Dream Within A Dream

Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep while I weep!
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?

- Edgar Allen Poe

- Pic Courtesy: http://www.scenicreflections.com

Everyone reading or listening to someone mentioning ‘dream within a dream’ instantly gets reminded of the brilliant movie ‘Inception’. The idea behind such a concept is truly a romantic one for people interested in things out of the ordinary. I have had some strange experiences over the years – experiencing out-of-body feelings, a strong degree of deja vu and the most recent has been the experience of a ‘dream within a dream’ (that’s right, the Inception feeling).

My mother is a psychologist and she had mentioned to me how the phenomenon shown in Inception truly exists in the real world – might not be as dramatic a way shown in the film. After having such an experience only twenty-four hours before writing this article, I did some studying regarding such an experience. I would rather call the phenomenon as a ‘false awakening’.

Having a false awakening is firstly seeing a dream that makes you realize that it indeed is a dream sequence. Same thing happened to me yesterday as I was seeing the ‘inner dream’ and then I woke up (false awakening) to a situation where I would naturally expect to wake up. Strangely, this situation was extremely realistic until I noticed something that could not take place in the real world! I am sure that there are people out there who like me, can understand that they are dreaming during the dream itself. That feeling happened with the ‘inner dream’ but not with the ‘outer dream’.

As I think of the experience, I really am thrilled to have experienced it. I am sure that people who have experienced the phenomenon might be as thrilled. Though it was the first time I experienced it, I can understand that it is something that can be addictive too. There are people who will tell you that you can do certain things while dreaming (maybe not exactly like Inception), but that is something that I will never be looking forward to.

Talking about another phenomenon that is the strongest in me – deja vu, I always wonder whether deja vu is an indication that our destiny is set? This is a question that keeps baffling me and am inclined to believe that the answer might be a ‘yes’. I am an atheist, but I do believe in destiny to a certain extent. There of course are things that we can change and create. For luck to an extent, is in our hands.

Advertisement