Last night I dreamed:
I am in a large cineplex theater. I am searching for a movie that has already started and only has fifteen minutes left. I search and search but I am never able to find the right theater.
Pumpkin & Warthog
Dreams fascinate me. They are so helpful to my life journey. Most frequently they help me recognize how I’m feeling. Being born under the sign of Aquarius, I tend to hang out in the ether, mostly in my thoughts, sometimes in meditative states. People who have been to my workshops know that I almost always begin with a breath meditation. Besides helping the audience arrive and enter the present moment, it helps to ground me and bring me back into my body. Dreams provide a similar service by drawing me into my emotional body. If I wake in agitation, anger, or frustration, I know something is up. The source of trouble usually comes to mind as I wake.
Last night’s dream, where I’m searching for the right movie room, was not one of those dreams. I did not feel frustrated or upset, I felt calm and curious. The dream seemed to be giving me a general overview or reflection of my life situation — i.e. seeking the right venue for my work and my films and having difficulty finding it. There is urgency, because there is only fifteen minutes left, but not the same urgency that an emotional upset would demand. However, if I am wrong about that, I can count on my dreams to bring it up again. They are very persistent when they need to get through.
Sometimes my dreams give me a special treat like flying, whirling into a state of meditation, or going over a cliff and surrendering into a soft landing. Last weekend I got a heart-expanding infusion of cosmic love — just like they describe in near-death-experiences. It was wonderful. I felt so good. This kind of dream seems like an affirmation or reward for being on the right track spiritually. Sort of a cosmic gold star for good behavior. At the time of this dream, I was taking a sorely needed vacation trip to Sierra Hot Springs. “Good girl!” the dream seemed to say.
On very rare occasions I get foretelling dreams, like the night I dreamed about being at the beach and a huge wave coming in and flooding the beach. The next morning I got a phone call from my sister in New York asking if I was okay. She had been following the news about the shock wave from the Tsunami in Japan heading for California. Since I don’t follow the news, my dreams gave me their own account.
Recently, I had several water dreams. When my husband also had a water dream we decided to crawl under the house and check the plumbing. Everything was fine so I guess the water in my dreams is symbolic after all. It doesn’t hurt to make sure.
Sometimes dreams can help with physical healing. I have never had this sort of dream but I find it intriguing. There is a excellent book on this subject by Marc Ian Barasch, Healing Dreams: Exploring the Dreams That Can Transform Your Life. According to Barasch, dream can not only diagnose serious aliments but also suggest remedies.
Then there are the visitation dreams — dreams of deceased friends and relatives. My best dream ever happened about ten days after a close friend had past.
I find Marianne lying in bed in my childhood bedroom dying. I think, oh no, we have to go through that again! Then I realize she is already dead. I tell her she is dead and that she has come back because of the strong connection between us. I hold her in my arms and I get a wonderful infusion of love that bring tears to my eyes. I tell her she does not have to die again. I am aware that I am dreaming and hold on to the connection with my friend as long as I am able.
Both the lucidity (when we realize we are dreaming in the dream) and the love hit seemed to be gifts from my friend.
Visitation dreams don’t always result in lucidity. Often, I just flow with the person who is visiting and enjoy the company. I might even I recall that they are dead and say something about it. But in the dream world this seems normal rather than a tip that I am dreaming.
I had a visitation dream from my father shortly before my mother died. I was so excited to see him healthy and well (he died from Alzheimer’s), I spent the whole dream trying to call my sisters on the phone to let them know that our father was back. Meanwhile Dad said he was looking for my mother and went off to find her. When I woke, I realized that my mom was going to die soon and that he had come for her. He wasn’t back; it was she who was leaving.
I found it reassuring that my father was there for her in her passing. Although, as it happens, I’m not sure she was entirely ready to go. Shortly after she died she visited me in my dream.
I say to her, “What are you doing here? I thought you were dead.” She tells me they have made mistake and this time she is going to try health food and herbs instead of chemo to make her well.
The really weird thing is that my sister had a very similar dream.
Want to know more about dreaming and the dead? Join us for a teleconference with dream coach Lael Gold, Ph.D. on next Thursday’s teleconference call celebrating our website/program launch Transforming Grief: From Surviving to Thriving.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Grief Transformation Coach Michelle Peticolas, Ph.D. helps people transform their grief with a holistic approach to mind, body and spirit that heals trauma, reframes past attachments and releases limiting beliefs while uncovering a true life purpose and direction. If you’re ready to shift into a whole new way of being with death and loss, a new way of living your life, get Michelle’s complimentary guide, Essentials for Grieving Well at www.secretsoflifeanddeath.com
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