Advice from Ben

So the dream this morning gets a little weird. The dream was not a long one. I am greeted by the comedian Ben Stiller in his Derek Zoolander persona. There are two other people behind him who are eccentric characters from his Zoolander film. Stiller drops out of character and says to me in a serious tone, "Do not trust in dream dictionaries. You should rely more on your own intuition in interpreting your dreams." Then I wake up out of the dream.

How should I take this advice from Ben? From an objective point of view I agree with what he has said. I must admit online dream dictionaries have become my crutch of late when it comes to defining my most challenging dreams. I have not been using my intuitive faculties to their maximum potential. It is so easy to turn to the many dream dictionaries found online. I should be trying to develop my own intuition and lean more on that. Dream dictionaries can often be far too general,vague and limiting.

I know with a little more effort I could be gleaning so much more and discovering some amazing things by tapping into something greater and more mysterious. I can look back at many of these blog entries and observe this as a matter of fact. Some of my best insights have come from just letting my mind ruminate on all the possibilities and quite often some unexpected astounding truths seem to fall right into my lap.

Ben is right. Why is he right? Well, I have been giving this a lot of thought. It really arises out of his understanding and talent for comedy. Many people might dismiss him for being a buffoon, but the man is a genius. All real good comedy requires an intelligence. A careful study of what Ben does in front of the camera will confirm this fact. He makes it look so easy, but it is not. Every gesture and the timing of his jokes are done in a carefully considered way for maximum effect.

So what is the link between good comedy and dream interpretation? I think they both take similar paths. An effective joke needs a set up and a punch line. In the same manner a dream follows a similar pattern. Dreams usually have some kind of narrative, even with the seemly most chaotic one's, there is a thread of a thought. Every dream, no matter what it is about, has a theme and something to be uncover.

Dreams will teach you about yourself. They will give you answers to life's most pressing problems. Sometimes they come in the form of premonitions or there are lessons to imparted. Every dream has something to offer. The tricky part is trying to figure what that something means to you personally and what to do with it.

What have I learned with this dream? I think Ben's advice is sound and something I should heed. It is fascinating timing as his new movie Zoolander Two is coming out. I was not consciously aware of this fact before this dream. I discovered it when I Googled Ben afterwards. Here again, is another example of tapping into the collective conscious or maybe it is tapping into me? If you think ads on TV and radio are annoying. Consider this, if the advertising industry ever finds a way to use and abuse this medium, we are all screwed. Then again maybe they have and we just don't know it yet? Makes me wonder.

To be honest I probably will not give up the dream dictionaries entirely, but Ben is right, I should be developing my intuitive understanding and abilities. This I must do and I will be putting more effort forth from this point on. It is sage advice. Thanks, Ben!