Monday, January 21, 2008

Be Careful What You Ask For, You Just Might Get It


My Leave It to Beaver Medicine post stimulated a lively discussion about animal totems. So many of you chimed in to reveal your personal animal helpers. Others went looking for theirs. In that post I playfully made the comment "I'll take a lion!" knowing full well that you don't order up an animal totem like a Veggie Deluxe deep-dish pizza.

Even so...a couple of nights later I had another dream. Have you ever dreamed you were lying in bed sleeping? Disorienting, huh? OK, so I dreamed I was lying in bed half-awake, half-sleeping, when a small whitish animal emerged from the headboard and kind of walked lightly over my body. Well, not kind of. It did walk right over my body, but its footfalls were barely discernible.

I found myself standing in another room, one which I don't know in waking life. I was speaking with my children and my mother: "You know there's some kind of small animal in the house. It's white. I don't think it's dangerous, but let's be on the lookout." As if on cue, there was the small white animal walking through the door. It was headed towards us.

As the animal approached us, it grew. It morphed from poodle size to sheep size. For a few seconds it resembled a sheep. But it kept growing. And growing. And it was changing color. The sheep morphed into a really, really long lioness. The Super Stretch of Lionesses in fact. She was extra-long and lean and of this perfectly beautiful tawny hue.

I casually said, "Well, maybe this animal is a little dangerous after all," and the four of us--me, the kids, and my mom---were laughing despite ourselves. Our shoulders were shaking and we were trying to stifle our laughter. We stepped back into a closet with white sliding doors. But did we close the doors? Oh no, we just stood in the opening, plainly visible to the Super Stretch of Lionesses. And we kept laughing under our breaths. Then I of course woke up.

When I woke up, I didn't feel shaken in the least. I felt as though I'd been quite fortunate to get a fleeting glimpse of such a gorgeous creature as my Super Stretch Dream Lioness.

74 comments:

Flannery said...

Mmmm...veggie deluxe deep-dish pizza...

What a cool dream!

San said...

Yes, it felt like a good omen. And guess what? The next day someone emailed about my painting "Afternoon Spirit." And today they bought it!

I love you, Flan!

Ellie Creek Ellis said...

You are such a good writer, I love reading your posts!

Lee said...

Wow, you have fascinating dreams, San! Cool having a kitty visiting in your sleep. Have you always been able to remember your dreams like this?

Congratulations on the sale! I wonder which one will be the next to go.

Joy!

DILLY said...

Dilly tell San fore! NOT drink stwong coffee fore goin bed!






(Hnar hnarrr! Dilly mayke joke!)

¬"

San said...

Ms. Creek, thanks for the compliment. I really appreciate your reading my blog.

San said...

Lee, when it comes to remembering dreams, it seems to come in waves for me. Lately, I've been remembering at least part of a dream when I first wake up.

I am a kid about selling paintings. I get so excited!!!

Joy back at ya, friend.

San said...

Dilly, you are a funny dragon.

But that's probably not bad advice at that.

B.T.Bear (esq.) said...

ooo!
That's a worryin dream, cos if enything waz arfter me I'd jump in the wardrobe, but it sownds like it wood follo! Oh deer!

Never mind- Grayum haz just remindid me that there is always the pant dror! Phew!

I don't hav bad dreems, reelly. Sumtimes I think I do, then I realise I'm awake an Dilly is reelly sittin starin at me.

THAT'S scary.

:@o

San said...

Bob, I'm glad you have the pant dror for hiding. We all need a good hiding place at some time or another.

Dilly sits and stares at you? Wonder if she's in a daytime tv trance like your mum got in a while back.

Anonymous said...

the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe. 2 out of 3. hmmmm.

Heather said...

Wonderful dream! Also Congrat's on the sale...it's always so nice to make a sale, I get all excited too when it happens. I hope you will paint about your dream...at least the feeling of the laughter coming up from inside the dark closet of your self...and being pressed into a small space with danger on the doorstep and your kids and mom with you...awesome energy there...that's magic baby!

jafabrit said...

That is cool. I had an animal that stalked me for several years (very painful and troubling years) in my dreams and it just occurred to me that perhaps it wasn't stalking me but trying to protect me or guide me. I wonder if it is my totem?

San said...

b2,

You're in India now! Your spouse sent an email to your admirers letting us know you got there "in one piece." Can't wait to hear the stories...

San said...

Heather, it did feel really magical. No doubt some of the energy, what you call "the feeling of laughter coming up from the dark closet of...self" will creep into a painting or two.

At least I hope so! Thank you, my co-conspirator in creativity.

San said...

Jafabrit, that is really interesting. I do wonder if the animal was there to help, to show you some aspect of your own power.

That can be frightening indeed.

Andrea and Kim said...

San, you are an artist in the truest sense...storytelling, painting, dreaming...well, just down right living! Oh Yes! And Selling! That is a Grand thing for an artist to do! Congratulations on that sale.

