LOVE THYSELF AS THY NEIGHBOR

December 25, 2011

Dear Dreamers:

I’m in an open field, it’s nighttime...the sky is clear and filled with stars and the air is brisk.  There’s a bunch of us milling around...seems like we’re camping.  But I also think we’re “on the road,” a group of entertainers, perhaps musicians, resting for the moment and hanging out.  Aside from this general group activity, all I really remember from this dream is that one of the men wanted to have sex with my husband, which he seemed willing to try.  I was shocked, and woke up not knowing what happens next!

***

Interesting.  The first thing that occurred to me about this dream is that I sometimes think others get the best part of my husband.  That is, I believe he’s funniest, smartest and most engaging when we’re in the company of other people.  When we’re at home together, it often feels to me like we take each other for granted, and somehow that wonderful feeling of comfort turns to stupor.  I wonder...is this a Christmas message...be grateful for what I have and don’t take the gifts for granted?  Perhaps.  And if I consider that all the characters in the dream represent parts of me, perhaps it’s a message to appreciate myself more, too.  And to love myself as well.  This makes sense, given that before falling asleep I was being highly self-critical for over-indulging in rich foods and mulled wine last night.  How wrong it is to be cruel to ourselves in this way! What a waste of time and energy...and what exactly do I create with these thoughts?  


Once again I am reminded how much our late night activities and thoughts influence our sleeping state and our dreams.  

I am grateful for the wisdom of the night movies, especially when they remind me to be kinder to myself.

What do you think?

‘Til next time...

Happy dreams!

Bev

THE BIG HOUSE

December 15, 2011

Dear Dreamers:

I’m outdoors with several friends, sitting in the bright sun in the middle of a park in the middle of a city.  I tell one woman that I may not go out for dinner with them and she starts to cry...”it’s not the same without you”, “it’s no fun without you”.  

The next scene, we’re all getting off a bus that runs right through a residence.  It’s a beautiful huge white marble home.  One side of the house is completely open with steps 50 feet wide leading up to the sidewalk.  Directly across the street is a huge white marble office building shining brightly in the sun.  We’re in one room of the home that looks like a bedroom.  It’s very colorful...brick-color walls and big colorful prints on the bedspread, curtains and lampshades.  There’s a huge water bed in the center of the room.   We were watching a theatrical performance of some kind, but it was not sexual.  Suddenly we’re in the kitchen heading out of the home.  The family is eating breakfast.  We excuse ourselves, somewhat embarrassed to be intruding.  They are very nice, telling us it’s ok, no problem, etc.  I wonder aloud why they bought a home with a bus running through it...it seems they were ok with the fact that the bus only comes through a few times a day, and besides it’s a magnificent place, so it’s worth it to them.

***

This one puzzled me, so it’s been a few days since the dream ‘til now.  Again, let’s assume all parts of the dream are me.  It would seem that all parts of me want to be acknowledged and accepted, and miss me when I abandon them. But what are those qualities I may be leaving behind?  Perhaps they’re unwanted things, such as pettiness, impatience, dissatisfaction.  Those are qualities I am happy to leave behind!  Because of the general good feelings resulting from this dream, I don’t get the sense I'm leaving behind positive qualities, such as creativity, compassion or joy.  


Ok, so what about the house with the bus running through it...

If I am the house, big, “magnificent”, with direct open access to an even grander part of me, why am I just visiting?  I realize it's not me that's visiting...I am that place.  Rather it is aspects of me that are visiting, that come and go, and the bus just brings them and drops them off as appropriate.  The bus is the conduit to the plethora of shifting emotions and experiences, bringing them in and taking them away.  So I realize this is about allowing and awareness of the connections with all the roles I play and the concurrent various internal experiences I encounter as a result.  And it's also about allowing these conscious connections in order to bring me closer to who I really am spiritually.  Perhaps I’m also trying to connect my sexuality (the bedroom) and personal expansiveness with the business-like or spiritual, either of which could be represented by the big office building across the street.

