In this dream, neighbor Larry Smith sits in a lawn chair placing mechanical parts into groups and waiting for instructions of what to make from the parts. He organizes piles of car pipes and plumbing couplings, large and small bolts and several types of wrenches. Larry’s face reminds me of my family and friends. He earnestly looks around, wishing aloud that he’d found instructions to build something from the collected things.
I see Larry from down the street, sitting in his chair with an expectant expression on his face, and I walk past him more than once, chatting about the stuff and his plans for all of it. He tells me “there were no instructions”, and he feels he’s gone as far as possible with organizing.
The third time I walk over to Larry, I suggest he make whatever he wants from the metal piles. He looks startled and surprised. I am surprised by my observation. Larry’s face brightens upon hearing this suggestion.
My interpretation of this dream:
This dream represents personal freedom to manage my affairs according to my own instruction manual. There is no ‘right way’ to handle things. I can continue to rely on my intuition and allow dreams to speak metaphorically for me, helping me understand deeper levels of my psyche.
In waking life, Larry isn’t a neighbor, but is one of fifteen other people I recently traveled with on a tour of Northern Greece. He is an educator, and his familiarity also seems to represent all neighbors and fellow travelers I have come in contact with during my life.
His ‘stuff’ is organized, but he’s overwhelmed with irrelevance, and trying to manage things as best he can. Larry’s frustrations come from the fact that he ‘has no instructions’. There is no clear cut path to life solutions. The ‘stuff’ he piles up represents life’s daily minutia, and human’s desire to ‘make sense’ out of chaos.
What impressed me most about this dream is realizing I came up with an answer that works for me. I recall hearing myself ask Larry why he doesn’t do what HE wants to do? The voice wasn’t mine, and came through me.
There is no set of instructions because life doesn’t provide us with clear-cut answers.
I deal with the truth of my life the best I can, facing confusions about my behavior, good and not-so good choices. I look for answers because I am a seeker. I don’t need to feel ashamed of who I am or how I process life. We all operate using our own instruction manuals.
There is deep reassurance from my psyche to trust my dreams.
You are indeed a seeker and that shines in all you write and say. It’s not my original thought, but something shared with me, that tuning into inuition is tuning into a spiritual connection. I believe that, in those moments I can get out of my way and trust. It’s always astounded me that we find ourselves here with no clear answers. Like, whose idea was that? 🙂
Love your writing and the way you dig and unearth these beautiful prisms and stones
Isn’t it incredible that we live our lives looking for answers that aren’t there? I agree that intuition is a spiritual connection because listening to it feels so right.
Thank you for your thoughts.