Sunday, March 4, 2012

LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE

March 2, 2012

Dear Dreamers:
I’m in a big old house, kind of run down but livable, lots of rooms with worn wood flooring and big dirty windows.  There is a pretty large group of people that I believe are together for a class, perhaps an acting class.  The house is owned by a woman in her 50’s or 60’s, charming, bright, good looking...built like a former dancer.  I see her as a little flaky, sort of an aging Holly-Go-Litely.  Cats are everywhere and cat hairs cover every piece of furniture.  I find a Queen-Anne type chair with what I believe is the least amount of cat hairs on it, and sit.  Soon I discover that whenever I laugh, the chair rises and I float, just like in Mary Poppins with Ed Wynn.  Everyone loved it as I floated from room to room, having fun and laughing a lot. At some point, I realized a few people had left the class, so I took the chair and met up with them at the nearby bar where we continued laughing and floating.
****
What’s great about this dream is that today I’m not feeling so hot...stomach flu I think.  So this dream...each time I read it, it makes me smile.  How nice to float above the nitty-gritty by just laughing and having fun.  How wonderful to recognize that attitude is so crucial if we’re to rise above our problems.  I’m too tired today to explore any deeper meanings this dream may hold, and am content with this relatively simplistic message.   
  
What do you think?
‘Til next time...
Happy dreams!
Bev

Monday, February 6, 2012

I AM THE VESSEL TO CREATE

January 24, 2012
Dear Dreamers:
I’m in a small one-room apartment.  It’s dingy...dark color peeling walls and cheap old furniture.  There’s nothing homey or welcoming about this place.  It looks decrepit and seems abandoned, beyond poor.  Yet sunlight shines in through several windows and throws massive beams of light across the desolate landscape, illuminating the solar system of dust floating through the air.  I’m rushing to work and walk out without my stainless steel bottle of water.  I go back for it.  Friends are outside waiting for me.  One of them is Ryan Seacrest (I just watched American Idol last night).  We’re all walking to work...it’s raining and dark and we’re all bent into the wind and the heavy rain...luckily we don’t have far to go.  We work in a high rise, which looms in front of us, very tall, very modern and all glass.  The building, as I see it, looks distorted...too tall and thin and leaning to the left...(is this a political acknowledgement?)  
***
Where is this going?  Not sure except, of course, that I would say the apartment represents me, or aspects of me.  The beams of light in this image would indicate that there is hope for re-creation, which is a continuation of themes in previous dreams: shedding old ways of being and replacing them with new.  Rain could indicate cleansing or the beginning of a new phase and coupled with the darkness could indicate a journey into deeper unconscious, greater self-awareness.  Certainly, this is something I embrace.  On the other hand, it might indicate sadness...also a possibility at this time.  I have no idea why Ryan Seacrest is in my dream except that I did see him on TV earlier.  I do NOT have romantic interest in him!  And the distorted vision of the high-rise may be an indication that I don’t see myself clearly.  
As time has passed, I have explored this vision in more depth, and went inside the building.  It’s an office building, and I’m on a floor that’s very bright.  No one else is around but there are cubicles...partitions that are typical in many offices.  When I explored the purpose of these partitions, the possibility came to me that they are a means of containing and managing the intense levels of light, i.e. awareness/enlightenment that flow through me.  They provide a way for me to modulate my feelings around being a vessel for Source energy.  In this dream, I have literally gone from darkness to light, sadness to joy, unconscious to conscious.  


