“There is a crack, a crack in everything—That’s how the light gets in.” Leonard Cohen
This post is dedicated to my coworker, LE. I don’t know how she does it, but she always inspires me to write!
I dream about the insides of houses a lot. Actually any type of shelter—sometimes caves or labyrinth structures. What I mean is, almost all of my dreams are inside walls. What I am always fascinated by is the detail of the formation—rarely the plot or characters of the dream. It is usually a dream where I feel strong emotions, in which I often still feel those emotions when I wake up.
Curiosity overtook me, so I looked up “houses” on www.dreammoods.com. Part of the interpretation follows:
“To see a house in your dream represents your own soul and self. Specific rooms in the house indicate a specific aspect of your psyche. In general, the attic represents your intellect; the basement represents the unconscious, etc. If the house is empty, then it indicates feelings of insecurity. If the house is shifting, then it suggests that you are going through some personal changes and changing your belief system.”
There are two reasons this last sentence is significant. One is the more obvious:  I am going through some personal changes and I am reevaluating my belief system. Everyone does this in their thirties—am I wrong? I have employed several methods of “research” for this reevaluation, but the most basic way is to look at my core values. Those I accept as-is. However, though I have always felt that I am a good example of high morals, a strong work ethic, and recognizing that everyone has “that of God in them,” it admittedly is a constant work in progress. The last part of that list is a common Quaker testimony. I was born and raised a Quaker and I still find that testimony is one of my biggest challenges. Seeing the God inside your archenemies makes it much harder to hate them…and I think that’s the point. Quakers (to the best of their ability) accept all people as equal, and are therefore loveable. We embrace the millionaire, the beggar, the drug addict, and those that society has labeled unconventional or eccentric. Yes, we hug them all. But I am not faultless, and so I strive to improve myself—I do NOT strive for perfection, because that would be boring! (Perfection doesn’t actually exist anyway.) Instead of walking past a panhandler and rolling my eyes, I could visualize them healthy and independent. Instead of balking at a new responsibility at work because it’s “not my job,” I will take it and run with it.
The second reason the dream interpretation is significant is that not only am I continually improving on myself, but I am slowly learning to look at things through a different lens. I have a situation that I lament on regularly. It seems that for the last several years, the only feeling I had about this particular situation was that it was always the same, never changing, and I could never do anything about it. Recently I realized that instead of attempting to move heaven and earth to transform my life, I could look at it from a different view and use the good parts to my advantage, thereby manifesting change. I did just that, and this blog is part of the result!
There are other ways to bring about the changes you want. Last night I was in the position to sit in silence for a while. I tried to meditate, and even though I cleared my mind, it didn’t seem to be working. Rather than fight it, I opened my eyes and picked up my Fairy Cards. If you are not familiar with the Doreen Virtue series of cards, there are several different decks of tarot-like cards with angels, fairies, and goddesses, among others, giving you messages. Whether or not you are a true believer in card reading, these cards can give you insight on life when you just need a little something more.
I did a three-card spread, and then impulsively chose one more. It was entitled “Rising Above Your Problems.” The advice it gave me was truly fitting of what I have been doing to manifest change. I paraphrase—it’s only a problem because you see it that way. Look at it from a different point of view and use that knowledge and experience. Know that you are worthy of the best in life! This message gave me such satisfaction and validation in my recent life choices. The thing about these cards is that they can either advise you to do something completely different OR confirm what you’ve been doing all along.
Whether your method is to seek outside guidance or look within, it is truly worthwhile to challenge your beliefs every once in a while.