Sue Bee

Kiwi’s Dream:

This is a long one I wrote down (and hence I remember it now) (jasmine probably is a girl's name but I’m pretty sure I’m looking for a guy....)

In my dream, I had a friend named jasmine (must be that I’ve talked about jasmine tea way too much during the day). (Well, I don’t know if he/she looks like tea leaf, read on). We were supposed to be meeting at certain time at a certain place, but I wasn’t sure when. I texted him but before he texted back my phone went out of battery. so I pulled out my laptop, which has like half of the battery life left (and then I remember I left my cable in the States. so apparently I WASNT in the states, but then, who would bring a laptop without the power cord on a trip? anyway...) and IM-ed him. He then replied something about he has to go somewhere first but will be there pretty soon. Anyway, I didn’t get to meet this person before someone tapped me on the shoulder and asked who I was waiting for. I told her it was someone named Jasmine. She said she never heard of that name nor does she thinks I know such person. She told me I was probably dreaming. So I argue I am pretty sure I saw a passing glimpse of that person in a blue ball jersey heading the opposite direction in the crowd and that's why I started texting him at the first place. She said no, it's only in your imagination. So I opened up laptop to show her the IM conversation. It was in a (MS word) table format, with each row being each message. I was pointing out where Jasmine's reply went when I notice all that was there was a blank row, followed by my reply, then another blank row, then my "k, c ya". I was tearing up at this point, when the voice said, "See, I told you, jasmine never exist, it was all in your own imagination"

I won't believe it, and I’m very very confused. "I don't care if he exist or not, I’m going to wait for him".

She said, "silly, why would wait for someone that does not exist. Very well, go on waiting, but some day, you'll forget about this"

"I’ll get a tattoo," I think to myself, "then I will never forget. I will have a picture of violets tattooed on my shoulder blade. I like purple, and violets looks like jasmine (remember, I’m in a dream, so it doesn’t have to make sense)."

Then I went into a craze and started asking everyone and begging everyone to tell me if they have heard about a person named jasmine. Finally, someone said, if I would wait a year or two, I will find him.

Then I woke up.

SueBee’s interpretation:

I find it interesting that you dreamt of a man named Jasmine.  It’s such a distinct name too.  I didn’t have a personal reference for it so I did look it up in a dream dictionary. I thought it was interesting that this was the meaning “To see jasmine in your dream, signifies love and protection. It is also an indication of short-lived pleasures.”

My first impression of your dream was that you were striving to connect to something- to feel whole.  The battery life symbol shows you that you need energy, something to keep you going.  The power cord again is a symbol showing the need for connection, to communicate, for energy again, something to keep you going.  The dream appears to be one big metaphor for your life—where are you going? Where should you be? What do you need to find?  The dream is so interesting that people around you are treating you as though you are crazy, imagining things, and are just not perceiving reality.  This appears quite confusing yet you are very stuck on this individual and in the end hear you will find him in a year or two.  Are you wishing to find your “soul mate” or have a serious relationship?  It sounds as though you feel desperate about this situation.  The desire for you to get a tattoo in the dream so that you will never forget demonstrates just how fixated you seem to be on this idea- you want to make something permanent, make a statement, perhaps also feel unique and special.  The dream appears to show you do need some balance in this area. Perhaps you are emphasizing finding a relationship too much and not emphasizing your personal growth and development as an individual enough.  Dreams of relationships often are describing a need for a relationship with ourselves.  Perhaps there is a part of yourself you need to discover or rediscover.  Your dream is showing that you are stuck on idea.  You are more focused on make come true what you want and seeing what you want to see instead of allowing yourself to explore life, flow with it, and discover the unexpected.  We grow the most when we let go and give up some control.  The possibilities are limitless.  Ironically, it is often the times we feel we have completed ourselves and learned more about ourselves when we meet up with an individual we connect with and want to start a serious and mature relationship.