The one thing I am clear about in this dream is that this was a good-feeling dream.  I felt free in this dream, enjoying who I was where I was and getting a good chuckle about the bus.

What do you think?

‘Til next time...

Happy dreams!

Bev

LOVE AND OTHER JEWELS

December 13, 2011

Dear Dreamers:

I’m sprawled on a big bed with my brother...both of us clothed, just talking about stuff...about life.  There’s clothes piled everywhere as if one or both of us just moved into this place and we’re still arranging things.  Immediately the scene switches to us walking on the street, same thoughtful demeanor.  Finallly, we’re in front of a big multi-story home.  Whereas there was a lot of color in both the previous scenes, this one is all white and ethereal looking.  We’re sitting on the steps at the entrance, and my question to him is “does he feel fulfilled?” His answer is “yes” and we talk about that some more.  While we’re talking, I’m picking up pieces of jewelry that are laying on the ground...finely carved ivory, silver, abalone, unknown semi- and precious stones.  I wonder who left them and why.

***

If I consider that my brother, in this case, is another part of me, the male (or as Carl Jung identified it, the animus), I can see this dream as being about integration of the male/female sides of me.  As there is no conflict between us in this dream, and in fact we seem very connected, I am assuming that my unconscious is telling me I am accepting of both my masculine and feminine sides, which is a good thing.  

I wonder what prompted the attention to this topic, and the first thing that comes to mind are a couple of recent comments I made, one at a party and one at a theatrical event.  Both were rather “unlady-like” comments, but very funny.  I may have offended a few folks by them, but others, especially my husband, lauged.  This felt good and gave me much satisfaction.  In fact, the more I think about it, I’m happy to realize I received satisfaction and no shame from my behavior, which is definitely a step up for me.  In the past, I frequently second-guessed or censored myself in order to avoid appearing inappropriate or offensive.  So this says, to me, that I have little fear around being judged harshly, and am more accepting and trusting of that ribald and very honest part of myself.  I like that.  

As for the big house and the jewels...The house almost looks like heaven’s doorway, heaven’s gate.  Sitting on the doorstep, we talk about lofty sentiments, the kinds of things one thinks about, I imagine, at the end of one’s life.  I see the jewels as the nuggets of wisdom and other gifts that have come to me throughout the years.  This is a reminder for me to not forget the important things I have learned, but rather to embrace and re-integrate them into my way of being.  It is pleasing to know there are lots of jewels available to me.

What do you think?

‘Til next time...

Happy dreams!

Bev

SAVE THE WHALES

December 9, 2011

Dear Dreamers:

I’m on what appears to be a smallish Viking ship with one other person...a young, hunky guy.  We’re on a mission to find the sea food that we must eat in order to kill the snakes that kill the whales.  It’s dark, cloudy and windy and the sea is rough but not threatening.  We will find this food...a small, brown, slimy round type of seaweed...in the caves along the shoreline.  We finally reach the spot and pull into the cave.  We both dive off the ship, and down into the dark water for the magical food.  Coming up with bags full of the seaweed, we return to the ship, eat the brown soft chips, and watch as the snakes die.  Our mission is a success and we start to return home when I realize I left my purse back in the cave.  He swims back for it and returns....

And then I find myself in a theater.  Friends are giving a performance.  It’s dark and the house is full.  After a while, my husband and I sneak out...we’ve see the upcoming part which is on film...and we have to ask an important question of someone.  So we go out into what we believe will be the lobby, and the place transforms into what looks like a school hallway.  What was the auditorium is now a lunch room, with long tables and high-schoolers eating.  We find our performer friends and ask them what happened, and get no response.  I awake.

***

I’m in the water again.  For me, I believe water represents new life, possibility, creation.  I am in the birthing process of creating something new in my life, and though there are challenges, it is “not threatening.”  Eating the food that kills the snakes is doing what I must do to “kill” old ways of being in order for the new, more evolved (the whales) part of me to survive and thrive.  Though I may have left behind some valuables (the purse), they are easily retrieved.

