NOT ONE, NOT TWO, BUT THREE FIREPLACES!!

I am in my apartment, speaking with someone, and mention how much I would want a fireplace - more for the mantle piece and ambiance than warmth.  (This is something that is directly tied into my desire for one, and I have mentioned this to a number of people lately.)  I then go on to say how I would rearrange the furniture to accommodate it.  A few minutes pass in this way, when I suddenly realize that something has changed.  

I am now in a small house, and there in the middle of the main wall, right where my book case is now, is a small pot-belly stove.  Of course!  How could I have forgottent hat I owned one!  I open the door on it, and see that a fire is already dancing hot - a fire that is blue, and I sbyee that it's gas-fed.  I watch this for a while, and become somewhat alarmed when I see the wooden beams in the basement appear to also have these blue flames.  I run to the basement, and see a large puddle of coffee spilled on the flag-stone floor, and my son Pete muttering about the loss of his coffee while he's diligently mopping it all up with a rag.  I tell him I'll put some more coffee on, right after I check the stove connections.  I do this and find that everything is in order, and go back upstairs.The living room has changed again in my absence.  

It is now larger, and another black cast-iron fireplace is stocked high with hardwood logs.  This one is considerably bigger than the pot-belly stove, and is placed around an alcove that materialized in the living room.  This room has many large windows all around, and now the floors are also sporting the gray polished flagstone.  My furniture is rearranged for maximum comfort and coziness, but I can see that it's somehow not enough in the spaceseness.  Through one of these windows, I see the huge back-yard and the forest line of trees in the distance, but close to the house, is Pete, chopping up more wood, singing loudly as he's doing so.

I smile and turn to wonder at the fireplaces and am shocked to see that I am now in a huge hall - indeed a castle hall!!  The furniture and the two fireplaces look absolutely lost.  The flagstones are now covering the walls as well, and there are columns in wide double rows soaring up to the arching ceiling.  Against the opposite wall is indeed a fireplace - huge, over six feet tall and double that in width, capable of burning whole logs!!  The stone mantle piece, which is no less than a yard wide,  is filled with beautiful ornaments, tall candle holders, vases, garlands of greens and flowers and huge baskets of fruit.  As I struggle to take all this in, I see my daughter Dorry on the gallary balcony above me, and waving to her, I run up the gracefully curved stairs to her and hug her, marvelling at this transformation.  But it's not finished yet - I see from this height that the place is now hung with bright tapestries and banners.  The room next to the "living room" is actually a gallery that is filled with magnificent paintings.  But more shocking to see is that the entire space is occupied by people dressed in magnificent clothing, some arm in arm, some singly.  From somewhere unseen is the sound of pipes, drums, harps, lutes and violes.

This was kicking the SCA experience up by about 100 notches!!

My "living room" is still there, looking pathetically swallowed up in all this grandure, and I worry momentarily about my loss of privacy, but I do know that all this will be sorted out soon.  For now, I'm thrilled to see my new "digs", the centerpiece of which is that magnificant fireplace and mantle piece!!

A HODGEPODGE OF IMAGES

All I remember of my dreams are little snapshots:

I am rummaging through some clothing in my bedroom, and something jumps out.  "Oh no," I think, "I have mice again!" But then it occurs to me that it's not a mouse but a little bird, and off I go chasing it...

... I am seated by a big basket of mismatched socks.  I'm there sorting through them for a long time and only manage to match two pairs (yes, now this is a *real* nightmare - lol!)...

... Now I find myself at some kind of day camp, trying to organize the little kids into some semblance of order (Okay, I think we're onto some kind of theme here.)...

... I'm on a bus heading home.  At a stop, I see a procession of people in costume, the men are all dressed as Arthur and his group from Monty Python's "Quest for the Holy Grail", and the women are beautiful mer-creatures.  I recognize them as one of the couple I married recently, and I call out to them by name, very excited to see them.  The couple turns to me and waves ecstatically and the bride runs over to me, quickly shoving a bunch of papers into my hands as my bus rolls out again.  

