Decoding a Dream to Court the Wisdom: Enaction

One of my favourite ways to work with clients is via their dreams. I ran a dream circle for some years and now clients make sure to share the bounty of their nighttime adventures when they require some clarity. I’d like to illustrate a recent experience with a client.

This client’s very short dream stood out because of one specific aspect—a date. I will not specify the date, but it is in the future. I intuitively decided to attach numerology to it and whittled down the date to the number nine (9). This is the boon of sharing a dream with a safe-other – more perspective. If she shares with others – they will offer different and valuable takeaways.

I then turned to one of my symbology books and began to sift through (out loud) the symbolism of the number nine and as I rambled on (it’s not about what I think it is – it’s what spontaneously comes up for the client) – it hit her! My client is Hindu and she loves the Goddess known as Mother Durga. Each year Hindus worldwide celebrate Navratri – a nine-day celebration of the Goddess Durga for killing the demon, Mahishasura. This was not explicitly stated in my book, it’s what simply crossed her mind.

According to Google, here are the nine forms of Ma Durga:

• Shailaputri (Shailaputri): The daughter of the Himalayas, representing purity and devotion.

• Brahmacharini (Brahmacharini): A form that emphasizes self-discipline and penance, symbolizing the goddess’s path to achieving her divine powers.

• Chandraghanta (Chandraghanta): A fierce form, often associated with victory over negativity and evil.

• Kushmanda (Kushmanda): The creator of the universe, representing cosmic energy and the power to bring forth creation.

• Skandamata (Skandamata): The goddess of motherhood and children, representing compassion and nurturing.

• Katyayani (Katyayani): A form associated with courage and strength, embodying the power to protect against fear and adversity.

• Kalaratri (Kalaratri): The goddess of auspiciousness and courage, representing the victory of good over evil.

• Mahagauri (Mahagauri): A form associated with purity and radiance, representing the goddess’s ultimate form of beauty and grace.

• Siddhidhatri (Siddhidhatri): The goddess who grants siddhis (supernatural powers) and brings about the ultimate victory, representing the completion of the divine journey.

  
  

My client explained that twice per year her family would sit for nine nights and each night a havan/hawan (fire ritual) was celebrated for each aspect of Ma Durga. This is her explanation of her family’s rituals – I cannot speak to whether it deviates from what other Hindus practice.

In our therapeutic work together, we have been excavating issues from childhood and how they connect to current experiences she has been having – really, it’s attachment work. I felt that her unconscious was offering her a gentle, spiritual, contemplative, and practical way to integrate our work via an approach that resonates with her. Ma Durga is now a companion who walks with her, helping her shift perspective in a private and meaningful way.

We decided to dedicate one month to each form of Ma Durga, where she would spend time whirling her story within, considering personal experiences, and gathering information. I devised some journal/thought prompts to guide her for each form and month. She need not follow closely – just allow herself to get to where she needs to. I have yet to see what the coming months will bring; we are hoping for a deep, inner confidence, groundedness in the world she moves through and more courageous advocacy for her own well-being.

This is just one way in which a dream and its symbolism can be brought into the waking world for real, life-affirming change.

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