I guess the transformation of the theater into a school is a way of indicating I am not an observer, but a participant of life...even better, a learner.

What do you think?

‘Til next time...

Happy dreams!

Bev

LIVING THE DREAM

December 8, 2011

Dear Dreamers:

This is something I wrote several days ago.  I hope you enjoy.

On my hike in Griffith Park today, it occurred to me that, in a way, I’m living my dream.  On the hills, I’m not the mundane over-the-hill (no pun intended) person I sometimes feel like...no!... I’m an explorer, an adventurer, a thrill-seeker!  And I’m out there on my own!

Hiking in Griffith Park is a spectacular experience.  The park is a huge expanse of hills, trails, places to play for people of all ages.  And tucked in the midst of such committed civilization, it’s a great wonder and respite.  The trails wind sensuously around the hills, in and out of the sunshine and the shade, up, down and around, leading to new experiences around each turn.  Taking a new path is an adventure...who knows where you’ll end up!

This is my favorite time of year.  The air is cool, brisk, damp.  In the sunshine, I love to feel the warmth on my skin...holding my face up toward the sky, feeling the sun’s caress, I’m in love.  In the shade, I get to experience the cool breezes and enjoy the engulfing smells.  Ahhh, it’s heaven.

Usually I hike alone. Naturally, there’s lots of time for expansive thoughts and observations. In the fresh air and sunshine, my mind clears, my body energizes and my spirit expands.  I wonder a lot... what those people are talking about, how that tree stands so straight with half it’s base and roots hanging out of the side of the hill, how that little girl managed to hike up so high.  I see squirrels playing, birds soaring... Once I saw a coyote and, quick as that, he disappeared. I wonder if these animals are permanent residents here, or just transients.  I wonder what it would be like to live here, in the woods.   The other day two doe scampered across the path right in front of me.  I caught my breath, then laughed with another woman, sharing the excitement...the exhilaration of wildlife!

I almost always have a smile on while I’m walking....I’m sooo happy.  I smile at fellow travelers, sometimes saying hello.  Most of the time, my greeting is returned.  I don’t take it personally if it’s not, but then I wonder why it’s not and what’s going on for those people.  I wonder, and I’m grateful, that not more people are on the trails.  Today I heard a woman, hiking with two others, complaining about “the fucking baby.” I didn’t hear the context...but in the surrounding silence and beauty, her words were jarring.  I wonder why others go there...just to get exercise, fresh air, sunshine, be in nature?  What I believe is, Griffith Park is a haven in my back yard just for me.

I love all the sensual aspects of being in this place, but mostly I love the smells.  The exertion of the hike makes me breathe deeply, and I consciously take in those breaths analyzing each one for it’s special flavors.  Surrounded by all sorts of foliage...trees and bushes.... I sense a little evergreen here, a hint of rosemary there...a grand repast for my nose!

Sometimes I hike with my friend Julie.  She and her husband are real HIKERS....for miles, for hours.  Sometimes they go to exotic places, like the Angeles Forest, but she loves Griffith Park, too.  Most of the time, after our hikes we stop at Trails, the cafe at the base of one of the paths leading up to the Observatory.  There we enjoy superb coffee and scrumptious food and it’s always a joy to hang out at that cozy spot after a good workout.  I love being able to share this experience with a good friend.

I began this essay by claiming I’m “living the dream.”  It has been, and continues to be, a deep desire to spend more time in nature.  Happily, I am able to accomplish that goal through the bounty of nature that surrounds me as an Angelino...the ocean, the mountains.  Given the choice of any place to live, this will certainly do for now!

‘Til next time...

Happy (day) dreaming!

