Grace Kelly’s Pendant

The Dream: I am in a large discount store with my daughter. We see a necklace pendant that is modeled on one worn by Grace Kelly. It costs $60,000. After we have left the store I realize that my daughter, who is about 3 or 4, has stolen the pendant. I feel I should return it, but I’m torn: after all, it appears we did get away with it. Nevertheless, I return the jewelry.

Interpretation:  There’s something from my past that I tend to ignore (discount), but that nevertheless is part of me (it’s stored). This thing that I have discounted is very valuable ($60,000.00). Its previous owner, Grace Kelly, gives me a clue as to what that might be: my desire for success, fame, fortune, and celebrity.  My child part is perfectly happy to take a short cut to get what I want: she steals it. I’m very tempted to acquiesce in this childish crime, but my adult intervenes in time, and I return the jewelry.

Here’s an example where Jane Teresa Anderson's dream alchemy might serve me well. (There’s a post in the April archive that describes her technique.) In this case, I'll imagine myself having an extra $60,000.00 as the result of my hard work and ability. I'll envision myself going into the store and using this money to buy the pendant (my success), saying, “I’ve earned this and I’m going to enjoy it.”

I’ll try it and let you know how it goes!

Free To Be Me

At times (alas, not always!), there seems to be a sort of progress in dream life. After accepting my inner seven-year-old in the dream from a couple of night’s ago (It’s a Free Country) I move on to liberate myself from an old feeling of being ostracized.

The Dream: I am in the neighborhood I lived in as a teenager, about to take a trip with my two brothers. We get into a small car and are about to pull away from the curb. For some reason I have removed my slacks, but then decide I must go back into the house to get something. I exit the car, holding my trousers first in front, then in back, switching between the two, trying to cover my underwear from public view and hoping, in vain as it turns out, that no one is about. A group of curious neighbors assembles. As I awkwardly try to cover myself, they surround me. I search for the key to the house, which I can’t find.

Jane Teresa Anderson’s Dream Alchemy

Have you ever wondered how you might take a dream forward; in other words, how you might use dream images or symbols to help you reach some of your goals? Jane Teresa Anderson, an Australian dream worker, has developed a technique she calls Dream Alchemy.

Medieval scientists believed they could discover a process that would turn base metal into gold. These scientists were called alchemists, and modern chemistry derives from their work. Carl Jung looked at the metaphorical meaning of their processes and discovered in them a spiritual path toward greater consciousness. Jane Teresa Anderson brings these concepts into the 21st century, giving dreamers a method of transforming the dross of their dreams into personal growth and enlightenment.

I’ll make up a simple example to illustrate how this technique works: Let’s say I have a dream about not having enough food for my guests. My alchemical assignment might be to imagine a laden banquet table with plenty for all. By re-envisioning the situation I change the negative perception underlying the dream (I don’t have enough to give) into a positive (I have lots to offer). Effectively changing my thoughts will change my life. Jane demonstrates this technique and goes into the specifics of applying it in many of her podcasts. Start with Episode 28 found on this page of her podcast list. Here Jane talks about the effect on her life of her own dream alchemy process. For more about the technique listen to Episode 41 with Kitty and Episode 39 with Kate.

Baring the Breast

Have you ever had a dream that seems to resolve a previous dream? Jung tells us that this is to be expected, and that it is part of our natural psychic regulation. This is similar to the way natural physical adjustments take place, for example, sweating to cool the body when you get too warm. In my chat with Jane Teresa Anderson (Episode 44 of The Dream Show) she pointed out that the title of the dream The Bodice Ripper could refer to an opening (exposure) of the heart. I had this dream the night after our chat.

The Dream: I am sitting at a table of arty and intellectual architects. After a while I realize I have no clothes on above the waist. One of the men comes and sits next to me, kissing me on the cheek and saying, “I’ve missed you.” I notice the softness of his youthful face, although his hair is thinning and he must be in his 40s. I say, “I’ve missed you, too.” His name is at the edge of my awareness but I don’t quite get it. We’re happy to be together but can’t think of anything to say.  I notice my bare breasts and think I should cover up, but do nothing about it.

Interpretation: The bodice is off; my heart has opened. The rapprochement is not only with the part of me that can deal with the outer world (my animus) but also with my first image of a man, my father. The exchange about missing each other refers to my grief over his death. That I am sitting with a table of architects tells me that something new is being built.

Bodice Ripper Scene 4

A closed chapel is part of the Estate; it’s crammed into what looks like a row of townhouses. The workers are petitioning to have it opened, not because they are interested in religion, but because they know that if the chapel is operating the Lady will have to attend, and they want to gaze upon her. The Viscount knows this and feels as if they’ve put him over a barrel by pretending to want to go to church. In one scene the Lady makes an error by referring to her husband as Count instead of Viscount.

Interpretation: The Lady becomes stronger in this scene, which begins to place the two main characters on a more equal footing.  According to Tony Crisp, a chapel can represent the “powerfully regenerative side of our inner life or feelings.” Here, my chapel is jammed into the middle of the mundane workaday world—the row of townhouses. And my chapel is closed. The fighting workers of the last scene play a part by demanding the chapel be reopened. The Viscount is outfoxed by the workers, losing some of his power. The Lady is less intimidated by her husband, as evidenced by the slip she makes regarding his rank. Now the two can cooperate in a useful venture, as you’ll see in the next and final scene.

This dream has been interpreted by the well-known dream worker Jane Teresa Anderson in  Episode 44 of The Dream Show.

The Dream Show

Jane Teresa Anderson, an astute and engaging dream expert who frequently appears on Australian television, interprets two of my dreams in an episode of her weekly podcast series. Listen to it here: The Dream Show

Starting tomorrow these dreams will be posted in The Daily Dreamer along with the interpretations I came up with before my chat with Jane.