freaky fridays 2

Okay. So I could tell you I had a really exciting dream this week with naked supermodels, flying monkeys and mimes. I could tell you I dreamed that I was a superhero who saved Kanye from himself. Or that I won the Superbowl all by myself playing all positions. But the reality is, my dream world has been pretty uneventful this week. Just snatches of things here and there that basically represent me figuring out next steps in my life. So, that means it's up to you. Give me juicy, sexy gory details from your dream life, especially if it's one that's left you perplexed. Share it. See if we can figure out together what messages the universe is trying to send you.

freaky fridays

Last night I had a dream that I was riding the bus to go pick up something at an appliance store. A guy sat down on the bus next to me and offered me a drink from an open bottle he was carrying. I told him "no thanks" and showed him a bigger bottle that I had and the book I was reading. He accompanied me to the store and helped me carry the TV I was buying, which maybe I would have been able to carry on my own if the towel I was wearing didn't keep falling off. :-)
I'd like at the end of each week to have you share your dreams. Do you have any recent dreams that you find particularly strange or disturbing? Write it down here. Maybe I can help you figure out what it means.

your dreams, your life

Imagine having the power to change what you're dreaming right in the middle of it. You can, you know. Did you ever have dreams that you felt you couldn't escape from? You were being chased by demons, vampires, your elementary school lunch lady? How did you deal with it? Did your nemesis catch you? Did someone come and save you or did you just wake up in a sweat? What if you were able to save yourself? As a child, I used to have horrible nightmares about being chased by monsters, and being swallowed up by the floor. I used to feel so powerless. When I'd tell my parents, the response was usually, "It was only a dream. Go back to sleep." For me, it wasn't that simple. As a matter of fact, according to Penney Pierce's Dreams for Dummies, "children who are regularly told this "are inadvertently trained to distrust and deny their creativity, inner voice, and connection with their deeper self". All I knew was that at a certain point, I'd had enough. I wanted to confront those dream bullies and f*** them up: the devil, Dracula, Frankenstein, the lunch lady, all of them!

I started thinking. I've flown in my dreams for as long as I can remember. Sometimes, I run at phenomenal speeds like Jamie Sommers (if you're under 25, don't bother trying to figure out who that is). So, the person I am when I sleep, must be some superheroic badass, right? What if every time I went to sleep I could carry this alter-ego with me? Those sleep demons would be running back to the depths of hell at the mere mention of her name. Dream Grrrl... Yeah, me and Dream Grrrl, kicking butts and taking names. Then, I decided to try a few things. Like relaxing back into the position I was in when I had the offending dream. And recalling exactly where the dream left off before (a) I woke up or (b) things got ugly. I go back to that dream, march right up to my arch rival and have Dream Grrl take them down. And what do you know? With time, practice, dedication and concentration, it worked. Suddenly, those creatures that had tormented me for so long were crumpling at my feet. I could put fear in their hearts for a change. After all, THEY were in MY dreams.

And, if I could do that in my subconscious world, imagine what's possible when I'm awake! After all, I have Dream Grrrl, right? She's with me in everything that I do. So, if I want to get rid of those monsters that plague me when I'm awake, like fear, anxiety, doubt, insecurity and negativity, then I should be able to just bust them up with a two-piece, huh? And in their place, I can manifest abundance, love and all kinds of goodies, the way I can conjure up a dream triple decker love sandwich made up of generous portions of Mos Def, Brad Pitt and the really hot boxing instructor at my gym. It could be that simple.

dreams and bonding with your kids

For those folks who are so busy that you fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow, then in the morning, have to "hit the ground running, it's not easy to recall your dreams. For many of us, we may remember snatches of dreams only to forget them by breakfast. A useful tool for those too busy to write them down upon waking is to share them with the first person you encounter, like your partner or roommate. For moms on the go, discussing your dreams with your children as they are getting dressed or on the way to school, is a great way to bond (age-appropriateness must be considered, of course). Sharing dreams will help you with recall (so that when you have time to journal, things are fresher in your mind) It also gives your child a sense that his/her subconscious thoughts are important too.

Now, some of you may wonder, why is dream recall even necessary in the first place. I am a strong believer that through altered states such as dreams and meditation, we are able to receive more clearly those messages that the universe has laid out to guide us though life. Sometimes those messages may come through an ancestor that appears to us in a dream or vision. Other times, a younger version of you may tell you what you need to know. For some, its the voice you recognize as that of the Creator that brings the clarity you seek. Our dreams are important tools for obtaining knowledge and for manifesting intentions for our lives.