Bev

THE JOURNEY

December 6, 2011


Dear Dreamers:

It was a sunny, pleasant day, much like today, and I was leading some sort of tour group.  We were on a bus that broke down on a city street.  The group was calm and pleasant, and I gave each of them $200 for the trouble.  As new busses came along, I transferred whoever I could to that bus.  I spent some time determining who who transfer and when, but finally decided to move older folks first, then those in a real hurry.  There was calm and conversation and a joyful atmosphere.  Then the bus moved to the countryside to an obvious tourist place   I’m not sure what the attraction was or why we were there, but we were all shopping for souvenirs.  There was a line of people coming and going in a very relaxed way from a grey and brown brick one-story building, with a large door and huge beveled windows.  It was altogether charming.  The grounds were well-kept...green, soft lawn, neatly trimmed bushes, beautiful colorful flowers. People came and went.  I awoke looking forward to sharing my husband’s birthday day with him.

At first I wasn’t sure what this was about, but as I sat back and just looked at what I’d typed, it became clearer to me.  Perhaps it is that I’m a traveler through life, like all of us...on a journey, going somewhere, enjoying the experience.  I’m both participant and observer, and am able to share the experience with lightness and grace.  As I am the bus, it seems the “breakdown” is the leaving behind of old ways of being, and the steady moving onto the new busses is the concurrent adoption of new, healthier and happier ways of being.  I like this idea.  As I am the charming building, I am the new experience of myself.  I sit easily in the sunshine while things and people come and go...I remain balanced and peaceful, trusting in my endurance.  So while this dream initially seemed to be innocuous, on examination I realize it is a profound confirmation and affirmation of the life-enhancing shifts I have been creating for myself in my way of being.  Hooray! 

'Til next time... 


Happy dreaming!


Bev

MORE THOUGHTS

November 30, 2011

Dear Dreamers:

Last night the dreams came fast and furious but I don’t remember enough of them to write about, so here’s more info and thoughts from A Dictionary of Dream Symbols, with intro by Eric Ackroyd.

“Often the part of a dream that is remembered first and therefore recorded first is the last part of the dream.  In fact, the tendency is to remember and write down all the sections of a dream in reverse order.  This should be borne in mind when getting down to the business of interpreting your dreams:  sometimes, for instance, the last part of a dream gives a solution to a problem posed in the first part of the dream.”

Does this make sense to you?  Sound familiar?  I’m not sure.  It seems to me that I record my dreams in the order that I experience them.  However, the ones I remember most are the ones that occur closest to waking.  

According to Mr. Ackroyd, “not all dreams have profound psychological significance.  Some are mere repetitions of the day’s events.  Nearly all the dreams that young children tell us about are of this kind: after a day at the seaside or at the fair a three-year-old will often relive its delights and excitements in dreams; similarly a bedtime story may retell itself in a young child’s dream.

“Some dreams may have straightforward physical explanations.  A full bladder may cause you to have a frighteningly embarrassing dream about wetting your pants, for example.

“So do not assume that every dream has a deep meaning.  Not every dream will contain a life-transforming revelation -- but any dream might!  Even the apparently most trifling dream story may be trying to tell you something important about your life.  If, for example, you told me you had dreamed of an earthquake, I would generally suppose that it was an indication either that your personal world was in danger of falling apart or at least that you were deeply - perhaps unconsciously - fearful that it might fall apart.  I would therefore want to ask you about your marriage or other domestic relationships and about your work situation.  However, I would also ask if you had recently been reading something or watching something on television that might have prompted that sort of dream.  If you had just been reading a vivid account of an actual earthquake, your dream might have been simply going over the story - a chewing-the-end sort of dream.  On the other hand, it is likely that even dreams which take their symbols from very recent experience are using those symbols to represent something that is going on inside you.  

“On the whole, the truth would seem to be that if you are only trifling with your dreams, their content will tend to be trivial; if you take your dreams seriously, their content will tend to be serious and significant.  If what you want from your dreams is a fuller understanding of yourself and, eventually, fuller control over your life and the attainment of your proper ‘destiny’, your dreams will not let you down.  They will give you all you need.”

‘Til next time...

Happy dreaming!

Bev

WHAT’S GOING ON???