So I have to ask myself, why not let all the light shine through?  Why not be a free-flowing expression of Source?  What's there to fear?  Good questions which I will continue to explore!
What do you think?
‘Til next time...
Happy dreaming!
Bev

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD

January 27, 2012
Dear Dreamers:
There’s a Line of Cars strung as far as I can see along a dark road, each with their headlights on, creating an unending string of light in the dark.  Huge Trees line both sides of the street. I don’t see other people, just cars.  I’m on Bicycle and Car Lights are guiding me home.  Home is a big white colonial type house on a hill.  A big circular driveway leads to the entrance.  The House is well lit and the chimney is emitting a long plume of smoke.  Neighbors, Friends and Family are gathered in front of the house cheering me on.  It feels good to arrive...I’m tired, but happy.
***
This reinforces my belief that in all our lives there are lights guiding us along our path.  Sometimes we don’t recognize the lights.  Sometimes we do recognize them, but ignore them anyway.   In any case, there are always people who are encouraging and supportive, and they are the brightest lights of all!
What do you think?
‘Til next time...
Happy dreaming!
Bev

Friday, January 27, 2012

WHO'S THAT BLONDE?

January 27, 2012
Dear Dreamers:
I’m at what appears to be a university campus, a teacher/student carrying a big canvas bag loaded with books, crossing a busy street.  Earlier it had rained, but now it’s just overcast and cool, puddles dotting the dark brick streets.  People are passing to and fro, many dressed in black rain coats. Though I appear to be in a hurry, when students stop me to ask questions I engage in lively conversation with them.  I am enjoying this.  Cut to...
A young, blonde, lovely naked woman is casually strolling through a residential neighborhood. It is sunny and bright out, and she seems to be enjoying herself.  I’m following her, trying to get her to put on clothes.  She ignores me and keeps walking.  Finally I see a young man in the window of a house staring at us. He invites us in and gives her some of his clothes. She models the clothes which fit her perfectly.  Cut to...
Me, holding my books, dressed in a dark pinstripe pantsuit. I’m outside of a lovely white, ranch-style home with big windows that sits on a small hill sloping to the sidewalk.  Gardeners are working on the grounds and putting up a narrow stone wall at the edge of the slope adjacent to the walk.  Because of the mess, I have to traverse the stone wall in high heels, not spikes but high enough to be a challenge.  As I reach the end of the wall and step off, the workers say "goodbye teacher." 
***
The grey day symbolizes, for me, an unclear state of mind...am I teacher or student?  I believe both.  It may also indicate a confused state of mind as to sense of direction...where am I going and what’s next?  This certainly seems to be an accurate reflection of how I feel at this time in my life.  Grey can also indicate the unconscious, and is contrasted by the next part of the dream which is in sunshine, representing the conscious mind.  But who’s the blonde?  What comes to me when I consider this aspect of the dream is that she represents my feminine side, because she does indeed look very feminine.  She is then covered by masculine clothing...does this mean I hide my femininity?  Or that I should hide my femininity?  Or perhaps that I can cover the femininity but it's still very much there.  I’ll look into that.  
As far as the last part...as always, I believe the home is me.  This one is expansive, spiritually and emotionally open, welcoming.  The hills, if representing Earth Mother, can indicate a source of inner wisdom, which coincides with the Teacher theme.  Perhaps I believe I’m actually gaining some wisdom at this stage in my life, and that this is something to consider as I continue the search for more meaning and direction.
What do you think?
‘Til next time...
Happy dreaming!
Bev

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

COME ON BABY, LIGHT MY FIRE!

