Communicating Authentically

Once I had a dream where a baby fox showed up at an outdoor work function and curled up in my lap. Everyone there, including me, marveled that I had attracted such an adorable creature. I woke up feeling enchanted, filled with joy and wonder. 

Curious about what it could mean, I Googled “symbolism fox dreams” and was immediately crushed as I was informed that foxes are symbols of “abomination, lies, and deceptions,” because they’re such sly creatures and always evil villains in fairy tales. I’ve never believed any such thing about foxes and have only ever viewed them positively, so I don’t see how that would change in my dreams.(I wrote in previous post about considering a fox as a possible “spirit animal.”) I entirely disregarded that advice, and since then have been inclined to view much standardized “dream theory” the same way.

But I do believe that dreams are the psyche’s way of working out our problems as we sleep. I’ve also heard that when you dream of a house, it’s a representation of yourself, and that certainly resonates with me. 

A few different houses have recurred in my dreams. One is an imaginary three-story showplace on a Hermosa Beach corner, just a block from the Pacific Ocean. Another is a rambling one-story bungalow located in a shady cove of some other mythical beach. Did these dreams lead me to live in a house on the water, on the banks of the St. Lawrence River? I’m not sure, but when I wake up and see the beautiful blue current through the trees outside my window, it seems as though they did.

The house in my recent dreams is a rundown, multi-roomed mansion stuffed with the detritus of former occupants. My dream-self is aware of the need to clean out all these rooms, but to access the contents carefully. I know that some of it is useless garbage, but there are clearly items that are valuable, useful and just plain cool. The task seems daunting but exciting and fun – and also something I’ve been putting off for too long.

In life, I know that self care is something I can’t put off any longer. I need to manage my health better: eat healthier, exercise more. I know that meditation really benefits my mental health and I need to do it daily. My dreams support those messages. They also tell me there are relics from my past that I need to let go: thoughts, habits, attitudes, or beliefs that no longer serve me. And that doing so will reveal aspects of my life that are valuable, useful and just plain cool. 

Last night I dreamed I was living in the house where I grew up. I have fond memories of that refuge, where I was beloved and nurtured in the woods of New England. I dreamt I was with my husband and two children, now adults, but still children in my dream. As I looked out a window, I thought, “I have everything I need right here.” 

That was a magical dream.

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