In This Case, Looking Young Was Fatal

Dear Cynthia: I dreamed that aliens had secretly invaded the Earth and were beginning to kill people with a beauty balm that made people look younger. If you used it, you would be youthful for two days, but then you died. No one saw the pattern but me.

I tried telling everyone but no one would listen. My family began to use the balm and soon I was the only person left on Earth. All the animals and trees were gone as well and I felt terrible heartbreak. I drew a gun and shot myself to end the torment.

I was scared for days after this dream. What do you think?

ANNE GILLESPIE

San Clemente

Dear Reader: Any time that the feelings after a dream stick with us for days, it certainly is worth trying to understand the message. Your dream begins with strong images. Aliens are outsiders, someone foreign to your ways. Vanity and the pursuit of a youthful appearance are perhaps unnatural but extremely understandable. Looking young isn’t just about sex appeal anymore. In today’s competitive corporate climate, a youthful appearance can make the difference in getting hired. Still, valuing a youthful appearance over truth and experience just seems wrong, and in your dream it is dangerous, indeed fatal.

You are observant but no one will listen. Where in your life do you feel ineffective? Who in your world isn’t listening to you? Do you feel alone with your insights and awareness? If you are feeling isolated, reach out and find some like-minded friends to converse with.

Is the period of two days significant to you? Two days is a weekend, the number two is associated with partnership, balance, choices. Are you making a decision at this time and are you afraid you will alienate others if you choose incorrectly?

Since every living thing on the planet is affected in your dream, maybe your concern for youth worship relates to society at large and not just your personal world. You shoot yourself in reaction to the heartbreak you feel. Taking one’s life in a dream can indicate emotional pain, but death indicates transformation. One thing ends so another one can begin.

Fax your dreams to Cynthia Richmond at (213) 237-0732 or e-mail them to in.your.dreams@worldnet.att.net. Please include your hometown and a daytime phone number. “In Your Dreams” appears every Tuesday and should be read for entertainment purposes only.