Dear SMYD,
In my dream I’m walking along a beach with a tall,
handsome man. I see only him. I’m deeply in love with him. Then a whale swims out in the water near the
beach. It’s one of those black and white
whales that can be dangerous.
Just then, big waves wash ashore and the whale
comes with them up onto the sand. But
now it’s not black and white anymore.
It’s kind of a weird green and it has legs! I’m surprised and curious about the green
whale. It’s odd, unusual looking, intriguing. But I’m also worried about the man of my
dream. Did the waves crash over
him? Has he been pulled out to sea? Is he still on shore and injured? I hurry past the green whale in hopes of
finding the man. But then I wake up!
Signed,
A Bit Freaked Out by a Green Whale
Dear Freaked,
Your dream may offer insights when approached
from a linguistic angle. Our dreams often
combine the rich language of metaphor with the clever shape shifters of puns to
convey meaning.
First, consider the black and white whale that
your dream presents as the kind of whale that can be dangerous. When we toy with the phrase ‘black and white’
we quickly come to the idea of rigid thinking.
When a person sees as black and white, they’re right or wrong, good or
bad, with no room for a shade of gray or a thought outside our strictly established
opinions. Your dreaming self presents
this manner of thinking as dangerous.
In your dream, you see only the tall dark
man. You are deeply in love with him and
your focus on him excludes all else. First
your dream shows you the black and white as dangerous, and now puts you in
danger of the crashing waves when you focus on only the one thing you love. It can be risky to keep the blinders on, to
avoid looking at things outside your normal pattern. Does this remind you of a circumstance in
your waking life, one in which you deliberately cling to your view or opinion
of something you ‘love’ to the exclusion of other options?
When the whale transforms itself, your
dreaming self is surprised and intrigued at its unusual appearance. In another play on words, it now ‘has legs’
like an idea or train of thought worth exploring. You seem to pause for a moment, curious about
this new creature. Naturally, you’re
unsure since it doesn’t fit your black and white view of the world. So, you dismiss the opportunity to learn
about a new creature, and rush to reconnect with your previous love, your old familiar
pattern of thinking.
It’s wonderful to be in love, Dear
Dreamer. But closing yourself to the new
and different might not lead to the happy ending of your fantasy. At the very least, explore the options. Understand what’s being offered before you
let it go.
Sweet Dreams to You, Dear Dreamer!
SMYD
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