I look at these papers and see a bunch of post-dated cheques, all sorts of brochures with huge discounts to many different places and a beautiful thank-you note.  I am stunned that they would have this ready for me, since our meeting is so random.  More so, I am amazed that they would think they owed me any more than my standard fee!  There is a sense that the brochures were hand-picked just for me...

THE AQUARIUM

I find myself walking along a deserted road.  On either side of me there are rolling hills and woods.  It's cloudy and dark, threatening to rain, with a cold wind blowing steadily.  I am wrapped in a piece of fur over my clothing and sometimes struggle when the wind blows directly at me.  Soon I see some cars, and am relieved to see signs of civilization, and as I walk further, suddenly it's filled with people, cameras, light and sound equipment.  It's a movie shoot.  The location is beautiful, very wild, with a river rushing through the craggy hills.  The woods on the other side is dark with close-growing pine trees.  

For some reason, I feel as though I'm intruding, and make my way around the edges, hoping that noone would see me.  I pass behind the director, who is seated on an elevated platform, and duck into a covered bridge.  It's obviious that it's part of the set, but it does provide me with the cover I need.  I quickly walk through it, grateful for the momentary shielding from the winds, and when I step out, I am amazed to see piles and piles of beaver skins stacked up.  At the same time, the winds have now brought the hard, cold driving rains.  Behind me I hear someone joke about how appropriate it is that they should be working with "pelts" in the "pelting" rain!!

I know that I could have stayed in the shelter, but something is driving me on.  Since I'm already wrapped up in one skin, I help myself to another one to adquately cover myself.  As I do so, I recall having read that a movie was being made about the early explorers and the Hudson Bay fur trade.

I continue walking in this rain, and eventually reach a large house.  This is my destination. Memories come back of how I used to live here and that I've been away too long.  I walk in through the gate and suddenly the rain stops and the air becomes calm and warm.  I see palm trees and other tropical plants growing in a rather overgrown garden and promise myself that this will be taken care of soon.  The garden has all sorts of trails made of flagstone, and although I cannot see it all, I know it's huge, and I relish the thought of exploring it all again.

Inside, I go inside to the lower level and step into a room full of aquariums, and here, I'm overcome by guilt.  Not only have neglected the gardens, I have also neglected all these fish!  How long were they without food!?  I examine the tanks, and am relieved to see the small tropical fish darting merrily around but am also distressed to see a few larger goldfish floating dead in a couple of tanks.  I wonder if I have to decontaminate all the tanks now, and where is the fish food anyways?  I go around and check everything and simply cannot find the fish food, but I do find one tank that holds a large allegator.  This startles and frightens me, and I dash up the stairs again to one of the adjoining trails.  

A short distance away, I hear something thrashing through the underbush, and catch a glimps of a huge serpentine animal.  It's not anything like I've seen before.  It heads straight for a deep river that runs through the property.  It was about 15 feet long and it disappears quickly under the water.

While I am frightened, I am also thrilled to know that this is my world, my personal domain.  I have returned to this place after a long absence and yes, there are some changes.  I make plans to systematically go through the grounds and the house, get help where I need it, and care for it, monsters and all, as I'm meant to.

SCARY ENCOUNTERS

It's not often I get disturbing dreams, but I think this one would qualify as such.  Backtracking a bit, I was awakened by my phone at about 5:45 am, and by the time I got to it, the answering machine had already kicked in.  No message was left, and it registered as a Private Number.  I became concerned, for some reason, that it might be the hospital calling about my father, but rejected that notion because the hospital would have left a message, so I went back to bed, fell asleep instantly and had the following dream:

I am in a small housing community, like a row of townhouses, and there I meet up with two male friends.  I am not very comfortable with them (they are not my Guardian Brothers that so often show up in my dreams).  One is blond and stocky, the other has light brown hair and is slim.  Both are tall.  Overhead I hear a lot of airplanes flying by.  They take me inside one of the units and I realize that it's like the TARDIS - much larger on the inside, and set out like a very futuristic office.  There are computers everywhere, but ones that look like several generations beyond what we have now.  Also sharing space with this technology are many plants, that occupy every available space, trailing down the stairs and off cabinets.  

