Dream: I was playing cards with two men.?

Question

I had a dream where I was playing cards with two men, one was blonde and the other brunette. The blond was quite straightforward and played nicely, but I suspected the brunette of cheating, and said so. He kind of laughed it off. In the dream, I was thinking of getting romantic with the brunette, and his possible cheating didn't do anything to change my mind.

I suspect these two men might be characters in a novel I'd like to write. What other stuff could be involved?

BTW, in my cards, I had two nines (a dark and red card), and at least one "18" card. Hey, it's a dream!! But what could *that* have meant?

Answer 1

Ideas in dreams meander in a flow of consciousness that is not altered by outside circumstances, because there are none. All characters in the dream are part of your internal thought processes only. Therefore, you don't subjugate your true intrinsic sensibilities and feelings about things according to others' expectations in social situations to the extent you would when you're awake. The result of this is that your reactions to scenarios in your dreams are more natural and honest to how you truly feel.

It's logical that you would naturally be more attracted to the man that was cheating and would admit it. His attitude was more playful, confident, challenging, and intriguing than the other more controlled and rigid player, the generic "nice guy."

As to what else could be involved in the novel, if the cheating card player intrigued you more, then maybe that is the kind of personality you want to explore more in your novel (and maybe in your life). Just keep in mind that there are consequences to risk-taking. What may be good for a dream or novel, may not be so good for you in real life in the long run.

A novel's plot develops better when you respond more with "yes" than "no" to the possibility of new situations. "No" closes doors. "Yes" opens them. (This, by the way, is the principle by which group improvisation works, and can also work in real life if you're looking for more excitement.) Following the flow of ideas in a direct path is why your dreams are often more interesting than your life. In real life you have to self-monitor and restrict your desire for immediate gratification in order to have long-term success. So to make the novel work, abandon your natural restrictiveness and keep the dream-like sense of adventure.

As for the "18" card, I don't know what it means, but sounds like you had a really good hand!