Dream Interpretations

Sometimes our dreams just seem weird and don't seem to make any sense at all, but because I believe our dreams offer us a multitude of insight into what is going on in our subconscious mind, I have been more inspired lately to try to understand what my dreams are telling me, regardless of how weird they are. :-)

It all started a few months ago, when I was telling a good friend of mine about a recurring dream that I was having again. We couldn't figure out what it meant but shortly after our conversation, she came across a website, www.dreambible.com and told me about it. I was blown away the first time I used it, as I plugged in various elements of my recurring dream and over and over, my jaw dropped as I saw what each element meant. It painted a picture so clear, there was no denying what my subconscious mind had been trying to show me.

This website has opened the door to understanding more of the dreams that I could never make sense of . . . and from that, I found the insights and guidance my dreams had been trying to give me. I have found myself consulting the website several times a week lately, to understand symbols from new dreams that I am having and seeing what gems are there for me.

However, sometimes we may not think there is a need to analyze our dreams. If our dream seems pretty straightforward, we can assume that there is no way to misinterpret it's meaning, but on occasion, our dream may not be telling us what we think it is telling us.

Recently, I had a session with some former clients of mine and their new puppy. Losing their previous dog was incredibly hard on them and I think they feared their hearts would stay broken forever, but when this new puppy entered their lives, he showed them that it was OK to smile again.

The puppy, while he appeared to just be goofy, mischievous and full of life, carried some deep sadness inside him and a feeling of responsibility and guilt I couldn't quite put my finger on. They told me he had been the only survivor of a litter of twelve puppies and then it all started to make sense. He felt guilty that all of his siblings had passed away, and that he had been the only one to survive. He carried a burden that he should have or could have done more to try to keep the rest of the litter alive.

I worked with him, to try to help him release those feelings of responsibility and guilt. I talked to him about the fact that there was a reason that he survived, that he must have very important work to do here and reminded him that life here is meant to be enjoyed.

Even though I could feel a lightness come back to the puppy, I could sense that his mom was still feeling a heaviness in her own heart. I asked her what was going on, as I was picking up worry and concern from her but I didn't understand why. She told me that several times, since they adopted him, she had vivid dreams of ME holding him. She said in the dreams, he seemed very content to be with me and she worried it was a sign that *I* was supposed to be the one who adopted him, not she and her husband. She admitted that she felt a little bit of guilt that maybe they had adopted a puppy who was meant for me.

While I could understand how she had interpreted the dream that way, I also knew in my heart that what the dream meant was that he wanted to have a session with me, to help him heal the sadness he carried in his heart. I knew he wasn't supposed to be MY dog, but instead my client. I believed someone was telling her, in her dream, that it would help him to see me, but she had misinterpreted the dream.

As I explained to her what my interpretation of her dream was, and how I sensed that someone wanted her to bring this little guy to see me, so he could release that sadness now, and live a life free of that pain . . . I could feel a lightness come back to her. She let go of the worry she had been holding for the last few months and embraced the idea that he really was supposed to be with she and her husband.

I felt bad that she had carried that worry around for so many months but I also trust that everything happens for a reason and I knew the important thing was that they had come to see me. Not only had we been able to help their new puppy, but we had also been able to put that worry to rest for her.

Our dreams occur *for* us, to give us insights and guidance, to help us heal the past and take the right steps in the present. I really believe they are a gift. I hope you will allow your dreams to guide you as well.

Communicating with my mom

A few weeks ago, my dad asked me to come over to the house and look through my mom's clothes. He wanted to see if there was anything of hers I wanted before he began donating anything. Given that it has only been four months since my mom passed away, I wasn't sure who I was more worried about . . . me or my dad. I knew it was going to be potentially overwhelming for both of us.

Much to my surprise and relief, it ended up being a very pleasant experience. First of all, we only went through one of her closets and one dresser. When I realized my dad was going to take his time with this, I felt so much calmer. It was a relief that we didn't go through everything, especially since my mom has three closets, plus my old childhood bedroom that was basically turned into a walk-in closet. (To say my mom loved clothes and loved to shop is a giant understatement). I felt good knowing this wasn't "it" - we weren't going to be closing this chapter for a while. Secondly, we talked a lot, which I don't always get to do with my dad. We shared stories about my mom, laughed a bit, and talked a lot about her wonderful sense of style. It was a relaxing and enjoyable evening and it felt good to have a few things of my mom's to remember her by.

The next night, I went over to my friend Sue's house to see she and her puppies (my god children), Mingus and Nina. They are seven months old now and growing non-stop. They are absolutely darling. So full of energy and developing their own distinct personalities. Mingus goes back and forth between being sweet and silly and then being stubborn. We joked that he is taking after Sue's boyfriend Steve. Nina, on the other hand is often more serious, more contemplative, which is more like Sue. They both go back and forth between being totally wild and crazy and then peaceful and angelic. Typical puppies I suppose. :-)

While we were in the backyard playing with the puppies, I told Sue about my experience the night before. She was equally glad that it ended up being a positive experience, as she knew I was worried about whether or not it would be too overwhelming for my dad and I. Later in the evening, when we were having dinner, she and I were talking about how I keep hearing "In the air tonight" and how I know it's my mom letting me know she is around. All of the sudden, I thought "Wow, that's really odd that I didn't hear the song when I left my dad's house that night." I mentioned it to Sue and she agreed that it seemed strange that, of all times, my mom wouldn't let me know she was around when we had been going through her clothes. I joked with Sue that I hoped it wasn't a sign she was upset over the items I chose to take home.

That night, when I was leaving Sue's house, I had made a U-turn in front of her house, and as I reached up to wave goodbye to Sue, with the other hand, I hit a button on the radio and boom - there is was - the first couple notes of 'In the air tonight." I had a grin on my face a mile wide as I drove down the street. I thanked my mom for checking in and letting me know she had heard me.

The next weekend, I was heading over to my dad's house again, this time for a block party on their street. My family has lived in that house for over forty years and several of the families that we grew up with still live there as well. All three of us kids made a point of going to the block party this year so that my dad wouldn't be alone. We knew it could potentially bring up a lot of memories of mom and we wanted to be there to support him. As I pulled into the development, I was thinking about the fact that I haven't seen most of these neighbors since my mom's funeral and wondered if it would be awkward. And then, as if on cue, "In the Air Tonight" came on the radio. I said out loud, "Oh good mom, I am glad you are going to be at the block party as well."

It felt good to know she was there and it made it easy to talk about her in casual conversation . . . like when my dad said, "We don't really need a table cloth do we?" and I said, "You know what mom would say." He just smiled and pulled the table cloth back out out of the drawer. Even though she isn't still physically here, it only seemed right to still follow her etiquette rules. :-)