Our sweet Biddle.

Do you pay much attention to your dreams? Dan and I have a routine where each morning we sit with our cat, Biddle, and watch him eat. (This is one of those silly things that started when he was a kitten and continues five years later.)

Anyway – while we sit together, we take some time to check in, see how we slept, and inevitably our conversation always goes to the dreams we had the night before.

While neither of us are expert dream interpreters, we do know enough about ourselves and what’s happening deep within our souls to know which dreams are just silly collages of the previous day’s events and which ones are powerful messages that are meant to be paid attention to.

So we talk about them. And analyze them. And share how we feel about them. It gives us a chance to reflect on what’s happening within our subconscious and also open up to what our angels and spirit guides would like us to know.

The other night, I had one of these message dreams that felt so powerful and so real that it took me a few moments after waking up to remember that it didn’t actually happen. I woke up with a jolt and a pounding heart.

In the dream, I was in my home (not one that I had ever lived in before) sitting at the kitchen counter working on my computer. It was a townhouse that shared a wall with the neighbors – our kitchens were connected by double doors. I could hear extra loud laughing and roughhousing going on on the other side of the door, and I was having a hard time concentrating. I stopped what I was doing, looked up, and screamed, “Shut up!” I wondered why they were so much louder than usual, so I walked over to the door and saw that it was partially open – I could look inside their home and see that they were all sitting around the counter watching a football game. I then panicked because I realized that if I could see them, they could also see me. And as an extremely private person who relishes my cocoon-like home, this was both unnerving and upsetting.

Dan came into the room, and I told him about the door. By now, it had opened even more – where they could easily look into our home. I ran to the basement to try to hide from them and collided with a woman on the staircase. I was shocked that one of the neighbors had come into our home without my even realizing it.

I grabbed her by the shoulders and yelled at her to leave, but she was belligerent and said she wasn’t going anywhere. She said that she had just as much right to be there as I did. I warned her that while I may be physically small, I have all of the strength of the world inside of me. And that if she didn’t leave, I was going to physically make her do so. But she didn’t believe me, and she wasn’t budging. So I did something that I’ve only done once before in a dream, I physically hurt her. I squeezed her so hard with so much anger and force that she withered away in my hands. I had gotten rid of her.

And then I woke up.

I rarely have dreams that are this violent – especially dreams where I’m causing someone else physical pain. And so I knew that it was something to pay attention to.

After taking a moment to be in this half dream/half awake space, I felt such power within me – such strength. While I have always had this fierceness inside of me when it came to protecting others (Dan, my mom, my furry babies, people who were being mistreated in any way, etc.), I have rarely channeled it to protect myself.

Over the last few months, I’ve been on a journey where I’ve been tapping into this inner well of strength and consciously welcoming it back into my heart. I have let go of so many friendships where I felt that they weren’t there because they loved me but rather because they wanted something from me. I have put up strong boundaries and made it clear how I deserve to be treated. And I’ve said no to anything and everything that no longer fed my soul.

Xena – my protector

Throughout this journey, I’ve had a helper on the other side: my sweet dog-ter, Xena, who passed away last December. She was my protector here on Earth. She was a perfect model for strength – she was completely docile and loving and kind the majority of the time. But she also had an inner fire that came forward when she protected herself or us.

Since she’s been on the other side, I’ve felt her strength running through my veins. I’ve felt this endless well that I can tap into at any time. And I’ve felt worthy of my own protection. I’ve remembered that this strength doesn’t have to be used for others only – I can use it for myself, too.

So this dream was a perfect metaphor for this inner change that I’ve been experiencing. It showed me how serious I am taking it. It was evidence that I’m not going to allow anyone to invade my home (literal or figurative). It showed me that I love myself enough to set boundaries and honor my own needs with a deep fierceness and fire.

And knowing this feels really good. It feels strong and powerful and loving.

All of this from a dream. 🙂

We truly can learn so much from dreams, and it all starts with being open and paying attention. I’ve found that I don’t have to do anything special to remember them either. The ones that have the messages attached will usually stay with me vividly throughout the day. I have found that it helps to share them with someone else – that way we’re vocalizing them and bringing them from the sleeping world to the waking world. I feel that there’s something powerful about doing this. And then just giving ourselves permission to sit with these dreams, journal about them, and take in whatever messages we’re feeling around them is a great gift to give ourselves.

We have so many great tools that help us connect with our soul, and paying attention to our dreams is one of my favorites. 

Have you had any dreams recently that came with messages? I would love to read about them in the comments below. We just started a Dream Interpretation discussion inside the Soulful Life Sanctuary, too! So if you’re already a member, be sure to check it out. If you aren’t, you can join us here.

Hugs,

P.S. – I have a special happening right now: our Soul Clarity Cards are on sale for $8.95 in the Soulful Life Sanctuary shop! It’s a great time to stock up! 🙂