Sea Monsters Churn Up Scary Emotions

Dear Cynthia: I had a very odd dream the other night.

I went on a family vacation (although I don’t recall seeing my family members; I just felt their presence).

Swimming in the lake was an assortment of miniature sea monster-like fish. They were above and below the water.

I was afraid of these “monsters” but was enthralled by their existence and sheer number. There were so many--and so many varieties--of them that I could not understand how they had the space to move.

Off to the side was a young woman whom I’d thought rather overweight and plain in appearance when I’d seen her walking around the inn (actually, she looked a lot like me). She waded into the water stark naked and appeared very beautiful this time.

I had been afraid to go into the water in case some venomous creature might sting me, but I was left with a serene feeling.

PATRICIA

West Hollywood

Dear Reader: You are the woman that you observe.

The sea monsters are family members. You fear getting into the emotional waters with them.

In dreams, monsters are ugly, repressed feelings haunting the dreamer. These live in the emotions but can surface as well. You can’t really escape them, but you don’t want to get stung.

The number of fish in your dream may refer to the size of your family, or to all of the dark and difficult emotions you feel where they are concerned.

Try to identify any uncomfortable feelings you may have buried. Often we don’t want to revisit old negativity. You may be able to fool yourself into thinking that all is forgotten and fine now, but you can’t fool your subconscious mind.

Your dreams reveal that there are unresolved feelings--but that when you do understand them and interact with your family, you emerge beautiful and serene.

Being nude is exposing your true self. When you do, it turns out beautifully, so let yourself swim! Take a dive into your feelings. Chances are it won’t be as bad as you fear, and the results could be wonderful.

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.