Dreamscapes - The Midnight Sun

David Scott, Puck Fleeing from the Dawn, 1837
(National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh)

This week marks the summer solstice, the shortest night of the year in the northern hemisphere. Given that I live in a northern latitude and blog about the night, it's probably pretty obvious that I've never been a big fan of these long days, when the light lingers as late as 10 o'clock in clear weather. I don't have a good explanation for it - just a vague sense that the day should somehow not last so long, that no good can come of it.

Which perhaps explains why the midnight sun has, from time to time, made an appearance in my dreams. I've never seen the midnight sun - I don't live that far north, and never have. But in this recurring dream, I am standing in a familiar place, a room, and I look out the window. The sun is in the western sky, but nowhere close to setting. I observe it calmly, but then remember that it's three in the morning, and the sun should not be shining. The dream ends; the overall effect is unsettling.

What is the interpretation of the dream? That something related to that room (my associations with it) requires illumination of an uncommon sort; otherwise, I might not accept what is revealed. Has that actually happened in real life - has some insight has been given? Yes, but there may be more to come. It's hard to tell for certain. Such is the elusive nature of dreams, especially ones that call into question established patterns of thinking.

Dreams serve as bellweathers, challenging us to change course or give up beliefs that no longer serve us. Clarity can be hard-earned, and we might not like what we come to see, but our dreams can point the way through and forward, the path to new frontiers.

Finally, a note about the image: Puck, from A Midsummer Night's Dream, flees the coming dawn. In the final scene of the play, he says:

And we fairies, that do run
By the triple Hecate's team,
From the presence of the sun,
Following darkness like a dream,
Now are frolic.