FREQUENTLY THE CHARACTERS IN OUR DREAMS will represent parts of ourselves that we do not recognize in waking life. Sometimes this will point out bad habits to which we are blind. Or, as in the case today, that other person shows the Dreamer her strong, dependable self whom she forgets she knows.

Dear Carolyn,

Let’s say my name is Nancy. I happen to have a good friend whose name also is Nancy. She is someone I admire for her intelligence and calm, balanced approach to life.

In my dream I am with Nancy. We are on a ramp — a long, slanting stone path that leads into the ocean. We are seated with our legs extended and arms propped up like beach chairs. We look toward the ocean and the sunset and wait for a giant wave to crash over us. It is scary.

A wave comes, but by the time it reaches us it is diminished. It washes up harmlessly. We are wet but unhurt and unmoved. I tell Nancy that I was afraid I would be washed out into the ocean. We can see that some people were carried away. They’re trailing out toward the sun but seem to be unharmed.

Nancy tells me she wasn’t afraid. She would’ve enjoyed being washed out to sea! We turn and face the water again and another wave comes just like the last one. Then a big wave comes — but we are not washed away, even though the wave is much bigger and covers us.

There are natives on the beach performing an ancient ritual for the waves and the sun. They stand in rows facing the sun and the water with arms extended, covered with feathers, headdresses and face paint.

I can see that they are unafraid and accept what comes. They will deal with whatever comes and life will go on. A woman there, a tourist, seems to treat the display as though it is apart from her, or not real. I know she is wrong. Their ritual is meaningful. It is part of life.

Signed, Scared of the Waves

Dear Scared,

You do not offer background or waking life details, but your dream suggests that you are anticipating troubles. Perhaps because you and Nancy, the other you, are looking toward the sunset, the things you worry about or dread are related to the sunset of your life. In any case, your dream offers repeated assurances that you have the wherewithal to deal with whatever is coming your way.

Those qualities you admire in your friend — it’s no coincidence that your dreaming self chose her — are within you and will sustain you. Many times, like the diminished waves, what comes will be less threatening than you expected. You’re not a tourist in this territory, Dear Dreamer. Even those other, bigger waves, powerful life events, leave you safe on land.

Like the natives in their ritual acknowledgement of the cycles of life, you must accept what comes — and with the strength of Nancy, you will survive.

Sweet Dreams to you!

Carolyn Plath, M.Ed., is a Benicia resident and member of the International Association for the Study of Dreams. Reach her at sendmeyourdreams@yahoo.com.

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