Message Is That You Should Trust

Dear Nancy: There is nothing particularly stressful going on in my life. I live alone and have a satisfying job. I have been on a spiritual path for years, but have not connected fully with any particular religion or belief. This dream puzzled me. Can you help me understand it? - Suzanne

I open my front door and see a huge buffalo standing in my yard. He is staring up into my favorite tree where my two cats are trapped. I am frightened for my cats. The buffalo sees me and walks toward me. I quickly go inside the house and shut the door.

I slip out the back door and pick up some rocks thinking I can scare him off. I see him lying down in the neighbor’s yard. He sees me and heads toward me again. I panic and, half-paralyzed with fear, struggle to get inside the house again. I finally make it.

I open my door for the third time and the buffalo is in my yard again. My son’s cat runs toward the buffalo and rubs up against his legs, purring. I am terrified and I think the buffalo will surely kill my cat. Instead, he reaches down, picks up the cat and pets it lovingly. The buffalo has large human hands and is wearing a wedding ring.

Dear Suzanne: The buffalo is a powerful image. It is very masculine. To the Native Americans the buffalo is sacred and a symbol of abundance. In the dream you are afraid, thinking the buffalo will harm you and the cats.

Cats are a feminine symbol. They are also very domesticated, as opposed to the buffalo, who is wild and free.

Are you afraid of your own wild and free nature? Are you concerned that it may cause disruption and possibly destroy the tranquil life you have found?

You shared with me on the telephone that you have some Native American heritage. Could the buffalo be calling you to a new spiritual path with the Native American beliefs?

The issue is one of trust. What terrified you in the dream is actually extremely gentle and benevolent. The large human hands hold your femininity with compassion and caring. The wedding ring may symbolize a new marriage or wholeness within yourself,

I see this dream as a promise, Suzanne, and a message to trust life and what it brings to you.

Tips for readers: Artistic endeavors, writing, music skills and other creative abilities can all be enhanced by dreams. Using the technique of dream incubation, you can ask your psyche for help in stretching your creative skills.

To do this, you need to immerse yourself in the subject and hold a deep interest in it. An artist might spend a day or two in her studio, a musician might spend some time listening to and playing music he loves. This immersion, coupled with the desire to expand your art, can produce dreams of inspiration and outstanding creativity.

As in normal dream incubation, state your desire to have a creative dream. State specifically what you want. A musician might ask for a haunting ballad or a whimsical ditty. A painter might ask for an exquisite landscape or a profound mythical subject. A scientist might ask for a creative solution to a specific problem. As you use dream incubation in this way, you will become more skillful at it. You may even find your dreams providing ideas and suggestions without having to ask for them!

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