January 23, 2012
Dear Dreamers:
I’m in a comedy group and we’re all together trying to create some new material.  I’m feeling stressed trying to come up with ideas, and I finally share with the others that I like the idea of animating inanimate objects.  I focus on a candle and think of humorous things it can do...dance, talk, argue with me.  I share these observations with the group and they approve. The scene switches to me being with my husband Mark.  He had some sort of job, and took a bagful of quarters from the employer.  Now he and I are in someone’s backyard looking for a place to hide the quarters.  It’s cold outside...the trees are bare and there are fallen leaves on the ground.  We’re dressed for the cold weather as we search the area for a place to hide the coins.  The search is not fruitful, so I take the bag and put it in the bottom drawer of my desk.  There ‘s a huge glass bottle of water in the drawer which I remove and put on the floor next to the desk.  I put the bag in the drawer, though I’m not sure where the desk is or what I’m doing there.  Other people are around and they see me do this so I act casual and walk away.  The scene switches to... 
I’m enjoying the company of  friends outside a home-and- garden store in Culver City reminding me of Anawalt Lumber, looking for a wedding gift for Betty White’s sister who is two years younger than Betty.  At first I buy an outdoor candle, but after thinking about it, it feels too cheap so I return it and get her a gift certificate for more money.   It occurs to me I have a bunch of candles at home, and in my dream I see a long winding pathway of candles in the dark of night, but don’t know where they lead to or from.  Just a path of candles beautifully illuminating the dark.  
***
I have no idea what any of this means, and am hard-pressed to even make a guess, except for the candles that light a path in the dark.  I love that I have those candles, meaning I have the resources to get me through the darkness that comes into my life.  I don’t know where the path will lead, what the destination is, but by putting one foot in front of the other I’m sure to get through.  I think it’s interesting that I started out this dream sequence thinking about candles, and it sort of came full circle when I saw the lighted path at the end.  If winter signifies death, perhaps in this case the winter scene signifies the change from one phase of life to another.  As for the rest, anything I come up with would be a stretch, so I’ll leave it here. 
What do you think?
‘Til next time...
Happy dreaming!
Bev

Saturday, January 21, 2012

THE PRODUCER



January 21, 2012
Dear Dreamers:
Last night I dreamt I was the producer of a film that was in production.  I remember going into what looked like a large white tent.  There was a general buzz of activity throughout...tables were scattered around the perimeter and several people dashing to and fro looking very busy.  They were all young men with slicked back hair and wearing dark pinstripe suits.  One of them was sitting in a funky old rocking chair in the middle of the tent, looking very self-important and self-satisfied.  He was checking people’s I.D. to determine whether they were cleared to enter the main shooting area or not.  He looked at my I.D. but clearly had no idea who I was because he didn’t believe I was the producer and refused to let me go further.  I walked out, went around the tent to where the action was, and returned to Mr. Supercilious with a person who knew me and could verify my identity.  With much chagrin, he acknowledged his error and invited me in. I felt a sense of triumph, and it made me smile. 
I’d like to think I fired him, but may have been more compassionate in the dream.
***
Interesting that twice in a row my dreams took place on a movie lot.  This has never happened before and I wonder why now?  Is this a message that I’m supposed to be in film somehow?  A midlife career change of this sort seems unlikely but...where are my 8x10s???  On a deeper level, considering Mr. S who’s trying to keep me out of the action...is that the part of me that holds me back in some ways?  My own inhibitor?  Could be...but the really good news is that I outsmart him!  I cleverly get what I want in a calm, clear, easy way, ironically no drama.  I like that.  It’s a great message about not stopping ourselves and, if we feel stopped, to look for new, grace-filled ways of accomplishing our goals.  Maybe the fact that this dream takes place on a movie lot reflects the concept that our lives are our creation and we get to create them anew in each moment.  There may be parameters to our lives and things we have to do, but who we are while we’re doing them is entirely up to us...no one can tell us who we are but us!  In essence, we are the producers of our own lives.
I like these messages...they are strong communications that support self-empowerment and choice, and encourage us to be creative and fearless in our own life film.
What do you think?
‘Til next time...
Happy dreaming!
Bev

Thursday, January 19, 2012

READY ON THE SET!

