Linda Mastrangelo – Nature Beings: Three Lucid Dreams

Mixed media of pen and ink, photographs, computer animation, September 2011

Dream 1: The Trees are Singing!

I awoke to this strange sound coming from outside my window. After a while, it occurred to me it was coming from the trees. They were creating music; they were singing! I was filled with inexplicable joy at the wonder of this. It all made sense somehow, like the 'Pythagorean Music of the Spheres.' How the Universe is alive and we are all making music!

Dream 2: Lady Redwings

I am in a strange forest. I become lucid and in anticipation of or sensing something near me. Sure enough, I see a large creature (almost human size), all black with bright, almost translucent, red wings like a butterfly’s. It is surprised I can see it and suddenly shapeshifts into a woman for the purpose of disguising itself. I am in awe and intuit this is probably a nature spirit.

Dream 3: The Flying Machine

This was the first animated dream presented in the PsiberDreaming Art Gallery in 2008, included in this group piece for the conference's tenth anniversary.

In the midst of a dream about joining a consciousness group, I became lucid. I had left for a moment with a friend to get some refreshments at a snack bar. I had ordered hot apple cider to my delight and then looked up at the bright blue sky. Then my whole perception changed; I knew I was dreaming but it was beyond that. It was a new or altered state of reality. I felt a burst of excitement as I waited expectantly to see what was about to emerge from behind a cloud. (Interestingly enough, in my 'waking world' I could feel my cat, Bunny, sleeping soundly next to me in the crook of my arm.)

Suddenly, a black and white creature flew from behind a giant cloud and headed straight for me! It was like an illustration from my art work come to life with a moon shaped face, smiling teeth and oddly shaped bat-like wings. I was too afraid to move because I didn’t want this experience to stop. As the creature headed towards me it 'disappeared' and I saw 'nothing;' then realized with awe it had actually manifested in my room! I knew it was there because I could hear it flying around my head, like the sound of a flying machine, clicking its gears and cogs right up against my ears. I could also hear an 'air pump sound' straight out of a science fiction movie. Even more startling was the reaction of my cat. She jumped up and I could feel her head moving right to left against my cheek as if she was watching the flying creature dart about the bedroom. In essence, it had shifted from a lucid dream to the hypnopompic state. I lay paralyzed, too afraid to move an inch as the thing circled the room. After a few moments it 'left' and the noise died down. I opened my eyes and noticed the bottom half of my body was completely numb like a giant lump with no legs. It took strong concentration and will on my part to wiggle and feel them again. By that time, my cat went back to sleep and I was left in complete shock and wonder.

Copyright 2011: All work contained herein is protected by copyright. Neither words nor images may be used, copied, transmitted or reproduced in whole or in part in any form nor may they or any part thereof be stored in a retrieval system of any nature without written permission of the artist.