I had a small gold ring pierced on the top of my right wrist and I thought to myself why did I do that? I was going to take it out. It was so real this morning when I woke up the first thing I did was check my wrist to see if it was pierced. I should say the only piercing I ever had is on my ears and I have never been interested in or wanted any other type of piercing.
On another night I dreamed a bee landed on the tip of one of the fingers of my right hand. It actually was between the tip of my finger and my fingernail. I flicked it away before it stung me.
Sometimes physical events in our bodies or surroundings make their way into dreams. Have you ever dreamed of a heavy or missing arm and woken to find you’ve been sleeping on your arm and it has gone numb? Sometimes exterior sounds, such as an alarm clock ringing, for example, can make their way into a dream. Often the dream will misinterpret the sound or try to fit it in with the dream you are already having. An alarm clock ringing may become a phone, a strange birdcall or a wailing witch, for example.
As both dream snippets you recall here involve your right hand, I wonder if they occurred while you were experiencing pins and needles (numbness) in your hand – sleeping on it, perhaps.
Even so, it’s interesting to see what a dream does with a feeling or sound incorporated from the body or surroundings, as this insight throws light on how your unconscious mind works.
In both dream snippets you did not appreciate the piercing (gold ring) or potential piercing (the bee sting). You wanted to take it out (ring) or flick it off (bee).
If you’re right handed, your right hand probably symbolises how you handle and deal with the world, including how or what you give. Did you feel, at the time of these dreams, that you were being stung or hurt in some small way when you were trying to give, handle or help?
Both these areas are extremely sensitive: the skin under the nail and the exposed wrist. Was there a sensitive issue you were handling at this time, or were you feeling extra sensitive about something you were handling?
When only a dream fragment is recalled, a dialogue is often the best choice of Dream Alchemy Practice. You need only two symbols from your dream – or one symbol and yourself – for this to work.
Here’s one for you:
Dialogue:
Your dialogue is between the tip of your finger (under the nail) and the bee. Start with the fingertip saying, “Arggh! What are you doing landing here?” and see what the bee automatically answers. Keep it going for 20 minutes.
How to do this:
Give yourself no longer than 20 minutes. When you do this exercise do NOT think! Don’t plan ahead. Just let whatever happens happen. Let the two entities speak to each other on paper using whatever words come up. It’s a bit like writing a film script or play – but without the brain being involved.
How does this work?
By not thinking, by keeping the words flowing, you are letting your right brain and unconscious mind do most of the work. They created the original dream so they know what these symbols mean for you. They will reveal. You will be surprised.
More details on Dialogue as a Dream Alchemy Practice in: “Dream Alchemy” by Jane Teresa Anderson, pages 321-4 and 333.
Jane Teresa Anderson
