Make Time To Relax, Feed Desires
Dear Nancy: For the last three years I have had recurring dreams about aquariums. During this time, I’ve also experienced mild depression and anxiety, mostly from the stress of finishing my degree. I know the dreams are trying to tell me something, but I don’t know what it is. I am happily married and have one child - and I’ve never forgotten to feed any of our pets. - Kim
I am standing in a room filled from floor to ceiling with huge aquariums, some hundreds of gallons in size. They contain a variety of sizes and species of fish; some look OK while others appear to be ill or dying. I know that all the fish in these aquariums are mine and that I haven’t fed them. I feel a horrible pain in my stomach because I realize I’ve neglected my animals - not because I don’t love them, but because I just totally forgot I had them.
Dear Kim: These dreams began about the same time you entered school, which probably triggered them.
It’s important to note if your dream animals are healthy and happy, or if they are neglected, wounded or starving. Their condition and the way we treat them in our dreams can be a reflection of how we treat ourselves.
What parts of you have you forgotten to take care of? Did you have a hobby or favorite pastime you put aside when you started school? Do you ignore your own creative urges because you “don’t have time”?
People who own aquariums often find them calming and soothing. Have you forgotten to feed your desire to play or relax?
Fish are also a symbol of Christianity. When we spoke, you said you gave up going to church (which you loved) because you had to study so much. Perhaps the aquariums are so large because attending church was such an important part of your life. These dreams may be a reminder from your inner-self to remember the spiritual part of your life and devotion to God.
When you begin to take care of yourself by making time to do the things you love and are important to you, I’m sure your anxiety and depression will lift. I’d also suggest you enlist the help of not only your husband, but also a trusted friend or counselor.
Reader’s tip: Beware of dream dictionaries that give such pat meanings as “wolves mean bad luck,” or “spiders mean your mother will visit soon.”
These are antiquated ways of looking at dreams, and by the time you’ve gone through your dream using such a book, you can be terribly confused. You might even come to the conclusion that dreams are nonsense!
It’s disturbing to know such dream dictionaries are still being sold at bookstores.
Two acceptable dictionaries are Eric Ackroyd’s “A Dictionary of Dream Symbols,” and Wilda Tanner’s “The Mystical, Magical, Marvelous World of Dreams.”
Remember, your dream symbols are your own, and the wolf in your dream may not mean something is untrustworthy or sneaky, but rather something that’s very intelligent and powerful.
Before using a dictionary, ask yourself, “What was my feeling in the dream? What are my associations to that symbol?”
Dream workshop: Acclaimed author Jeremy Taylor will lead a dream workshop June 4-5 at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Spokane. Cost is $80, which includes the Friday lecture and daylong Saturday workshop and lunch. Friday lecture alone is $10 ($5 for seniors and students). Contact Erin Fitzgerald at (509) 325-6383 for information and registration.