January 18, 2012
Dear Dreamers:
I am in what looks like a warehouse...gloomy, walls of cinder block painted institutional grey/green, small rooms.  I and many others are visiting a Rumanian company that’s located in an American city.  We’re there to learn something, but I’m not sure what. Perhaps it’s a school.  Perhaps we’re there to learn about the culture.  In any case, it’s a fascinating experience.... the people are very cordial but cautious, fearful of getting too friendly.  They befriend us as much as they believe it is safe.  The place is all business, and feels very restrictive.  I remember many years ago visiting Rumania, and in some ways this mimicked the paranoid feelings we experienced when we were there.  
We leave for lunch and step into sunlight and what appears to be a compound of one-story, brown brick buildings surrounded by manicured lawns and a plethora of trees.  Quite a contrast to the environment we were just in!  As I walk away, I realize my car is parked in the lot adjacent to the building I just left.  One of our group leaders suggests I not leave my car there all afternoon/evening, because the parking area may be gated.  I go back to retrieve it and drive it to a place that I know will be accessible.  I catch up to several women gathered in a room talking about returning for a special program at 9 p.m.  We can’t go back sooner...the classes have changed and the one I was expecting to attend was suddenly gone.   Very disappointing.   Switch to...
Sandra Bullock is driving us down the city streets in a vintage sky-blue convertible.  Now it’s clear we’re on a movie lot and we’re all in the production.  One young woman is needing help, so several of us are driving her to wherever she needs to go.  Sandra drops me off at my place, which is a huge Victorian cottage on the water.  The sun is shining and shimmering off the placid lake.  As I step out of the car and turn around to close the car door, I notice a huge billboard across the street.  It’s all black and is an advertisement for sunglasses.  While a few of the others are eager to shop, I decide to stay at the house.  I ask her to pick me up later when we’re all going back to the set.  
***
What’s this about???  I’m thinking the first building, in Romania, has to do with the old me, my past.  Why Romania?  I have no idea.  But the fact that I visited there during the height of Communist repression and paranoia gives me a direct personal reference to unappealing qualities that may be  deep-seated in my own psyche, and a clue as to why I leave that building and walk out into the light, which may represent a new, more spiritually expansive me.  One can only hope.    
I love that I’m on a movie lot...does that mean that all life is not real?  That we’re all playing parts?  I love the fantasy of the fantasy.
A black sign selling sunglasses is interesting.  In my dream, I don’t actually see the ad, so I’m not clear how I know it’s selling sunglasses, but that’s what came to me, so I’ll go with it.  The fact that I’m not interested in shopping for dark glasses may indicate I’m wanting to see things as they are, without a filter.  An interesting juxtaposition to being on a film lot, which is a fantasy land...how does one see things “as they are” when you’re existing in make-believe?  Hmmm.  I’m a Sandra Bullock fan, but not sure what she represents, except to say that she seems to me to be one of the more personable and accessible movie stars, and I would love to be her buddy.  The fact that I’d rather stay at my lovely home on the water may be an indication of self-satisfaction, contentment or creative potential.
What do you think?
‘Til next time...
Happy dreaming!
Bev

Thursday, January 12, 2012

SOUTINE AND A BIG BROWN HAT

January 11, 2012
Dear Dreamers:
I am in a school studying art.  It’s not an art school, but rather a school like the Learning Annex.  One of the students is working on a painting that rather looks like a Soutine...dark and chaotic.  While several of us agree that it’s a pretty unappealing painting, the instructor is very encouraging to the artist.  The image shifts to several of us sitting in the cafeteria talking about how awful the teachers are.  A few tables away I see a man I know (let’s call him Jack) who is a friend of a friend. I walk over to talk to Jack, say hello, and then turn to the chair next to him and start talking to my friend and neighbor, who is not there.  Jack asks me why I’m talking to an invisible person.  I respond that he was there in spirit, and I just believed he was there. Cut to...
a shoe store in a mall.  The store is large, packed with people and product, and rather ordinary looking.  They are having a sale and it’s very busy. I try on a pair of flesh color boots but decide I don’t like the color.  The sales girl brings me a hat to try on, big, brown and felt, but I tell her I’m not interested and the scene fades and I awaken.  
***
So I'm studying art...the art of life. Clearly I reject what is dark and chaotic...that's good.  But there are no clever and reliable teachers around to help me create what I am wanting.  Cut to where I’m talking to my friend that isn’t there.  My statement that I believe “he was there in spirit, and I just believed he was there” is a really powerful affirmation of a powerful belief system that I strive daily to integrate into my life...to believe in, and trust, that there are actually spirits, and that these spirits are friends and guides who support us through our lives.  This is an awesome expression of faith which I continue to contemplate.
Freud says shoes, or feet, represent female genitalia, as do hats.  Hmmm.  They also can represent the direction of one’s life or lifestyle.  I’m not sure what to say about the genitalia interpretation, except to note that it’s interesting the boots are flesh color.  Hmmm.  On the other hand, what might these symbols say about lifestyle?  I try on a new pair but reject them, as I do the hat.  What this says to me is that as much as I believe I want to create a new way of life for myself, perhaps this is not the time and/or I’m not ready.  Is patience in order?  Can I trust in my spirit guide to let me know when the time is right?  
What do you think?
‘Til next time...
Happy dreaming!
Bev

