follow the dog...

When I first began working with my dreams, the dream would often show our dogs on leash, me in control, leading the way and if they weren’t on leash I would be worried that they would get hurt or lost. 

Many times in my dreams our late dog, Sherman, would show up, heading off somewhere and to some purpose that only he seemed to know...looking back at me, wanting me to follow.  Sometimes I did but more often I didn’t, thinking I knew better about how things should be.

Our dreams often have animals in them and some of those animals we could consider psychopomps, guides of the soul. One that seems to stand out are dogs. That’s really sweet, isn’t it?  Dogs...man’s best friend...a pack animal who needs relationship...a creature who gives us unconditional love. Unlike us, they haven’t forgotten their connection to source…and being the relational animals they are, in our dreams they come to us and for us…wanting us to go with them…follow them home.

Over the years I’m learning to let go of the leash…both on the dream dog and on myself…to follow to where it is this furry teacher wants to take me, what he wants to show me…and it’s always about connectedness and the importance of feelings. Next time you have a dog in your dream notice what’s happening. Is the dog on leash, you in charge?  Are you worried for the dog? Is the dog trying to take you somewhere, show you something?

As we learn to release the tight grip we hold on ourselves, to drop the leash, we can learn to trust our dream dogs…they’re trustworthy. They want to escort us to the deepest parts of ourselves.  They want to take us home to our true self...our inner connection to the divine.

(Image: Sherman in his final days)

Mary Jo Heyen is a Natural Dreamwork Practitioner working with clients throughout the country and abroad in person, phone or Skype. Learn more about her work with dreams at her website: http://maryjoheyen.com/ or on her Facebook page, ‘Mary Jo’s Dream Page’