You always leave me wanting more...another artistic quality!

I love the peace and gentleness of your work!

Thank you for sharing it all.

San said...

Kim, your gracious comments give me courage for embarking on this day.

Thank you for your generosity of spirit!

p said...

i was just asked the other day what my animal totem was and i had no clue, nothing. she suggested (she was a healer working on me) that i was a shapeshifter. i'm still working on that one :0

i can see you with the lion totem. you exude femininity, power, strength and creativity.

San said...

And Paula, for you, shapeshifting does fit. Look at the hats you've worn in the past, the hats you wear right now.

And especially, look at your ability to move from one medium to the next in your artmaking. You just morph from one to the other to the other...

Anonymous said...

b2 made me laugh... on that cue... The Lion, The GOOD Witch and The Wardrobe.

You must be a good witch because your paintings are magical.

San said...

Do I always have to be good, Chewy?

dmarks said...

When I saw "Be Careful What You Ask For" with the picture of the lion, I quickly thought of those kids who taunted a tiger, and by golly, they were surprised when the tiger decided to jump over the fence and taunt in the usual tiger-way (tooth and claw). Be careful what you ask for.

San said...

Thanks for visiting, DMarks.

Celebration of Life said...

While I was driving to Star Valley on Saturday on very slick snowy roads (the snow drifts were about 6 feet tall on both sides), I was coming up to a stop sign and saw something in the middle of the highway. I had to do a double take because it was a Bob Cat eating a roadkill rabbit. I have never seen one that close before. He hunched up his back and hissed at me, then ran off. I remember saying out loud ... I see the STOP sign, I'm stopping. LOL So, I am back home again after my delayed return and almost hard at work. :o)

San said...

Jolene, you've had your share of adventurous road trips of late. Glad you're back safe and sound!

Speaking of bobcats, we have a restaurant out here in the sticks called Bobcat Bite. As you'd imagine, it's for those carnivorously inclined.

Celebration of Life said...

Speaking of dreaming, I have been dreaming about wolves lately. They are always running through the timber around the paremeter of the meadow I am in. I am not afraid of them, they are like my gaurds! Ms. Creek and her husband have seen them in the wild but, I never have.

San said...

That's cool, Jolene, dreaming about wolves. I enjoyed that book "Women Who Run with the Wolves."

I'm glad your guard wolves are on duty. You must live in a beautiful spot.

Celebration of Life said...

Being a Wyoming native, I can honestly say that there isn't an acre that isn't beautiful even here on the high desert! Where my friend Tonie lives, in Star Valley, is right on the Wyoming/Idaho border. I will try to get pictures blogged tomorrow of my visit. I bought myself a little movie camera (digital) for Christmas and have great footage of Chuck taking a bath, etc. I will attempt to figure out how to do that too! I wish Chewy was here to help; she knows how to do it! LOL Even Dilly and Bob know how so MAYBE, I can figure it out!

San said...

Yeah, Jo, Chewy could help, or Dilly, or Bob. I have no experience putting personal videos on my blog, but I love seeing them at other people's. Hope you get yours up and running.

whimsical brainpan said...

What a great dream!

Catmoves said...

Congratulations on the sale, San. Just wanted to thank you for your visit to my site.
As for the Bobcat Bite, it's a pretty well known place for hamburger joints. Always rates in the top five.

murat11 said...

No doubt a lioness in joyful lair. Y'all certainly were. Peace/out.

San said...

Whimsical, glad you liked it! I'm so glad you're visiting.

San said...

Catmoves, Bobcat Bite is THE place when you're in serious need of a hamburger fix.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

San said...

P. Murat, I had to smile when I read that line over at your place. I'd just put this post up.

Peace, Patina.

kate said...

That must have been a good dream - it was fun to read.

San said...

Kate, it WAS a fun dream, strangely so.

Unknown said...

That’s a wonderful, fun dream.

Your Super Stretch Dream Lioness sounds like a wonderful creature. Of course, I have had an almost similar experience involving an almost completely little white feline named Alex who has a habit of materializing and walking across my body when I am in bed. Of course, he never morphs to lion size; however, sometimes when he leaps on my chest he feels to me like he weights 100 pounds rather than his real 10 pounds.

Anonymous said...

hmmm. I wasn't actually thinking of you as the witch, but good witch fits. Sorceress, perhaps. Good magic, certainly. so I guess it's 3 for 3!
And yes, India, with all its extremes, seems filled with good magic so far. I may be infatuated. And lots of vehicles and beeping horns maniacally (correct my spelling)and cheerfully and fearlessly negotiating the day here in Chennai.

The Moody Minstrel said...

Now THAT was an intense spirit dream! Things like that don't happen very often...and when they do, people tend not to talk about it. Thanks for sharing!

Oh, and congrats on the sale! :)

indicaspecies said...

