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CHILDHOOD
HOME
Dreams about childhood play an
important part in our inner world.
They remind us of the years when we
had few responsibilities and enjoyed
our freedom, or they serve to show
how unhappy we were. Our home is
where it all began—and dreams often
place us there.
YOU ARE ROAMING FROM
ROOM TO ROOM
You’re moving from room to room trying to nd
something you need to take with you into your
present life. You somehow sense that if you
nd that certain something, it will help lead
you to your full potential.
Action Ask yourself why you have this need to
look backward. What do you lack currently
that has left a void that needs lling? Perhaps
you missed out on learning something in
childhood to help you reach your potential.
If so, reect on the deciencies then and work
out how to rectify them now where possible.
YOU ARE WATCHING
OTHER CHILDREN
PLAYING OUTSIDE
You look out of the window and see children
playing out in the sunshine. You long to join
them, but there are responsibilities to look
after someone indoors. Resigned, you turn
sadly away from the window and go about
your duties in the home.
Action You had to grow up too soon, through
no fault of your own. You must accept the
past; there’s no going back. It’s important to
grieve for your lost opportunities, but be
resolute in putting those memories behind
you. Tell yourself you did your best. Now it’s
time to enjoy the present.
WISTFUL MEMORIES OF
HAPPY TIMES
Your dream echoes happy times from when
you were young. It shows scenes from
childhood that remind you only of good, safe,
and fun days with all your family and friends.
This kind of recall can make you wistful for
those uncomplicated years that you want to
recreate in your current life.
Action Accept that those happy days belong
to childhood and that you were lucky to have
them. You cannot recreate such innocence
again, however much you want to. If adult life
needs a morale boost, invite yourself to an
understanding friend’s house and have fun
with their young family.
CHILDHOOD
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85
Childhood Home
YOU ARE REVISITING YOUR
CHILDHOOD HOME
As an adult, you nd yourself looking at your
old childhood home. With the magic stage
management dreams can conjure, you see
yourself as a child playing with siblings and
friends. You are fascinated watching that
interaction between you and the others.
It seems important.
Action That interaction is important: the
relational dynamic between you and them
will tell you a great deal about who you are
now. If you were a natural leader then, you
are probably in charge in your present role.
Shy, dident, and reluctant to take center
stage—is that you now? You can’t change
your genes or conditioning, but you can make
subtle changes to make life more rewarding.
CASE STUDY: CHARLIE
Charlie’s mother had conceived him with a
lover; her husband guessed, but said nothing
for years. His mother disappeared with her
lover when Charlie was 6 years old. Then the
mental cruelty began. Charlie was excluded
without explanation from family meals and
ordered to eat in the kitchen. He would listen
to his brother and sisters enjoying the same
food in the dining room.
All alone in his isolation and bewildered by
his father’s behavior, he could form no
attachment to any older sibling: the other
children were forced by their father not to
speak to him. At least there was a cook/
housekeeper in those days. She provided
Charlie with essential aection.
One night, he dreamed of being in a new
setting with a wife and two children. They
were happy and companionable in a bright,
sunlit house. He wrote the dream down and
kept it as a talisman for the next 20 years.
Charlie’s dream came true. The explicit
encouragement from its intensely vivid scene
gave him the strength to pursue what he most
wanted—and deserved.
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