Nov. 29

Dear Dreamers:

I was at a rustic retreat with my husband Mark, and he and I were starting to hike up a mountain.  It was beautiful...lots of foliage, fresh smells, a sunny and perfect day. I forgot something...perhaps water...so we went back to the lodge to get some.   There was a group of women there, also on a retreat, and I joined their conversation.  It was great sitting around talking, sharing.  I especially connected with one of them, Lena.  We seemed to know each other in a deep, kind of spiritual way.  I went to get tea and after I filled the cup it slipped off the counter and broke in half, spilling the water into a puddle.  Not a big deal and Lena helped me clean it up.  My husband and I then went to look at the other guest rooms.  They were all off-size and strangely arranged.  We didn’t get to ours because I was then at an old, run-down wooden nearby garage, overgrown with grass and clearly not in use for some time.  I was closing the gas cap on my 1972 Buick, and the cap broke, spewing gas.  Luckily Lena came by with the police--she was lost and they were going to take her where she wanted to go.  They offered to help me with the car, tried to fix it but couldn’t.  They were heading to get the mechanic when I awoke.  Somewhere in this dream my hair was falling out.

This was interesting because there were a few themes which haven’t come up for me before.  Going up the mountain (moving forward, reaching new heights) was interrupted, and could coincide with the hair falling out, which can indicate either fear of aging, losing sexuality, ill health or feeling powerless.  Same with the spilled water.  If water represents new life, creativity, growth or healing, the fact that it spilled, and I couldn’t get ahold of it, indicates to me a loss of those possibilities.  All of this makes sense for me, given where I’m at in my life right now.  Perhaps it felt safer to be with the women with whom I had little emotional or sexual charge and with whom I was able to be myself without fear of rejection.  The car, in a broken down garage, was the car I drove to Los Angeles when I first moved here.  Also, leaking gas, unable to move forward, broken down...a mirror image of me.  Bottom line, I believe this is a reflection of fears of aging, becoming unattractive and ill and feeling powerless in the world. 

Wow.  Up until now, the dreams I have remembered were positive and life-affirming, and indicated powerful moving forward and upward with expanding creativity.  This is the first time I can remember waking with this defeatist energy!  My guess is that it has to do with not getting much sleep last night.  Feeling frustrated, tired and annoyed at this old pattern (part of which is the fact that my husband snored and woke me several times) the sleeping trouble globalized into frustrations with other aspects of my life, all of which infected my dreams... a clear expression of my attitudes as I drifted in and out of sleep at 7 a.m.!  This is such a palpable indication of the importance of what we tell ourselves and how those words affect us not only consciously, but subconsciously as well.  In the future, I will only think happy thoughts as I drift off!

‘Til next time...

Happy dreaming!

Bev

WHO WAS THAT WOMAN?

Nov. 26

Dear Dreamers:

For some reason, someone was trying to obliterate me and my friends.  They had some kind of x-ray gun or something that could vaporize us.  We were planning an escape, deep in conversation in a nondescript building, then running down the street.  Suddenly my friend Jodie turned around and just stared down the evil-doers and vaporized them!  It was awesome!  But the rest of us were shocked...who is this woman?  Why didn’t we know about this gift? What else don’t we know?

In fact, how much do we really know about anyone?  I hosted a party last night and lots of great folks came and there was lots of great conversation and fun.  But the dream leads me to the question...really, how much do we actually know about people, even the ones we’re closest to?

I’m tired with after-party fatigue, so that’s all my brain can muscle up for now...

Til next time...

Happy dreaming!

Bev

WHERE AM I?

Nov. 24

Dear Dreamers:


First, Happy Thanksgiving.  I hope you all have a grand day.

