Maybe Something’s Missing From Her Life

Dear Cynthia: I have had a lot of hard times in my life. My dream, although not usually the same, always includes a part where I am lost and trying to find my way either home or to a hotel room or a room on a cruise ship, etc. I wake up feeling very depressed.

--IRENE

Irvine

Dear Irene: Feeling lost is a common dream theme; most people have experienced it at some time in their lives. While every detail of the specific dream is important, in general, feeling lost refers to two things, one internal or spiritual and the other external. The external part is the sense of being off track from your life’s purpose, the path that brings you the most happiness and fulfillment. The waking life feeling that goes with this dream is that something is missing. It is similar to the feeling you might have if you leave the stove or the iron on, or you set your cup of coffee down and you don’t see it yet you know that you had more delicious coffee in the cup and you want it. It is a vague but insistent feeling that won’t be dismissed. The internal is a deeper spiritual awareness. It may reflect your desire to find spiritual sustenance and nurturing. To align yourself with your soul’s most fervent desire for this life. Some dreamers describe a feeling that they have left their physical bodies and are soaring above the ground in the dream state and then may feel frightened as they seek to return to their body before they wake up. This could cause the dream phenomena you describe. Since you wake feeling depressed, my sense is that you feel separated from that which truly feels like home to you. It may be a person or a place. You say that you have had a lot of hard times; maybe you have never taken the opportunity to define home for yourself. Try closing your eyes and remembering the happiest, homiest feelings you can recall and then make some changes in your life. You may add some spice scented candles, a quilt for your bed or a new pet. Daily ritual, smells and textures can add a lot of home sweet home.

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Cynthia Richmond is the author of “Dream Power: How to Use Your Night Dreams to Change Your Life” (Simon & Schuster, 2000). Fax your dreams to Cynthia Richmond at (818) 783-3267 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.