I have had a dream come true.
Often that statement would imply that I have reached a goal, that I have
taken that long anticipated vacation to Ireland, for example, or have
succeeded in achieving a university degree. Visualize it, plan it, act
on it, make it happen.
Sometimes though, we wake from sleep with a dream that presages the
future. Our natural tendency is to pay attention only when we realize we
have dreamed in advance of a huge life-changing event such as the
December 2004 tsunami in eastern Asia.
More often, however, dreams of the future are about common occurrences.
Even the smallest little snippets of a dream can touch the future, but
the fun can only begin when we are consistent in our dream journals. The
pleasure of the story I am about to tell you would have been lost if I
had not taken the time to record two small dreams.
A few days before Christmas 1999, I woke from a dream where I received a
Christmas gift in a little red gift bag. I knew that inside the bag was
a dream, one which I might need someday. I decided not to open it until
the right moment came. Whenever I flipped through the pages of my dream
journals, I was reminded of this dream, but I never felt compelled to
open the little red bag.
In mid-July 2003, I dreamed that I was awakened by a noise at the
bedroom window. In the dream, I went to the window, saw a pair of owls,
and returned to bed to tell my husband. Then a sound at the window woke
me fully. This time, on going to the window I discovered my cat outside,
wanting in. Normally he does not stay out alone, and had never spent
the night outside since becoming part of our family. I had completely
forgotten about him. Since that night, I have claimed that my cat can
shape-shift, sometimes appearing as an owl accompanied by his own dream
double.
Two years later, at Dream Teacher Training, events of these dreams came
together in a wonderful way. I was having an uncomfortable afternoon,
after a lunch of Mexican Lasagna which seemed not to agree with my
belly. I was not feeling well, and did not enter easily into the usual
camaraderie of our group. After supper, I was still feeling somewhat
off, when one of the women told me she had a gift for me. Darlene
presented me with a little red gift bag. Inside was a t-shirt with a
picture of two beautiful owls.
It's my cat! I exclaimed, and began to share the story. Then I
remembered the five year old dream of the little red gift bag, with the
dream inside. I realized I had now opened the bag, and was amazed to
find inside a physical representation of the shape-shifting cat dream.
One other detail - earlier in the day, one of the men commented that he
had dreamed Christmas came early, and so it did. The unexpected gift was
just the boost I needed to finish the evening session with gusto.
