Angry Words In A Parking Lot: Concluding Post

An artist was in a parking lot collecting leaves from a bush to use in a cloth dying project, when she had an ugly confrontation with an SUV driver. When the artist and I worked together to unlock the metaphoric meanings of her waking dream symbols, here is what we got.

Reassembled dream

There was a part of me that was doing chores, normal stuff. I parked myself where I do when I’m doing my business. It was for my work. I was using parts of myself to be creative and to bring nature into my creativity. I was collecting small samples to use. I was doing it to create a likeness of something natural, to give this part of myself color and beauty. But I needed to go too far, past my entrance, and then I had to double back. Suddenly, beside me, there was a part of me that reminded me of purity, but was also all about protection and power. This part of me was trying to be intimidating. The two of us weren’t near any business; we were on the outskirts. This intimidating part looked a little bit past her prime, and she was full of anger. I was trying to assist, to bring a resolution. But she took a defensive posture and expressed rage. She told me I was chasing her, but the opposite was true. She was chasing me. I was totally shocked and surprised. Then there was another expression of her irrational rage. I just collected my equipment that I needed to do my work. I could see her receding, along with her sense of purity and protection and power. She left me alone. We were no longer at loggerheads, but I couldn’t get her out of my head.

The dreamer explains

Being an artist certainly has its satisfying aspects, but it isn’t always easy. I run a catering business on the side just to make ends meet. I would dearly love to stop that work, so when I ended up with a customer who seems to have an insatiable appetite for a certain type of craft project I have been perfecting, it was like manna from heaven. Suddenly, I was getting this steady income for my art projects.

But part of being an artist is exploring new artistic ground. The craft projects that I have been selling to this customer were new and exciting when I was first developing them. But now, this work has become more like manufacturing than creating, and my creative self longs for the exploration that is so much a part of what I usually do.

So yes, the dream is right on; I am totally conflicted. I go too far in one direction, then beat myself up. I see equal validity to both approaches—financial security versus artistic purity—and I have been unable to decide which direction to pursue.

My reply

Your dream is not asking you to decide which path is better. You can explore one, the other, or a combination of both. What the dream wants is your own inner peace about the issue. No matter what direction you pursue, do so with a centered sense of wholeness and calm.

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