When You Find Your Soulmate, What Next?

It is said that, if you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him, ... but what if you meet a soulmate in the blogosphere? ... does the same apply? or does one simply fawn and "we're not worthy" from a distance. Perhaps I'll do the latter. Less messy.

EFCN again comes through with four ways of utilizing my time in ways detouring just a tiny bit from the task at hand - but all worthy. yes, really.

This morning I got myself good and immersed in the cool delicious spa-like environs of David Seah's site. Why am i so thrilled? on his blog i saw 5 squeal-worthy things:

5. a cat in a box - A CAT IN A BOX!!!!

4. I could have sworn I saw a reference to Talk of the Nation in there somewhere.

3. a cited location of freaking Nashua, NH (up the road apiece from the Groton homestead)

2. cool tracker sheets. who doesn't love coloring in bubbles not attached to the Educational Testing Service and one's ultimate academic destiny? ... and among which is the utmost in squeal-worthy: The Network Catch-o-Matic (Photo D. Seah).


The NCoM is the answer to my unvoiced prayers. It is also a thing of beauty to a recovering analyst-slash-entrepreneur, who's also a certified introvert.

:Digression alert:
I took that myers briggs test thingy several times - and, no surprise, different sessions of testing yielded different results. (I'm not the biggest fan ...) but for some weird reason, I like to know what my label is ... just like I like knowing I'm a Gemini sun, Aries moon, and Aquarius rising. I just like KNOWING. So - I was classed as an ISTJ or an INTP ... heavy on the thinkin' and heavy on the introversion.
:End of Digression:

The NCoM offers anyone of an introverted analytic bent with a goal of "networking" (that word sounds so 80s-power-suity ... ok, how about meeting people, some of whom might be really interesting and fun to know, with business opportunity being an additional win) the following benefits:
1. something to hold instead of a cocktail or a cookie or a cocktail weenie

2. something to occupy yourself with, when you're not actually conversing with someone, that isn't as excluding as a cell phone or pda

3. something to stimulate conversation ... Hi! I'm an introvert and using this cool tool to get me away from the wall or the food table. Hey, I'm going to try that one ...

4. something fraught with metrics ... ahhhhh... warms the cockles of the quantitative corner of my heart

5. something that gives you "a qualititative sense of how productive you've been during the week as far as your "networking" activities have gone." - qualitative? pftui - QUANT, all the way, baby

6. something that breaks down the "networking" into manageable chunks.

:Edifying Story alert:
On breaking down. Into manageable chunks.
I went to this workshop in NYC with the intention of handing my business card to everyone there - a group of like 20, 25 people. Sounds easy enough, yes? For some reason, when other people started doing this "networking dance thing" that I just didn't get, I was rendered mute and lifeless. On the train ride home it was worse, because then I got to listen to my own internal lecture ... a stern finger-waggy conversation about how I won't succeed in "growing my network" if I keep up this kind of ice floe behavior. The moral of the story is - perhaps the whole "business card to every person" goal was a bit lofty for me. Had I had the NCoM, I would have been able to properly baseline, goal, and stretch- goal myself. sigh.
:End of Edifying Story:

Thank you for existing so well, David Seah!

I Dreamed about Money ... What Does That Mean?

Hey, this isn't just a dream dictionary here! There are several ways to go with a dream about money. And any of them could lead to somewhere interesting ...

About the money itself: coin form or bill form? Someone dreaming of pennies or other coins could be undergoing "change." What shape is the money in: fresh and new? current and usable? rubber check? confederate? counterfeit? Was there a specific amount? A $3 bill? A Sacagawea dollar? A roll of twenties?

Is there anything in your waking life that might be related here - tax season just ended, for one; did you just receive news about money? a bill? How has money been on your mind lately?

When you encounter this money in the dream, what is your feeling state? What do you feel in your gut ... expansive (almost wrote "expensive" there - freudian slip ;)) expansive or constricted? attracted or repelled?

What was the money doing in the dream? Was it sitting there waiting to be found by you? Did it go missing from your pocket? What's the story here? Maybe the dream is about more than just the money that attracted your attention.

There are lots more opportunities to explore - particularly because money is such a rich and charged form of energy ... "rich" ... "charged" ... LOL ... If you have thoughts about what a dream about money might mean, do comment below. Also, if you'd like to discuss dream meanings, drop by www.dreamcurrent.com and give me an e-shout! I'd love to hear from you.

Can Dreams Foretell the Future? ... Well ...

My husband, who says that he rarely recalls his dreams, said to me last night at about 9:30 pm: "I had a dream about Pud. (that's what we call our cat, Mamma Mia, for short). She was at the bottom of a tub of water, curled up. "

The concern in his voice was so clear, I stopped futzing with whatever what I was futzing with.

