Dream Log: May 21, 2002

I woke up with a jolt and found myself in the drivers seat. The car had swerved to the shoulder, I pulled it back on the lane. It was very early in the morning; 5 or so. I tried to recall where I'm going and see what highway I'm on, but I had already taken an exit.

I decided to return to highway but at the end of the ramp I saw a colorful busy street, and right in front of me was a huge temple, maybe a buddhist temple. There were a lot of strips of colored silky cloth tied to the poles around. The main enterance had a huge iron gate painted black. There was a big lawn outside the temple and the main building was towards the back.

I got out of my car and walked in. There were a lot of followers outside the temple, queued up for something. I walked towards the main temple structure. Inside, there were no idols, no worshippers, no monks, caretakers, no one in the temple. I walked from room to room. I was looking for an idol to kneel in front of, I had to ask for something, can't remember what.

The temple was made entirely of rough dark wood, even the floors, it looked like a very huge cottage, and none of the rooms were occupied, neither by man, nor by Gods.

I walked out, and saw that on top of a makeshift stage, a monk was standing looking at me. I asked him why there is no God in the temple. He asked me why I needed to see God? I gave him some short reason. He had several small wodden statues of some God with him kept at the back of the stage. He picked one and gave it to me. He said I can take it home.

There was a long queue of people of all different ages waiting for something. I looked at them but didn't join them. Children were playing at a distance in the lawn.

I kept standing there for long with the statue in my hands.

I think I should go visit a place of worship soon. Gods are calling. It's happened before...

Estimated Prophet

• Standing on the beach just past sunset with a crowd friends and strangers. We're in some kind of cult, and the mad scientist/guru is in our midst. He has just completed the construction of three ultralaser Doomsday devices with which he intends to bring the Eschaton in an elaborate mass suicide ritual. Picking up the second-most powerful of the three weapons he yells and points it towards the full moon shining directly overhead. The dusk sky is bathed in the entire visible spectrum from starry-blue in the mountains behind and fire out to sea. I watch with sinking dread as the full moon begins to ever-so-gently slip out of position, falling towards the horizon to chase the sun. It runs down the dome of the sky like a bead of water, growing in size and speed before hurtling over the horizon, swollen and terrifying. The mad guru has killed us all! He and his followers are euphoric, anticipating imminent death. In the next few moments violent earthquakes erupt in deafening roar, and soon an enormous tidal wave appears--marching towards us from miles away. I vocally exclaim my fear and unwillingness to be swallowed by the sea. Leaving the people behind I leap into the air, desperately flapping my arms to fly higher and higher. The moving mountain of sea water draws near as I make an aerial retreat high into the Santa Cruz mountains. The mile-high wave breaks against them under my feet as I hang, unharmed, suspended above the chaos.