Dear Dreamers,
Howdy. How are you? I certainly hope you’re well. As I set out to write this introduction today, I can’t help but feel a little sentimental. What a set of months it has been! Sincerely, and from the bottom of my heart, thank you for being here, for trusting me with your dreams and queries, and as always, for reading. It means the world to me.
This edition of Cowboy Clairvoyant will be the last of the year, but fret not; I’ll be back in January with a fresh set of spiritual quandaries, Tarot decipherings, and signs and symbols for sale. Make sure to submit anything you’d like featured, including free-standing questions, here!
This year, I did a great many things I’m proud of (and some that I am not so proud of), but overall, I am quite happy to be here. Happier than I ever thought I could be. Amazing how that happens.
Sending your own overflowing cups,
Cowboy
What does it mean to dream of doors?
I dream of my childhood bedroom, but the door to the bedroom is either in shreds/has a bunch of holes in it, or is too small for the frame, and/or does not lock. There is always a lot of anxiety and panic over this in the dream, and a lot of frustration.
– Sarah
Sarah’s Note: I think the obvious interpretation is the lack of privacy and agency in my childhood (I am very far removed from any influence by my parents at this stage in life and feel secure in my ability to be independent) but I’m wondering if there are additional reasons why this dream keeps happening.
Dear Sarah,
Thank you for the gift of your dream. I’ve included your note here because I think it is a particularly good push against easy interpretation. You are correct that the obvious interpretation of this dream is the lack of privacy and agency in your childhood, and I am glad to hear that you are away from the influence of your parents at this stage of your life! I could do with a little more of myself… at least psychically.
Now, let’s get into the nitty gritty of why this dream keeps happening. Doors are powerful symbols, as you may know, and they offer us insight into a variety of phantasmagorical delights. Another interpreter might tell you that this door, being rooted in your childhood, stands for a type of repression, a memory that you’ve swathed and hidden behind the badly maintained door that is just waiting to burst out and consume you.
I, however, think that we can take a different approach. I believe that this door, bursting at its seams and haunting you, stands for either an untaken path or road, or simply a sign that you must dive deeper into your own shadow realm, and what lies behind it. Both of these interpretations, to me, mean resisting easy interpretations, and require much sitting with this symbols, meditating on it, and parsing through what you might have ignored and stuffed behind said door, or never considered because you feared it, and the sensation produced anxiety.
I believe that this door, though it is your childhood bedroom’s door, is not a sign to push back into the past, but instead into the future. It is manifesting here as something familiar, which makes it more frightening, and also, more worth it to open.
Next time you have this dream, I’d like you to take out your notes app or paper or pen and write down the sensation inside the dream, once more what the door looked like, and then I’d like you to describe what you think is behind the door, even if you have never considered it seriously. What you have never considered seriously is, I think, the key here.
See you on the Other Side,
CC
Submit a dream for interpretation!
How To Set Intentions and Blessings for the New Year
New year’s resolutions, while they serve their purpose, can also get a little… let us say capitalistic and self-helpy. I am not immune to this! But I’ve made a resolution that while I will still have goals and things I’d like to accomplish in the new year, I will try to be intentional about blessing my year ahead, too, and be sure to consecrate these goals in a little ritual that I’ve outlined below.
All my blessings,
Cowboy
SUPPLIES:
- Paper and pen
- New candlestick or pillar candle
- Cleansing tools (smoke, salt, mist, etc,)
- Holly or mistletoe (optional)
STEP ONE: As per any ritual, cleanse yourself and your space beforehand. For this one in particular, I will source either holly (rebirth, good cycles) or mistletoe (eternal life, love) to place on my altar after cleansing for both for their power and for a little holiday flair.
STEP TWO: Light a candle. For this ritual in particular, make sure it is a NEW candle, as it is a powerful precedent you’re setting here. When I light my candle, I say: I light this candle for my best and highest, for my ancestors, and for my guiding spirits, but you can say anything you’d like, as long as there is some sort of invocation.
STEP THREE: While the candle is burning, take your pen and paper and CLEARLY outline your goals and resolutions for the new year. This is an important step of the process, and you want to be as specific as possible. Once your list is done, take a moment to review it, as you will be speaking it out loud (and into a kind of existence) very soon.
STEP FOUR: Address the candle flame and the energy around you. Say: I speak to bless the coming year. I speak to make my resolutions reality. I speak to honor myself and my best and highest.
Then, aloud, read your list, all of it. Speak with weight and intention. After each declaration, say: So be it.
STEP FIVE: Breathe in, breathe out. Say: Thank you. Say: So be it. Blow out the candle.
Cowboy’s Mini Gift Guide:
As I’ve mentioned before, I LOVE to look through gift guide. And, after writing my own for our dear Autostraddle dot com, I knew I had to create a mini guide for the readers of Cowboy Clairvoyant!
First, for the budding esoteric among us, I HIGHLY recommend this Jungian inspired oracle deck. I was gifted this deck by my dear friend Helen a few months and haven’t stopped using it both for personal and professional readings. Oracle decks, in general, are often a bit more intuitive for the average user than Tarot, and this one brings a Gnostic flair I particularly enjoy.
For your favorite camper or hard to buy for friend, you can’t go wrong with an LL Bean fleece. Yes, I know, this seems basic, but having only in the past few years discovered the Bean, I can’t argue with their workmanship. It’s a classic for a reason! I like to buy most of my clothing secondhand, however, and have found that the fleeces on Ebay are both more size inclusive and often have a fun vintage flair. It’s like a treasure hunt!
Also, you can’t go wrong with a fancy candle. I have used this candle from Boy Smells from my mentor (shoutout Ann Friedman) for over two years! I would never buy it for myself, but having it from a treasured love one, and given its general vibes, I recommend it wholeheartedly.
Finally, a flash round. These Baggu pouches are practical, durable, and FUN. Reusable chopsticks for the foodie. A camp snap camera for someone who wants the film experience but doesn’t want to buy film. Cool ass bandanas that support good causes!
