I am relating both a dream and an experiences that followed it.

In the dream I am hosting a group in my home. I am somewhat nervous and I am going round making sure that the space is adequately prepared and clean, getting the sweets ready. I am excited and slightly frazzled at the same time. Then my doorbell rings and it is the man who holds presently holds the group in his home. He has a particular presence and energy and strongly represents the masculine. He goes to sit in my lounge and we wait for the others to arrive. I remain standing and about 5 or 6 minutes after we are supposed to start, the doorbell rings again. Another woman from the group, who strongly figures as the feminine is standing in front of me wearing a long purple coat. She apologises for being late, but the dogs have kept her. They are very large (up to her hip), grey with fur that is flat, lying close to their bodies. They are wild and excitable, over exuberant. And I suddenly realise I will have to find a place to keep them out of the way, for the duration of the meditation. I can see one dog’s face and he has sapphire blue eyes. I let them all in and direct through the house, out a door that leads to the back garden. As I let them in Henry turns around and watches as they come in.

A few months later, we had all the extended family over for lunch. Preparing the space for such an event was quite stressful but it was personally very rewarding being able to host such an event. As I was saying goodbye to some guests, two Great Dane’s came bounding towards us, directionless and boisterous. They were large adolescents, big and grey and could easily have bowled me over. I realised that I knew who these dogs belonged to. I have never owned a dog, so I don’t have a lot of confidence when it comes to handling them. But I could see, I had to be very firm with these dogs, to direct them back home. I couldn’t understand how they had gotten out (as the house has very large gates) but if they were left to roam, I was afraid they would cause a lot of trouble. As I was walking them back down the road, I had a sense of being the woman who appeared at my door in the dream. I felt the long coat, I felt the dogs responding to my directions and I felt the need to adapt quite an authoritarian and demanding presence for the dogs to obey. Strangely the gate to the house was open and the other dog of the house was on the steps barking at his playmates. They had a kind of vicious moment and I faltered, some of my fear coming to the surface and doubt as to whether these dogs actually belonged here. I rang the doorbell several times to call the owners but no one came. By now, given the dogs sensed my retreat from that very demanding presence and were about to run away again. I had to act immediately and firmly push and demand they go inside against their will, with the older dog looking on as a reprimanding older sibling whom they didn’t really want to face.

As I put the dogs back in their rightful place, I felt that I was fulfilling in real life what the dream had been asking me to do. When I had pondered the dream it felt as though the dogs had a sacred purpose and were brought in to protect the space. Unaware how to utilise and harness their energy they were playful and over-stimulated instead of the focussed stealth they could have brought to their role as protectors and guardians of sacred space. Having three doors in my home – their placement at each of these entrance and exit point was surely what the dream deemed necessary?