Interpreting Dreams & Omens

RETURN TO REVERENCE

JULIETTE JARVIS

Perhaps you have had a dream that felt symbolic but you couldn’t make heads nor tails of it. Maybe an animal crossed your path, but you weren’t sure what the message was, or you tend to find pennies, and it feels important, but you’re not really sure why. You might have picked up a reference book or googled something like, “What does a Hawk mean?” “Why do I find pennies in odd places?” or “Does giving birth in my dream mean I’m pregnant?” and found varying degrees of satisfaction in those answers.

Cultivating our own symbolic lexicon, a dictionary of sorts, full of personal omens and interpretations, takes time and might seem daunting, but I guarantee it will feel more personally accurate and there really is no rush. Best done one “entry” at a time as they become relevant rather than a more usual “book writing” approach, is a good way to really get to know them as each symbol you decode becomes a lived experience. It is a great exercise in both literal and metaphorical thinking while employing our skills of intuition, imagination, and logic.

Let’s move through a decoding process with an Owl as our example.

Whether it’s an image that catches my eye, a wild encounter, dream experience, or hearing their call in the night, the first things I would consider are the associations I make with them. Noting what comes to mind with questions like What do Owls make me think of? How do they make me feel?

Then I would observe in-themoment clues such as, What was I doing at the time? Was I thinking of something important? Is there a pattern to these encounters/sightings?

I would also look at how they live, hunt, relate to other Owls, their family dynamics, and their specialty skills, searching for any messages within those that could be relevant for me.

Next, I look to stories, myths, and meanings from my cultural heritage for there is a wealth of symbolism and wisdom there. With this also comes the knowing of how other cultures may have a very different interpretation. If I have had any First Nation’s Owl stories shared with me from the lands I’m on at the time, I will remember those as well.

Other practices are to consider the viewpoint of the Owl itself, metaphorically interpret its actions, or imagine ourselves as each noun in the scene as if We are the bird, then the mouse it’s catching, and the tree it sits in.

This exploration offers us many different layers of meaning, and over time, we might find when we encounter Owl we can more readily apply the most applicable messaging for the situation at hand without much deliberation and without needing reference books.

Juliette Jarvis offers sacred living programs online, devotional arts, and divination sessions. Find her at www.SelkieSanctuary.com and www.3FoldBalance.com