Last night I was in a foreign country...a country where there were thousands of their currency to our dollar and where people lived very simply. It kind of felt like my idea of India. I was in a hotel that had just long strips of plastic instead of a door at the entrance.  Several of us were sitting on the floor during a big rainstorm and, even though it poured, the plastic blew but we didn’t get wet.  We sat and watched the rain, secure in the separation of the wetness and the warmth.  I was traveling alone.  At one point, I wanted to go out and, went up to the roof.  It was only about four stories, so I jumped down and walked around the corner to a cafe.  It was busy and lively, lots of conversation.  It felt and looked like a college hangout...wood walls with lots of posters, smoky, crowded.  I met several people, mostly young men, who were very friendly.  I had a great time.  When it came time for me to return to the hotel, I was too tired or drunk, and took a taxi.  After the very short ride, he charged me 2800 whatever, and I was appalled. “Are you crazy...we only went around the block!” I shouted.  We argued for a bit, and then a lovely young woman came out and handed him 50 cents American.  That was all it was and I felt embarrassed that I had argued over such a small amount.  I was grateful for her help.  Except for the argument with the taxi driver, I felt peaceful in that country and was enjoying the experience.  Then I awoke.

It seems to me that being in a foreign country is about being content with another way of thinking and being.  I’ve been working on creating both internal and external shifts in my life...perhaps this is an indication that it’s ok, that I will always be secure and protected...and perhaps the cafe is a reference to being able to shift back to old, more familiar ways of being when required or desired and that’s ok too and I can leave there with ease.  Same with the roof...I was high, in the new internal place and I was able to jump down (into the familiar) easily.  


I think the lovely young woman was me, too, telling myself to chill...stay in the flow, enjoy where you’re at while you’re there and, again, leave behind the old ways of thinking and being.  Rain for me is always good...washing away old stuff, bringing newness and freshness...rebirth.  So what I’m taking away from this is that while I may be in a strange new place, it’s a good place and it's good to be here, and I'm safe and supported here.  And even though I may be compelled to go back to the familiar at times, going back there is just a temporary visit.  Cool.

What do you think?

Til next time...

Happy dreaming!

Bev

THOUGHTS

November 22, 2011


Dear Dreamers:


I haven't been able to remember enough significant parts of my dreams for the past few days, so I thought I'd write instead about dreams...


According to A Dictionary of Dream Symbols, with introduction by Eric Ackroyd,   a dream not only appears within the context of an ever-continuing series of dreams; it also occurs within the context of your life as a whole -- your family life, your work, your love - (and hate) life.  Your dreams reflect your deepest emotional responses to your waking life experiences.  It follows, therefore, that a correct interpretation of your dreams will only be possible if they are viewed in the context of your outward life.


This obviously includes what is happening to you now, the situation you are in now, your present problems, ambitions, fears and so on.  It may also include, however, the whole or any part of your past life. Your most deeply seated attitudes, hatreds, prejudices, habits, fears, guilt-feelings and pains of all kinds may stem from experiences in your early life.  Wordsworth's "The child is father of the man" is full of truth:  the adult personality is largely conditioned by childhood experiences or, more precisely, by the emotional impact of those experiences on the child.  And what doesn't come from childhood comes from traumatic experiences in our later life:  the present state of our psyche is the result of our emotional self's reactions to the experiences and situations that life has thrown at us.


What this means is that a correct and useful interpretation of your dreams requires a full awareness and understanding of what is happening to you now and what has happened to you in the past.


It may be true that the present condition of your psyche, and consequently the present circumstances of your life, have been shaped more by emotional reactions to events than by intelligent and objective decision-making on your part.  What is equally true, however, is that you can at any time take control of your life and begin to determine your own future.  Your dreams will help here.  They can tell you what has been going on inside you so far, and they can also tell you what you need to do or stop doing in order to achieve greater happiness in the future.  Through your dreams, your unconscious will tell you what you need.  The rest is up to you, your conscious self.


To be continued...


Til next time...
Happy dreaming!


Bev

HI MOM!

Nov. 18

Dear Dreamers:

There seemed to be two parts to this dream.  First, I was in a high rise again, working and energetically attempting to complete a project.  I kept putting post-its on the wall saying “PH,” meaning, I’m guessing, penthouse.  I was surrounded by several others who appeared to be friends all scurrying about. The other part of the dream was that, somehow, my mother was there in a movie theater.  I remember her going into the movie theater with some man, and then I met the two of them in the theater lobby.  She was carrying packages.  We were happy to see each other.  I then awoke.