The blond man tells me that everyone here in this community is very much occupied with airplanes, and he goes on to pantamime how a child would react, talking on the phone with the mother, and telling her that he now has to check out what's flying overhead. The small personal computers the children have are filled with statistics and specifications on all the flying machines.  As he's telling me all this, I look beyond the door, and see something absolutely amazing:  Hanging low to the Earth is another world.  It's much larger than the moon, filling half the horizon, and is yellowish-brown with very little greens or blues on it.  At first I think it's a giant balloon, but soon see that it's not - it's definitely another planet.  There are tiny silver streaks that I know are shuttles flying between our worlds, and recognize this as a variation of my "Lights in the Sky" dreams.  They always seem to bring bad news.

I am seized with a total dread at the sight of this, and more so because neither of the two men show any concern over this phenomenon.  Eventually, we leave, and try as I might, I cannot get any more information about this from my companions.  We go to another small community, much like the one we left, and this one is more residential.  Each unit has been personalized to the occupant's tastes - one is middle eastern, another oriental, etc.  I am ushered into a unit that bears no such ornaments, but is very comfortably furnished.  The phone rings and the brown-haired man answers it.  He tells me that it's the hospital and I need to go see my father, but not to worry, he's okay now.  They insist on driving me there, but not just yet.  

They start talking about how good it will be when I move in here.  I am totally bewildered at this statement, but then I seem to remember that I did indeed make such arrangements.  I now worry about giving notice at my old apartment, and worry about my father.  Something is not right, but I feel very overwhelmed by all that is happening.

I take a walk outside, but do not get far before the blond man catches up with me.  He becomes very aggressive with me, demanding my affection.  I find myself pinned against the wall as he tries to kiss me, and I struggle to get away from him.  I am very grateful when his partner comes by with another man, whom I recognize as my ex-husband, because at their appearance, I am roughly released.  I run away from them all, towards other voices around the corner.

The voices grow louder and suddenly, I realize I'm awake and hearing them still.  It takes me a few seconds to realize that these are coming from the parking lot outside my window.  

GROUP OF WOMEN AND AN HEIRLOOM GIFT

Just before I woke up this morning, I was bombarded with all sorts of dream images. The entire mood of these dreams was very upbeat and happy, filled with people that I was delighted to meet. It's difficult to say whether this was an evacuation or a party - the dream had elements of both, but my first remembered image was of me being in a different apartment, filled with mostly women, and a few young boys.

As I walk about, talking with this woman or that, I remember having dreamed of a red and white dress. I mention it to someone. There is a young boy lounging on the couch, and he is telling me about his parents and other relatives. It suddenly occurs to me he's talking about a branch from my family tree, and I remark how much like my grandson he looks. 

Curiosity gets the better of me, and I go out, exploring the building. In the hallway I meet a lady who said she used to live here before it went all corporate. We are standing by a vending machine that she's trying to get something out of, but nothing works. She pulls her thin sweater tighter about her, saying that it did change and not for the better, that she's feeling very cold in the hallway and will leave as soon as she can. 

I go back into the apartment and step into two women having a rather heated discussion as to how to best create a small office in this space. I like the idea that one has, which seems to incorporate all necessary office elements into a very efficient and cozy space, complete with a full-size filing cabinet (for some reason this was very important to me, this filing cabinet), and on my say-so, the matter is settled. Another woman keeps saying that she has a large pot that needs to be seen by someone - she looks intently at another young lady as she says this, making it obvious who she means. 

This young lady finally throws up her hands and says, "Okay - let's see this large pot you have for me!" She is beautiful, with flashing dark eyes and long wavy black hair. She appears to be in her late teens or early 20's. I feel that the other older woman is her aunt and wants to give her a family heirloom. Delighted, the "aunt" goes into another room, and comes back carrying a beautiful red and white sequenced retro-style dress. The instant I see it, I hug the "niece" and tell her I just dreamed of this dress!! Then the aunt disappears again and comes back with a huge box which she sets on the table.

