My subconscious mind is Spazzie’s domain; she is my Id’s chief librarian. While I’m living, she’s busy storing, cataloguing, and transforming all that data. When I’m thinking out loud (always), I’m talking to Spazzie. She’s voice activated, like the computer from Star Trek or my Amazon Echo.
Hey Jeff Bezos, exactly why can’t I customize my fucking Echo wake word? That’s a pretty easy software problem to solve there, Jeff. You already store a super fuck ton of personal data about me, what're a few more bytes??? Moving on.
I dreamt I was playing with three otters in my bathtub last night. I woke up feeling joyful, happy, but also slightly disquieted. Although I frequently dream about other animals, like dogs, cats, rabbits, and ferrets, otters very rarely feature. So, when multiple otters show up in my dreams, clearly it’s Spazzie screaming “HEY, WAKE THE FUCK UP! I'M SPEAKING TRUTH HERE!” And she won’t let me go back to sleep, as Spazzie is neither subtle nor patient. So I pop downstairs, grab a coffee and consider the dream.
Three otters swimming together strikes me as an important detail, so keeping the concept of “trinity” in mind, I commence with my otter symbology research (i.e. Google “otters in dreams.” How the hell did I ever manage my shit before the Internet?). Multiple interpretations indicate that the otter represents energy and agility (body), curiosity, imagination, and creativity (mind), and laughter, joy, and love (emotion or spirit). Hmmm…
Also, otters represent “my ability to see what is under the surface of everyday life and to draw nourishment from the hidden depths of my mind and spirit.” Otters signify my ability to navigate my life’s changing currents without "drowning.” Cue either the Stevie Nicks or the Dixie Chicks version of “Landslide,” I love both. And now I’m singing the song, because, well, 'hearing it in my head' and all that. [insert audio of Orlina singing “Landslide” — heh, no not really! My voice isn't anywhere close to good enough to warrant posting an a Capella audio clip!]
OK, I’m back. So, the message is “body, mind, and spirit in harmony; I’m becoming more integrated, more authentic” YES! Spazzie thinks I’m doing a good job of working through my shit. But what’s the "but"? Because with Spazzie, there is always a “but.”
Spazzie: “BATHTUB!!”
And it’s the bathtub that slightly alters the dream’s meaning. Otters that are swimming in a bathtub — even a large, spa-style tub — strongly implies constraint. But which part of me is constrained? One of the otters was nipping and pawing at me (do otters “paw?) , which seems a blaringly obvious “pay extra special attention to me” sign, but I’ll be damned if I can tell which otter was doing the pawing. All three otters appeared to be exactly alike. I’ll need to think about this some more. Stay tuned.