Dreams & The Analysis of Self.

It seems that the topic of dreams and their meanings has arisen repeatedly of late. I have therefore decided to emphasize the nature of dreams and the connection they have to the dreamer's subconscious mind. It is important to note that there are many aids to understanding dreams on the market these days; though, while dream dictionaries may offer some viable suggestions, they aren't entirely accurate, nor are they reliable. Dreams are highly personalized, so what means one thing to one person may not mean the same thing to another. For instance, a person who is stuck in a dead-end go-nowhere job may dream of pushing a long line of carts, or trolleys, down an endless one-way street. Because of his personal circumstances, this may remind him that he is grudgingly going nowhere in life. On the other paw, a woman who is plagued by constant chaos in her waking life may view the same dream as a comforting symbol of order and direction.

No two minds are alike; no two dreams are alike; no two meanings are alike. Because each individual perceives life uniquely, there cannot be a blanket interpretation of all dream objects, characters, or phenomena. This does not mean that our dreams are pointless and can never be accurately understood. Rather, by asking questions about our dreams we can often enrich our waking lives. In order for you to learn and benefit from your dreams, however, you must be open to change. Exploring the subconscious can be unnerving if you aren't willing to both accept your personal flaws and make changes in yourself or your life.

Below are some questions you may wish to consider privately. Write them down and meditate on each answer. Once you've analyzed one question, move on to the next, and see how your answers all come together. Sometimes dreams that seem to mean something obvious will prove much deeper.

What role did you play in your dream, and what roles were filled by others?

What were you actively doing or not doing?

How did you react to your situation, or did you fail to react?(i.e. Screaming without fear or fearful without screaming.)
If you were to write your dream into a book, what genre of book will it be?(i.e. Romance, action adventure, textbook, how to manual, suspense thriller, murder mystery, etc.)
How did your dream surroundings differ from reality, and did anything in them create, or fail to create, specific or expected emotions?(i.e. A leopard in the living room which drew no surprise or alarm.)
Were there any actions or emotions that seemed inappropriate to the dream's setting?(i.e. A clown at a funeral juggling and doing tricks)
If you could alter something about your dream, what would it be and how would you change it?

Once you've had a chance to think about these questions, you should be able to have a better understanding of your dream. However, it is often easier to come up with something pointless and thus discredit the dream. If this happens and the dream is still disturbing you, purrhaps you are hiding the true meaning from yourself. Wait a while, and prepare to listen to your subconscious before attempting further analysis. True, you may not like what your mind is telling you, but you may find that its messages are the keys to self-enlightenment, confidence, and improvement.

Yours Purringly,
W.C. Humphries II (Mr. Fleez for short.)

Regular Modern-Day Nimrods!

Wisconsin USA had recently kicked around the idea of legalizing the hunting of feral cats. It's legal in other states, such as South Dakota and Minnesota, so why not Wisconsin? Fortunately, I have read that the bill was defeated, but why was it tossed about to begin with? They say it's because of the slaughtering of songbirds, but isn't that a bit like saying 'you eat too much, so I think I'll shoot you.' There are so many kindlier methods of ridding your garden of unwanted roamers; and there are alternative population control schemes that can be enacted, so why feel the need to take such drastic action?

I guess what I'd really like to know is how a big mighty hunter feels about bagging a 6 pound domestic cat? Does it make him feel like, well, a mighty hunter? Furthermore, how would one of these hunter chappies really know if who they're killing is a cat of the feral variety? How do they know it's not just someone's Moggy Majestique out for a stroll? How many of these cat-killers will wantonly shoot at any cat and claim that they didn't know it wasn't a feral? It seems to me that this is the ideal circumstance for kill-happy idiots and closet sadists. Mind you, I don't know all the rules and regulations governing this sport, but these wouldn't sway me anyway, no matter how well they are written and executed.

You know, I've been thinking about the psychology behind the killing of domestic felines. A purrson would have to have a serious disdain for cats to actually shoot one in cold blood. Then, there are other factors to consider, as well. What of concern for one's neighbors and their feline superiors? I find it hard to believe that no one has taken this as a right to rid the neighborhood of indoor/outdoor felines, regardless of whether or not these own humans in the area.

I don't know if there are many women involved in this sport, but men are primarily the fools who pose with their feline kill as though it's a mighty beast, capable of tearing their guts out, that they've managed to wrestle down and kill with their bare hands. That's not how it is, though. In reality these are men sitting in blinds, wearing camouflage, toting high-powered hunting rifles with attached guided scopes. Not entirely fair, is it? That leads me to the most baffling question, what really is the point?

I think felines, unlike d*gs, appear more aloof and less controllable. Since these men obviously like to have the upper paw, i.e. scopes and semiautomatic weaponry, it stands to reason that cats are more of a threat to their egos than they are to their flowerbeds. They kill cats to show them who's really boss. "I'll show you to not come when I call you or sit up and beg or OBEY ME!" It's sad that these little men have such weak self-esteem. If they are willing to kill an animal that frustrates them, how might they treat their wives when they get out of line? What of the kiddies?

Mind you, I don't believe all hunters are like this, but when I see a big, mighty hunter standing over his wild, beastly feline kill that weighs all of 6 pounds, it does make me question their mental state. Why so proud? It's not that big of an achievement. If I had a high-powered fire arm, a guided scope, camouflage, a blind, and an opposable thumb, I bet I could kill you, too.

Yours Purringly,

W.C. Humphries II (Mr. Fleez for short.)