dreamcatcher in the sunset

DREAMFULLY AWAKE: The gift of learning through dreaming

Last updated: April 3rd, 2019

Two nights ago, the night of 29/30 December 2015, I had an astoundingly clear dream. I woke up remembering each detail with absolute clarity. I woke up with a “wow” and immediately told my partner Michael about it. I have since spent some hours writing it down to share, and it went like this:

My oldest son had disappeared (it was him and in the dream he appeared to be my only son). He was young in my dream, about seven or eight years old. I somehow could “see” where he was and that he was absolutely fine, but I couldn’t get to him, and I couldn’t bring him to me. He wasn’t being held captive. He wasn’t unhappy or abused, or being hurt or, in fact even wanting to be with me, but I had decided that was where he belonged.

Michael and I were moving to a new home and were getting rid of all the things that weren’t of value in our lives—many things. The first thing being given away was any cutlery that wasn’t pure silver. Then there was the uneaten food in the fridge, gadgets that weren’t going to be used, linen, clothes… so many things… Anything that didn’t have direct meaning in our lives, anything that wasn’t of immediate value to either of us, anything that created clutter or noise, anything that interfered with our life together. And it was during this time of clearing out that my son had also somehow disappeared. Neither of us was in any way distressed by his disappearance, it just seemed to me that he should be with us.

After having exhausted all the conventional ways of finding my son, we were in a restaurant talking to our lawyers who were sitting across the table from us. We were discussing ways to get him back. Michael and I had decided we were now going to use an underground rebel organization to find my son, and were looking for a way to contact the leaders. Our lawyers were not happy with this as the law was being broken. They showed us a law book and I grabbed the book and showed them, on the very last page, a law that had been ignored, which we intended stretching to the ‘nth. The lawyers were even less happy.

Suddenly one of them—a woman—from across the table, grabbed a yellow pencil and asked if we had noticed anything strange about how people saw things. She held the pencil up horizontally at arm’s length to her face and said it looked perfectly straight to her. It was a challenge. She handed me the pencil and I held it up and, with my mind, I bent the end down and the lawyer was astounded. I showed it to Michael. He said it looked different to him. I then bent the end into a “u” with my mind and showed it to the lawyer asking what she saw now—she was a bit freaked out. I was having great fun with my mind, and I could make her see whatever I wanted her to see.

I then decided to see how far I could push this. We had ordered food—bacon and eggs. I asked for the bacon to be placed raw on my plate. I knew Michael wanted a bacon sandwich, and with my mind I told the bacon to cook itself square and flat to fit between the bread. It did, but it was soggy. I told it to cook itself crispy and flat, it did. The lawyers were fascinated, I was thoroughly enjoying putting my mind through these ropes. Michael was looking on with a detached sense of “knowing” and almost boredom. There was a young waitress in the background who was becoming frustrated with my constant conjuring as she couldn’t see anything different.

I was having fun.

I “told” one corner of the bacon to become a little girl and it did. It formed the loveliest little girl—still attached to the flat piece of bacon—she was about three years old, had black pigtails, brown eyes, wore the cutest little outfit and black strap shoes with white socks. Her name was Corinne. And I could make Corinne do all sorts of things—giggle, laugh, talk, smile (she was a delightful happy child)—but I couldn’t detach her from the bacon. She was completely useless. All the while, we at the table were arguing the point of law with the lawyers to enable us to approach this underground organization.

The lawyers and I were having a whale of a time with my mind antics, Michael simply watched quietly, the waitress was hovering behind us becoming more and more peeved as she couldn’t see even a glimmer of anything that we around the table were all seeing.

The waitress brought a dessert to the table. She had spent a considerable amount of time making it display beautifully. She placed it on the table—it was a work of art—but we were all busy playing with Corinne. I looked at the waitress’s face and saw her deep displeasure and hurt at being ignored. I realized that she couldn’t see what we were seeing, but we could see her dessert. I knew how much effort she had put into the dessert and knew that I could ignore it or acknowledge it, while she couldn’t in any way even see “Corinne.”

I stopped playing with Corinne for a moment, discussed with the waitress her method of building something so lovely, and took a photo of her creation with my phone. She turned from a frowning, sulking waitress, into a radiant lovely young woman. She left our table a happy person.

