Dream Sharing
"Speak as you would from your past,
breathe as you would with your heart,
dream as you would from your soul,
share as you would with your nest."
Background
Dream Sharing is a social practice on P'Ache Micro which has been around since the Age of Branches, approximately -2500 PT. The custom revolves around using the Macran Pipe to smoke a small amount of dried Hanid, a plant most commonly found in the swamps on P'Ache Micro. Traditionally, a group of people (usually between four and eight people per pipe) sit together outside and take it in turns to slowly inhale the smoke of the pipe. The effect of inhaling slowly allows the person to drift into memories. They then speak their truths and the rest of the group listens. They pass the pipe to the person next to them who smokes the pipe and then builds on the truths that have gone before.Example
Person 1: I had a boat. It was long and sturdy and travelled swiftly through the swells. I made it with my father, and it was my pride and joy. Person 2: The boats that moved swiftly around the hometree where my parents lived traversed the swells and carried people down river towards the sea. From my room, they looked like fish finding their way home. Person 3: I met a fisherman once when I was younger. His boat was full of red and green nets. In his buckets, there were fish I had never seen before. He told my mother he was far from home and we let him sleep in our kitchen. We had fish for dinner.Purpose
Dream sharing serves several purposes both for Macrans in general, but also for them as individuals.Social Lubricant
Unlike others in P'Ache Solar System, the Macrans don't use alcohol as a social lubricant. Dream sharing is often used as a replacement for this, as a way of getting to know people and loosening up. No one can be judged for the dreams they have and the words they speak while dream sharing, so it forces an openness which may not come naturally.Social Connections
The very nature of dream sharing requires connections to be formed. Each person builds on the truth which came before, allowing their mind and the hanid to find connections between them and the people around them. It joins people in a way they may not have otherwise been able to, and can calm quarrels between neighbours.Sharing Lessons
Dream sharing is not a pastime for a specific age group or particular social class. While people most often do it with friends of their own age, cross-generational dream sharing is a regular occurrence because it allows lessons to pass between generations.Remembering Histories
While Macrans do have some written histories, for smaller communities and families, their histories are often passed down by dream sharing. These are usually done during specific events, where the topic is agreed before they start smoking, and is targeted by the first person.History
Dream sharing was invented in the Age of Branches after it was discovered that smoking dried hanid had a calming and pleasing effect which allowed people to drift into memories. Throughout the centuries, dream sharing remained a constant. It was even used during some of the conversations between warring settlements to start the peace talks. It was banned after the passing of the Societal Betterment Act in 272 PT, which called for an end to "any and all activities which could be considered unhygienic, morally ambiguous, depraved or encourage a destabilising of the societal ideals laid out in The Treaty". Despite the ban it was still practiced, but less frequently and not out in the open. However, at the end of The Second Micro Rebellion in 357 PT, the Societal Betterment Act was ended and dream sharing was reintroduced. It never quite reached the heights it had been at before.Related Articles
| Locations | Ecosystem of Nuskan Swamps, 271 PT, Nuskan, P'Ache Micro, P'Ache Solar System, Peacekeeper Territories |
|---|---|
| Species | Macran, Hanid |
| History | Ecosystem of Nuskan Swamps, 271 PT, The First Micro Rebellion, The Second Micro Rebellion |
| Culture | Macran Pipe |
Primary Related Location
Related Ethnicities
Dreamsharing, looks like we have a common theme right now. :D
We really do! XD