A Dream of Transition
by Starcat with BlackLion

Times of transition can affect us on many levels. Depending on the type of changes that are happening, we can experience a wide range of emotions as we react and adjust. Even changes that are positive, that we have wanted to put into place, can cause us to react with fear of the unknown. Until we’ve integrated the new way and made it a part of daily life, uncertainty can cause us to be off-balance.

During such a transition, I recently had the following dream: someone had handed me a cat, larger than a domestic cat but small enough that I could hold her without trouble. I was entrusted to return her to her home, which was a zoo or wildlife preserve nearby. My kids were with me, and I got in the car with them and the cat, who was a bit nervous but stayed on my lap. As I drove, I was petting the cat, and as I did so, I realized she was shedding a layer of skin and fur, much like a snake sheds its skin. She had another full layer of fur underneath. She was rubbing on me and enjoying as I helped her strip away the old layer, carefully easing it off over her ears and down her neck. The old layer of fur and skin was peeled back to about her midsection, when I suddenly realized I didn’t know where her home was, where I was supposed to be taking her. I had no idea at all where I was going. The dream ended as I was stopping the car and trying to call the person who had handed me the cat, to find out where to take her.

The dream reflected my own ambivalence about the process of change. I was entrusted with this being, to hold her and care for her – my own soul. As the driver, or the one who enables forward progress, I set off willingly to fulfill my purpose (returning her “home”), but became uncertain where we were going. As the cat, I was enjoying shedding my old skin, or old ways of being, in order to become new, yet I was also nervous about the journey. Both the interruption of the drive, and the fact that the cat’s metamorphosis was only halfway complete, indicate that my transition was still underway. I was struck with doubt and reached out for help (the phone call) from the person (another aspect of myself) who had initiated the journey.

To me, the dream was a message about releasing fears and not blocking my own transformation. The cat’s old layer of skin and fur had been peeled back to about her midsection, which led me to think about my own energy system and how I was reacting to the changes. My challenges were with the lower chakras, where the old pattern was still in place; I was blocking positive actions (will chakra), experiencing a lot of overwhelming emotions (sacral chakra) and having fears about how I would live my life, how I would “make a living” (root chakra). My higher self was on board, my heart was in it, but these other concerns were blocking forward motion. With that awareness, I was able to work on consciously releasing my fears, and also be sure that my needs in those areas would be met.

Using the above technique, where characters in a dream are seen as aspects of ourselves, can provide insight into how we’re handling a transition. Other tools, such as meditation, free association, or divination, can also help us as we walk the edge between the old and the new. The key is to allow the emotions to flow, without getting stuck and becoming overwhelmed. If we acknowledge our fears and concerns, and consciously address them, it will make the changes easier to integrate.