I have recently started a love affair with the avocado.  It is almost a meal and is simply scrumptious!  They can be eaten raw, with sea salt and lime juice, or mashed with onions and lime juice to serve as guacamole.  I recently used avocado on a turkey sandwich instead of mayo or mustard.  Did you know that avocados are fruit and are in the berry family?  There are a lot of misconceptions about this particular fruit bu the more I read about it, the more I learn about the health benefits.

Here are the most well-known health benefits of avocado for both adults and kids.

1. It protects cholesterol related heart diseases. It reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
2. It is used both in prevention and treatment of prostate and breast cancers. Scientists have proved that a toxin in avocado kills the cancer cells. So-called toxin has a great effect on the tissues, particularly heart muscle tissues.
3. Avocado includes necessary minerals like potassium, calcium, vitamin C and K, folic acid, copper, sodium and dietary fibers. These are used to provide the mineral necessity of the body. People who live in hot climates have great mineral and water loss. So, avocado is suggested strongly by the medicals.
4. Oleic acid in avocado can be used to lower cholesterol level in the blood.
5. Potassium in avocado regulates pressure of blood.
6. Sodium reduces the risk of high blood pressure and stoke.
7.  It improves the ability of the body to absorb carotenoids.
8. Avocado is used to help people who have sexual problems.
9. It is a good antioxidant.
10. It can be used in the treatment of skin disorders.
11. It is used to heal people who suffer from digestive and circulatory problems.

Don’t forget that one avocado a day keeps the doctors away!

list is from http://healthmad.com/nutrition/11-health-benefits-of-avocado/

S.T.’s Dream:

It was pouring rain out my brother and his friend were out looking for me, and I was at some sort of paranormal event. I was sitting and waiting to watch some sort of show, when this older woman asked me “Are there any ghosts with you?” I told her no, and she asked everyone around me. Then this woman shows up, and it’s my vision of what Guinevere looks like on chat, and she sat down next to me, she was wearing this weird hand thing it had metal around her two middle fingers (middle and ring) and her nails had metal, it was rather interesting. It had different designs/symbols all over it, but I can’t clearly see them right now. Guinevere spoke up, and said “We having duels this year” and I responded “Why duels?” there was no answer, these two twin guys came up and Guinevere greeted them, knowing them, and they were wearing you know baseball uniforms??? But not a team that I recalled at all. Guinevere was talking to the one guy there and she said “You can’t actually make an electrical current” he just looks at her, smirks and lets out a little into her metaled hand coverings. Guinevere goes into a trance state and says something along the lines of “Oh yes, my castle, I remember my castle” While cradling her hand. The symbols light up in blue, but still can’t remember them.

And I wake up.

Sue B.’s Interpretation:

I found this to be a rather spiritual dream.  The pouring rain I thought was an expression of our sadness/tears but also a cleansing and release.  Perhaps you find you express your emotions through your spirituality.

You seem rather passive while waiting and watching some sort of show as a woman is asking you questions.  She asks you about ghosts and you deny any. Ghosts tend to symbolize what we are holding onto—what haunts us.  You mention a woman named Guinevere.  She seems to be a spiritual symbol for you.  Your thoughts of her and the content of your conversations may help you understand what she could symbolize to you.

Hands tend to symbolize communication, relationships, and things we do/create.  I thought it was interesting then that the woman had metal on her hands.  Metal is the opposite of what feels natural, it feels foreign.  Nails tend to symbolize our defenses-and metal nails are the strongest I could think of.  Since this object is covered with symbols, I think it means it has a lot of meaning for you yet you don’t understand it right now.  She discusses duels which ties in this dream to your other dreams.  You have been dreaming of battles and conflicts yet you seem to be questioning why since you asked the question in your dream.  The twin guys are an interesting symbol.  A pair usually to me means an extreme emphasis on that particular part of the dream but to see two of the same right after discussion of a duel could mean you are shifting from seeing how things are opposites and conflicting to how things are more similar to each other than first meets the eye.  They were even in uniforms- how uniform! That one symbol is full of many meanings-- teaming up, playing a game, getting out there and interacting with others, working together, focusing on team work instead of dueling.  The electric current could symbolize your energy and your need to feel revitalized.  You are being revitalized by your ability to understand (at least in part) that you do not need to battle and that the parts of you can stand together.  It is important that the power was within the twin guy symbol and it is given to the woman who is in a trance which seems rather unaware.  You most-likely believe in surrendering to a higher power of some kind.  Since she mentions a castle, your dream may be indicating that you use spirituality to escape in some ways.  Perhaps your spirituality also isolates you from the rest of the world and builds a wall of protection around you.  This of course would cut off your vitality as you cannot take in what you need if you are overprotecting yourself and keeping everything else out.  The symbols are blue, which is the color of expression.  Blue also represents spirituality, heaven, openness, and seeking truth.  I think the dream shows your desire for spirituality, of deeper self-understanding but also a struggle to effectively express yourself and be heard by others.