"What happened next?"

"Once I got her out from the water, she was okay."

"That's a relief."

"Yeah."

He was really struck by how vivid this dream was. And how clearly he remembered it. He was really bothered by how he saw our cat almost drowned. I was too. However, I also knew that this dream could mean many things. Because it was almost time to hang it up for the night, I figured we could discuss the dream in the morning.

*************************

1 hour ago (5 am EST), Chris wakes me up: "I need your help."

"mrrfh. whua?"

"Pud's in the wall. You gotta help me get her."

Instantly and fully awake (funny how that works) I get up and he leads me to the bathroom where there's a hole in the wall, above the sink, previously concealed by a mirror.

"She's in there."

I stick my head through the hole and see our baby over five feet below, between the walls. She's standing on her hind legs, meowing. It's clear she wants out. I can barely touch her nose.

I freak.

My husband has already been working on a solution: "Here, I put these treats in a laundry bag to try to get her in and pull her up but I can't get my arms down there far enough, can you try?"

I can't even get the bag down to her.

I see there's some openings between the walls leading to godknowswhere, completely out of reach. This jacks me up to full alarm state.

We have to get her out.

Chris goes to call the local fire department and I keep cooing to the kitty to keep her more interested in me than in exploring godknowswhere.

Then some weird mother (mother cat?) instinct kicks in and I go get a hammer and beat open the wall near where (I think and hope) she is. I hope to God she's not so scared of the noise that she runs from it, further into the depths of the house.

After the first bang, a pink nose pokes through the hole.

Several bangs more and she squirts out.

She's safe. *deep thankful sigh.* And a little extra sleepy.

So. Can dreams foretell the future?

Quite honestly, I don't know. But I do think the possibility that elements of a dream might be precognitive ("pre" meaning "before" + "cognitive" meaning "known"), and that is something to consider when you work with a dream.

For instance, regarding my husband's dream, you could say (and I wish I DID say): Wow. This dream was pretty vivid and disturbing, even though, in the end, Mamma Mia turned out to be safe. Maybe we should keep an closer eye on her for the next couple of days, or be prepared for something out of the ordinary to happen with her ... but we can make it turn out all right in the end.

Why Love Dreams, Dreaming, Dreamcurrent?

Web-whisperer Ryan Nagy recommended I read My Voice Will Go With You: The Teaching Tales of Milton H. Erickson, Ed. Sidney Rosen; and in that book I happened upon this:

"So, have a dream. And, every time you dream, you have the right and the privilege of redreaming that dream, with another cast of characters. And, in that way, you can discover many things you've been trained not to know. Your teachers, a long time ago, told you, "Look at me when you are speaking to me. Look at me when I'm speaking to you." And you learned, " Don't do this, and don't do that. Wear the right clothes, the right shoes. Tie your shoe strings right." So much of our learning is based upon limited instructions that bar us from our own development of our understanding -- and we get into patterns of being limited."

In dreams, I found my own escape from limits. I found comfort. I found truth.

And today, I have what I thought I never could have: a home and a husband. And I have what I thought I never would want, an 8 pound kitty who runs the household (hey, I'm a certified dog lover).

Give trust a try. Trust the knowledge of your own unconscious. Take a look at your dreams. And do share your insights, if you're willing. Publicly, via this blog space, or via www.dreamcurrent.com. I would love to hear from you.

Pie Lovers and Rickrollers, Dreamers and Seekers, Step Right Up!

This pie chart made my "child of the 80s" self and my empiricist "there has to be a chart for this" self both rolling on the floor, taking the rest of me with them, laughing loud and hard.

The whole "Rick Roll" thing hit April 1 and apparently still keeps rolling.

Here's to not thinking and just rolling and laughing, laughing and rolling.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

A Heartier Dash of Soul for the Marketplace

I knew the web whisperer coaching me through how to offer my services and expertise through http://www.dreamcurrent.com/ and other venues was a gem.

But then I read this, about how he views his work with clients:

"I help them learn that they can sell effectively online and do so with heart, integrity and authenticity.

They don’t always think that it is possible, but they do learn. That doesn’t mean that it will be easy (although sometimes it is). And that doesn’t mean that it will happen right away (although sometimes it does). ...

... Eventually you will have the right message that feels good to you and that you know will be of service to the world. It won’t be false or B.S. or marketing-hype. At least not to you. And the people that think it’s all hype? They can go somewhere else. ...

... You will be YOU. And the people that “get” you and “get” what you are doing will be appreciative. They will buy from you and all will be well."

What he said made my eyes well up. He gets me. He's looked into my friggin soul and didn't sneeze on it.

I'd heartily suggest signing up for his services before his appointment book fills to capacity and all you can get is a T-shirt and a download.