Saturday, January 7, 2012

GATSBY

January 6, 2012
Dear Dreamers:
I am at an elegant party on a large estate.  The house is huge and rather  like the White House, only bigger.  I’m looking at it from a distance, so I can see the entire width of the home. The portion of the house I focus on is the ballroom and the multitude of floor-to-ceiling doors swept open onto the massive veranda.  From there, several steps lead down to the expansive and highly groomed lawn.  It appears as though I’m working at the party, because the scene shifts to me and several others waiting outside one large bathroom to change clothes and join the party.  The men made it to the bathroom first, and a number of them are gathered inside donning their tuxes.  The women are annoyed and grumbling because of the wait, but finally we get our turn.  We quickly and happily change into our finery and enter the party.  Switch to...
a scene in a courtyard, dirt surrounded by white brick single-story structures, somewhat decrepit.  I’m playing a part in a film and am still in my party gown.  I have one scene and am waiting for my entrance.  As I step forward to enter the scene, I awake.
***
This dream is a direct reflection of my experience of my day...a day of too many moments of non-alignment of body, mind and spirit.  As in many of my dreams, there’s a house.  A huge, beckoning, beautiful house.  It is the new me, the expansive and fully-integrated me, the me that I imagine myself to be...and I am not there.  I am at a distance.  A pretender, a guest only, as I change my clothes to attend the ball, like Cinderella.  The courtyard scene tells it all...I am playing a part.  
I guess the good news is that the buildings I see, in this and previous dreams, are big and bright and energetically as I wish myself to be.  I like to think this indicates I’m getting close.  When I actually become that house, when I feel expansive, aligned with spirit and powerful, I believe it will be an awesome experience!
What do you think?
‘Til next time...
Happy dreaming!
Bev

Thursday, January 5, 2012

THE MOUNTAINS

January 5, 2012
Dear Dreamers:
I was staying in a large rustic lodge in the mountains that reminded me a lot of Lake Arrowhead.  Though only two stories, the lodge itself was huge.  It had two long wings that splayed out from the center, which was the lobby/meeting/gathering area.  It was as a rustic lodge should be:  all wood, lots of fireplaces and very cozy.  I was attending some sort of convention and was there with a few friends.  This particular seminar was in a large room. I chose to sit with a younger person I knew while the older person I knew sat with an even older person.  
After leaving the seminar, I wanted exercise and walked all the way down one long wing to the outside.  When I reached the outside I walked a few blocks, but couldn’t  recognize where I was and felt like I was lost.  I had to ask for help finding my way back to the hotel.  It happened again and I felt very confused and didn’t understand why I couldn’t walk from the hotel without feeling lost.  The third time I walked further and saw that the hotel was just a couple of blocks away.  Relieved, I headed back.  When I arrived, hanging over the bannister on the landing, was a beautiful big cat.  It was grey and white with fur as thick as a mink, and it appeared to be smiling and guiding me.
Suddenly I’m in my room.  It’s a nice room with large windows and a stunning view of the mountains, cozy appointments and a fireplace.  Though it's sunny outside, rain is leaking into the room.  Initially the leaks are minor, but soon it starts raining in the room.  There’s a hole in the floor by the door.   It’s a mess.  There’s water everywhere...on the bed, on my clothes.  I call the front desk to complain.  At first they don’t believe me and I tell them to send someone up to see, and quickly a cleaning person comes to check it out.  They tell me they’ll put me in another room...or they will write me a check and I can stay there.  I’m pissed and say I want both for the trouble. 
Then I am awakened.
***
I believe the mountains in this case refer to “the meaning of life,” a spiritual pursuit, as spiritual pursuit and personal growth are common themes for me.  The hotel, representing me, is expansive...it has wings, which to me imply a sense of soaring.  Clearly, when I leave myself, when I stray too far from my center, I get lost.  I lose my way.  The cat beckons me to return to myself, my inner wisdom, my intuition, my femininity.  The rain in the room is an indication of growth...perhaps a new phase is opening for me in my life.  I find it annoying at first and complain about it, but the reality is that I ultimately get the rewards for the “inconvenience.”  
Yes, change is challenging and often uncomfortable, but as I move through this transitional phase of my life, I eagerly embrace the positive changes I am anticipating and look forward to new ways of being.
What do you think?
‘Til next time...
Happy dreaming!
Bev

