Series Dreams vs. Recurring Dreams

Recurring dreams and what I call series dreams are similar in that they both have duplicative qualities, but they do differ slightly. 

RECURRING DREAMS

Simply put, recurring dreams are a replay, or a near replay of the same dream. They show up to make not only a point, but an exclamation point, of what we need to be looking for in ourselves. In other words, they help us to understand how we need to heal in a particular area in our life so that we can learn and grow. Since dreams are told in metaphor, we often have to do some detective work to figure out the message, but that is what makes dream tending so much fun.

For example, I repeatedly dreamt of the Enterprise (the ship from the original Star Trek series) moving through space. That was it. The image never changed. It was always the same.

I also had a recurring dream where Bono, the lead singer of the band U2, and I were childhood friends. I was born a duchess, while he was from the wrong side of the societal tracks. We weren't allowed to be friends, but that didn't stop us. We simply kept our friendship hidden. However, as an adult, I wanted to learn how to make my own money and not rely my family's wealth. I pretended to be an American and moved to the States. I tried to maneuver my way in the world without help. Bono and I would meet years later and he asked me to sing with him in the band for their next album. The dream ends after we record the song.

The Bono/duchess dreams sometimes started in different places. Sometimes we had somewhat different conversations, but the general message was the same. Additionally, in real life I am American, but in the dream, I was an imposter.

I dreamt these dreams off an on for years, until I decided to do some dream tending and figure out what it all meant for me. Dream dictionaries are helpful, but it's most important to relate the dream symbolism to one's own symbolic language. The Universe speaks in symbols that relate to us. While they may be cultural symbols, they may be quite personal.

For me, the Enterprise moving through space, on the one hand, has to do with my deep interest in space travel. I have wanted to be an astronaut since I was a child and that desire has never waned. That is one layer of the dream "onion" that I have peeled. I also know that for me, that dream means to feel spaciousness in my mind, body and soul. I tend to be a wound up, taut sort of human, but when I relax, meditate and breathe, I can feel the spaciousness within and connect with the Universe at large. This is a better way for me to move through my life. "Space" and "movement" were the key elements for this understanding.

As for my duchess/Bono dream. Well, I had a crush on Bono back in the day. So, it's not surprising he would show up. The thing to remember when one dreams about people they are rarely really dreaming of that person. They are instead dreaming of the symbolic aspect of that person that relates to the dreamer. 

To me, he represents a self-made person. He did not rely on family money. He did what he wanted to do to make it into this world, following his ideal dream. The overriding message of the dream for me was repeated on how I think of Bono as a dream symbol.

Money has been an ongoing theme for me in my adult life. I have played the role of the high life, while burying myself in debt. I played the role of extreme poverty. I am now playing a healthier role of being debt free. Shifting my relationship with money has been ongoing process that I am still working out. 

The imposter aspect of the dream, is that I have had the tendency to not show my spiritual, intuitive side to the masses. I have been known to keep it hidden in the proverbial closet. That goes against my true nature and in that regard, I am the "imposter" in the dream. These dreams are telling me to throw open that closet door, step out onto life's stage, and sing the song of my soul! I am being invited to live my life authentically, how I see fit--not how my parents, or society says I should be, but rather how my heart and soul were born to be.

Once I learned the lessons on the recurring dreams, they stopped showing up.

SERIES DREAMS

Series dreams are a little different. You may or may not realize the same information is showing up until you actually journal the dreams and look for patterns. What I mean by series dreams is when a recurring element shows up again and again that may or may not be a part of the primary theme of the dream, yet these too are important to pay attention to, even if you don't initially understand their meaning.

This last week, I dreamt of 70's style kitchens a few times. The dreams had nothing else in common, except these 70's style kitchens. The kitchens were not retro chic, they were drab and boring. After dreaming one for the second time, I thought to myself, "Oh there's that 70's kitchen theme again!" 

In this series, I easily recognized the commonality, but initially I didn't really understand the message. Could this be related to my childhood? Of course, but there are those ever present layers that need to pulled away to get to the sweet core. I felt that there was a deeper meaning that would be uncovered.

I was right.

Later in the week, I then dreamt about a golden cash register.  The inner golden light emanated from the device. The light amplified the gold metal of the machine. Everything shimmered. I wanted to dive into that golden light. The mystical quality of the cash register was evident in my emotional state. I was drawn to it as though it were the Divine calling me to it.

Around the cash register were what I called "bread" boxes. There were bread signs in front of the boxes as well. While the dream was a close up shot of this small area, I intuitively knew I was in a French boulangerie (bread bakery).

Writing in my journal helped with the A-HA moment. For those of us who are old enough to know, "bread" in the 70's meant MONEY. As that thought showed up in my conscious mind, the golden cash register was highlighted in my third eye (my intuitive center of the brain) and I knew I was on the right track.

After spending some time decoding my dreams, the primary message in this series was to let go of scarcity and fear. Between the 70's dated old kitchens and the shiny golden cash register, I received a message to release what is old an no longer serving me, which will make room for they shiny new stuff to come in. Abundance and the flow of money is energized through me. I am always abundant. Abundance is here for me. Excellent message, Universe! Thank you so much!!

And the series dreams this week didn't end there. In most of my dreams this week, I discovered yet another common theme that was not part of the primary message of the individual dreams. So, while I noticed that they were there, it didn't initially seem that important, but taken in the context of the series of dreams, that changed everything.

To give a little background, I had been asking to be with Mother Earth in some fashion before bed each night this last week. Whether that meant being with the Goddess, or being on a natural setting of some sort, it was really up to the dream. I just wanted Nature to be there. Each night I asked, but each night I had a different dream that didn't feel very Gaia oriented. It certainly was not the focus anyway. However, when I mapped out the dreams from the context of pulling out anything that was a natural element from this week, I noticed the pattern. They all had trees in them. Green lovely trees! I had my nature after all! They weren't the focus, but there was a common thread that I hadn't paid too much attention to until I mapped them out.

After I journaled my notes, I decided to take action. I went on my walk, but this time, when I walked under a particular tree, I felt guided to completely look UP as I walked past. As I gazed upward into the tree, I could fully see and connect with the it. I felt an energetic wave from the tree to me that touched me so deeply, I felt tears well up in my eyes. It was such a beautiful gift from the tree! I didn't feel done after the bonding moment with the first tree. I kept on looking up and really seeing each tree from this vantage point as I walked passed it.

Towards the end of my walk, I touched the trunk of a tree and sent it my gratitude. I asked the tree to share my gratitude with all its friends in the neighborhood. I sensed a communication go through the roots of this tree that was shared to all the other trees. Even though I was on an hour long walk and most of the trees were no longer in my view, I felt very strongly that they all received the message of gratitude.

I probably wouldn't have had this experience at all, had I not mapped out my dreams to recognize the "series" aspect in them. The common thread of the trees in the dreams had a message for me to connect with them in the waking world. I am extremely grateful for this practice.

CONCLUSION

Whether one is having a recurring dream or a series dream, it is a powerful tool to take note of what you are dreaming. Notice any patterns during the week or month. Then take action to enliven the dream in some way, such as I did with the trees. Once you resolve the mystery of these dreams, you will likely be able to move onto a new set of dreams to play with.

Sleep well. Dream well.