And if you're still searching for your heart's true desire, get thee to http://www.dreamcurrent.com/. I'll teach you how to inform your life with your dreams so you live the life of your dreams.

How Do Dreaming and Action Plan Marketing Mix?

They mix well, actually.

On my commute, I listened to a few of Robert Middleton's Marketing Mastery CDs, which cover his InfoGuru marketing work pretty comprehensively.

First off, why am I listening to this stuff?

1. Pam Slim recommended I do so. And Pam Slim is no slouch and no dummy.

2. I LOVE talking about synchronicity, dreams, and such ... and how these things connect with, and are in the service of, growing and learning and becoming a whole, resilient, more joyful person.

But when it comes to talking about mySELF as a professional who has something to offer regarding this stuff?

Gak. Koff. Ptooie.

**straightening up, putting on uber-professional wall-street face**

Er, I mean, "Thank you, I'll pass."

So when I saw that the first CD in the set was entitled: "Overcome Your Resistance to Marketing Yourself," I knew I'd found the right thing for me.

So. Back to the mixing of Dreaming and Action Plan Marketing.

In the second CD, "Goal Setting," Robert Middleton suggests his audience check out some books on audacious goals set by other people.

Then he encourages his audience to think about their goals for their own business during the evening between workshop sessions. Secondarily, he mentions they might try dreaming on their goals ... and I could hear shifts and shuffes in the audience, that, to me, sounded uncomfortable.

I wanted to rush in and say: people, will you just relax? You're not being offered opium, occultist robes, and a crystal ball here.

In fact, dreaming on your own stuff can be better than being inspired from the outside, by other people, in that dreaming on your own stuff yields you deeply satisfying goals from your core that are fully and uniquely yours.

No robes, incantations, or smoke required. Not even the purchase of a book.

All you have to do is this: before you settle into sleep, ask yourself something like:

"In the service of my highest and best self, and my prospective clients' highest and best selves, what should I aim for?"

Tweak to fit your needs, of course. Write the question down if you choose to.

Then sleep and see what comes up.

Maybe nothing yet - try again the next night, try a different question.

But maybe something. Maybe something straightforward. Maybe something image-based and mysterious. It's all useful when it comes to manifesting life dreams.

At the very least, your unconscious (or as Middleton put it, your subconscious) is cooking on your and your prospective clients' behalf.

And that is a very good thing.

**********************************

If you have dreams you would like to discuss based on this little exercise, or would like to talk about dreams you have had, please contact me via the contact page at www.dreamcurrent.com. I would love to hear about your discoveries and mysteries - especially as they connect you with your deepest life passion!

How Do You Catch a Cloud and Pin It Down?

The empricial side of me runs around in circles like a tail-chasing chihuahua when I think about accounting for the functions or benefits of dreaming.

There is a good deal of fine content analysis work out there:

• Hall, C., & Van de Castle, R. (1966). The Content Analysis of Dreams. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts;
  
• Domhoff, G. W. (1996). Finding Meaning in Dreams: A Quantitative Approach. New York: Plenum Publishing Co and
  
• Schneider, A., & Domhoff, G. W. The Quantitative Study of Dreams. Retrieved from http://www.dreamresearch.net/ on 4/1/08.

My inclination found its true home when I read what Ernest Hartmann had to say in this month's Dreaming journal. Indeed, content analysis has high reliability, and tells us we dream of people and things are of interest and concern to us (Domhoff, 1996, 2002).

But … "are we reliably measuring Juliet's height and weight and the frequency spectrum of light reflected from her hair while what we really want to know is what she is feeling and whether she loves me." (p. 55).

YES!

How do you know if Juliet loves you?

... ask a Fool.

...visit www.dreamcurrent.com.

If You're a Fool, Today Is Your Day!

To honor April Fool's Day, let's celebrate the Fool!

Tarot's Fool:
Innocent? Wise? Foolhardy? Trusting the Universe? Setting off on a new adventure? All of the above?

Sure!!

Tarot's Fool is card # zero:
Nothingness? New Start? Completion? All potential? All of the above?

Sure!!

"The Fool is lacking in clear rational thought, but can surprise the wisest with spontaneous wisdom," - Dr. Robert V. O'Neill.

"But the Fool alone is not in competition; he's outside the game. In every hand he appears once, somewhere, unpredictably, never taking anything and never being taken. He just is." - Tom Tadfor Little, 1999)

"Shakespeare's fools are subtle teachers, reality instructors one might say, who often come close to playing the part that Socrates, himself an inspired clown, played on the streets of Athens. They tickle, coax and cajole their supposed betters into truth, or something akin to it. " - Mark Edmundson, 4/2/2000

Here's to:
Surprising the wisest!
Just being!
Tickling your betters into truth!

Happy April Fool's Day, everyone!