The dream is the greatest of all psychic phenomena, for like
a god the dreamer is a creator of worlds. But what are dreams?
Shadows of our waking life, airy nothings? Perhaps not, say some who don’t mind subverting conventional
wisdom. According to philosophers C.D. Broad and H.H. Price, our waking minds
are immersed in an extended dream world, which continues with its business,
even as we carry on in waking reality.
Moreover, there’s a flimsy partition between waking and
dream reality. Dozing off at your
desk or on a train ride can plunge you into another world, incongruous and
unexpected. Ingest a magic mushroom or smoke some weed, and a pile of
garbage may become an enchanting landscape. Nearly die and you may find yourself whirling out of your
body into a strange light and meeting your dead granny and uncle Harry.