Exposed: Part 1

The Dream: I am wandering the streets of Brooklyn, wearing no trousers. I often adjust my sweater, pulling it down. It almost covers me. No one seems to notice, but I feel very self conscious.

Interpretation: I explore the place of my mother’s birth; I experience the self-consciousness and discomfort she endured as the child of a poor, widowed, non-English speaking immigrant from Eastern Europe. I adjust the clothes I am wearing, pulling down my sweater to cover my shame. The dream tells me that no one seems to notice I’m half naked: what is so embarrassing to me is actually unimportant to others. 

Exposed or Transcendence through Art

You might think the unconscious throws up a lot of irrelevant rubbish, night after night. If you do, you’re not alone. But when I had this dream the night after posting my first blog, I thought otherwise.

The Dream: I am in my childhood bedroom. The bed is pushed near the window, and I am lying on it dressed only in some sheer underwear. My rear end is near the window; the rest of my body curled away from it. A portico goes right past the window, with its blinds lifted just far enough so that someone can see in. A young man walks by, and I feel embarrassed (in bare assed) and wonder if he’s seen me. I go outside to see if people can actually see in. After all, I reason, it’s daytime; ordinarily outsiders can’t see in even if the blinds are up. I look in the window and see a nude woman, in a pose similar to those adopted by life-drawing models. She is comfortable with the exposure; when put in the context of “art” her nudity seems natural and nonthreatening. But I do conclude from this bit of sleuthing that indeed—those outside can see inside very clearly.

Interpretation: The figure in the drawing looks awkward and uncomfortable. That says it all: This blogging is scary!