Dream Analysis: Shaking Hands with a Six Fingered Woman

Paul says:  Last night, I dreamed I was traveling with my mother.  We were in some sort of vehicle.  It was very tiny, but we could still walk around in it. Maybe it was a little train car, I don’t know, but it felt very claustrophobic.  I was trying to be by myself when my Mom called me over to meet someone she had been talking to.  My Mother told me that this was an important person I should meet, and introduced her to me.  When the woman held out her hand to shake mine, I saw that her hand had six fingers.  The last finger seemed to be pointing in a weird way.  It caught me by surprise, and I was pretty disgusted.  I didn’t shake her hand, instead pretending to be distracted by something outside of the window.  I talked politely but couldn’t look at the woman in the same way as before. I kept looking at her strange hand.  After what I thought was an appropriate time, I smiled and politely excused myself.  I went back over to at the far end of the vehicle, but couldn’t stop thinking about that hand with too many fingers.  Even after I woke up, I could still picture the woman’s smiling face and the six fingered hand.  It shook me up.


Eric Says:  Dreams are ways our subconscious mind works through problems, processes information and communicates with us.  I like to begin with the feelings from your dream: you felt confined, isolated, disgusted when you met someone new and overall unsettled.  The narrow space in your dream indicates that you are feeling restricted and are struggling to feel free.  Your mother invites you over to meet some who offers to shake your hand.  Your mother represents the nurturing aspect of your character.  Your mind is telling you what you need to feel better.  Most of the time, anything your mother says in your dream sheds light on your hopes, dreams, or things that bring comfort.  In this case, your mother was telling you it was important to meet someone new.  This new person offers to shake your hand.  Handshakes often symbolize new beginnings and welcoming someone new into your life.  You are repulsed when you find that this person has six fingers.  Hands often represent a form of communication, in this case the oddity of the six fingers prevented you from communicating.  Discovering that something was not “perfect” with this new person prevented you from making a connection.  You stayed a polite period of time, but found you were distracted by this one thing that made the new person not perfect in your eyes.  Overall, I think your dream says that you feel trapped, wanting to meet someone new, but whenever you start to get close you notice something that goes against your idealized vision of who someone should be.  When you notice this imperfection, it is all you can see and you end up choosing to remain alone.  Being by yourself is not a comfort, because you still feel unsettled.

With the Tarot, I first pulled the Five of Pentacles and then the Magician.  In the Five of Pentacles depicts people are trapped in the snow just outside of a warm building.  The comfort you seek is inside.  You just have to take the first step and go in the door.  The Magician is likely to stand for the high standard you set for yourself and others.  Not everyone is perfect, not even you.  Finally, I drew the Empress, the mothering figure full of new ideas and comfort.  Try listening to this “mothering” voice that is telling you it is important to meet someone new.  The Empress/Mother is telling you what you need to do to feel comfort.  The power to change is in your hands (both five-fingered ones).
Paul Says: You hit the nail on the head.  I have always been a very private person with only a few friends.  I have been wanted to branch out and meet new people but whenever I first meet someone I focus on their faults.  I’m not a perfectionist at all, but I can’t help but see little things wrong with them.  It’s rarely about their appearance, more like the way they live their life, their finances, their friends, etc.  It’s becoming a real problem for me.  I’ll try to take your advice and focus on the good stuff.
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 Your dreams are a look inside your mind.  Have your dream interpreted for only $8.  Dreams may be sent anonymously, if you wish.  Email  Eric X. Kirby