A Dream Two Nights Ago: The Hierophant

What I Remember from the Day:

It is the day before our office Christmas party.

Before going to bed I discover that I have 18 more calling cards in my black container. One of these I gave Mike Macho of JUSMAG, with my personal e-mail address and cyberspace links written on the back, in the Octagon this morning.


The Dream:

The Pope has arrived; unbeknownst to all he is in Stella Maris College, in Cubao. Last year he donated P350,000 to the school. Apparently he placed these in my brown, leather wallet to give the school, which I did. Today he hands me a black envelope. At first I am under the impression that the money is to be split between a friend and myself, but, of course, it is to be another donation to the school. I think of my collection of Italian books on art, and I wonder if the Pope should see them and whether I should donate them also to the school.

Next, I see a scene in which a black-and-white dog is being tortured to death by a group of small boys. It seems that the dog has done something wrong and that the boys are punishing him. Lino Brocka is somewhere in the vicinity and is addressing a group of people with his views on corruption and poverty.

A package arrives at home. It contains a statue of Mary, the betrothed wife of Joseph, which I intend to donate to the school on the occasion of the Pope's visit. It has no shipping list, but I want so much to know how much the statue costs. The Pope is not impressed with the statue and neither am I because it is made of resin, a substance with no value. The Pope says, "This is a bad idea."


My Interpretation:

This is a three-part dream. As I teach my students, when a dream comes in two or more parts, every part means the same thing; it is one message retold in different ways.

The only obvious bridges I find are money = calling cards and black envelope = black calling-card container.

The Pope is not literally the Pope but possibly my Higher Self or Superego.

I believe that my dream's message is that too much charity and too much sharing are not always a good idea. It leads to recipients wanting more and more. One ends up being "punished" by one's ego for giving one's arm as well as one's hand. Excessive charity and excessive sharing, therefore, actually encourage corruption and poverty.