Rotten Eggs

Dear Peregrin,

My mom had just passed away (murdered) and I started to have nightmares. I find myself sitting and taking to my mother in our apartment and there's an old woman at the door knocking. She needs a place to stay for a few days. My mom lets her stay with us. The old woman brings in her large suitcase and places it in the bedroom closet door. We didn't even have to tell her where to go. After a few days I notice a difference in my mother, even in myself and the way I feel, but mostly my mother has changed. I can't figure out what it is, but it's definitely bad. The old woman is very dirty...always, but she holds her head up high and she is very dominating. It's as if she starts to control everything. I tell her I want her out. She leaves, but without her suitcase. I have a big fear about the suitcase. I really need to know what is inside it so I run inside the closet and open it. Terror strikes me. The suitcase is filled with eggs, soft shell...boiled but not hardboiled, yolks are getting squashed all over my hands. It feels horrible. The eggs have some sort of significance. I run outside to my mother with an egg and show it to her, she begins to frantically fidget, scream, point, yell...."She's here.. She's here..." while she is pointing to the floor directly beside her. The evil is in the air and the old woman is the evil. She wants to take over my mother. I was strong and helped her as much as I could. It didn't work. Then I woke up.

JoJo

Good morning, JoJo.

Do I understand correctly: your mother was murdered in real life? JoJo, to lose a loved one, especially in that manner, is a very traumatic experience for anyone to have to endure. You may be feeling guilty, as if you "should have done something." Your dream seems to be telling you that, even though you are strong and capable, and love your mother very much, you could not have saved her from this terrible evil. The egg is normally a symbol of life, birth, and fertility. The evil woman (the murderer), by cooking the eggs in such an unsavory fashion, has made them unsuitable for eating -- she has corrupted your life, and you may not feel like going on in the wake of your depression. This would be a terrible mistake. The best thing that you can do for your mother is to make something positive of your life, and keep her memory alive with you, in love. If your nightmares continue, or if you feel depressed for very much longer, please speak to a professional counselor, or at least to someone you trust. While I'm pleased that you think I can help, at times like this, writing a letter isn't nearly good enough.

Pleasant dreams,

Peregrin