Out of the mouths of babes...

Originally Posted by AnotherBob

Ironically, the Catholic doctrine considers the age of 7 as "the age of reason", which in effect means that the child would be conditioned enough by the prevailing reality/morality descriptions to be able to differentiate the nominal "right & wrong" behaviors in that culture. Some mystics claim to have gone beyond reason, which historically may have put many of them at odds with the dominant culture's protocols in that regard -- the same cultures habitually rhapsodizing on the innocence of little ones. This is cognitive dissonance, a commonly shared malady of the perceptual/interpretive mechanism.

Hi.. my children were brought up in the Catholic faith ( I myself am not Catholic) . And yes, by age 7 recieve their first holy communion... The experience I had of a child up until the age of 7 having "knowledge" and then losing it was my firstborn. The things he told me from age 2 to 7 would blow you away. Talks of God (age2).. past lives(age3) ..life not being real , just a dream ( age 6).. and throughout his life, during illness his absolute total fear of bombs. If he got poorly he would get a fever, and his terror during this was being blown up by bombs. Or he dreamt of bombs. I was the only one he trusted. When the war on Iraq was declared, and he saw the news report his first question was " mummy, will they drop bombs on us?"... He was terrified. Then age 7 it all stopped.

[AnotherBob]

Originally Posted by Elfin

If he got poorly he would get a fever, and his terror during this was being blown up by bombs. Or he dreamt of bombs.

I had horrible nightmares of walking through a nuclear landscape -- the fires. I attribute this to propaganda of the day (early 1950's), and the constant A-bomb drills involving hiding under our desks that we were forced to endure. Ironically, the world today is even more threatening -- I have no doubt all of it contributes to endless neuroses among both young and old. This is Fear's heyday, but it will pass.

Originally Posted by AnotherBob

I had horrible nightmares of walking through a nuclear landscape -- the fires. I attribute this to propaganda of the day (early 1950's), and the constant A-bomb drills involving hiding under our desks that we were forced to endure. Ironically, the world today is even more threatening -- I have no doubt all of it contributes to endless neuroses among both young and old. This is Fear's heyday, but it will pass.

I used to have terrible dreams about nuclear fallout. In my dreams I could see the "mushroom"... And the only way to survive was to subverse under water .. so I would put my children under the stream, and I would sheild them, but my back would not be completely covered and I knew I would die, but my children would survive.

[AnotherBob]

Originally Posted by Elfin

And the only way to survive was to subverse under water ..

Water had that attraction for me too. My favorite comic book character was Aquaman. I wanted to be able to breathe underwater, but I could only do it while dreaming. When I tried to do it in a pool, I was unable to do so, which was frustrating, but it helped me to understand about living in limitation. I enjoyed learning how to fly at night too, although when the class ended after a number of years, I rarely flew anymore while dreaming (at least as I recall).

Originally Posted by AnotherBob

Water had that attraction for me too. My favorite comic book character was Aquaman. I wanted to be able to breathe underwater, but I could only do it while dreaming. When I tried to do it in a pool, I was unable to do so, which was frustrating, but it helped me to understand about living in limitation. I enjoyed learning how to fly at night too, although when the class ended after a number of years, I rarely flew anymore while dreaming (at least as I recall).

.... And isn't that strange.. because in real life I can only swim under water...not on top!!! ..and in my dreams ( or otherwise) I flew over the sea so often. It was a recurring dream.i would run off a cliff and then be flying over the ocean. And the ocean was always the same. A colourful patchwork quilt , but it moved like the waves, and I had that same feeling in my tummy like you get on a rollercoaster!

[AnotherBob]

Originally Posted by Elfin

.... I flew over the sea so often. It was a recurring dream.i would run off a cliff and then be flying over the ocean.

My final exam in that flying class had me fly over to the Rock of Gibraltar, then turn like a swimmer, and push off from its cliff to glide out over the sea. I was very gratified when the test went without a hitch. Good times!

Originally Posted by AnotherBob

My final exam in that flying class had me fly over to the Rock of Gibraltar, then turn like a swimmer, and push off from its cliff to glide out over the sea. I was very gratified when the test went without a hitch. Good times!

Lovely. And yet all I can do now is paddle on the edge. I used to like flying. I have flown everywhere ..across the sea, across the city, to the universe...and have never flown in real life !!!!!!

[AnotherBob]

Originally Posted by Elfin

Lovely. And yet all I can do now is paddle on the edge. I used to like flying. I have flown everywhere ..across the sea, across the city, to the universe...and have never flown in real life !!!!!!

By comparison, it's a bit melodramatic in the physical, but I'm a sky-gazer so any chance to go up through the clouds is an opportunity.

Originally Posted by AnotherBob

By comparison, it's a bit melodramatic in the physical, but I'm a sky-gazer so any chance to go up through the clouds is an opportunity.

Would you go up in a space rocket in real life? I would be too frightened... But my soul would be there quick as a flash whenever the mood takes lol.

[AnotherBob]

Originally Posted by Elfin

Would you go up in a space rocket in real life? I would be too frightened... But my soul would be there quick as a flash whenever the mood takes lol.

I would go if my Beloved and our Chihuahua wanted to give it a try with me, since we stick together when we go out. Also, space travel seems somehow familiar, you know?