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Key points
- Paying close attention to who or what appears in your dream can often help you catch the meaning.
- A dripping mattress in waking life can become a bathtub in dreams, so stay open to the possibilities.
- Your mom's appearance in your dream can be so much more than you connecting to her character traits.
- Play-on words and puns in our dreams can sometimes really stick.
Julia wanted to buy a house for years. However, faced with worries about a down payment and rising costs, she had put the matter aside. When circumstances forced her to think again, a dream that grabbed her attention led to some solutions to her dilemma.
The Dream
I had small plastic bags like the ones that hold extra buttons when you buy a jacket. They were filled with water and contained a tiny octopus. I opened one, and the octopus slid out and expanded to a very large size.
It attacked me with its suckers, mostly to prevent me from putting it back into captivity. I was trying to pry it off, uncupping its suckers from my legs and body. I wasn’t frightened, and the bites weren’t painful.
I finally got it off me and put it in the tub with water. I was racking my brain to figure out what to do, so I went in search of my mother to help me deal with the situation.
Getting my mom to the bathtub took a long time and was fraught with delays and obstacles (we were running through streets congested with traffic and construction). I woke up before we got back to the octopus.
The Discussion
"Wow,” I reacted. “Do you remember how you felt when you woke?"
Julia answered, "I remember wondering at the end of the dream whether the octopus would still be there and how I would find it if not.”
Focused on the action in the story and perhaps a play on words for the button bags, I asked, "Is there some recent waking situation in which you have 'let something out of the bag?'"
Julia said, "Well, my husband and I have decided to buy a little house. I haven't let anything out of the bag, but I’m sure the dream is related to the house. Many 'tentacles' to deal with."
"Yes," I agreed. "Have you been looking for a long time?"
"It's been on my mind for a few years, but I've never taken any action. We had neighbours move in upstairs with a bunch of kids. The constant noise above our heads, along with their general disrespect for us below, has really gotten out of hand.
"A week ago, they moved a mattress outside onto the balcony above us. The mattress got soaked in the rain and is still—today—dripping to our balcony below it.
“So, honestly? I've had the idea about buying a house before, and I let it drop because of the expense, but since they moved in, the thought of getting out has really stuck."
Laughing, I inquired, "You mean stuck like octopus suckers?"
Julia became excited by the new connections my question inspired. "Now I understand why that big octopus in the tub motivated me to go search for my mother.
“It's because I was worried about the financial commitment being too big, and I reached out to my mom, who offered to help us with a down payment.
"And the tentacles. The tentacles are all the delays and obstacles we are fraught with. Even how we were running through streets congested with traffic and construction.
“One house is too far away for me to travel to my clients. Others we've seen are an absolute mess for the high prices. So, there's lots of searching, and, at the same time, we’re dealing with these neighbours.”
Finally, Julia exclaimed, "The neighbour's mattress. That's the water dripping down on us, just like a leaking bathtub. Now I understand why I had to struggle to put the big octopus in the bathtub. It's the pressure of doing something about our situation."
After hearing Julia connect the dots with the octopus, I thought of her mother’s role in the dream. I asked, "Can you tell me a few things about your mom's personality?”
Julia offered, "My mom has always been the person I go to when I need help. She is strong, resilient, always positive, generous, and full of empathy. When I was young and wild, she was my voice of reason."
I exclaimed, "Julia, all those characteristics are inside you. Those qualities are what you are searching for to help you deal with this situation."
More thoughts flowing, Julia added, "When my parents sold their house six years ago, it took a long time before my mom found their next place. But she knew exactly what she wanted and didn’t settle, and now, she is so happy in her new home.
“Maybe this is how I connected her to this dream."
What We Can Learn
A play on words can often help a dreamer uncover the interior conversation represented in their dream. With Julia, this recognition came when she heard me echo back to her, "The thought of getting out has really stuck."
Once the issue is revealed, the dreamer can look for solutions. For example, Julia considered the action in her dream and realized that her search for her mother reflected how her mom was helping with the down payment.
As Julia explored the deeper meaning of her mother’s role in the dream, she discovered that this strong, resilient, and reasonable woman represents the qualities she needs to employ in her current dilemma. She even reminded herself how her mother "didn’t settle" when she was in the same position as Julia is today and how happy she remains in her new home.
Hence, the solution.