You dreamt of a lioness and I sighted a tigress.

And I'm not joking. :D

San said...

Nick, I do believe Alex is a little trickster; he just doesn't know it. You write about him with such love.

Those virtual 100-pound footfalls--groan.

Hug.

San said...

b2, if I'm the best we can find as sorceress, heaven help us! I'm glowing nonetheless at your comment.

And I have this stunning mental picture of you walking around Chennai, entranced. Something tells me this is one of those life-changing adventures.

HUG.

San said...

Moody, truth be told, I was a little hesitant to talk about the dream. Maybe I wanted to bring it out in the daylight in hopes it wouldn't return in a scarier version. : )

Thank you.

San said...

Celine: you and tigress-spotting--in my book that is totally plausible.

WOW.

Carol said...

Hey San,

I am slow in commenting because things have been very hectic.

I just re-read your dream and the feeling that came over me was very nice. Strong, protective, fluid, and graceful.

And the laughs - for me, a reminder of the joy of it ALL.

Thanks for sharing your beautiful dream and congratulations on the sale of your painting!

San said...

Carol, I simply enjoy your comments, early or late.

I know that your life is hectic right now, and that makes the clarity of what you have to say all the more precious.

Thank you!

K Allrich said...

Benevolent personal power comes to mind. :)

I want to thank you for your kindness and all the supportive and insightful comments you've left on my personal blog. I so appreciate it. It's been a tough year.

Thank you for your generosity of spirit.

You lioness, you.

QUASAR9 said...

The Super Stretch Dream Lioness,
and other dimensions. So much we still do not know, the conscious and the unconscious, or the imagination and the land of dreams, where the real & the surreal meet - even if only briefly

david mcmahon said...

Lovely work, San.

The ``pride'' of the lion.

Can you do a koala next for a nice Aussie theme?

Chuck fka: Meanie said...

kum dee me nu pozt, San! Me mawmaw haz uh nu wun tu!

San said...

Karina, I always enjoy your visits. Thank you. I'm glad that your difficulties seem to be dwindling, as does that long shadow. Seems to me that as you keep pulling your gifts out of that dark place, it lightens considerably.

Time to roar, babe!

San said...

Quasar,

Inner and outer space--the enormity of it!

I always enjoy your take on things. It's BIG.

San said...

Hi David. A koala theme?

Since you've ordered that one, let's see what happens in your own dreams, my friend.

:-)

San said...

Meanie, a new dwagon post???

WOOHOO!

A.Bananna said...

great writing san. lions,and tigers, and bears! OH MY!

San said...

A. Bananna, I love that scene from "The Wizard of Oz."

How'd you know?

DILLY said...

Hewo San!

COm see wat Chuck send Dilly!

Mayke Dilly look pwinsessyer!

MWEAH!

¬"

San said...

Wow, Dilly--I can't wait to see! I can't imagine you being any more pwincessy than you are right now...

Chuck fka: Meanie said...

Mee den u uh pwezunt tu iff me had yo uhdwezz butt me dont!

San said...

Chuck, all pwesunts kin be sent to: 6 Lucero Road, Santa Fe, NM 87508.

Danks. :-)

Ora said...

San,
I love your blog and your comments, as well.
You are truly a generous, gifted and completely unique person.
Thank you for visiting my blog and commenting.
Keep up the good work.
God bless you.

San said...

EverydayHousewife, God bless YOU!

Your visit to my blog and your gracious comments mean much to me.

Sparkling Red said...

What a powerful dream. I wish I could see just what she looked like. Is there a painting of her in your future?

San said...

Red, here's hoping a painting will be inhabited by The Super Stretch Dream Lioness. In one way or the other.

Todd Camplin said...

Of my folklore knowedge, if an animal visits you often times in your dreams to notice, then that tends to be your animal spirit. This might be a little simplistic though.

Celebration of Life said...

Hi San!
My how my world has expanded because of blogging! LOL
I just dropped in to say hello and to have a cup of coffee with you.
Have a good Sunday!
Jo

San said...

Todd, my knowledge of folklore is pretty limited too. The dream did feel significant somehow.

San said...

Jo, how cool! I opened up my email and saw your comment just as I'd poured myself a hot cup of Italian roast. Cheers! You have a nice Sunday too.

Sandi McBride said...

Wow. And I thought I had some strange dreams. But I don't think I would have been alarmed in the least, either. In fact, if I hurry I can have a quick lie down and maybe Super Stretch will visit with me for bit. Lucky San
Sandi

San said...

Thank you, Sandi! I'm glad you saw why the Lioness seemed like a positive force.

Happy visitations...

myonlyphoto said...

Just found you through david mcmahon post, great story, I am have vivid dreams too, sometimes feels like I am living two different lives. Thanks for sharing, and btw great photo. Anna :)

San said...

Thanks for visiting, Anna. I like your idea of the dream world as a separate life.