Through remembering and analyzing your dreams you can unveil your soul's true desires and those obstacles that block them from coming into fruition. Using dream incubation, you can manifest the best things your life has to offer. By talking to your child about his/her dreams, you can give your child those same powerful tools for manifesting as well. In addition, this may allow some insight into your child's anxieties, fears, desires,etc.

Another thing that you might try with your kids is dream sharing. The ability to step into each other's dreams is a powerful bonding tool. Say, it's the middle of winter. It's cold. You and your family want to take a vacation together but time, finances, etc. may make it difficult. Make a dream appointment with your family to meet somewhere warm and fun. Talk before bed about where you want to go and what you want to do together. Be creative and be willing to commit to it. Even if it sounds or feels goofy. The more you do it, the more it will seem like a fun family ritual.

Common Dream Symbols

Just wanted to share some common dream symbols to help folks on their path to analyzing their own dreams. Some you may be familiar with already. Keep in mind that some symbols have different meanings depending on the culture. In some cultures, the significance of dreams of fish can be related to the activity of the fish or surrounding it. For instance, a general dream of fish may be about spirituality, but seeing fish swim may be about escape. A fish fry may be about taking care of personal or business matters; meanwhile, a fishing trip may signify the desire to get further information about a certain issue. In most families that I know of African descent, fish dreams mean pregnancy. Or abundance. Usually in the form of pregnancy.

Another common dream symbol is water. The significance of the water depends on its state. Murky water is usually pointing out danger, trouble or discomfort. If your looking at, or you in rough waters, it can be a warning about challenges ahead. If the water is clear, it symbolizes some kind of transformation in your life, generally a good one. If you are bathing in the clear water, it speaks to you actively transforming your life, as in conscious self-improvement.

Animal dreams depend on the animal and whether it is a pet or in the wild. Dreaming of domesticated animals such as dogs or cats can have a alternate meaning depending on your relationship with them. Cats can represent a deceptive person/manipulator to someone who isn't a cat person or an independent person to someone who is. Dogs can signify loyalty and protection or fear of being "bitten". Animals in the wild tend to not vary as much in our relationship to them. Generally, birds represent freedom, snakes are symbols of deception, lions are about leadership/domination and bears are signs of fierceness or overprotectiveness.

Number dreams vary according to the number:
1 represents God/Divine Source
2 can symbolize weakness and vacillation or unity,
3 equals fortitude,
4 symbolizes the physical body,
5 means change
6 emotional, mental and physical strength
7 high spiritual attainment
8 balance
9 productive path
10 closure

And if you dream of a bunch of those numbers at once, it means you should go play the lottery.

I Like Dreamin'

I started writing this because I have so many things swirling in my brain related to my fascination with dreams. Some of them are in notebooks, some are on random scraps of paper. Some stuff is locked in my head until I find a way for it to make some kind of sense. See, I've had this thing about dreams ever since I can remember. I recall nightmares as a kid where I was being chased by all kinds of things. Usually vampires. (Which is probably why I'm not as into the whole vampire thing as a lot of folks are these days.) They would chase me for miles and I would run until I was tired; then I would fly. It was the most natural thing in the world to me. So, imagine my surprise when I learned (as an adult) that everyone didn't fly in their dreams. Funny thing is, after that I still flew in my dreams but never quite as high. My feet barely left the ground. Hmmmm.

I also left my body sometimes when I slept (still do). I didn't understand the concept of astral travel then. I just thought something was wrong with me. I was afraid my parents would think I was possessed with the devil and make me participate in an exorcism. When I was in college, it happened once when I was home visiting. I told my mom and she just shrugged and said "Yeah, I don't know what that is." That was the end of the discussion. At that point, I convinced myself it was a brain tumor and decided I would suffer in silence.

Yet, in my family we talked about dreams a lot. If someone dreamed about fish, the women in the family would start investigating to see who was pregnant. And if you dreamed about a lot of water, something big was about to go down. If the dream was too complex, we took it to my grandmother. If she couldn't interpret it, no one could. When my grandmother passed, she left her gift of dream analysis with us. There are a couple of us in the family , that seem to have a knack for it. For me, it is part of who I am. I've studied dream books and dreams--mine and other people's-- kept journals, given workshops; I've used my dream world to transform parts of my waking life. Hopefully, I'll have an insight or two that helps you transform your life. Welcome to my dream world.