Guest Dream: I impulsively brought home two cats. One gray, one black. I put them in the house and went out to get all the necessary items. Upon my return the house reeked and was trashed by the two not so sweet kitties. Went to return the kitties, but could not remember where I got them. Then the guilt set in.
Carla's thoughts: When cats come up in my dream group, folks tend to see them as associated with the feminine. Of course it all depends on how you see cats, because dream symbols are so personal. But if cats do represent femininity or the female--and if it were my dream--my inner female is in the dumps. The colors of the cats, black and gray, signal mourning, loss or depression. When I try to get away from my pain by looking outward to find what I need to fix the situation (I go out to get the necessary items) I discover I can't get away from the problem; it's waiting for me when I return, and it's made a real mess of things.
The cats have damaged my home, which represents myself, my sense of who I am. I want to get rid of this problem by returning the kitties, but that isn't easy. Where did they come from? In other words, how was I saddled with this particular understanding of womanhood that is causing me so much angst?And for that matter, exactly what is it? My dream is telling me to take a look at how I see my role as a woman, and to question if the ideas I have about it are making a mess of my life. I can see from the dream that I'd like to get rid of the concept I currently have, but some sort of guilt won't let me. Perhaps I associate this idea of the feminine role (the one that stinks!) with my mother, and I feel it would be disloyal to reject it. Since there are two cats in the dream, perhaps there were two female role models who passed on conflicting ideas that I'm having a difficult time resolving.
What affects me first and foremost is that the White Cat is missing! The black cat represents my shadow side, and the gray cat an integration of black & white. So, something is coming together for me in my psyche. Cats, and other animals, also can represent instincts. One issue the dream images for me is impulsivity. How do I handle impulsivity as opposed to planning and execution of my ideas? Artistically, there is always chaos before order - and as dream ego I don't seem to recognize this. I would ask these two cats why they "trashed" my house. Only they can give me the answer. Have I felt trashed by someone recently, or felt I trashed someone recently? I would also be on the lookout for White Cat, perhaps one of my spiritual guides whom I need to call upon to get me through this mess. I see cats as intelligent, able to take care of themselves, and playful. They can also be territorial, domestic, or feral. What my immediate associations to cats or other animals are should be taken into account as well when working with our dreams. So, there is some part of me that is feral and undomesticated and wanting to be expressed or acknowledged. This is the messy part of myself that is human and just as important as the domesticated side. I also go out of my house to meet these internal need. Perhaps I need to rest in this mess for while and learn what it has to offer. So, the tension for me in the dream resides between impulsivity and planning; inner resources verses outer resources; and appropriate and inappropriate behavior. Where do I, as Emily, fall on the gamut between all of these tensions? Where am I off balance and need to rebalance? Another wonderful and informative post and lovely artwork! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteEmily, I love your comments and I'll be sure to tell the dreamer to take a look at them. Thanks!
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