S.T.’s Dream:

It started out in the back of my old place in the country where there were woods and trees and fields and beauty. I was on a bicycle and zooming around rather well on that, and was soaring up hills at rather fast speeds to do tricks. My father and step-mother were there, they were fishing (now you can’t normally fish back there, because there are no fish but hey, it’s a dream). My father decided that he wanted to be able to do these tricks as well, so he got on his bike (which came out of nowhere) and start riding, so I amped it up a notch and decided that I was going to do bigger jumps.

I started pedaling really fast, gaining speed going down a little hill, then up a rather large one, going really really fast, and pulled up at the top of the hill to soar into the air, I did a large loop and howled to the moon (no, it was daylight out no moon, but I guess that was the trick I was doing? Over the moon?? I don’t know I’ve never done things nor watched things like that) Once all the way around, I zoomed back down the hill past my dad, and he started to go and do that part of the trick, he wanted to do it. So I kept up the speed, kept up more and more speed from the big jump and was heading back up the hill, this time I did it, and I went to high, and ended up soaring clear of the hill, and straight towards the wooded area near the house, and I was falling into trees, I let the bike go and spread my wings (which appeared out of no where) to gently set myself down.

I waited there for my father and step mother to catch up, and my brother, his friend, and my sister were with them now. We headed back to the house, but there was a little problem, My dad and Sandy got by it no problem, but us ‘kids’ were still stuck, you had to cross this little water trench that goes across the property (which doesn’t exist at my dads place but does at my aunts) but this one was spewing out sewage, and kept changing directions. It started turning towards us, and I bolted towards a spot to jump over instead of taking the little bridge and got just pummeled by it, as did my siblings and their friend. (YUCK)

Ended up having to get changed and cleaned up and I woke up.

SueBee’s Interpretation:

The first part of your dream about an old place in the country is symbolizing an old part of you that is still present within you.  You are going back to where you were attempting to resolve something that continues to need resolution- the ups and downs of your life.  The way you are riding the bicycle, flying in the air, and the bicycle itself all point to similar meanings to me so I do think this dream is about your balancing your life.  I think part of the balance is work/play but I think it is also about balancing your emotions.  Based on the other dreams you posted, you seem to struggle with good versus bad emotions and situations.  We need both of these to be a whole person.  Aspects of ourselves may feel bad or good but they are actually just unique, different and essential aspects of who we are that we need to exist in harmony with each other.  The moon is symbolic usually of our emotional side.  Perhaps you feel you tend to get head over heels, tend to not be grounded, and tend to feel many ups and downs in the past and now since this was what your experience was when younger.  Your positive experiences and your strength to overcome seems to have come from your father.

It sounds like in some ways you were able to soar above your problems and worries yet became stuck in “the forest”. The forest/woods tend to symbolize our unconsciousness or things that are not very clear to us, things we are not fully aware of just yet.  Part of the balance is not dwelling on issues but not escaping or ignoring them either.  We need to deal with issues, resolve issues, face them and move forward. This is an ongoing struggle I would think for each person as we always face new struggles and challenges and are always adapting our responses to all of the changes around us.