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

THE ODYSSEY

January 3, 2012

Dear Dreamers:

Last night’s dreaming led me on an odyssey!  
I was standing by myself in a beautiful woodsy area in the mountains, shaded by tall trees.  In front of me, curving in the shape of a half moon, was a small apartment building.  It was only two stories high, with dark siding that appeared to be metal, and dark wood doors.  Each door had a large window in its center.  The building was very modern, but somehow blended with the natural surroundings and looked perfect in that setting.  I was contemplating living there, but it seemed like the rooms themselves were small. I never got to find out because the scene changed to
my friend’s home.  She was rushing to show me something but I can’t remember what.  Moving quickly from room to room, we were both in a hurry but she kept asking me to wait, insisting this was something I should see.  I never got to see it, as there was a car horn honking outside for her and she had to leave...we both left and I then was in 
a bazaar.  Though the feel of the place was foreign, like Tibet, the people spoke English.  I roamed through the sunny narrow streets, thoroughly enjoying exploring this new place.  It was very congested, with crowds of people and vendors cluttering what little walking area there was.  Small crumbling centuries-old grey-brick buildings lined the passageways.  In front of one building was a nicely-dressed woman selling acupuncture treatments.  I thought it might be a good idea to check it out.  There was a line of people waiting to get these treatments, and I joined the queue.  When it was my turn, I asked how much it would cost.  She said “two to six, depending on the treatment.”  “Two to six what?” I asked, “dollars?”  She smiled.  “Hundred dollars.”  I thought about it a minute, then left, deciding that I could get exceedingly excellent acupuncture treatments at home for a much better price.  I then awoke.
***
In past dreams, I’ve been in big, bright buildings, open and spacious.  Now I’m seeing smaller, more congested spaces.  If, as I believe, the buildings represent me, what is this saying?
At first glance, it would seem as if the buildings are telling me I’m losing myself and breaking down.  While that doesn’t sound so good, further exploration will uncover what I believe to be a more positive spin on that same message.  Let’s say the modern structure, the apartment in the woods, may represent the conscious ego state, while the older buildings could represent the unconscious.  The fact that the apartment building has small rooms and is in shadow while the buildings in the bazaar are many and in the sun could indicate a receding of an old image of myself to make way for a new one.  The "crumbling" of the bazaar structures would also support this theory.  If this is so, it is in alignment with my current desire to shift old ways of being and to, indeed, create a me that is more spiritual, open and allowing;  a me that is more flexible and fearless in the face of the changing winds of 2012.  What is heartening is that, according to these images, I am actually succeeding...the apartment is small and in shadow, i.e. retreating, while the buildings in the bazaar are many and in the sun, and I was “thoroughly enjoying exploring this new place.”  
An interesting shift, to be sure, and I will be paying close attention to how my buildings come forward in future dreams!


What do you think?


'Til next time...
Happy dreams!


Bev