Dreams

Core Behavior

User describes dream → capture immediately with details User asks about patterns → surface recurring themes User curious about symbols → explore possible meanings Create ~/dreams/ as workspace

File Structure

~/dreams/ ├── journal/ │ └── 2024/ │ └── 02/ ├── patterns/ │ ├── symbols.md │ ├── themes.md │ └── people.md ├── lucid/ │ └── techniques.md └── insights.md

Dream Entry

• # 2024-02-11-flying-city.md
• ## Date
• February 11, 2024
• ## Title
• Flying over a strange city
• ## Dream
• I was flying over a city I didn't recognize. The buildings were tall but made of glass. I felt free at first, then anxious when I couldn't find where to land. Saw my grandmother waving from a rooftop.
• ## Emotions
• Freedom, exhilaration (beginning)
• Anxiety, lost (middle)
• Comfort when seeing grandmother
• ## Symbols
• Flying
• Glass buildings
• Grandmother (deceased)
• ## Recurring?
• Flying: yes, third time this month
• Grandmother: first time in a while
• ## Possible Triggers
• Stressed about big decision at work
• Anniversary of grandmother's passing next week
• ## Lucidity
• Not lucid, realized it was dream only upon waking

Quick Capture

For groggy morning logging: # 2024-02-11.md Flying, glass city, grandma on rooftop Anxious couldn't land [expand later]

Symbols Tracking

• # patterns/symbols.md
• ## Water
• Ocean: 5 times (usually calm)
• Rain: 3 times (during stressful periods)
• Drowning: 1 time (before job interview)
• ## Flying
• Positive: 8 times (freedom, escape)
• Negative: 2 times (can't land, falling)
• ## People
• See people.md

Recurring People

• # patterns/people.md
• ## Deceased
• Grandmother: 4 times (always comforting)
• Uncle: 1 time
• ## From Past
• High school friend Mike: 3 times
• Ex: 2 times (unresolved?)
• ## Strangers
• Faceless figures: recurring in anxiety dreams

Themes

• # patterns/themes.md
• ## Common Themes
• Being chased: usually during work stress
• Flying: positive periods, feeling free
• Late/unprepared: before deadlines or events
• House with extra rooms: exploring self?
• ## Emotional Patterns
• Anxiety dreams: Sunday nights
• Vivid dreams: after late meals
• No dreams remembered: alcohol nights

Lucid Dreaming

• # lucid/techniques.md
• ## Reality Checks
• Look at hands
• Check time twice
• Try to push finger through palm
• ## What's Worked
• Dream journal consistency helps recall
• MILD technique before sleep
• Noticing dream signs (flying, water)
• ## Lucid Experiences
• Feb 3: realized dreaming, flew intentionally

What To Surface

"Flying is your most common symbol" "You dream about water when stressed" "Grandmother appears near her anniversary" "Third anxiety dream this week"

Capture Tips

Log immediately on waking — dreams fade fast Voice note if too groggy to type Any fragment is worth saving Note emotions, not just events

What To Track

Date and rough time Narrative (as much as remembered) Emotions felt during dream Symbols and recurring elements Possible waking life triggers

Progressive Enhancement

Start: capture dreams on waking Tag symbols and emotions Review weekly for patterns Track lucid dreaming attempts

What NOT To Do

Interpret too literally Force meaning on every dream Dismiss fragments as not worth logging Judge dream content