In December 2021, I awoke from a vivid dream in which I'd taken a ferry to an island off the coast of Maine where my dad grew up. As I walked along the shoreline dotted with yellow wildflowers, a supersize hummingbird swooped down, landed on my left shoulder, and began pecking at my sweatshirt near my breast. I turned my head toward my shoulder, and in that moment our eyes met. He was shockingly pink with purples and greens on his chest and underbelly, and he was inches from my face. I tried to contort my body so I could snap a photo but failed.
I was so struck by the dream that I asked Jungian psychoanalyst Helen Marlo, Ph.D., to help me decode it. Marlo, dean of the School of Psychology at Notre Dame de Namur University, explained that a ferry is known to be a journey symbol. "A vehicle in water can mean a journey into the unconscious/less conscious waters," she said. Then she peppered me with questions: Which image stands out the most? What does Maine mean to you? How do you feel about pink?
The standout image was the hummingbird's playful and protective nature. "I've always associated hummingbirds with my late father and the only time I'd been to Maine was with him--just weeks before I had surgery to remove a massive tumor," I replied. "And pink? I've never liked pink."
What is the hummingbird trying to make me see? I wondered. What am I missing?
Days later, I had a dream about getting a mammogram. After the exam, I went to the room where my family was waiting. I thought I was done until a doctor said I needed more testing.
This story is from the July/August 2024 edition of Spirituality & Health.
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This story is from the July/August 2024 edition of Spirituality & Health.
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