I'm not someone who thinks dreams hold any kind of spiritual or metaphysical significance. From studies showing that when people are prevented from dreaming, they develop memory and cognitive problems, it's clear that dreams play some kind of role in maintaining mental function. I don't pretend to know the real purpose of dreams, but I have a hypothesis that they're roughly analogous to defragmenting a hard drive -- the brain moving and consolidating thoughts and memories, and this process sometimes touches on the "aware" part of the mind as strange nonsensical flickers, just like the kind of random data fragments you'd see if you monitored data moving around in a computer. Of course, I could be totally off-base, but the point is I think dreams are just a natural part of the body's processes.
But none of that is to say that dreams can't be very interesting sometimes.
I had a dream a little while ago that popped back in my head while walking during my lunch break today. Dreams can be hard to describe, but I'll try. I was standing in a dark world, alone. I was vaguely aware of a vast landscape sprawling around me, and maybe hills or mountains in the distance, but it was hard to tell because it was just splotches of darkness against even darker splotches. The sky was a black void speckled with tiny stars, and by far the most dominating feature of the landscape: a huge, incredibly vivid pink disc, a sun that shone with intense, bright light, yet illuminated nothing -- except for a table nearby. Strangely, the table was clear and well-lit while the rest of the landscape was cloaked in blackness. The table had upon it a tablecloth, and atop it sat a glass of wine. (A curious feature, as I don't drink -- but then who's to say the glass was for me?) I think the temperature might have been cool, but not uncomfortably so.
Superficially, this landscape might sound ominous or frightening, but there was no such feeling in the dream at all. Rather, it felt profoundly peaceful. There was a sense of tranquility, and solitude without loneliness. There was also a sense of eternity, almost like some kind of afterlife. It was a mysterious, otherworldly landscape, filled with enchantment.
Perhaps I've been able to convey just a touch of the strange and surreal yet comforting feeling of the dream. To me at least, it's a very intriguing picture. There's no story, events, or characters, like some dreams have -- but it almost makes me want to explore it in a story. What kind of story could arise from this as a starting point? An interesting thing to contemplate.
I've had a few other dreams with highly evocative landscapes. It might be fun to put those into writing as well -- another time.