What seemed, at first, to be a silly inconsequential dream…
…turned out to contain an archetype found throughout world folklore and myth.
In the dream…
I’m at a group banquet, situated on a long table, in the side yard of a home.
We first tried eating gooey, cheesy food—such as slices of pizza.
Finally, after going through various alternatives, we ate some cold cuts. This food was better for us.
I have a stack of open-face bologna sandwiches on the table.
A woman takes most of these sandwiches. She doesn’t realize they’re mine. Nonetheless, I’m irritated.
I sneak over and grab most of the sandwiches back, while she’s not looking.
I would hardly have given this dream a thought…
…if I hadn’t been bothered by my petty thoughts and actions.
Was I being so small in my waking life?
Well, yeah—in many areas. But I’m already aware of how petty I can be. Why would I need a dream to tell me what I already know?
Maybe the dream actually relates to food. Is the dream instructing me to eat cold cuts?
I don’t think so. Gooey cheese may not be the best choice, but neither is a diet based on cold cuts.
But that’s not the real problem in this dream…
There’s a theft, but that’s not the problem either. After all, it was done in innocence—the woman didn’t realize she was stealing.
For that matter, at that point, I’d already had several sandwiches. I probably didn’t need any more. But I wanted to grab a few extra—”get while the gettin’s good”, as the song says.
So maybe that’s a problem, but the more important problem is my reaction. Again, I have to consider my pettiness in the dream—my sneakiness.
I could’ve just confronted the woman and resolved the situation that way. Truth is, I took some satisfaction in swiping those sandwiches back.
Rather mischievous of me. Maybe even a little cowardly. By stealing the sandwiches, I didn’t have to deal with the woman directly.
She took from me, but in innocence. I took from her, but deliberately. Though I’m taking what’s mine, I’m the real thief!
In my waking life, I believe in playing by the book—even if it costs me. However, this dream tells me that I sometimes enjoy being sly. But worse than that: I may commit the petty act of taking revenge through trickery.
However, I don’t see my behavior in the dream as immoral—I see it as amoral. Like the mischievousness of Trickster—the character found in so many of the world’s myths and legends.
Trickster is amoral. He enjoys playing tricks, but his actions aren’t really malicious. He does as he does because that’s just what he does.
However, in the course of his trickery, the tricky trickster often ends up tricking himself.
Well, I have fooled myself many a time!
The dream ends after I’ve stolen the sandwiches back, but if the scenario had continued, my actions could have easily blown up in my face.
I still can’t relate this dream to a particular situation in my waking life…
…nonetheless, it’s given me some insight in my character, into my ways of working in this world. I’m not so strait-laced as I may imagine! Nor so brave!
Now I know to watch this shadow aspect before it gets me into Trickster trouble…
…and to find better uses for it. After all, the Trickster is also a creative force.
© 2012, Michael R. Patton
sky rope poetry
