Red Cedar

I dreamed last night that I built a crazy wooden boat and went out on a calm inland sea with friends aboard (many of whom were children) – and every time I looked out into the distance I could see whales – narwhals in particular, the unicorn whales. Even though the boat was crazy-built, it was the best boat on the water – the most comfortable and seaworthy of any other boat around me. But it was the whales that have stuck with me the most since waking up – because narwhals have always struck me as quasi-magical creatures with their sleek black bodies and long single horns.

So these are powerful images – calm water, a boat, whales, children – and although I rarely engage in dream analysis, I find the temptation with such symbols too great. I should note here that I don’t believe dreams are windows onto the future, but rather the present internal state – and in this way analysis can be useful. My former therapist used to ask about my dreams often and in the re-telling of them I understood them differently.

So here are the symbols explained (interpretations taken from a couple of sites and added to by me):

• Boat: The boat is a signifier of one’s ability to cope and express emotions. I find it interesting that my dream boat was both seaworthy and self-built – which says a lot about how I perceive my own self-management skills and resilience. I piloted my boat effortlessly in the dream and many people came aboard and wished it was their boat. I obviously think pretty highly of my own emotional abilities, even though I struggle with that aspect of myself sometimes.
• Ocean: Water is an indicator of the state of emotions and feelings – the state of the water as perceived is said to represent the emotional state of the dreamer. In my dream the water was like glass, so much so that at first I mistook it for a lake (the whales tipped me off otherwise, it seemed we were in a protected bay). Calm, clear water in a dream is indicative of spirtuality and peace of mind. Certainly the “smooth sailing” metaphor comes to mind here.
• Whales: Whales are another symbol of awareness and intuition, but also can indicate a realtionship that is somewhat overwhelming. In my dream the whales were not close by and they were not large whales – mostly I just saw the intimation of them in the water – so I don’t think they represent something too big to handle. The whales were a source of excitement in the dream and happiness – so I am going to take this one from the awareness angle and as an indication that I am able to be open to information from all sides or unexpected places in order to increase my understanding of things.
• Children: Nothing in the analysis is adding up for this one because I did not relate to the children in the dream as children – if that makes sense – they were simply other friends who I interacted with on my boat. Normally children are signs of innocence and purity – but that doesn’t work in the context of this dream. I suspect this really reflects some issues that have come up in my relationship and my desire to include my partner’s child on my “boat”. This is some of what we have been processing lately and when I think of it that way it rings true.

That this dream also followed some very heavy (though reassuring) relationship discussion is a hopeful sign to me. That even though there is work to be done and things to process, people to placate and steps needed to move forward – at root I am reassured, that my belief in myself is the seaworthy boat I need to navigate this situation, and that the situation itself is one that presents me with new insight as long as I remain open to seeing into the distance. Really, the strength of my inner reserve is clear to me and I have a great deal of faith in it no matter how crazy-built it is.