Monday, August 1, 2011

The House of Me



There is a house I visit in dreams sometimes, a house I love so much. It is clean and bright, neither too small nor rambling. It perches at the top of a cliff overlooking a river that flows to the sea. Sometimes I own the house, but rarely. Almost always it belongs to someone else; I am renting or visiting. I love that house.

Last night I was part of a women's retreat there, hosted by the Brits. I waxed eloquent about my love of the place, reminding friends and family of my devotion, something they had somehow forgotten.

At last the retreat was over. I was sad to have to leave, gazing out the window one more time at the river flowing into the sea. One of the Brits read something aloud about how happy they were to dispatch the "Yanks." It hurt my feelings and created a lot of animosity among those of us there. We Yanks decide to battle the Brits when they came to take possession. We carefully planned an ambush, assembled every heavy item in the house to use as weapons.

The cast of characters assembled to battle for the house was surreal, including family members both living and dead, friends long forgotten and more recent, as well as characters like the giant from the Harry Potter film. Huh?? Where did I get that? I love dreams.

Though all of us on both sides attempted to fight, it was clear no one's heart was truly in it. During the retreat, we had bonded so deeply, no one wanted to fight. A sad yet loving peace was declared in which we understood how related we all were. At the end of the dream, we were figuring out how to share the house. We all belonged there. Extraordinary. What a dream, wow.

Perhaps this is a sign that the Discontentment of this long, dry, hot summer, is coming to an end. Or maybe I was channeling what was going down seven blocks away in the Capitol. A deal was reached in Congress to raise the debt ceiling late last night. I really hope my dream wasn't about the goings-on down the street. I want it to be all about inner aspects discovering that through the power of love and acceptance, all manner of roiling conflicts can be resolved. Can this dream PLEASE be about me? Yes?

Not that I'm sorry they came to a compromise down the street. That, too, is a relief. Onwards and upwards into August, hey? I say hey. Shalom.

13 comments:

Pauline said...

Even peopled with weird characters, your dreams always seem to make such sense. Wish mine did!

janis said...

haha! I have to agree with Pauline. Yours come out like a story, I can follow along so well. Mine? Some mornings I wake up & say... What the Hell? Why I dream what I dream is beyond me & I try not to analysis in fear of knowing why.
Love to you this first day of August Reya♥

ellen abbott said...

Houses in dreams are supposed to represent yourself. Finding new rooms is supposed to represent personal growth. So I'd say yes, it was all about you.

Elizabeth said...

Shalom, salaam aleikum!
Yes, lots of dreams have houses in and what fun to have a semi-lucid one.
Just read a long New Yorker article about a book about the US and England during the civil war.
Interesting stuff.
You should have been in our Jungian dream group!

Reya Mellicker said...

I've been in dream groups several times. I love them! I bet your was interesting, Elizabeth.

Hey you know I don't post the dreams that mean nothing to me, right? I am very careful.

Cheryl Cato said...

I just wish I could have cool dreams & ones that I can remember. I'm relieved at the progress made "down the street" from you. At least I hope it is progress; sounds hopeful.

jeanette from everton terrace said...

Crazy dream, even some Harry Potter - quite fun. I have a few dreams over and over but I only remember that I've had it before when I wake, then it fades. Wonderful photography by the way :)

Tom said...

crazy dreams! I just had one involving Woody Allen and an alligater. So, what's that supposed to mean...yikes!

Reya Mellicker said...

Tom, whoa ... tell me more!

steven said...

reya it intrigues me when friends describe their dreams because like this one of yours, they have a plot, a setting, characters .... my dreams are like states... almost like they gather all the elements of a phase of life and place it in one or a set of still-lifes. i wonder what the form our dreams takes tells us about us, let alone the content!! steven

Reya Mellicker said...

I like stories, fairytales, myths, Steven. So no wonder my dreams unfold in the same form! Your sound poetic ... of course.

mouse (aka kimy) said...

what an odd coinkydink that in your dream you felt insulted when the brits were gleeful that the yanks were leaving....

this reminds me of a strange fb comment exchange i had yesterday when some bloke commented on a photo of tony that i commented on made the following remark to me: "You wouldn't be an American by any chance, would you? Other points of view do exist."

oh yeah , all americans are all narrow minded and only value their own point of view-- talk about getting my dander up!

did come back with a remark that he doesn't really know me.....

Reya Mellicker said...

The Brits disdain EVERYONE. It's part of the culture. I find it rather adorable, actually.