It’s hard to say exactly how the structure looks like, without actually mapping your own structure out. It’s probably a lot more web-like than ladder like, but there must be a lot of hierarchy or at least feedback loops involved.

I’m starting to study this in reading about Personal Construct Theory, which holds that personal constructs are well organized. And some construct are superordinate to the more subordinate ones. It’s fascinating stuff, and I think consistent journaling is an invaluable starting point.

I have been journaling since I’m six years old (i.e 22 years) and often re-read my journals. I find that when I look back on journals from a few years ago, I can easily understand the thoughts and beliefs behind the emotions I expressed by way of descriptions, poems, songs, stories or ramblings.

When I re-read my journals from last week, month or even year, I still find it difficult to “read the map” or comprehend the hierarchy . Emotions, thoughts, beliefs etc seem intertwined like a spider web.

Your childhood dream sounds really cool. Could it be a representation of consciousness perhaps? That as we become more aware of our belief grids we can better choose them, and step up to levels that allow for more perspective? Or is that me just injecting Mindful Construct into your dream? :P

Thanks for sharing.

I believe wholeheartedly that dreams are some of the most powerful experiences we can have in life. I’m a huge fan of cinema, yet no movie I’ve ever seen has come close to the sweeping landscapes of my dreams. The old woman with the cryptic bird-script — how classic is that? Speaking of hierarchy of the subconscious, I’ll never forget a childhood dream I had of slowing, meanderingly climbing an enormous step-pyramid, an adobe-like hue. Each step was gigantic, about twenty feet high, and everyone I knew, it seemed, was hanging out on this massive structure. People were all on different levels some below me, some above, and I was somehow able to zoom out and look at the whole thing, watching people take their time on each level, but eventually finding little pathways that would get them to the next step. Somehow, your entry just jogged my memory of this one… Thanks!