Program Override

I

Some dreams command your attention. This is one of those...


"I'm watching a woman rush towards a airplane that is about to take off. She has a short metal tube in her hands that is filled with cylindrical rods. She takes two new rods and places them along side the others. She is going to pilot the airplane, but will need to insert this metal tube into the control panel. She runs down the aisle towards the cockpit telling the other pilots that she has a new program that will override the existing one. There are only moments left before take off. She slips the tube in and the readings on the control panel indicate that the new program has taken effect. She says, "I knew it would work!" The plane rises into the air with great speed and power."

This dream left me with some poignant questions. What in my life needs a program override in order to take off? What might a commercial airline signify? Something where I'm transporting people to another destination? What about the metal rods? Two new ideas... two new pieces of information? I have the sense that this woman is a part of me that knows what will work and she has the keys!

Carried Along

Have you experienced a dream that completely shifts your attitude about something?

Early this week I was feeling anxious about my ability to adjust to a new situation in my life that is requiring me to learn many new skills very quickly. I felt overwhelmed and fearful of failure. Along came this dream...

"I am moving into a new house. It feels just right for me - the living area is an open-concept design and the house is generally very spacious. There is room for all my furniture. Off the master bedroom is a small room for my young son, and off that room is a smaller room that has art supplies in the closet. Right next to the house is a wholesale grocery store. I hope that I can shop there.

I walk down the street to the beach. I see a very large basket in the sand and a group of people sitting nearby. I join them. A woman climbs out of the basket - it seems she has had a healing experience. There is a woman (healer) who is directing this. I don't see her in detail - she is sitting off to the side and has an aura of mystery about her.  I decide to take a turn in the basket. I lie down and close my eyes.

 

Soon I feel the basket moving along in the sand. I imagine that SHE is pulling me. When I open my eyes, I am being carried along in the water and the other people are swimming all around me. We are heading down the river. I still don't see the woman who is pulling me. I would like to get out and swim, but realize that this is what is needed for now."

I awake with a great sense of being taken care of. I feel relieved and somehow more confident that I will be able to cope with the new situation in my life. I muse about the dream... The house seems to be a metaphor for a new place (in my psyche) where I will be residing. It feels just right for me and I love the sense of spaciousness (lots of room to grow). My son as a child was happy, creative and expressive. These qualities will be residing right next to the 'master bedroom' in my psyche. That's a great sign!! And there is nurture right next door - and wholesale! The beach can be seen as a liminal space, in psychological terms, a marginal transitional state... land to water... a place where boundaries dissolve a little and we move across the threshold  to a new sense of who we are. The basket is such a lovely image. It's soft and pliable and likely hand woven. It encompasses me. All along the way, I am being carried along by this mysterious feminine force. This dream was truly a gift from the Self!

Two dogs, two choices

A dream fragment...

D has adopted two dogs – a mother (or grandmother) and daughter. The daughter is a small mutt, orange in color and frisky. D is holding the older dog. She has fluffy salt and pepper colored fur and is very sedate.. I tell D that if she finds the two dogs too much to deal with, my partner and I will take one. I wonder which one - I think it would be the older dog.

A simple little fragment that  may seem meaningless.Here's what I come up when I look at associations to the dogs and woman in my dream.

Dogs speak about loyalty to me. Mother daughter loyalty here? In my life... I am feeling torn right now, between going to see my mother or my daughters and grandchildren. I have been looking at flights.

Why is D in my dream? She has 3 daughters - perhaps showing me the strength of the pull towards going to see my daughters. D is very family centered and sees her daughters regularly. She has everything she needs at this time in her life – money especially, which allows her to travel and be generous with her family. Money is part of the dilemma for me in making my choice.

Is D that part of me that thinks I can take care of everyone? There is also another voice that knows I can't. In the dream, I choose the older dog. I had intended to go and see my mother at Christmas and was unable to. She is in her mid-nineties - who knows how long she will be with us.

The images in our dreams are very specific. We need to pay attention to the energy that they hold. To access this I could 'become' the older dog (as it is the one I would likely choose), allowing her to flesh out in my imagination, bringing her to life.. Jung called this active imagination. 

She is in D's arms - she needs to be held -  She feels like part husky - independent like my mother. Her eyes are soft and loving. She is quietly vibrant.  I feel very connected to her. I want her in my life.

I could also work with the D in me. I'll leave that for another time. She'll show up again!
Should I go check those flights?

I don't want to give the impression that I have this dream all figured out. Perhaps it is time for a dog to come into my life again? In the dream it is not only me that will take the dog, but my partner and I - we have talked about this. Or perhaps it is time for the energy and qualities of this particular dog to be in my life or be manifest in me? I should also look at other areas in my life where loyalty may be afoot. I try not to tie dreams up in neat little bows. Tomorrow may shed new light on today's analysis.