“Dreams, if they’re any good, are always a little bit crazy. ” ―
I dream epic dreams, full of technicolor details and heart-pounding scenarios, almost every night. I’d love to dream that I’m simply lying on a beach reading a favorite book—all peace and tranquility—but that’s not how my brain works. I’m sometimes wandering around an unfamiliar city or navigating narrow corridors and twisted stairways in a strange and cramped building. Or my basement is filling up with hundreds of unfamiliar cats (this is a recurring one). I must be burning calories with all of this nightly exertion. No wonder I need coffee as soon as I step out of bed.
I’ve thought about of recording my dreams but never followed through—until Baron Fig released their Wander Dream Journal. This perfectly designed, star decorated, clothbound notebook is exactly what I needed to turn that vague urge into concrete action.
Each two page spread contains simple “checklist” style prompts, in the margins, that make it quick and easy to record basic dream parameters, like Emotion…
Sleep Quality…
Time…
Color…
Viewpoint…
and Type…
The prompts are a great idea and I often check them off first thing in the morning, even if I don’t have enough time to record the dream’s details until later.
To capture the plot, specific details, and meaning of each dream, the pages are divided into three sections—Recall, Visualize, and Interpret. So you can see exactly how I use my Wander journal, I’m sharing the dream I had two nights ago—one in which I had a dream inside my actual dream. First time that’s ever happen, I think. This unusual double dream absolutely called out to be documented.
In the lined Recall section, I described what happened in my dream within a dream. How I was driving but couldn’t see more than a few feet ahead of my car. How I was sure that I’d crash before I got to my destination. How panicky I felt. (Where is that beach that I so crave?!?!)
The blank Visualize section is where you’re prompted to record what the dream looked like. This is the tricky part for me, as my drawing skills are not very well developed. It’s usually the last part I complete because this art piece doesn’t come naturally to me. But—surprise, surprise—it’s the part I’m having the most fun with.
When I figure out an image that I want to use to represent some aspect of my dream, I google doodling websites to get some basic guidance, then take an amateurish stab at it. What a great way to practice a skill that I’ve always wanted to get better at—sketching and drawing. Tamping down my perfectionism always takes some doing and this feels like another step in the right direction.
The dot-lined Interpret section is where you can take a stab at interpreting your dream. I’m going through a pretty stressful rough patch with my elderly parents (health issues, anxiety issues, complicated life decisions to be navigated, all while working full time) and so my “driving blind” dream didn’t take a genius to unravel. But—oddly enough—as I wrote out my thoughts, I found a positive message in what seemed to be a very negative dream. I felt relief, and just a little bit of the mental peace that’s been in very short supply lately. Had I not written out my interpretation of this dream, I doubt I would’ve discovered this optimistic nugget.
Baron Fig’s Wander Dream Journal is obviously a niche product. If you rarely remember your dreams, it’s probably not for you. And if you’re happy recording your dreams in a regular notebook, that’s fine, too. But for those of us who dream ferociously, and who like contemplating what those dreams mean, this is the perfect product. With its simple guided checklists and trio of prompts, this is a journal that provides the perfect balance of structure and space to explore those nighttime stories and mental mysteries.
I started writing morning pages over two years ago and that habit is now rooted so deeply that I’ll never give it up as long as I can hold a pen. I can see dream journaling becoming just as important. I’m thrilled to be recording—and drawing—my dreams after casually kicking around the idea for years.
Baron Fig’s Wander Dream Journal is exactly what I needed to make that daunting leap from inaction to action. From “I should” to “I am.” From dream confusion to dream insight. How could I not love this notebook?
And who knows, maybe someday I’ll be drawing that beach.
“Dreams are stories made by and for the dreamer, and each dreamer has his own folds to open and knots to untie.”
―
Sweet dreams, my friends.
The Baron Fig Wander Dream Journal was purchased with my own funds, as were all of the products pictured in this review.
From the Pen Cup 
Wow, I envy your epic, ferocious dreams! Mine are sometimes entertaining or mildly strange, but nothing I would call epic. Well, occasionally I have lucid dreams in which I can fly really well (it’s very cool 😉 ), but not often enough. Anyway, thank you for allowing us to see your example — what a vivid, interesting dream-within-a-dream! Like Shakespeare’s play-within-a-play. I think it is tapping into your inner storyteller. 😉 And I love that you are using the journal as an opportunity to sketch!
– Tina
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