We all crowd around the table as she unwraps the box. At first I see not a pot, but a beautiful deep blue glass pitcher, but it's soon obvious this is only a part of it. By the time it's all unwrapped, this pitcher has become a part of a huge glass display with all sorts of doodads and bangles, icicles and tear-drops extending it into an unbelievable display. Without a doubt I even see a colourful merry-go-round in there!

The "niece" leans close to me and whispers, "It's a monstrosity!", echoing my own assessment of this. Nevertheless, she shows true gratitude to her aunt for this heirloom gift.

HOSPITAL ENCOUNTERS

I am standing outside a huge building, like a hospital complex and am trying to get across the parking lot to the front doors.  It is a cold and dark winter day, with old patches of snow and ice on the ground.  To my right, there is a long wide winding road that cuts between two hills, and I see some cars parked along the side of it.  And for some reason, that one silver car right in front of me is blocking my way to the hospital entrance.  I could not go around it!  

Stepping back a few feet, I look at the car and then the side road, and think how much easier it would be to just move the car there.  With that thought clearly in my mind, I begin to move the car, slowly, gently, until it merges with the traffic and eventually I get it parked where I want it to be.  Only then do I realize that the driver is still in the car, looking very startled and confused!  Ooops, I laugh sheepishly to myself.  Neither he nor anyone one else even suspects that it is I who did this, so I continue on my way.

I'm not sure if I work there, am visiting someone, or am a patient/client within it.  I walk the halls, that are bustling with all sorts of activities, until I run into someone who looks familiar.  It is a middle-aged man, with a full salt-and-pepper beard, dark blue eyes and full bushy silver hair.  He's dressed in a dark gray suit and is walking with a clipboard, which he's checking quite often.  He stops when he sees me and tells me that now would be a good time for us to have our talk.

I walk with him to his office - a small space cluttered with books and papers - and he makes space for me on the chair by taking off a s stack of books and setting it on the floor.  I now recognize him as the pastor of the chapel.  He tells me that it's too bad I hadn't come to see him earlier, because the position I was enquiring about has been filled by someone else.  "There is still much to do", he says ruefully indicating the clutter around him, "but i cannot afford to hire a second person".  I am not that easily put off, and suggest that perhaps, since I already live in the facility, I could do transcription work from my own quarters?  Or maybe assist with non-traditional ceremonies?  He looks thoughtfully at me, and says that he will have to think on this.  He's genuinely interested in having me work for him, and I'm satisfied that I will indeed be given fair consideration.

RATS, CATS AND FLOWER-POTS

I am sitting with a group of women around a large table and we are all involved with some kind of sewing or knitting projects.  Someone is speaking about making a gown, and I turn to the lady next to and with a wink, because it obviously means something special to us both, I say, "I'll just bet it's going to weigh 387 pounds too, won't it?"  I wink at her, we all laugh and continue our handwork.  There was something very specific about that number.

Now I am in my apartment, but it's a diffferent place.  I notice that there are more windows, which are all at street level, and there is a sense that it's not the best part of town.  People pass by and have no problem looking into my space.  I tell myself that I need to hang up some heavy curtains on them, but for now I am busy talking with my granddaughter as we both sit on the couch.  I tell her that I am happy there are no more mice in this place, but the next instance proves me wrong.  From under the couch, crawls out a large gray rat, followed by a brown one.  There is a sense that these two rats are very buddy-buddy, because of the antics as they chase and tumble around each other, eventually disappearing into a crack in the wall.  Both Abby and I shudder at seeing them, and are anow afraid to walk around.

