Of Presidents and Authority

Dear Cynthia: A bit of background: For 20 years I was a reporter, editor and newspaper owner. I then worked in real estate sales for nearly 20 years.

My dream: I met President Clinton, who seemed lonely and troubled. I asked him if he had received helpful advice from his Cabinet or other advisors. He answered, “They all think they would make a better president than I am!” I outlined my background in newspapering, noting that I had covered two presidential administrations. He seemed impressed and said, “You light my candle.” After awhile, I couldn’t find him. When I did, he was sitting alone in a glass cubicle. His head was bowed and he was deep in thought.

BETTE HARWOOD

Newbury Park

Dear Reader: The president certainly could use a friend in the press right now. He represents the highest authority figure, and when you see him confiding in you, it indicates that you feel like a powerful authority yourself. Indeed, you were a president of sorts--the owner of a newspaper. The buck stopped with you.

I’m a little worried under the current circumstances, girlfriend, that you light his candle! But in dream language, candles represent light, which means truth. As a newspaper person, you were a source of truth. In your dream you lost track of the president for a while, meaning that perhaps you feel you’ve lost some authority since you left journalism. When you found him, he was in a glass cubicle, in view of all. This certainly rings true to current events: The public is watching the president very closely right now. But because you identify with the president, the cubicle also indicates that you can’t hide from your own obligations. You take your responsibilities seriously, consider every decision carefully (the man in the cubicle is “deep in thought”), and you strive to make the right choices.

*

Dear Cynthia: I’m in the space shuttle assembly hangar in Palmdale, where I once worked as a photographer. Instead of the shuttle, an A-4 Skyhawk jet fighter rolls out. I run to the top of the work stand to get a photo of it, get to the edge, set up my camera and notice that the jet is very old and dilapidated. Then I get a sudden urge to jump! The last time I had this dream, I jumped and hung onto the plane as it took off!

JOHN P. SANDOVAL

Whittier

Dear Reader: I talked with a few pilot friends and learned that the A-4 is an older Navy jet, no longer used by our military. In its prime it was a high-performance subsonic jet designed to take off from aircraft carriers. Jumping onto it and hanging on means you want to share its power and purpose. You want to soar. But since your unconscious has chosen a jet past its prime, “old and dilapidated,” I’m wondering whether you feel the same about yourself. We all have some anxiety about aging. But according to your dream, you are no worse for wear. Action is symbolic in dreams. Where in your life are you jumping into some risky endeavor? In any case, hang on! It looks like you are taking off, and what a ride!

*

Dear Cynthia: I’m in a house and I discover rooms I didn’t know were there. Lots of bedrooms and bathrooms are hidden in a place where I’d never looked before, and I am very happy to find them. My adult daughter has similar dreams, but hers involve closets and closets full of clothes she didn’t know she had.

JANET MYERS

Murrieta

Dear Reader: There are many layers to dream interpretation. Your dream commands two. Bedrooms are symbolic of the many activities that take place there. (They also are a bridge between the conscious and unconscious minds, since we start out awake and fall asleep in them.) Bathrooms are symbolic of cleansing, of eliminating that from which we’ve received benefit, and which we no longer need.

So, Layer 1 suggests you are joyous to learn that there are many experiences ahead of you. Opportunities that have been hidden don’t have to remain so. And since there are so many bathrooms present, you have the ability to let go of what you don’t need.

Layer 2 is a little deeper and more spiritual. This could be interpreted as a reincarnation dream, showing that your soul has many experiences to look forward to. Your daughter’s dreams also could represent reincarnation: The outfits represent the many bodies or lifetimes she will lead in her soul’s future. Or they simply could represent the different roles she will play in this life.

*

Celebrity Dream of the Week: I have this dream every few weeks. Help! I’ll be doing a scene with another cast member and thinking I’m doing just fine (that’s part of my dream--how happy I am). I say my next line, and the other actor just stares at me. Then he or she says, “That’s not the next line.” I say, “Oh yes it is!” Then the executive producer of the show, my big boss, runs over telling me to take a minute to look at the script. I do, and I have a line that is three or four pages long! It’s really complex! I’m starting to do the scene again, and that’s when I wake up.

Cynthia, in real life I hardly ever forget a line. Honest!

BENJAMIN SALISBURY

Brighton Sheffield on “The Nanny,” CBS-TV

You are an actor, so your dream relates to work. But it also is a reflection of the role you play in life. When you are doing well, you feel great. Authority (the executive producer) can be a little intimidating, but until he gets involved, you are ready and confident to defend your actions. Many would experience a sinking feeling if another person just stared back. They might begin to doubt themselves. You remain sure. The three- to four-page complex line represents a near impossible challenge. As written in the stars (by the “big boss” in the sky), your destiny is complex. But since you get to do the scene again, your unconscious wants you to know that life will give you more than one chance.

* Behavioral therapist Cynthia Richmond’s column appears every other Tuesday. To contact her, write to “In Your Dreams,” Life & Style, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053, or send a fax to (213) 237-0732. Please include a daytime phone number. Letters should be no longer than 100 words and cannot be returned. “In Your Dreams” should be read for entertainment purposes only.