A spiritual advisor who worked with me on dream interpretation years ago told me the more we write down our dreams, the more dreams we have (or remember). I love to dream, so I did as she said and now have a book full of fantastical stories, some which I can remember today because I wrote them down 15 years ago.
I have begun recording my dreams again and find it a very fulfilling exercise. I date and title each dream and often find meaningful messages in what my subconscious sorts through while I sleep.
My most recent entry is nothing profound, but it intrigues me just the same. In this dream of Monday night, my father announced that he wanted to climb a mountain, his goal being to get up high where his daughter has been so often when hiking in the Colorado Rockies.
Because he lives only 1,200 feet above sea level, I was mildly anxious about his ability to adjust to the altitude. He is a healthy man but he is just two months shy of 86 years old, so his age was also a worry. Confident in his capability and determination, he poo pooed my doubts.
My biggest concern, however, was how to spell the name of the mountain he chose to hike (remember this was a dream): Schuyler Mountain. Or Skyler, or Skylar. Which was it? In my dream, I tried every variation of the name and could not settle on the correct spelling. I leaned toward the “S-c-h” version but wasn’t sure if there was a “u” in there or not. The meat of my dream was not the safety of my father but the spelling of Schuyler. Go figure.
Don’t know Schuyler Mountain?
Me neither.
I Googled it to see if there was a hidden meaning to the name. Two options surfaced:
1) I discovered that Schuyler, Virginia is home of Earl Hamner, the creator of “The Waltons,” the 1970s TV show based on his life.
“Good night, John Boy.”
“Good night, Pa.”
Granted, my dad enjoys his daily nap(s) so the “Goodnight, Pa” part works. And John Boy leaves home for the city to be a writer so I could manage to eek out a correlation there. But I’ve never been to Virginia and I haven’t watched “The Waltons” since I was 12 years old. Maybe I’m missing something but I’m not seeing the significance of the spelling of Schuyler Mountain and my life as John Boy.
2) The name Schuyler is Dutch in origin and means shelter. Because I am trying to figure out my place on this planet, I wonder if I dreamt about the correct spelling of Schuyler, or shelter, because during my waking hours I am in the process of seeking shelter, or a sense of place—physically, geographically and psychologically.
Deep stuff and far-fetched, I know. But our minds work in mysterious ways.
Back to my former spiritual director: Rita said that when we get good at this dream interpretation practice, we can actually direct our dreams. Before sleep, make it clear what our question or concern is, then catch some zzzzz’s and REMs. After journaling about it in the morning, we may have the answer.
When I figure it all out, I’ll let you know. Until then, sweet dreams.
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The Thunker 