At this point in the woods while you wait for your father, it sounds like you struggle to be independent and to get through something on your own.  Perhaps you feel a situation has harmed the children more than the adults and they are dealing with the adults’ mess.  The obstacle of water and sewage is negative emotion that has been sitting around, is toxic for you, and is harming you now.  These emotions need to be released and shed, you  need to detox if you will.  These ignored emotions then are hitting you in the face now which is demonstrated so literally in your dream.  When ignored, our emotions often fester and strike back much stronger.

It sounds to me as though you are attempting to cross a bridge—get to a new place for yourself, grow as a person and grow up, mature but something is holding you back. It sounds like whatever this issue is (and it could be a few things) is associated with parents and issues and situations that started when you were in your old place in the country or just after it.  It is time to face these past issues again so that you can free yourself and continue on your way towards your goals and success.

Here’s to alcohol:

The cause of, and solution to,

all of life’s problems.

-Homer Simpson

In our society, drinking alcohol is often seen as a stress reliever and a normal reaction to stress, sadness, despair and/or celebration.  We have all seen a character in a movie grab a drink after they receive unbearable news or drink their sorrows away as they pour out their heart to the bartender.

Alcohol consumption can cause more problems than we already had to begin with.  Alcohol amplifies emotions.  This means, when we are feeling happy we may feel happier after drinking alcohol but that also means if we are feeling angry or depressed we feel angrier or more depressed after drinking.

Alcohol can actually cause anxiety and depression. Alcohol lowers our natural chemicals our brains utilize to reduce anxiety and lift our mood. If a person then drinks more to try and relieve symptoms of low mood and anxiety, these problems will be made worse—even  though they might feel 'better' for a short time.  It's easy for people to become trapped in a cycle of drinking to relieve symptoms which are then made worse, then drinking more to compensate, becoming more depressed and anxious and so on.

All sources say that getting enough sleep is essential for coping with stress, maintaining our immune system and our overall well-being.  When we are stressed and experiencing anxiety, it can be difficult to fall asleep. To combat this, lots of people like to take a drink or two before bed. Although a nightcap can indeed make it easier to fall asleep, alcohol actually results in a poor night’s sleep.  Not only does it make it more likely that we'll have to get up in the middle of the night for the toilet, drinking alcohol disturbs our brain rhythms and stops us getting enough of the deep sleep we need to feel rested and refreshed in the morning. When we are tired, day-to-day life is more difficult to cope with and contributes to stress.

Using alcohol to deal with stress is counterproductive. Drinking alcohol stops us from sleeping properly and being short on sleep makes life more difficult all round. Hangovers, meanwhile, make it even harder for us to function properly. This leads to more stress and the more stress we're under, the more likely it is that we'll develop a serious problem with our mental or physical health.  Drinking clearly creates more problems, worries, and stress where there weren’t any to begin with.

Source: http://www.infoscotland.com/alcohol/displaypage.jsp;jsessionid=7BF035A6F535CD13E61B76E19B945FC4?pContentID=60&p_applic=CCC&p_service=Content.show&

“You Complete Me”

-Jerry MacGuire

Whether we speak with someone who is single, someone dating or someone married, we often hear discussion about searching for someone or expecting someone to meet his/her emotional needs.  Can someone else truly meet these emotional needs?  It feels counter-intuitive but often times, we are the only ones that can meet these needs for ourselves and we need to seek fulfillment within instead of outside of us.  If we continue to look for something we need in the wrong place (other people instead of ourselves) we will feel disappointed over and over again until we change where we are looking.

Here is a list of 5 basic emotional needs:

·                        The need to love and be loved.

·                        The need to belong and have a sense of purpose in life.

·                        The need to have a positive self image.

·                        The need for autonomy, which is a need for some personal, private space and control.

·                        The need for security.

Not only will you not find fulfillment of these emotional needs in another person, but it is unfair to have this unrealistic expectation.  Some people in a relationship struggle with these needs and some people who are currently alone have met these emotional needs.  These emotional needs are  personal—the matter to us as individuals yet whether or not we are fulfilled greatly impacts our relationships with others.

