“Jung says that dreams are the woofer and tweeter of the total sound system.” Chris-in-the-Morning, KBHR, Cicely, Alaska (Northern Exposure, ep 1.8)
Lately, I’ve been having a lot of vivid dreams. It’s as if a deep, down layer of my mind that contains my true self is trying to puncture through the strata of my psyche to find a way out– like lava from the earth’s core making its way to the mouth of a volcano.
For example, in the last two weeks I’ve dreamed of driving on the wrong side of the road forcing other cars off the road, getting lost on a maze of wharves and piers, sweeping up leaves of a tree growing in a living room, having a job in a drum store where I am falsely accused of stealing books (in a drum store?), and taking Ayuvedic cooking lessons (pass the turmeric).
Here’s another quote from Chris. (Northern Exposure was one of my favorite shows and I often quote from it ):
“Dreams are postcards from our subconscious, inner self to outer self, right brain trying to cross that moat to the left. Too often they come back unread: ‘return to sender, addressee unknown.’ That’s a shame because it’s a whole other world out there–or in here depending on your point of view.” (Northern Exposure, ep 3.7)
I’ve been trying not to send back those postcards. I’ve been writing them down in a journal and trying to understand what they mean. I think I have a lot of these figured out. A few are a mystery. And some may have more than one interpretation.
For example, the other night I dreamed that I was pulling up the blinds on my dining room window. Light flooded the room. Then all of a sudden, the blinds got away from me and violently snapped up (like a shade) crashing so hard into the top of the window frame that it made a huge noise and shook the whole building like an earthquake. Then I heard my upstairs neighbors walking around, and I feared that I had disturbed them. I heard footsteps coming down the stairs outside. A woman suddenly appeared at my window. I did not recognize her as a neighbor. I immediately said “I am so sorry if I disturbed you.” She smiled and replied, “No problem. I just came to see if you are okay.” Then I woke up.
My interpretation is that new insights I am learning about myself and my life are flooding in like the light from the window, and the woman was telling me that this is good. I shared this dream with someone who offered a different interpretation. He suggested that I was opening a window on my life to the world, showing the world my real self, and feeling free to express myself in ways I have not before. The woman was there to tell me that this is also a good thing.
Yes, both interpretations work for me.
So, my point in telling you all this is to suggest that you do not ignore your dreams. Keep a pad of paper and pen next to your bed and write down your dreams as soon as you can. (You WILL forget them if you don’t write them down right away). Then spend a little time seeing what the mean for you.
Whether the messages deep down at our cores are a part of us or if they are a way for God to speak wisdom to us, I’m not certain (both maybe), but I do know they are worth heeding.
ljg 2017
Miss Pelican's Perch 