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FEATURES & ESSAYS
 

by Alice Finnamore

I have had a dream come true. Often that statement would imply that I have reached a goal, that I have taken that long anticipated vacation to Ireland, for example, or have succeeded in achieving a university degree. Visualize it, plan it, act on it, make it happen.

Sometimes though, we wake from sleep with a dream that presages the future. Our natural tendency is to pay attention only when we realize we have dreamed in advance of a huge life-changing event such as the December 2004 tsunami in eastern Asia.

More often, however, dreams of the future are about common occurrences. Even the smallest little snippets of a dream can touch the future, but the fun can only begin when we are consistent in our dream journals. The pleasure of the story I am about to tell you would have been lost if I had not taken the time to record two small dreams.

A few days before Christmas 1999, I woke from a dream where I received a Christmas gift in a little red gift bag. I knew that inside the bag was a dream, one which I might need someday. I decided not to open it until the right moment came. Whenever I flipped through the pages of my dream journals, I was reminded of this dream, but I never felt compelled to open the little red bag.

In mid-July 2003, I dreamed that I was awakened by a noise at the bedroom window. In the dream, I went to the window, saw a pair of owls, and returned to bed to tell my husband. Then a sound at the window woke me fully. This time, on going to the window I discovered my cat outside, wanting in. Normally he does not stay out alone, and had never spent the night outside since becoming part of our family. I had completely forgotten about him. Since that night, I have claimed that my cat can shape-shift, sometimes appearing as an owl accompanied by his own dream double.

Two years later, at Dream Teacher Training, events of these dreams came together in a wonderful way. I was having an uncomfortable afternoon, after a lunch of "Mexican lasagna" which seemed not to agree with my belly. I was not feeling well, and did not enter easily into the usual camaraderie of our group. After supper, I was still feeling somewhat off, when one of the women told me she had a gift for me. Darlene presented me with a little red gift bag. Inside was a t-shirt with a picture of two beautiful owls.

"It's my cat!" I exclaimed, and began to share the story.

Then I remembered the five year old dream of the little red gift bag, with the dream inside. I realized I had now opened the bag, and was amazed to find inside a physical representation of the shape-shifting cat dream. One other detail - earlier in the day, one of the men commented that he had dreamed Christmas came early, and so it did. The unexpected gift was just the boost I needed to finish the evening session with gusto.

Alice Finnamore is a counselor, writer and dream teacher in New Brunswick, Canada. Her website is http://alicef.byregion.net/.