Dream - a letter from my grandmother.

[crikkett]

I dreamt over the weekend (10/28) that I was in my grandmother's house, after she passed away. I noticed a leak down a wall and went upstairs to investigate. The entire upper floor of the house had become something of an attic, with bare wooden floors and walls. A (new) door (in place of a picture window at what had been my grandparent's bedroom) had been left open at the front end. Strong rain was coming through the open door and that was the source of the leak.

Exotic stuff from my grandmother's life was piled up in this place - but it was being carried away by people I didn't recognize but understood to be her friends, coming and going through that door. I was upset because I didn't have a chance to look at, claim or understand the things.

Among the things that weren't being carried away was a stack of textiles - there's a strong tradition of sewing, needlework and tailoring in that branch of my family, unfortunately ending with my aunt. I feel guilty about my lackluster needlework skills, and about being a novice at sewing. I have a strong desire to sew, and a number of projects in mind, but just never start.

There was another item against a wall that caught my eye and I thought that my nephew should have it. It was a wooden carving in a frame (meant to resemble a painting I guess) that was a scene of African game headed towards Noah's Ark, two by two. The Ark wasn't in the scene. A little plaque at the bottom of the frame read, "We do this not for ourselves but for you."

Then, I held a letter in my hands, written to me by my late grandmother.

In it, she wrote that she was doing fine, and that she was spending time at her old school in the fourth grade. She wrote that it was interesting to talk to a picture of herself from that time, because it captured such interesting light.

Upon reading that letter I felt much better about the people who were removing her things from her house, and reassured that she was happy, and unconcerned about the rain. Then I woke, wondering what it meant to talk to a picture of yourself.

The dream stayed with me, so I think I'm supposed to learn from it. This is why I'm sharing it, in case anyone has insight to offer, to help my understanding.

I think I understand the "picture" she referred to in her letter not to be a photo print, but something more of a snapshot of a person in time. Perhaps she's referring to the "image" of someone at a point in their lives, maybe like a computer's disk image.

The interesting light she's talking about might mean that she was a very happy person in the fourth grade. It could be divine light, or an aspect of her soul that she likes.

This could be related to the Native American idea that a photograph captures one's soul. (My grandmother's grandmother was Blackfoot Indian).

The other picture, the ark, is more of a mystery to me. The obvious connection is that my brother decorated his son's room in Noah's Ark, but it seems to carry more meaning than that. Is the legend of the Ark, shown from the point of view of the animals, supposed to teach me that every living thing willingly sacrificed to make the planet better for ... me? Us? Or was the message an accusation, "look what we have to do because of you"? Am I supposed to do something for my nephew? Could the attic actually be the hull of a ship and the rain, an oncoming storm?

Thank you!

[Why Syzygy]

1. I've always been taught .

that homes represent 'us'. Once I dreamed I was shopping for homes. I rejected the one that had posters all over it and the remodelers were painting it purple without removing the posters. I liked the stucco one that had colorful gems studded around the top and leaded windows. It wasn't for sale :( . c’est la la vie. So my first impression would be that this house represents the part of yourself that identifies with your grandmother. Even the textiles are related to her and your, so far, reluctance to begin projects (and feelings of guilt).

Is there anything remarkable about your own fourth grade experience? Do you know where your grandmother lived when she was in fourth grade? I know my own graddad only went to school through ninth grade. In those days it was common for kids to leave school so they could work for their parents or help earn for the family.

I think it is possible the carving and thinking of your nephew bring his essence and what that represents for you into the dream. What part of yourself identifies with your nephew?

I find that when I write out a dream, many meanings come that oral telling or just thinking don't reveal.