Cats!

I've never really been much of a cat person after I had a cat slide down my leg with its claws shredding my brand new tights at the impressionable age of 5. I don't mind cats... but after that traumatizing experience, I decided cats and I didn't go along too well (unless of course the cat in question was Garfield).

So when I woke up this morning after having dreamt of cats, kittens and more cats you can imagine the shudder that went down my spine. Yup! I dreamt that I walked into a room where I kept finding cats of all different types- new born, full grown, brownish ones, yellow ones, grey ones (but no black or white ones). And you can imagine how startled I was to see a cat staring at me from my neighbour's yard as I walked to catch the bus this morning.

The whole way to work I kept thinking about that darn dream and what it meant. When I finally got here I couldn't help but Google CAT DREAMS. There was quite a bit of information online- some which made me think could it really mean what they were saying was true while others made me hope that there was no real meaning to that dream.

Most dream intepretations stressed on the meaning of cat dreams being related to the feminine side of the dreamer - okay that makes sense as we tend to relate cats and women... The following are the intepretations I came across:

1. Bella Online The Voice of Women: "Cats are still associated with mystery, perhaps because their behavior is so aloof and difficult to interpret. As mysterious, aloof creatures, cats symbolize the intuition, and when they appear in dreams they may be asking us to use our intuition more, to rely on our gut feelings and instinct."

2. Global Oneness: "Cats- To dream of a cat, denotes ill luck, if you do not succeed in killing it or driving it from your sight." And here basically they described the different forms of dreams that are possible and the different types of "ill luck" that would follow (yikes!) But then I realised none of those really applied to me. So... I scrolled down a bit further.... "Cats have both positive and negative connotations. You need to consider all of the details in the dream in order to obtain accurate interpretation. The cat can be a symbol of sexuality, femininity, prosperity and power. A cat is also an independent animal, and in your dream you may be associating yourself or someone else with these characteristics. Usually the dream is telling you about yourself and not others. Historically black cats have been symbols of evil and bad luck. If you are a cat lover and have one as a pet, the symbolism may not apply to your dream. Old, superstition-based dream interpretations say that a cat is a bad omen and that you can expect deceit from those that you trust."

3. Suite 101.com- "Experiences with domineering, smothering, coddling, or over-protective women lead to negative anima association. Femme fatale anima images result in self-sabotaging ideations leading toward destruction. Another way a negative anima association manifests is in unrealistic feminine images that no waking life woman can ever live up to. Cat dreams symbolizing negative anima images include dreams of stalking cats or tigers, hissing cats, cats climbing all over the body, a stalking cat the man cannot avoid, or even cat dreams where the dreamer is devoured by cats." Yup, the cats were all over me and others in the dream! But who is this domineering woman I'm dreaming about?

4. Dream Moods: This is usually my dream bible... I go here everytime I have a weird dream. "To see a cat in your dream, symbolizes an independent spirit, feminine sexuality, creativity, and power. It also represents misfortune and bad luck. The cat could indicate that someone is being deceitful or treacherous toward you. If the cat is aggressive, then it suggests that you are having problems with the feminine aspect of yourself. The dream may be a metaphor for "cattiness" or someone who is "catty" and malicious. If you see a cat with no tail, then it signifies a loss of independence and lack of autonomy. To dream that a cat is biting you, symbolizes the devouring female. Perhaps you are taking and taking without giving. You may be expressing some fear or frustration especially when something is not going as planned. To dream that you chase the cat away, signifies that you will overcome your obstacles. (Woo Hoo!) To see a white cat in your dream, denotes that you are going through difficult times. To see a black cat in your dream, indicates that you are experiencing some fear in using your psychic abilities and believing in your intuition. You may erroneously associate the black cat with evil, destruction, and bad luck." So all in all... it seems all dream dictionaries are telling me about some obstacles... some ill luck that I'll need to face.... Do I listen to what they tell me and prepare myself (whatever that may mean) or do I tell myself that it was just a dream? References:

1. Dream Moods. http://www.dreammoods.com/dreamthemes/animals.htm

2. Global Oneness. Meaning of Dreams about Cats http://www.experiencefestival.com/meaning_of_dreams_about_cats

3. Ireland, A. (2010). Cats, Cats- Dream Symbols. http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art10577.asp

4. Ireland, A. (2010). Cats as Dream Symbols. http://spiritual-growth.suite101.com/article.cfm/interpreting-cats-in-dreams

Pictures:

1. Garfield http://www.myfreewallpapers.net/cartoons/pages/garfield-and-oddie-faces.shtml

2. Cats http://www.dam7.com/Images/Cats/images/myspace-cats-images-0004.jpg

Dreamz

Dreams are strange... dreams are weird... some make you feel like the world is full of possibilities and that you're ready for anything coming your way. Others, however, make you feel like you'd rather just crawl back into bed and conjure up and another dream to get rid of that horrible after taste you've just been left with.

You know how they say some people remember their dreams and some don't; well I've always been one of those people who vividly remembers a dream and in many cases had dreams that have been some kind of prophecy into the future. And because of this, I've always had this deep fascination when it comes to dreams.

Now, a few days back I had this horrible dream. It started off as a more super-hero/fantasy type of dream where my friends and I were jumping off a building and making circles in the air (yes, I know, it makes no sense and was totally random... as I was dreaming, I was thinking huh?). And then I've jumped off the building, but this time I no longer have superpowers and am falling... plunging to the cement. And I was desperately praying that I die on impact and not have to feel the pain of hitting the ground. The next thing I know, I'm in a Buddhist monastery... sitting with a lady (and for some reason she looked a lot like An San Su Kyi) and a lama. He was preaching and telling me that my death and birth fell on astrologically similar days. And that's when my present life started flashing before my eyes. I see my parents in Kathmandu, Saurav and Sabarnee here in Melbourne trying to figure out what to do with all my things.... and all of a sudden I just felt so alone and as though it was them who died and left me alone in some new world. Then I started to cry and demand to see my grandparents - those who've passed away, and finally I woke up.

It was well and truly like a whole new world. And while demanding to see my grandparents, I began to think, is this what happens when you die, you enter a world where everything is different, but all your memories from the life you've left behind remains? This got me to cry only harder.

So like many times in the past, I got on the web and googled "dream interpretations death" and like I expected I found numerous articles saying that dreaming of death does not mean I'll die or anyone close will die, it just means a change is coming my way. And it can be good or bad.... a lot like the DEATH card in tarot reading....

YES I know a big change is coming my way.... job-wise and in many other ways-wise... But WHAT are these changes going to be?? and when will I know??? I hate being in the state of *limbo*

My last question on this is just how far do we take dreams to hold symbolic meanings? Sometimes we dream certain things and we know it's because of something we've seen, experienced or felt during the day or at night; but other times we jump up and exclaim, oh this means that I'm going to find a new job! Are dreams just a part of what is happening around us or do they hold some deeper truth... some deeper meaning that comes alive only as our unconscious mind is at work?