As we're getting over this, some other friends walk in (they're very indistinct), and I tell them of the rats.  I say that I'm going to speak to the superintendent about it immediately so that she can set up traps.  Suddenly, from the back of the couch we hear suspicious noises, and someone moves the couch away from the wall.  The first thing that falls over is a rather large flower-pot with a variety of plants in it.  I am astonished, because I have never seen that pot or the plants before.  I am further surprised to see how healthy and large they all are, and remark that they had no attention or watering at all.  

Something moves from behind the pot - a tiny black and white kitten suddenly leaps out, all claws and teeth and huge saucer eyes, onto someone's shoulder.  We all coo and ahh over it as it continues its attack, which soon turns into loving play, and within minutes another little kitten, this one being gray and beige, does the same thing.  I wonder where they came from, amazed to see such a managerie in my home, when someone suggests that before I moved in, there was a mother cat here.  Perhaps she came back to birth them here because she was so secure here?  

I do not know what to say for a moment, because I am very overwhelmed by the onslaught of these animals.  I fight the urge to flee.  Instead I say, "The rats will be trapped, I'm keeping the plant, and whoever wants the kittens, please take them.  In the meanwhile, let's have some tea!"

SCA EVENT AND ENCOUNTER IN A THEATRE

I am at an SCA event.  It is held in a large building and on an upper floor, which we all think is very unusual.  The venue is quite beautiful, with large columns on either side of the long hall.  I am in a company of old friends (known to me only in the dream), and one of the ladies asks me if I would be going to Pennsic, because she has space in her car to take me, but we would have to leave immediately after this event.  I am very excited about this, telling her that I've never been, and it would be wonderful to go.  Suddenly, I remember that I left my camera at home.  I ask if we can make a quick stop at my place to pick it up.  

"In fact", I continue, "I got so excited about this prospect that I completely forgot that I have nothing to bring with me!  I'll need to pack!!"  My friend is not that impressed and again stresses that we will need to leave immediately.  I realize that it would be totally impossible for me to go now, since everything I need is at home, that it would take me some time to pack.  Finally, I tell her that I will not be able to go at all.  My passport is expired and there won't be time to get a new one.  She is very upset, accusing me of stringing her along.  I shake my head and leave her.

Now I find myself in a darkened movie theatre.  Except for one other woman closer to the front, I am alone there.  Something about that woman makes me feel she's in distress of some sort, so I walk down the aisle to see if she's all right.  She's obviously crying.  I ask her if she's okay, and she lifts her tear-stained face to me - young, mid to late 30's, dark eyes and dark blond thick hair tied back at the sides.  In spite of the fact that I know I've never met her, she is familiar to me.  "Kris?" I ask gently, as I sit down beside her and put my arms around her shoulders.  

Eventually, we get up and walk out of the theatre.  We go through the empty lobby and into a long hallway.  She silently leads the way to a large glass door and motions me to preceed her.  I do so, and immediately find myself almost stepping off the ledge several stories above ground.  Just in time, I find my footing by grabbing onto a support column.  Below me I see the snow and slush-filled streets, and heart pounding hard, I begin to scream for help.  The woman is no longer there, and eventually, after several terror-filled moments, a couple of people come running and help me up. 

As I finally walk along the solid floor between the two rescuers, I wonder why I just didn't fly off, and why this situation should have so frightened me.

CHASED AND CHASING

I don't understand how I could have forgotten such intense dreams as I had last night! But I'll I'm left with are just a couple of very fuzzy images. 

I am being chased by someone, a man I don't know (feels like a blending of all my sons). We are in a huge building made of green marble - hallways intersected by more hallways, opening into courtyards, but no rooms. Eventually, I come to one hallway that is filled with beautiful clear water and jump in, and the chase continues with us swimming. I feel as though this is almost a game between me and whoever it is that's chasing me. I'm not really worried, but more annoyed that I can't seem to get out of this giant maze.

Now I am seeing something as in a vision or in a dream. Someone I know but have never met is being chased by a group of people. I have trouble recognizing her at first, and then it hits me - it's Jo Shakti Hope, dressed as the Scary Doll!! "She needs help!", I think to myself. 

