"Tornadoes" (Night of Wednesday, April 27, 2016)

Significant Events of the Day:

It was the day after the U.S. Embassy program at the Ambassador's Residence, and I was able to work on my painting again the entire day.


The Dream:

I am on a street in Malate. It is a bright afternoon. Everything is relatively peaceful until I notice that there are two tornadoes in the distance coming in my direction. The tornado on the left is dark and foreboding; it is the same tornado that has been appearing in many of my dreams since I was a little boy and that I have come to interpret as my Shadow, comprised mainly of suppressed anger and dark urges. The tornado on the right is surreal; it is like an image from Cartoon Network and is made up of colorful, printed balls and machine parts, and is spectacular but threatening.

As both tornadoes approach I see LL, the stage director. I tell the crowd, "Everyone, go inside!", meaning, inside concrete buildings. LL  and I dash up the stairs of a two-story building. It has a coffee shop on the ground floor and living space on the upper floor. As we go up the stairs I tell LL, "No one listens to what I tell them." He replies, "No one listens to a seer in his own country, like that woman." "Cassandra," I say, and he assents.

We wait anxiously in the sitting room on the upper floor. I watch the two tornadoes come down the street and cover the sky above us completely. The dark tornado swirls by, and then the surreal tornado follows. One of the big, cartoon balls bumps against the window but no damage is done. This is followed by a cartoon machine part shaped like a dumbbell or a wrench. It crashes against the roof of the building and I am momentarily terrified. The dumbbell/wrench stays where it is, against an eave, for a few seconds, until it is finally swept away.

Later I ask one of the old ladies who work in the coffee shop whether they still produce the chocolate balls that the coffee shop is known for. I am interested in buying one. "Kakainin natin," the old lady suggests, but I say no, because I intend to have the chocolate all to myself.

Since the tornadoes have passed LL and I go downstairs. Once again, at the counter, I ask another female employee whether I can purchase a chocolate ball, this time to bring home to my granddaughters, but the female at the counter says that it will take time to prepare, that it is big and heavy, and that I need to have a bag and a soft wrap to protect the chocolate for my trip home. I have none, and I so decide to pass on the purchase.

Back on the street I see that the roof gutter was dented by the cartoon dumbbell/wrench within the surreal tornado, and I shudder at having come that close to danger.


My Interpretation:

The second tornado is the creative aspect of my Shadow. I have been working on a painting recently, and it depicts denizens of the Philippine underworld. It is possible that, even at the age of 65, my Shadow has become my ally, although it is still an overwhelming figure, and will probably remain so.

My interest in chocolate might reflect my hunger for some companionship at this time. I choose complete solitude when I am writing and painting. My attending the Embassy event could have jump-started this dormant need within me, despite my desire to live my life as an urban hermit, because it really was nice to mingle with old friends and former co-workers once again.