Robert Kathman

I'm happy to get the chance to exhibit these dreams to those who are really interested in such things. I've been writing down my dreams since 1977 and began to draw them in comic formats in 1991.

When I draw a dream, I'm usually taken with it in some special way. Often the narrative follows a common story-telling form of beginning, middle and end. Also, some dreams I have come about like cartoon panels in a comic strip with a set-up, conflict and resolution...or as a joke ending with a punch line. Since they are dreams, the punch line is not always very funny in a conventional sense but I do get a kick out of presenting them how they were dreamt and resolved.

•

The Ball of Light Dream

Self Analysis:

I'm just going to riff off my symbolic impressions and then step back and see what I can make of it.

I see a boat with a radar dish. As I've come to understand, bodies of water can represent the subconscious itself. A boat floating on it seems a "safe" way to sail on the subconscious without going too deep, and a radar dish seems like an excellent way to represent information being received or "tuned in". What is broadcasting a message? Is it in code? (Symbols in the dream?)

The officer could be a sort of authority figure, some go-between the mystery and the understood. I can "trust" him (can I?) or at least show respect. As a military officer, he could be feared by those below him and in this case, am I afraid of the messenger (the dream) or the message it holds?
The different colored balls of light...what to make of them? Illuminators. Ideas (light bulbs). Living creatures? Powerful. They were discovered by the military, who seem to represent an authority. They "found" what seems to be a natural, or at least real, phenomenon. They can find them and reproduce them. What would be the benifit of creating and controlling balls of light?

They found some of the light balls, but not all of them.

Their hunt for the rest of the colors appears to be a secret operation. Do I have some secret search going on inside of me I don't realize or understand? If so, I've found some of them already and some are still to be found... it's only logical if all the colors of the rainbow are to be represented, there has to be more left to find. Or does this mimic conspiracy theories I've heard about...specifically that the military is aware of what creates crop circles and (as has been witnessed) they know they are balls of light?
I'm told I float off the ground in their presence. Are these what make me fly in dreams or do they lift me up somehow, emotionally, spiritually? Do I fear losing control? I seem to be worried about how something/someone would know this besides myself. Am I intimidated by those who appear to be more knowledgeable about things than myself?

Then I seem to know or at least believe something the authority doesn't, something a psychic might know. I believe the red ball could "cover a country". My immediate symbol for red would be "anger" or "war" ...then "passion" and "life". Is this foretelling of the war fever that came after 9/11? Or is it more personal...I suppress anger since I "believe" it will come out so huge it will take over my world? My feeling about the red ball of light is neutral, as if it is only a natural part of life. It seems like a storm that will blow over.

The "punch line" is that I seem to already know what will happen when they find the purple ball...which seems to make me chuckle to myself. Am I happy because I believe there really are things I can know that others don't know? In that regard, was I "chosen" by the military to help them as an ego boost to my suffering self esteem? The first things to come to mind in association with purple would be "creative" and "spiritual". Could the "creative" light be what I need to feel happy?

Maybe I realize that when all is said and done, one of the last lights will
be hopeful and helpful.

•

Reality Arrangement

Self Analysis:

I see a biplane fly...something quaint & charming (from another time) mixed with an impression of military weaponry (danger?). Something miraculous (man flying) and something outdated, possibly faulty or rickety.

I witness a plane crash. A tragedy and I'm in shock. I'm afraid but still feel compelled to try and rescue the pilot. (Doing something I don't want to do and fear doing but nevertheless, doing it because I feel I have to.)

The pilot lives. Another miracle. I'm surprised again. (Supposing the biplane is part of me or my psyche, I'm shown I can recover from failure)
Taught how to preserve reality...in this case, the dream. Am I being shown how to remain lucid in my dream? I have some kind of responsibility...I'm a student and then I'm in charge. I'm "pulling the strings"...although they were wires and I imagined they were holding something together. I was also in relative darkness with no scenery, but standing in a spotlight.

My feeling of having the dream change from participating in a narrative to being aware of what was really going on, was a mind blower. I was really convinced that I was now living in the real waking world but it was different from our waking world and that to wake up would put me back in a dream world, the life I currently lead. This terrified me since I felt like I missed my waking life but was also afraid to go back to something that wasn't altogether true or real...just imaginary. It was stressful, since it was also all up to me to arrange it and keep it going, but I really had no idea what I was doing by pulling those wires.

Ah, the predicament of living! ;)

•