Samuel Taylor Coleridge, romantic poet, had been prescribed an anodyne of opium in his ill-health. From the effects of the opium, he fell into a deep slumber one afternoon while he sat reading a book by Samuel Purchas describing Xanadu, the summer capital of Kubla Khan’s Yuan Empire. Coleridge slept for three hours and dreamt vividly of the majestic city of Xanadu. On waking up, he seemed to have a distinct recollection of his dream, and without wasting a moment, picked up his pen to record it in a poem.
In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree :
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea.
So twice five miles of fertile ground
With walls and towers were girdled round:
And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills,
Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree;
And here were forests ancient as the hills,
Enfolding sunny spots of greenery.
Click here to read the full poem
Unfortunately, he was interrupted while writing. Upon returning to his desk after an hour, he discovered that the images had vanished from his memory, and he could no longer recollect the precious dream he’d so desperately tried to preserve.
Xanadu illustration by Patten Wilson
But why this sudden talk of Coleridge, you ask? Well, he might have given us the ultimate key to creativity! A dream journal, or a simple record of your dreams is a powerful simulator for thoughts. The perfect antidote to a writer’s block is a daily entry of nightly visions.
The modus operandi is simple:
1. Put a notebook beside your bed every night before drifting off to sleep, and remind yourself that you intend on recording your dreams.
2. Before getting out of bed the next morning and thinking about your day, take a few minutes to jot down scraps of whatever you can remember.
3. Be sure to date all entries and give each a suitable title.
However, you must remember to record this as soon as possible, before the dream slips from memory. After all, you don’t want to meet with Coleridge’s fate, do you?
Donna’s Dream Diary by Killashandra Falta
The world has been obsessed with dreams since the dawn of time. Sumerians and Egyptians believed dreams were messages from the gods and portents of the future, while the Greeks and Romans considered them a source of liberation and therapy. Well, why not prophesize your own theories after trying this out?
Trust us on this one, it’s tried and tested. Dream journals will instantly help you see the world differently and inspire you while destroying that creative block so many of us encounter. They’ve also been proven to help induce REM sleep cycles and Lucid Dreaming.
Austin Kleon’s sketchnote visualisation of Carl Jung’s Book ‘Memories, Dreams, Reflections’
Sounds exciting, doesn’t it? Well then go try it out! We’d love to read about the weird things floating about in your subconscious mind.
