Wednesday, September 12, 2012

You Might be Eleanor Roosevelt!


Our Dreamer Writes:

Dear SMYD,

Here’s a weird one for you:  I dreamed that Eleanor Roosevelt was in the precarious and even comical position of trying to climb onto the top shelf of an étagère.  The shelves displayed ceramic figurines of Victorian men and women.  Each time Ms. Roosevelt would get to a top shelf and start to station herself there, the cabinet would wobble and tip.  She’d say, “oops!” and start her climb again.  When some of the figurines did fall and break, I began trying to glue them back together, matching heads and bodies as best I could.

Now, I’ve admired Eleanor Roosevelt for many years.  Her dignity in the face of difficult circumstances always impressed me.  She dealt with the public humiliation of her husband’s affairs with more grace than I could ever muster.  She kept her own private life quiet too.  But why in the world would I be dreaming of her?  And what about her ridiculous position in the dream?

Signed,

Friend of Eleanor

 

Dear Friend,

We almost always find that our dreams are talking to us about ourselves.  Yours is no exception.  For a first tip to this likelihood, consider how your narrative of your dream shifts from talking about Ms. Roosevelt, to how you are dealing with the scenario and the “fallout” of her actions.

While you don’t offer details of what’s going on in your waking life, your dream presents some possibilities about your state of mind.  It seems to suggest that you find yourself in precarious circumstances that you consider laughable (“comical”) on some level and even deserving ridicule, just as Ms. Roosevelt does in your dream.  As she is repeatedly trying to station herself among the Victorian figures, perhaps you also are attempting to fit yourself in among Victorian values, or a stiff and formal setting.  She kept up appearances for society’s sake.  Do you find that you also are presenting a front to the world that is out of sync with your private life or thoughts?

Each time she almost gets herself situated the show (the display case) tips and teeters, and sometimes, the Victorian image falls apart.  It’s you who tries to recreate the image by piecing together mismatched heads and bodies. 

That mismatch could also speak to a break between what a person thinks intellectually as opposed to what she knows intuitively.  Discounting gut feelings is a tricky business Dear Dreamer, and seldom offers peace of mind or security of station.

Does this dream mean your husband is having affairs, or that you’re secretly gay?  Probably not.  It’s just as likely that the dream illustrates a waking life drama with parallel story lines playing itself out in your daily situation. 

To get to a dream’s underlying theme, it can be helpful to restate it in general terms:  Someone is trying to get comfortable in a public display of outdated values.  When the façade is broken, someone tries to piece it back together.  Ring a bell?

Sweet Dreams to You, Dear Dreamer!

SMYD

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