Dear Nancy,

I am 40 years old and I think I am going through my mid-life crisis. I've been burned out at work for several years now and would love to change careers. I have a good life and certainly wouldn't want to trade places with anyone I know. It's just that as I learn who I am on the inside....my outside doesn't fit. Michael

"My wife and I are on a trip when I notice I have a cut on the forefinger of my left hand. (I am left-handed.) As the trip progresses, this minor cut becomes more discolored and infected. The skin on my hand and arm clear up to my elbow is getting dry, discolored and hard like it is dying. The scene changes and my wife and I are at a show something similar to the "Wheel of Fortune." I am wearing white slacks and I notice my cut is seeping and oozing yucky stuff all over them. I go to the bathroom to clean up and see that the skin up to my elbow is all dead, dried and loose. As I peel it from my arm and hand it all comes off in one piece. The skin underneath is new and white, and the wound is healed. I'm surprised at my "new" arm, throw the dead tissue in the trash and wake up."

Dear Michael,

This is a classic dream of death and renewal, announcing your personal metamorphosis. The trip you are on may be the life journey you are taking with your wife. I am not surprised she s there with you, as this change in you will affect her too. She may also symbolize the feminine aspect of your Self, the aspect that is intuitive and nurturing.

The bleeding wound is on your left hand, the hand you favor and do most of your work with. Your creative hand. Does your current work drain your energy and leave you feeling empty and dry? Blood is life energy. Losing blood in a dream often illustrates the lose of vitality and spirit through worry, fear, or anxiety.

Just as the snake sheds its skin in the process of renewal, so you must shed your old skin to see the new, fresh growth underneath. The transformation is already complete on the inside.

You indicated to me that you already know what it is you would like to be doing and that it is a very creative path for you, a path that would bring you the satisfaction you long for.

Many times transitions bring anxiety but the purpose of your "mid-life crisis" seems to be to create a more authentic life. I hope you have support from your family and friends, so this change can be a positive experience for you.

DREAM TIP

Some people say they never dream but these people are just not remembering their dreams. Science has proven that we all dream several times every night so those people that don't remember are missing out on one third of their life! In a typical night of sleep, we all experience 5 to 6 active dream phases. Until recently, it was thought that dreams only occurred during REM sleep, which is distinguished by rapid eye movements, when the eyes move from side to side. Dream researchers are finding that dreams occur even outside of the REM stage and I know one person who recorded 30 dreams in one night!

Nancy Huseby Bloom
dream@icehouse.net