Construct of a dream No 2

For most of my life I've had regular vivid dreams about constructed objects - mainly houses and buildings.

I wrote about a very cool building I "saw" in one of these dreams some time ago. I would dearly love to have this particular dream recur but it has so far eluded me :( It was such a powerful experience though that I don't think I shall ever forget it despite it being just the once. I can still "see" in my minds eye the details, colours and textures of that building.

I have probably another three or four "house dreams" that have remained with me over time. The details may be a little more muted in some but nevertheless it seems that my houses take on a life and identity of their own and remain with me long after the dream is over.

I can't MAKE myself dream about houses. I've tried! They come to me when I least expect them to and are an intense experience when they do appear.

I thought perhaps I should describe another one of the buildings of my dreams. I can "see" it in my head as I type but its not as clear as when I dreamt it the first time of course. I shall do my best to provide what details I can remember.

The Carved Mahogany House (in Asia?):

The setting was a warm, humid, maybe a tropical place. I remember it complete with smells and colours - very vivid and bright colours. It reminded me of the places I saw in India near the border of Andra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu just below the Deccan Plateau.

The street was a "typical" Indian road of bitumen and ashphelt with non-descript and crumbling edges beside non-existent footpaths. There were verdant green palm trees surrounding the building.

The house itself was quite large and boxy, styled a little bit like a low slung homestead you might find in the Australian Outback. It did not have the typical corrugated iron roofed verandah though. There were no bull-nosed iron verandahs here. Instead, the roof was made of the same deep rich red-brown wood as the rest of the house. The house seemed to be entirly carved from mahogany and was highly polished. It was as if the house was as much carved furniture as what might have been found inside.

The pitch of the roof was quite low, the angles flattened out somewhat and sweeping away from the crown to the sides making for very slightly fluted eaves which were not obviously so until you looked closely. This gave the building a kind of fixed but ephemeral quality - almost as if it were a spiritual place.

It seemed very asian in feel, style and character and yet its familiarity was for me very much like the "typical" aussie weatherboard homes I have been surrounded by for most of my life.

On the facia across the front of the roofline was a detailed frieze in relief. It was deeply and expertly carved into the wood and was both intricate and extraordinarily fluid in style and pattern. Nothing in this frieze seemed to have sharp edges on it; the carving was all rounded and perfectly smooth as if carved in marble instead of timber.

The front of the house was wide and low. Right in the centre, there was a low door with a very deep, wide lintel above it. Either side of this door, equi-distant, were two perfectly retangular windows. I don't remember if there were screens or panes in these.

The front verandah had five steps leading up under the low pitched roof-line to the front door. The mahogany here was also beautifully and cleverly carved in relief. I don't recall if I could actually see any wood-grain but I instinctively knew this house was made of exceptionally beautiful timber. In fact, the entire house seemed to be carved from a single piece of timber. It was as if it were one giant sculpture.

I never went inside this house, I only ever viewed it from the street but I remember pacing up and down in front of it totally mesmerised by the quality of the wood, the colour and the carvings on it. The traditional shape of the actual house - that boxy, squared off style of architechture, was solid and comforting but the all over intricate carving made it very unique and rather extraordinary.

I don't recall a lot of the details in the carvings on this house unfortunately. It was a sensory overload of detail really. I do remember some small things like traditional Indian artwork such as smiling, scantily clad women in various erotic poses; and I recall seeing the elephant motif - especially on the facia on the front of the house. The elephant was very smooth and highly polished. I recall being amazed that the walls were carved too - that EVERYTHING on this house was intricately carved in endless detail. Leaves, flowers, people, faces, animals - it was all there - I just can't remember it all clearly anymore. :(

I rememeber curves a lot, though! Despite the house being shaped like a low-slung box - everything else about it was sensuously curved and rounded. The high gloss thing on this house was somewhat odd and anachronistic really - it constantly surprised me anyway.

This house mesmerised me but also confused me. It was beautiful beyond belief but seemed out of time and place despite its definitive asian overtones.

As I write this today I'm struck by the possibility that these houses I dream about may actually be representative of parts of me. That may sound strange but I feel like I'm really seeing myself when I dream about my houses - that they are aspects of my character and personality buried deep within me somehow. It might also sound a bit boastful to say that though because I'm always amazed at the complexity and incredible beauty in the houses I dream. *blush*

My house dreams are usually very comforting and inspirational, and generally awe inspiring. They tend to occur before significant lifestyle changes and/or personal mindhops that I make in my awake life.

The house dreams that stay with me are like intimate friends now. The intensity of each first meeting may have dimmed with time but they still stick around long after to bring me joy and comfort.

I like dreaming about houses :)