I was in the countryside somewhere. My little brother was walking barefoot through some grass and there were snakes everywhere, black ones and brown ones. I knew they were all deadly and tried to get him to stop but he kept walking, missing stepping on the snakes by inches.
Then I saw my little dog, a Chihuahua. (I don’t have a dog.) It was on a leash but asked me to pick it up, so I did. It then kept grumbling in my ear. Nothing that I could make out - it was just moaning about everything.
You described two things as little in your dream: your little brother and your little dog. First you were aware of your little brother and then you noticed your little dog. The ‘little’ links the two.
The beginning of a dream is often symbolic of the situation or problem your dream then goes on to explore.
As the focus changed from brother to dog, your dream was probably describing the problem in terms of the brother and the solution (or further insight) in terms of the dog.
The problem was that danger was all around and was being narrowly missed. The solution or further insight was to pick up the dog and, perhaps, to listen to him. He asked you to pick him up and this got him away from the dangerous snakes, didn’t it?
It’s interesting that although your brother was in danger, he did manage not to step on the snakes. So, was the danger real or imagined? What kind of danger might you have been in when you had this dream and how real was it?
Snakes in dreams can represent healing potential: people are often bitten by a snake in a dream when they confront an issue and heal it. (You need to face pain to heal an issue.)
What painful issue might you have been trying to ignore or step over at the time of your dream? (The little brother, the dog … everyone in a dream … represents something about you.) As your little brother wasn’t getting bitten it seems you were getting away with not facing painful issues. But, as the little dog’s grumbling suggested, there is a part of you that is moaning and grumbling about this issue and that needs to be heard. But, in the dream, you couldn’t understand what it was saying!
Sounds like it’s time for you to notice when you hear yourself grumbling and moaning and to ask yourself what painful issue you are trying to avoid. Grumbling does not solve an issue. Doing something about it does.
You will find it helpful to read ‘Snakes’ in Dream Alchemy, pages 176-82.
Consult me confidentially about your dream.
Dialogue:
Your dialogue is between the Chihuahua and you. Start with you saying, “Okay. I’m listening. Give that to me again but in plain English please. Now, what are you grumbling about?” and see what the Chihuahua automatically answers. Keep it going for 20 minutes.
How to do this:
Give yourself no longer than 20 minutes. When you do this exercise do NOT think! Don’t plan ahead. Just let whatever happens happen. Let the two entities speak to each other on paper using whatever words come up. It’s a bit like writing a film script or play – but without the brain being involved.
How does this work?
By not thinking, by keeping the words flowing, you are letting your right brain and unconscious mind do most of the work. They created the original dream so they know what these symbols mean for you. They will reveal. You will be surprised.
More details on Dialogue as a Dream Alchemy Practice in: “Dream Alchemy” by Jane Teresa Anderson, pages 321-4 and 333.
Jane Teresa Anderson