"If you are looking to a partner to make you feel worthwhile, to make you feel happy, to rescue you from a bored or unhappy life, if you are seeking someone to make you feel complete or whole -- well then you have some work to do, because these are needs that are never going to be met by any one other than yourself," says Sugrue. To put those demands on someone else is to set up yourself -- and the relationship -- for failure."
Source: Dennis Sugrue, psychologist, Medicinenet.com

http://marriage.about.com/od/marriagetoolbox/qt/emotionalneeds.htm

Our greatest glory is not in never falling,

but in rising every time we fall.

-Confucius

I have come across Jack Canfield’s 5 Steps to Staying Positive and Productive.  Staying positive is often overlooked but it is so important.  Now more than ever it is important to stay positive.  Staying positive can mean the difference between rising up and not taking action when we fall.  We may not play a role in the reasons why our lives temporarily fell apart but we play the starring role in the direction we take after unfortunate circumstance.

Here are 5 things to keep in mind that will help you keep your emotional wellbeing in check no matter what's going on:

1. Keep Dreaming Big. Don't let your inner critic inhibit you from dreaming big. As soon as you commit to a big dream, visualize it daily, and really go after it, your subconscious creative mind will come up with big ideas to make it happen. It will also help you to problem solve your way through challenges and create positive outcomes beyond your temporary struggles. As you continue to dream big, you'll start attracting the people, resources, and opportunities you need into your life to weather any storms and make your dreams come true. Big dreams not only inspire you, but they also help you to get through tough times and put certain things into perspective. And remember this, it doesn't take any more time or effort to dream a big dream than a small dream. So if you are going to dream anyway, dream big.

2. Believe in Yourself. If you are going to be successful in maintaining your emotional health and creating the life of your dreams, you have to believe that you are capable of making it happen. Make the decision to believe that you create all your experiences--both your successes and your failures.

3. Stop Complaining. As you commit to believing in yourself, also make a commitment to toning down the blame and complaint department. Look at who you are blaming and what you are complaining about. I'm fat. I'm tired. I can't get out of debt. I won't ever get another job (or a better job). I can't stand the relationship I have with my father. I'll never find a soulmate in life. The economy is to blame. My spouse is the cause of my unhappiness. My boss is ruining my life. Really examine your blaming and your complaining. More than likely, you can do something about them. They are not about other people, other things, or other events. They are about YOU. Decide what you want, and create a plan to get it.

4. Turn Paranoia on Its Head. Imagine how much easier it would be to succeed in life if you were constantly expecting the world to support you and bring you opportunity. Successful people do just that. Don't assume the world is a brutish, unwelcoming, and a difficult place to be. Try thinking the opposite! And turn paranoia inside out.

5. Use Affirmations to Build Self-Confidence. One of the most powerful tools for building worthiness and self-confidence is the repetition of positive statements until they become a natural part of the way you think. Create a list of 10 to 20 statements that affirm your belief in your worthiness and your ability to create the life of your dreams. Here are some examples of affirmations that have worked for others in the past:

• I am worthy of love, joy and success.
• I am smart.
• I am loveable and capable.
• I can create anything I want.
• I am able to solve any problem that comes my way.
• I can handle anything that life hands me.
• I have all the energy I need to do everything I want to do.
• I am attracting all the right people into my life.

No matter how well you plan and how well you execute your plan, you are bound to meet with disappointments, adversity and failure along the way to your ultimate triumph. Adversity is what gives you the opportunity to develop your inner resources of character and courage. Adversity is a great teacher. It will test you and make you stronger, but you have to hang in there and not give up!

    People in the US have a tendency to pop pills whenever they are sick.  Some of us are sick frequently—what is the underlying issue we are not addressing?

    Instead of  masking our symptoms or taking medication to fight the germs, we need to take a different approach.  Medication used to treat infections and other illnesses can only go so far. We also need a healthy immune system.  Perhaps our efforts should be less focused on defeating illness and more focused on building up our natural defenses- our immune system.