Again, the theme of being in a building and getting to the top (penthouse), rising above the scurrying and the melee.  Perhaps the movie theater was at the penthouse and my mother was telling me I’m already there...enjoy, relax.  Perhaps the movie is suggesting I should try to get some distance from the scurrying and to see life from the perspective of watching, observing. 

What do you think?

Til next time...

Happy dreaming!

Bev

NICE DOGGIE TWO

Nov. 15

Last night I was starting a new job though I thought I was just going for a follow-up interview.  Apparently I had already been hired though I didn’t realize it at the time.  Though the directions and identity of who I was to see were written on a post-it I held, I had trouble finding the office and found myself in the basement of the building.  I asked several people directions but most were not helpful.  One person directed me to a sliding cement tunnel that slid up, but, as I was dressed in my workplace best, I chose not to take that route.  Someone else pointed me to the stairs “over in the corner”.  As I walked down a long, wide hallway to the stairway, I notice lots of other play paraphernalia...toys lining the hallway, jungle jim, race cars, etc....I guessed it was the day care area, but there were adults using all the toys!  Nice.  A fun place, I thought, though not the best ambiance since it was in the basement.  I climbed up the stairs all the way to the top.  It wasn’t a long climb and I made it quickly and easily.  I discovered the office I sought was on the roof, outside.  As I stood in the sunlight trying to figure out which direction to go, I looked back over my shoulder and saw a golden retriever bounding over mounds of dirt toward me.  He jumped on me and barked and I was immediately relieved at such an enthusiastic welcome.  The man playing with him showed me where the destination office was, but the person I was to see wasn’t in, so this kind, friendly and very hunky young man showed me where to begin and what to do.  Then I awoke.

What do you think?  To me, this means that I’m already on the life path I’m supposed to be on and that the path can be a lot easier, more fun and enjoyable than I realize.  There are different ways to get to where we want,   and for sure, there are always helpers to guide and steer us along...so much depends on our ability to recognize the fun and the sun and the guides as well.  And by the way, oftentimes, the best guides are not in human form!   Once again the themes of dark and light in reference to place are impactful in my dream...going from down to up, dark to light.  And once again a dog appears prominently (It's the same dog as before...a RETREIVER, get it?).  I love that, and appreciate the consistency of these symbols.  And this time I especially appreciate the lightness of it...it was a lighthearted dream and I awoke feeling good, positive and eager to begin my day.

Til next time...

Happy dreaming!

Bev

CLIMBING EVEREST

November 10, 2011


Dear Dreamers:


Last night, no doubt due to the movie we watched before retiring, I dreamt I was climbing Mt. Everest.  It was a shlep, but we made it without much trouble.  Sort of an Everest-light event.  I saw myself at the top, feeling pretty good and satisfied, relaxing, celebrating with the others and enjoying the fantastic view.  I thought to myself how easy it was...what's all the fuss???  I didn't want to come down, but how long can you stay on the summit?  Good question...What is your summit tolerance?  When you're doing well and things are flowing for you, what, if anything, do you do to sabotage yourself and bring yourself down from the summit?  Hmmm...


As always I'd love to hear your comments and insights.


Til then, sweet dreams!


Bev

NICE DOGGIE

November 6, 2011 

Dear Dreamers:

Last night I dreamt about a dog.  We were living in a shanty town type of place, and the dog was sick and apparently abandoned.  He was in bad condition.  We (not sure who the others are) took him in and cared for him.  After a while, he looked like he had recuperated, but seemed to lack energy.  I held his head in my hands and stared into his beautiful, deep but sad eyes.   We looked into each others eyes a long time.  It was a deeply intense connection and as I go through the day, the gaze of those big, black eyes haunts me.  What was he trying to tell me?  What does he mean to me?  Is he me? A part or a reflection of me?  

Stuff to think about.

Til next time...

