I recently had this dream: On a stretch of wide sidewalk in the downtown area of a large city, two raised bed garden spaces have been built that have cement walls. They are each at least 10 feet by 20 feet and raised about two feet above the sidewalk that surrounds them. The cement walls are several inches wide, wide enough so that people may sit at the sides of the gardens. Someone had donated many plants to put in these spaces, and I see that a woman I know is putting the plants in the gardens. Each plant is already fairly large, about a foot tall, and the woman just needs to take each one out of its container and set it in the space, the soil from each container staying around the roots of each plant. Once all the plants are placed, someone will only need to fill in between them with more soil. About two-thirds of the plants are decorative, with flowers and various sizes and shapes of leaves. The other plants are vegetable plants–bell pepper, tomato, and others. I think how it’s such a nice idea to have both types, so a person passing by may take in the beauty of the decorative plants and also enjoy fresh vegetables from the vegetable plants.
When I woke up and remembered this dream, I felt a sense of peace and contentment, similar to how I would feel if I saw the scene in the dream in outer reality. How wonderful these garden spaces have been built so that there are living plants amid the concrete of a busy city. Plants not only add beauty, they also make the air healthier by providing oxygen. So in thinking about my dream, my associations are to beauty and good health.
I had this dream during a time when I was feeling some stress and sadness about a situation in my life. This dream brought me comfort and helped me feel more hopeful. In his book Meeting Force with Silence, Jungian psychotherapist and author Terry Chitwood writes: “Dreams are your friends. They are your guides through the struggle of life. When you need help, they give it. When you are lost and confused, they show you a way out.” This dream felt like a friend to me.