And, still in my dream, I realized that there was one person at the table—Michael—who knew my mind intimately as we were in it together often. There were some (the lawyers) I could let into my mind to play with and could play with me at my allowing, and there were others who couldn’t and wouldn’t ever see it. I could decide what I wanted to do with them all.

I woke up remembering every detail of this fascinating dream.

And a whole number of things important to me, that I have tried for so long to express in ways that are less bombastic than my usual “straight, direct way” were beautifully shown in this dream, and I had to write them down.

  1. There are people in our lives who are happy to be exactly where they are (my son). It is convention or our own insecurity that has us feeling they should be closer, that they should be more interactive, or more involved when in fact, where they are is perfect.
  2. That we collect stuff. Things we will never use, things we don’t need, things that should have been given away a long time ago. We collect property as we believe it enriches us, without realizing it impoverishes us with its constant need to be cared for, removing from us the ability to let go and make place for those things that are truly important.
  3. The importance of “Now.”
  4. That there are “other” unconventional ways of doing things (my usual way) and that rules and laws were made to be circumvented and moulded to do our bidding.
  5. That we’re easily distracted from our raison d’etre by inanities (lawyer with pencil).
  6. That in the need to be entertaining and entertained and appear “gifted” to those who can meet us on our playing field (the lawyers), tinkering with meaningless, useless accoutrements (Corinne) we detach ourselves from those closest to us (Michael) and lose others who have many things to teach us and who we can touch in beautiful ways simply by caring enough (waitress).
  7. To leave “perfect” alone (a precious relationship). To appreciate it, protect it, to keep it enchanted and filled with delight.
  8. Most important of all, that we have choices. It’s up to us to decide what space we’re going to give (if any at all) to each person or thing that comes into our life.

I looked up some of the objects in a dream dictionary (yes, I the existentialist am sometimes decidedly weird) and I found these:

Moving house: To dream of moving homes represents a process of change you’re experiencing. One life perspective or outlook is being replaced with another. Awareness of some area of your life changing or transforming. Your perspective on a situation is changing. Experiencing advancement, loss, or a new way of thinking. A change in how you see life or feel about a situation.

Silverware: 1. To dream of a silverware set represents a sophisticated, intelligent, or mature approach to an experience you’re having. Having an adult conversation with someone. A special or rare occasion in a relationship. 2. May reflect experiences which require a higher than normal show of integrity or respect. 3. Difficult or serious conversations about topics that are rarely discussed. 4. May reflect an attempt to instill respect, integrity, or harmony in relationships or family life.

Lawyer: 1. To dream of a lawyer represents an aspect of yourself that ensures compliance. You or someone else that is making sure a situation is fair, following the rules, or someone is doing what they are supposed to do. Making sure everything is in order or appropriate. Setting things right. It may also reflect intervention of some kind. Resolution of conflict.

Pencil: 1. The influence of a higher road, an internal call to “do the right thing.” 2. Things are “erasable,” temporary—possibly re­lationships, usually mistakes or errors in judgment. 3. Wisdom of thinking before speaking (to sharpen a pencil). 4. A phallic symbol.

Yellow: The colour yellow in a dream represents noticing something happening or noticing yourself thinking in a certain way. Yellow animals, objects, or clothing all reflect beliefs, feelings, or situations in your life that you’re aware of yourself having.

Little girl: A little girl appearing in a dream represents prosperity, money after poverty, and an ease after going through hardships. It indicates a praiseworthy and new development in life, or it can even mean enjoying advantages that one has been hoping for, or being in a new world. It represents that something special is going to happen to the dreamer.

And for the fun of it, I looked up the origin and meaning of the name “Corinne.”

Corinne: Origin Greek. “maiden”

Maiden: (noun) 1. a girl or young woman, especially an unmarried one. (adjective) 1. being or involving the first attempt or act of its kind.

What a delightful way to spend a few seconds of oblivion, what a wonderful way to begin a day, end a year—a time of letting go, and begin a new one—a time of gathering.

What a way to learn.

As the French goodnight wish goes: fais de beaux rêves. Make beautiful dreams.

Read more on this topic in HOW TO INTERPRET DREAMS: 7 keys to gain guidance from your inner self»


image: Handmade dream catcher via Shutterstock
  1. This article inspired me to look up the meaning behind all of the chairs (lawn chairs, rocking chairs, etc.) that appeared in some of my most recent dreams. 🙂 Gave me something to think about!

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