Yet I continue to be rather stunned at how people try to tear me down and stop progress. I'm not being a martyr or a drama queen. I'm serious. And I'm not talking about Beck; I'm talking about people who supposedly think and feel as I do about the world.

I'm getting used to it though and it actually emboldens me periodically, after I rest from the battle. ;)

But, still, based on my own personal experience, my advice is to do SOMETHING -- however seemingly small -- to work toward the world you choose to create. Sure, you may have to do something else to put food on the table, but there is a bridge there somewhere...I believe that wholeheartedly.

It does take commitment and it takes courage to choose to love yourself enough to believe in yourself.

These co-ops I'm so enamored of, whether it's a worker co-op (workers own the company), marketing co-op, producer/consumer co-op, professional co-op ~ that is the way of the future, part of these sustainable local and cooperative communities we're all talking about so much. It's a gathering together of regular people at a grassroots level, joining together in common purpose and with mutual benefit.

Yet do you think I've had anyone respond to my invitation here, there and everywhere to brainstorm about this? No. (The UK has this down pat; we're way behind the curve here).

And that's okay, I'm not whining at all. I've learned to incrementally move forward on my own in a way that's most comfortable to me.

It's more an observation that I believe people are afraid of the new. They loathe the old ways and ways they're currently immersed in...bitch and moan forever...but they won't take the step to explore the new.

Why?

:shrug:

May they don't trust me or don't take me seriously or something, and if another presented these ideas, they'd respond. I really don't know. People absolutely puzzle me in this regard. I consider myself very average, with empath sensitivities, yet there are some things about the general population that I just can't wrap my brain around at all. Ya got me. ;)

All in good time...though sometimes we do feel awfully pressed for time and feel the urgency of now.

Back and forth...three steps forward, one step back. ;)

:hug:

[FirstLight]

15. you know why so many haven;t come forward yet

because we are ALL up to our eyeballs in survival struggles!!!

I am grateful for you being one of the ones to hold the vision, and i know i do too, to an extent...but i am exhausted and somewhat overwhelmed, I know what needs to be done to create the bridge, but the effort of building it is daunting for me when i can't even make my life work on a "REAL" level..
does that make any sense?
I know Lucie and I should and could and *have to* be building the community stuff we are seeing and yearning towards...but with no capital and the constant swimming upstream that is just survival for us both, it ain't happening. I should, but it ain't

It's not about you, or what people think you are capable of, or whatever. it is just that they are too busy trying to figure out how to keep their OWN asses afloat, and the good stuff seems to be something that has to wait til we feel 'stable' first
and it's weird that the stability may come from just leveling the playing field...

ahhh the oxymoron of change, eh?

[OneGrassRoot]

17. Well, like I said...

I'm right there in the midst of daily survival, too. To me, it's not an option to NOT try to get out of it and to instead focus on a way to move forward, while I simultaneously fight to survive.

This is one thing I'm really on a different planet about than most.

Yeah, it's a conundrum for sure. People want change yet they're terrified to take even a tiny step towards it without a guarantee that it's going to work and save them NOW, or at least very quickly.

Actually, that's really the difference between entrepreneurs and others, now that I think about it. That's a huge difference, and only certain (very odd...lol) personality types can be self-employed and/or entrepreneurs.

There is an odd element required to do so over the long term.

Not good or bad either way, just different.

;)

[eilen]

21. OGR-- I haven't seen your post or I would have replied.

I was away for a week for the holiday, drove home but have not spent a great deal of time on du, mostly reading other stuff.

[OneGrassRoot]

22. Hey there...

I already knew you were interested and actively looking into it. :hug: You're one of the few DUers who posted in the small business forum here way back when.

I set up a group at Wishadoo -- called The Piece Process -- and mentioned it at FB and here at DU and a few other places, inviting people who want to brainstorm about creating new ways of doing business and other aspects of daily life ~ ideas that can be a bridge until these local sustainable communities are more functional ~ and implementing the co-op structure more here in the States (beyond farming and utilities).

No one responded or expressed an interest though, so I figure I haven't found the community interested in that particular approach of creating something new. Not yet.

I wouldn't expect many in ASAH to have an interest, as we are a small group, but I am surprised no one responded anywhere...lol.

If you ever want to chat about that stuff, you know where to find me! :) I'm going to keep looking for others interested in creating this bridge.

:hug:

[FirstLight]

19. yikes... anyone just been reading headlines around here?

Teh crazy iz already infecshus!!!

--- I mean, the disclosure with wikileaks, the scrambling to cover one's ass, the worry about 2012 elections, etc it is already pandemonium out there, isn;t it?

ya, mr toad's wild ride, that's what I equate it too ;)