I used to have a recurring dream between the ages of 7 - 12. I had it at least 3 times, possibly more.
In it, I would walk up to a giant wooden house in a green, rural setting. There was a large, misty body of water behind it. I don'trememberenteringthe house, but I rememberthe interior: the 1st floor having a large, open room (like a dining hall), and the upstairs being very dark with lower ceilings. There were no people outside the house or on the 1st floor.
Upstairs was full of people, but they were all mostly silent and colorless. I don't recall being afraid, but unnerved, because they would walk around and murmur to each other, but not acknowledge me. The dream would always end with me standing in front of the large body of water, staring out into the white mist.
I visited (for the first time) this house when I was 12. It's in Quebec right on the St. Lawrence River. I have family history going back to the 1600s there (raised in the USA). I remember feeling almost disconnected, hairs standing on end, walking into this old house that had been in the family for centuries. I recognized the large dining hall immediately.
Then I walked upstairs. There were bunks and cots there, and on little night stands there were old photographs--black and white--of the people who had lived in that house and slept in those cots. I recognized them from my dream.
I didn't tell anyone because of course it seemed insane or fabricated, and the feelings evoked were disconcerting to say the least. I spent the rest of that visit catching frogs outside with second cousins 😅
I used to sleep-walk a lot, between the ages of 5 - 12. I am curious if there's any connection between déjà rêvé and parasomnias.
Reminder - Any post or comment may be removed if it doesn't abide by the subreddit's rules. Please stay on topic, be kind and read the Welcome Post.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
I loved reading your recollection. I don’t have any answers for you but I’m curious what to make of it, too. Dreams are so mysterious, I love learning about them. I’ve found answers I never knew were possible. I don’t know what you’ll find, put I recommend continuing to look for answers. It’s the mysteries that push life forward into new levels of meaning.
Thank you! I am open to speculation, of course (and I'm more skeptical of definitive answers because the hubris!) The one or 2 other recurring dreams I can recall were not pleasant and never occurred IRL.
I think the brain is a very powerful hallucinogen, personally. But, we are constrained by how we experience time (linearly), the speed of electricity/light, psychological constructs, schemata, etc.
This instance and another "prophetic dream" (that I don't remember but was communicated to a family member during a sombambulism episode) have kept me wondering, in spite of my being a heavily indoctrinated skeptic. And, I can't discount others' experiences (that would be arrogant and myopic).
I like your perspective. I think that, as a general rule, we often make connections and see life more poetically when we have an open perspective and are searching for meaning. I believe life becomes more meaningful when we give it meaning, so this is a good perspective to have. This may not answer the question of why, but it can assure us of the path we are on and the intentions we carry in our heart, seeing coincidence all around us as potential for some deeper mystery. Perhaps the why will only become evident after we have found ourselves at the end of the path and, looking back, can say what that curious day meant.
Taking the time to write your story down will make it more significant, as if taking a subjective experience and writing it, brings it I to the world of the physical. Thanks for sharing and best of luck on your travels.