Water presses from all sides, a constant squeeze upon my dive suit. As old and worn as the suit is, the fish-bowl helmet affords unobstructed visibility in all directions. The ocean piled atop me is beautiful — serene, quiet, teaming with life. Craning my neck within the helmet, I watch minute bubbles spiraling up alongside my oxygen tube. Each snakes independently toward the surface through blue and green layers of sea.
My partner and I work together to examine a large pylon-like structure that thrusts from the ocean floor. Its antiquity is evident in the thick layer of barnacles crusting the object. Generations of anemones have settled upon it and wave opaque tentacles in the ceaseless current, while crabs scuttle expertly over its uneven surface. But the pylon needs attention and repairs. We’re uncertain what’s wrong with it and how we’ll manage restoration.
My more immediate concern, however, is the water leaking into my helmet — the Scotch tape seal has lifted and a slow rise of sea water climbs within the glass, lapping against my neck, my chin, my jaw. Ineffectually, I attempt to mash the tape back down, by my movements are slow and awkward. My hands, encased in heavy gloves, are poor instruments for such delicate work.
“Leak” — C.Birde, 11/15
Nightjars & Damselflies 
🐠🐟🐡🐬🐳🐋
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Oh what a wonderful sketch. Thanks for sharing and congrats.
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How did you feel? Was this frightening or merely annoying? I guess you woke up soon after?
I like reading your dreams. It reminds me that I ought to be more diligent in writing mine, and of course I can’t help but wonder what they might mean for you – not that it’s any of my business, really . . .
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hi there — thank you for your questions…they prompted me to look a little more closely at this dream and to try to decode its message. A very good friend of mine introduced me to a Jungian-style approach to unraveling a dream’s meaning by Robert A. Johnson, which I have found very useful. To that end — in my dream, I was not frightened at all…more amazed to be submerged in the ocean, to feel that sense of buoyancy and to see the clear, blue-green water all around. I was very annoyed that my helmet was improperly secured (Scotch tape? really?!) and that I could not reseal the leak due to a poor choice of material and the fact that my gloves were too bulky to do the job.
If I look at the dream from Johnson’s perspective, in that there are certain archetypal symbols apparent — the ocean being feminine, the broken pylon being masculine in a yin/yang sort of sense — I think this dream is telling me that I’m currently unbalanced. Not only am I totally submerged within the ocean, it’s leaking into my helmet, threatening to drown me! And as far as the pylon is concerned, it’s old, crusted over from disuse has an unknown purpose, and I don’t know how I’ll fix it.
So, given all that, I am actually, in my waking life, in a place of suspense, a place of pause. I have several completed creative projects, but I need assistance to bring them into the world in the manner that I intend; I do not know how to do so myself — I lack the technological skills required, and the means to decipher and digest complex (to me) information and direction. Fortunately, I am rather patient (although, in the one case, I may be using this as an excuse to stall!)
Dreams are so very interesting — our subconscious is constantly working to communicate with us, and we are so devoted to ignoring our inner voice. Consequently, our subconscious will craft new dreams with new symbols intended to grab our attention. It can be amusing to simply “watch” our dreams, as if they are a form of entertainment, but it can be very enlightening to actually listen to what they have to say. 🙂
I encourage you to write out your dreams — even little bits and snatches, if that’s all that remain upon waking. And if you are interested, Robert A. Johnson’s book is called “Inner Work”, and it’s fantastic. There is another interesting book called “A Field Guide to Lucid Dreaming” by Dylan Tuccillo, Jared Heizel, and Thomas Peisel.
Happy dreaming!
–Carrie
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