Keep on dreaming!

Bev

MOVIE NIGHT

November 5, 2011

Dear Dreamers:

Last night, I was in a movie theater.  Walking back to my seat from being out in the lobby, a teenager grabbed my ass and ran off!  It was a real fingers-in-the-ass grab and very rude, so I ran after him down the aisle.  I didn’t catch him, but managed to seize his backpack and pull it off him as I continued chasing him.  We ran around the theater.  I lost track of him, but a couple recognized the back pack and told me he went out into the lobby.  They told me he put up a great fuss about having to leave in the middle of the movie, but his parents insisted.  I went to the lobby.  Holding up the backpack, I shouted “where’s the kid who belongs to this backpack?!”  Finally I saw him, standing on a ledge above me.  He wanted his backpack and came down for it.  When he got to me, I grabbed him by the shirt, and snarled in his face...”you’re too old to behave this stupidly...I want an apology.”  He apologized then asked what I did for a living.  I told him I was a therapist and he asked for my card....a new client!  He then hooked up with his parents and I awoke.  

So...here’s another dream on the theme of going from the dark to the light!        Interesting.  A dark theater...could the movie be the dream itself?  My life?  Am I a watcher of life rather than a liver of life?  Living in the dark?  And who’s the kid?  Maybe the adventurous part of me that’s been hidden away for a long time, goosing me to get back into the light of my Self.  Leading me into my own light.  The couple was there to help me find my way.  And, of course, I’m my own best counselor...physician heal thyself!

That’s my take on it....I look forward to hearing yours!


Til then...thanks and dream on!


Bev

DREAMS

November 1, 2011


In the book, Your Mythic Journey, by Sam Keen and Anne Valley-Fox, dreams are described rhapsodically...


"In dreams we live a thousand lives.  When sleep conquers reason we become omnipotent; like Proteus, we change form to experience the beasts and little children that roam within us.


"Psychology has rediscovered what ancient and primitive peoples knew:  that dreams are essential for sanity.  Greek seers, Roman emperors, and Egyptian pharaohs used dreams to decipher the future.  Many American Indians consulted dreams to learn when they should feast or take to the warpath.  Job thought that dreams were songs God gave us in sleep.  Freud saw them as the royal road to the unconscious.  Recent experiments have shown that persons deprived for several nights of the part of sleep in which dreaming takes place become anxious and disassociated.  A healthy human mind seems to operate on two levels, the realistic and the fantastic, the conscious and the unconscious.  Like a live virus, the chaos of playful fantasy inoculates us against serious madness.


"...The inward journey is most enriching for the traveler who brings the visions of the night into the light of day."


I encourage you, kind reader, to get to know your dreams.  Befriend them, talk to them, and welcome them as a wonderful doorway into the unexpected.


I wish you sweet dreams...


Bev

MERYL

Oct. 31, 2011

I’m sitting around a conference table with several men and a woman who looks much like Meryl Streep.  We’re talking about Meryl who wants to be married “with a 10” belly”. She couldn’t give me an answer when I asked why.  But when I said it didn’t sound like a good idea, that she and her boyfriend need time together alone before having children, she replied, “we already live together.”  But no, actually they live with a friend...a third-party distraction, as would be a child...a third party to distract from the connection of the two.  She wasn’t convinced, and no one else at the table said anything, so I called my husband, Mark.  He was busy and didn’t really want to participate in this discussion, but when I asked for his thoughts, he said that first she needed to be “satisfied” with every aspect of her life.  Satisfied...interesting word.  And one of the ways you get to know if you are satisfied or not is by being honest with yourself...and listening.  Listening to self, to partner, to others...without distractions.   Honest, eyeball to eyeball sharing and listening.  Meryl was stopped, looked thoughtful, said nothing.  The room was silent as I awoke.

There is a theme of “going inward” that has threaded through each of the dreams that I have posted.  I’m aware of these messages to myself, and look inward as much as I can without turning myself inside out.

As always, I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

I wish you sweet dreams...

Bev