Let’s Dream Together: 4th Matrix 16th September 2026
The pre-matrix phase began with an observation of a wall bracket for a saxophone, with a smaller group assembling after several members indicated they would be unable to attend, due to time issues.
THE MATRIX
During the matrix phase, dream imagery and associations centered on movement, altitude, and journeying. One dream involved being in a large room full of people before departing in a left-hand drive white van driven by a round-headed man. Traveling along high, winding mountain roads, the vehicle was driven straight off a cliff into a quarry or strip mine. Rather than inciting panic or fear, the van plummeted rapidly, landed seamlessly on the ground below, and continued moving forward.
This prompted associations to another dream set in Tenerife, where a conductor was recruiting musicians for a concert. The dreamer volunteered for the bass drum and kettle drum without prior experience. After rehearsals were cancelled at the last minute, a drive along a winding mountain road revealed a sunset forming a watercolor-like tunnel of light, evoking a sense of homesickness. A real-life memory followed of driving down a Swiss mountain road toward Geneva airport with colleagues, accompanied by sadness at the realization that it might be their final time working together.
The narrative then shifted toward Switzerland, commercial obligations, and timekeeping. A dream was shared of being in Switzerland and being forced by a manager to buy ten Swiss watches for clients out of personal funds using sterling and euros, generating feelings of resentment as cold logic superseded emotion. This sparked a mishearing of “sterling and euros” as “sterling and Oreos,” conjuring visual associations of silver forks and biscuits.
Further childhood associations emerged regarding strict rules surrounding sweets—such as being offered Hydrox cookies instead of Oreos—and a family commercial rivalry between Pepsi and Coca-Cola. Reflections also turned to automatic watches—specifically an inherited parent’s watch and a gifted sailing watch—and how both stop functioning when left unworn.
Themes of time and temporal relativity continued to unfold through varied cultural and personal references. Mentions of the novel Einstein’s Dreams introduced relativity and time through alternate dream worlds in Switzerland, alongside a Lego model of the DeLorean from Back to the Future with its dog named Einstein. Additional associations included a pet named Oreo and a morning conversation about moving houses and managing uncertainty.
Spatial distortion and physical mortality emerged in subsequent dreams. One dream featured Charleston, South Carolina, rendered in an unusually vertical landscape with steep staircases, a multi-building home connected by dangerous ledges, a clear pool, free Thai massages, and a film screening where dancers wore sponsor-branded t-shirts.
Another dream described heart cancer identified by two small black dots deep within the heart, producing a mixture of sadness and relief while framing death as an entry point to near-death experiences. A further dream involved the sudden death of a mother, followed by a partner being struck by illness or an accident marked by freckles, centered on administrative anxiety and an insurance rule requiring twelve months before repatriating the body.
Musical associations surfaced, referencing “The End” by The Beatles and “This Will Be the Last Time” by The Rolling Stones, alongside a dream about trying to appease an antagonistic work colleague before receiving an invitation from an old contact to travel for a few days.
REFLECTION
In the final phase, participants discussed how the session moved from early linear imagery of mountains and roads into complex, multidimensional concepts of time and space. The reference to Charleston was noted not only as a location, but as the dance itself, offering a metaphor for the matrix as a collective dance where associations and images move together. Humor, mishearings, and lighthearted observations frequently served as a protective psychological shield against heavy topics like falling, near-death experiences, and mortality.
Participants wondered if they were focusing too much on their own private lives and individual thoughts. However, they realized that in a matrix, even when someone shares a very personal dream or memory, it usually touches on shared human experiences that resonate with everyone. Participants stepped away from their daily routines, treating the session as a space outside normal time where striking coincidences tied everyone’s dreams together. Finally, a late arrival who joined just as the matrix concluded—delayed by poor cell reception in a forest—mirrored the session’s overarching theme of warped time, leaving the group with a reference to Ingmar Bergman’s film Wild Strawberries and its opening clock imagery.
