Exhibit Six: Acquired by the Dream Gallery 8 October 1998
'Of Frogs &
Princes'
Feeling
The Picture
Your feeling reactions to a dream are keys to its interpretation. These are my feelings. If this were a scene in your dream or life, how would you feel about being there?
This photo is a little
harder for me to work with as if it were a simple picture, as I was there when the photo
was taken, so I know more about the subject than if I was presented with the picture
afresh. If I hadn't seen it before, here are some of the feelings it could bring up for
me:
I feel uncertain about the frog: is it real or
plastic? Is Glen wearing a joke party hat or is his laugh reflecting sheer joy at the
silliness of having a live tree frog perched on his bald head?
If it's real, I feel uneasy about it: I wouldn't
want a live frog to be sitting on my head. This thought makes me feel inadequate: not
entirely at one with nature because I don't like the idea of touching frogs, snakes and
worms. This is a terrible admission for someone with a Zoology degree (me!), which reminds
me of the lengths I went to, as a biology teacher at some point in my career, to conceal
the fact that I didn't like touching earthworms. I taught dozens of "How To Handle An
Earthworm" classes to twelve year olds without anyone ever discovering my
squeamishness!
I feel Glen is really enjoying the bizarre moment
and he's also enjoying being the clown. I feel the frog may be a bit frightened, not sure
whether to jump or not.
The Symbols
Symbols in your dreams often relate to your personal memories and associations, so always consider those first. Then let your mind play with other, more general possibilities. They will not all apply! Just open your mind and notice where the symbol seems to fit and make sense of the rest of your dream.
Frogs frequently symbolise change or
metamorphosis in dreams, partly because tadpoles change into frogs and partly because
frogs, when kissed, become handsome princes! Personal symbolism always overrides or adds
to the more universal symbolism though. As my 'feeling reactions' (above) revealed, frogs
also symbolise, to me, feelings of squeamishness and concealment of my inadequacies. Maybe
that's not too far removed from the frogs-and-princes symbolism after all: the challenge
of kissing the ugly frog becomes the lifelong promise of the handsome prince, just as the
challenge of handling frogs and worms could transform my squeamishness.
Frogs can also symbolise 'leapfrogging', or,
perhaps, a 'leap of faith', or a 'lover's leap'. Or, in this dream picture perhaps, the
crouching frog symbolises readiness to leap ahead (a head).
The night sky - the darkness in the picture -
symbolises the unconscious, or what is unknown to the conscious mind, or suggests that the
dream is about something which the dreamer is 'in the dark' about.
Baldness (unless, like Glen, you really are
bald), can symbolise a lack of ideas (as hair sometimes represents ideas because it grows
form the head), or be a pun on 'bold'. Perhaps boldness, rather than baldness, is fitting
for me in the dream picture! Baldness, particularly when the whole head is presented as
bald (rather than just a bald patch) can also symbolise vulnerability and openness or,
again, boldness but from the sense of being bold enough to be bald, rather than because of
the similarity of the words.
Your male partner, seen in your dream, often
represents your male side: your Yang qualities (assertiveness, logic, competition, action,
intellect), or your 'outer world' in general. He can also symbolise your relationship or
aspects of your own personality or approach to life which are either very similar to his
or at an extreme to his.
The Questions
Here are some questions the dreamer of such a dream picture might ask to work towards a complete understanding of the dream.
Try these yourself: just give your 'gut reaction' answers to the questions - your answers will surprise you in the insights they deliver. The key thing to remember is, "Don't THINK about your answers - give quick gut reaction replies". Your unconscious will deliver.
If this process can work powerfully for this image, consider how infinitely more powerful the insights are when the image comes from one of your own dreams - direct from your unconscious!
* How would I feel about a frog sitting on my head?
* How would I feel about appearing totally bald in public?
* Am I on the brink of any changes in my life at the moment?
* Can I identify any situations in which I feel I am about to take a leap of some kind?
* Is there an area of my life which could benefit from taking a leap of faith, (a leap in
the dark, embracing an unknown or ugly quantity which may become a prince?)
* Am I ready for transformation in my life?
* Looking at my life, which situations would I list as 'frogs' and which as 'princes'?
* Which of the above frogs would I like to change into princes?
* List the kinds of leaps of faith it would take to make these changes.
* Is my male side (my outer world) ready for the action of leaping and transforming?
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