    Boosting our immune system sounds too simple really work.  Here is a list of what the experts are saying:

1. Drink Enough Water. You should be drinking, in daily ounces, half your body weight in pounds. (i.e. Body weight in pounds, divided by 2 = number of ounces of water per day.)
2. Eliminate or reduce your refined sugar intake. You will see noticeable results in your energy levels, weight distribution, immunity and your ability to think clearly when you break the cravings and stop eating refined sugar.  Many holistic nutritionists have said if you are going to do one thing to boost your metabolism it is eliminating refined sugar from your diet.
3. Stop Drinking Coffee.  Caffeine robs your body of vitamins and minerals and dehydrates you.
4. Eat foods to promote acid-alkali balance.  We tend to be more acidic which promotes harmful bacteria and viruses.  Foods to eat to promote pH balance are lemons, apple cider vinegar, vegetables, soy and avocado.
5. Get Enough Sleep.  Everyone’s needs are different but people typically need between 6-10 hours of sleep. Sleep has been linked to balanced hormone levels (including human growth hormone and the stress hormone, cortisol), keeping weight down, clear thinking and reasoning, improved mood, and vibrant, healthy skin.
6. Exercise.  Exercise can make a noticeable difference to your health and happiness by releasing endorphins.  Exercise helps combat stress. Stress can zap your energy and weaken your immune system.

Read more:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/168956/simple_ways_to_boost_your_immune_system.html?cat=5  http://naturalmedicine.suite101.com/article.cfm/10_ways_to_boost_immune_health#ixzz0QRA264V7

Caprandom’s dream:

I'm walking in a city that looks a cross between Blade Runner's LA and something out of Star Wars. Night has fallen and rain is coming pouring down. Your typical noir scene.

I'm trailing someone, making sure he doesn't see me. I only see his back, even the reflections in the windows are out of focus. I see the person turn a street corner and I do the same, I feel a blow to the head and I fall unconscious.

Time passes and I wake up tied to a hospital bed where a doctor with 4 arms is busy operating on me. I tried to make a sound but my mouth feels full of cotton balls and I can't even move a finger.

That's where I woke up...

Sue Bee.’s Interpretation:

The city you are walking through represents your current life and what you are going through.  You are entering new territory that you are not familiar with.  Rain can have many meanings—cleansing, emotion, renewal—but in context of your dream it could have all three meanings but I would emphasize renewal.  Things are unclear to you but you are beginning to figure something and remove what has been clouding you.

You are trailing someone and he represents something you are not sure if you can trust but it is something that is eluding you.  Your dream hints to me that you need to re-evaluate something and re-center yourself.  The blow to the head I think shows that you are basically being hit over the head with something and are not acknowledging it or seeing it.  You aren’t conscious of it right now.

You then find yourself in a hospital which is a place of healing.  Hospitals in dreams do not only represent physical healing but they also represent mental, emotional and/or spiritual healing.  This doctor is very interesting, since he has many arms, the arm symbol is being overemphasized for you.  Arms can mean many things but typically are associated with labor, carrying things, influence and manipulation.  What is interesting is the number four typically is associated with hard labor and material things. Having an operation  could mean that you need to get something out of your system or cut it out of your life. Perhaps you need to let go of something or change your habits.

I have noticed that when I need healthy food the most I tend to crave the unhealthiest food.  When I am tired, stress, feeling down, I know I need good nutrition and a balanced diet yet I just want to grab cheeseburgers, soda, French fries, cookies and ice cream.  Today I was thinking about why this is.  I understand we want to eat these things to not meet our nutrition needs, but to fulfill something else—either make us feel better emotionally, provide us comfort, or give is something enjoyable to do.  I think then the trick to getting into the mindset of eating healthy is to fulfill those needs in other ways outside of food.  If we are tired, perhaps we need a brisk walk, mint tea, orange juice, a good stretch, or a nap.  If we are stressed, perhaps we need to find ways to distress such as taking a break, exercising, meditating, or doing something simple we enjoy like gardening or painting.  If we are feeling down, we need to help ourselves emotionally and target the root causes of our sadness.  Bad foods certainly do not make me feel better in the long run and actually make me more tired, less likely to handle stress well, and more likely to feel depressed and blah in general. 

I just have to remember to think of this the next time I am about to eat poorly!