I hurry to her, and just as I reach her, I realize that I have actually stepped into my vision and right through it, crossing hundreds of kilometers in a blink of an eye!!

A WEDDING, AND CEREMONIAL CHANTING

Without a doubt, last night's dream was influenced by me watching something yesterday, "My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding".  I very seldom - and I emphasize "VERY SELDOM" - watch such shows.  Yesterday was an exception, and I was suddenly exposed to a world of Irish gypsies and Travellers, their increadible lifestyle and, more importantly, monsterous weddings!  

I am about to officiate a wedding in an old stone church; or maybe it was a castle.  The room was filled with people all wearing glittery evening wear, there were colourful tapestries on the walls, and there was a huge fireplace.  I was standing in front of it, and was grateful that the fire was not lit, because I would have been roasted alive.  I am dressed in traditional ecclesiastical robes and watch as the bride, wearing a beautiful simple white gown, is escorted down the aisle by her father.  Their approach is slow and stately, and her face is hidden by a filmy veil.  Her husband to be is standing by my left side, nervous, elated, teary-eyed, as he too watches her.  

The father and daughter arrive, and the groom goes to lift her veil - and an argument ensues with the father, because he feels it's his job to do so.  The words escalate, and I fear that it will come to blows, when the bride, at the end of her rope with this kind of juvenile display, quickly raises the veil herself.  This stops the men cold, more from shock that she, a mere woman, would take such a bold initiative herself.  She is very young, and pretty in a way that shows she's still growing into her being, with large dark hair and black eyes that are flashing with defience and anger.I smile at her encouragingly as she composes herself and takes her mate's hand.  We proceed with the wedding.

Now, it is some time later, and I am still in this castle and have joined a different group of people.  I see that they are all dressed in very rough-woven robes and tunics, with scarves wrapped around their heads.  Some of them are holding small clay pots.  There is a feeling of reverence as the ceremony unfolds.  I stay quietly in the background, just observing, as everyone starts chanting a very simple melody, over and over.  Someone, an older woman, puts her hand at the base of my spine and with a gentle smile propels me forward.  I find myself chanting the melody as well as I join my voice with everyone else.

No one speaks to me, no one explains what is going on, but I feel at home here.  I attend this more than once, and at one such ceremony, I begin to improvise on the melody, weaving a counterpoint in and out of those simple notes.   After the ceremony is finished, that older woman comes to me and gently tells me that I shouldn't be so quick to change tradition.  That melody, sung in exactly the same way, is important.  She explains that it's meant to emulate the call of the shepherds as they spoke to each other over the long cold nights on the hills.

Besides, she goes on, my voice isn't all that good.  I laugh, and promise not to improvise any more.

Moving, Athames, and Panoramic View

Again, I do not know how all these dreams related to each other, but here's what came to me last night:

1.  I live in a different apartment.  The building is much smaller, maybe like a quadraplex, with outside steps.  At one level, there is a large lounge/living room which is used communally.  My personal apartment is in the back, complete with its own living room.  

I am with another tenant, and we're going down the steps, and stop, because we see a moving truck and all household possessions being moved into our communl space.  Carefully, we make our way around the movers and in this way get a glimpse of the new tenants.  It is obvious now that we have lost our meeting space, because a new family is moving in there.  A large bed was already set up, covered with a white bedspread, and other rooms we never knew existed were being filled up with furniture.  I tell my friend that things will never be the same now, since obviously the landlord considered that to be dead space that could bring in more money.  

2.  I am with a friend, a lovely young lady with long black hair (no one I know in "real" life), and we're talking about jewellery.  She is asking about a certain piece, a necklace made of golden-brown stones.  I tell her I saw it in her jewellery box, the large wooden one with gold and green ornamentation on it.   She is kind of concerned, since she hasn't been able to find it in the moving chaos.  We go to her apartment and search for it.  It doesn't take us long to find it, and the necklace is indeed there.  There is also an athame there, one that is plain, with a leaf-blade and a handle made of polished blond wood.  Plain, yes, but also very beautiful, perfectly balanced.  It is a clear glass case.  I am surprised to see it, and tell her that I also got one, just like it.  Immediately there is a shift, everything blurs and I find myself with my friend, Richard, who is unpacking a box that he has received as a gift.  Sure enough, there is an athame for him in that box, identical to the one my friend and I got.  He picks it up carefully, and pulls it out of the glass case, kissing the handle reverently.  None of us know who sent these beautiful tools out, but we're sure we're not the only ones that got them.

