A Celebration Of Inner Renewal

This column is intended as entertainment. But psychologists who work with clients’ dreams say that dreams can hold a tremendous amount of significance; a particularly disturbing or repetitive dream may indicate the need to see a therapist.

Dear Nancy: I am just one year out of an extremely difficult marriage. I have grown a lot this past year; I’m learning so much about myself. This dream seemed so meaningful to me, yet so simple. - Annie

I am looking at my table which has a silver vase full of flowers on it. I have some wild thistles that are in bloom in my hands. I add thistles to the bouquet.

Dear Annie: Sometimes the simplest of visions have so much to tell us. The vase is a container for what has grown in your life. The vase is full of flowers showing the fertility and fullness that you are . Flowers are the symbol of grace, giving us confirmation of the beauty and magnificence in the world and in God.

You bring to the vase wild thistles that are in full bloom. Flowers with thorns are symbolic of man’s stigmata - the scars and pains gained through initiation. You recognize their value and beauty. This is the recognition of the blooming of your own spirit through your painful and traumatic experiences.

I would treasure this dream, Annie. It’s a gift from your soul and a reminder that all of life’s experiences, the beautiful and the painful, together create wholeness.

Dear Nancy: I am a 70-year-old widower and I’m currently dating a woman who is 20 years younger than me. My son and daughter don’t approve. I never thought I dreamed, but since reading your column I’ve been recalling them consistently. Here’s the most bizarre one! - George

I am standing outside of the house where I was raised. It is all “boxed up” with weathered boards. Two black cats appear and one attacks me and sets his claws into the sole of my left foot. I am standing but I see my feet above me. I stamp my foot on the ground, with the cat attached, and try to scrape it off. It releases its claws and runs off. The other cat starts toward me and then appears afraid and backs off. I awaken.

Dear George: Your dream begins near an old family home which suggests that it has to do with family issues. Being “boxed up” and deserted may have to do with your feelings about your own life at this point. A spouse’s death is never easy.

On the phone I asked you, “Have you felt attacked by anyone or anything lately?” You replied, “Yes! My son really attacked me about my relationship with this younger woman! My daughter did, too, but not nearly as cruelly as my son.”

The very interesting aspect of this dream comes when you are actually looking at the soles of your feet above you. This may be showing that you feel attacked in your “soul” and not the “sole” of your foot. Also, your son wants you to get your “feet back on the ground” and this attack certainly does that as depicted in the dream. Dreams often speak to us in puns and metaphors and yours is a perfect example.

I hope you can heal your relationship with your son and daughter and also have a loving bond with your lady friend. Most of all, George, I hope you remember to always follow your heart.

xxxx