3.  A male friend (indistinct - don't know him) and I are in a car, he's driving, and I'm a passanger.  We are chatting away amicably and soon find ourselves going over a tall bridge. It is sunset, and I look out the window to my right, west, and am awestruck at what I see.   

The sun is low in the sky, which is all shades of intense turquoise and powder blues, tinged with pinks and orange highlights, white puffy clouds play hide-and-seek with the sinking golden sun.  All the buildings are white, sparkling with their own light, and are all at odd angles, leaning into and away from each other.  The trees are not just green, they're emerald and jasper, and all this sits on a bay of sapphire waters.  

The entire scene is so fantastic, as though it's constructed out of precious gems and metals!  I turn to the driver, and tell him I wish I had a camera, because that is one picture that is  "absolutely postcard perfect"!  

FLIGHT OVER MY CHILDHOOD HOME

A night filled with dreams, but this is the only one I can remember:

The bungalow with the skylight - that's my magickal childhood home I dreamed of.

I am walking down a street that seems very familiar, and looking around, I realize that it's my old childhood neighbourhood.  It feels like summer, warm and green, just like I remember it.  And soon enough, I come to my childhood home, a beautiful bungalow situated on top of a fairly steep hill, where all my magic began.  In my hands, I'm carrying a smooth stick, and this feels very important to me.  Now the street is alive with people, and they all greet me politely, but among them are two men whose greeting is beyond friendly - it's loving and exhuberant!  They tell me I should go up those steps and sit on the wide veranda again.  

As is the way of dreams, sseveral things happen simultaneously - I recognize the men as my Guardian Brothers (yeay!!), I realize that the stick I'm holding is actually a wooden stirring spoon, and that the handle is a bit crooked, and that in saying "go up the steps", they mean something very different.  I smile my understanding, and back up a short distance.  Holding the wooden spoon in front of me in both hands, I begin to run.  At the third stride, my feet leave the ground, and soaring higher and higher, I turn and navigate myself above the hill and turn to face the street again. My feet and arms are wide open, as I hover there, a living pentagram.  In my right hand, I hold the wooden spoon like a powerful wand.

The small crowd cheers wildly and the two Brothers jump up and down at my accomplishment and one of them opens up his jacket, showing that he's covered with money, bills of all denominations, which he indicates are now mine.  I laugh, but am not quite ready to come down yet, and so indulge in my usual aerial acrobatics for a few moments.  Amid cheers and applause, I finally alight onto the sidewalk to the full embrace of my Guardians. 

NEW COMMUNITY AND SURVIVAL

I actually remember a bit of a dream from last night!! As always, it's part of a much larger and more complex dream, so I don't know how it relates to the rest. So here's what I remember:

I find myself in a small cave-like room. I vaguely recall that this is part of a huge migration due to some sort of a disaster, and in these mountains we find safety. (In the past I had many such dreams.) So, I find myself in a small cave-like room, but this one is equipped with four built-in stone beds, and this indicates that I will have to share this space with three other people. Indeed this is the case, because I am soon joined by three men - one of whom is Dr. McCoy from the classic Star Trek. We marvel that such furniture exists here and we speculate as to who may have built them. Spreading our bedding over the stone, we settle in for the night.

This ratio of men to women seems to be prevalent, and morality changes with need. I am now "married" to these three men, and our mandate is to have as many girl babies as we can.

A firm and almost overwhelming sense of united purpose grips the entire settlement - survival at any cost - and singlemindedly, we bend our will to it.