During a break from my Dream Seminar with the Institute for Dream Studies in South Carolina I took a walk with a sister-dreamer along the beach on Isle of Palms, South Carolina.
Isle of Palms, SC
I was delighted to find a starfish washed up on the shore. I love starfish but I’d never seen one on the beach before.
Laura, who was walking beside me, told me the story of the “Starfish Thrower.” It’s a lovely story about a child who is throwing starfish back into the sea and an adult sees her and asks, “How will you ever make a difference, there are so many starfish in need of help and you can’t possibly save them all.” To which the child replies, “I made a difference for that one, didn’t I?” as she throws the fish back into the sea. As Laura concluded the story we came across yet another starfish. This one was still moist and moving slightly so Laura tossed that one back into the surf.
As we walked it was as if we’d entered the children’s story Laura had just told me. We found starfish after starfish, most already dead, but some still showing signs of life. We sorted through them tossing those still living back into the sea, and collecting the dead fish to bring back to our classmates.
I’m from New England, so I didn’t realize at first how unusual it is to see all these starfish on the shore. Nor did I fully understand how unusual it was that in mid-January we were walking on the beach in South Carolina bundled up in winter coats and scarves on a 40-degree day.
But when we returned to our classmates and told them what we’d seen the locals explained that this winter has seen a huge die-off of fish and sea-life. Unusually cold weather seems to be the cause.
What to do? Here we were, a group of powerful dreamers contemplating the pile of starfish Laura and I had brought back with us. Well, in addition to doing all we can while awake to protect our planet and the multitude of life forms that inhabit it (vote for politicians who care about the environment, focus our time and resources on earth-friendly products, activities and causes, and conserve energy in our homes, etc.) we agreed that we can direct our dreams toward healing the starfish and all sea-life along the South Carolina coast.
Those beautiful starfish can’t wait till 350 Dreamers’ next New Moon Dream in February, so I’m putting out a mid-month call to dream for them!
Please join us and direct your healing dreams, prayers and visions to the marine life that is struggling to survive in the chilly waters down south!
Together we’ll add a new chapter to the “Starfish Thrower” tale. Ours will be called “The Starfish Dreamers.”
One by one, dream by dream, we will make a difference!
Thank you.
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January 18, 2011 at 3:56 pm
Laura
Thank you for bringing the starfish’s heartbreaking situation to the world’s attention in such a beautifully conveyed message. Together we can make a difference!
January 21, 2011 at 1:49 am
Tzivia
Thank you, Laura … Couldn’t have done it without you 🙂
January 18, 2011 at 4:59 pm
David
Coming out and need to be simple to get it right
While I thought of healing starfish before going to sleep, I had a very long seemingly endless dream around the theme of reconciliation, coming out and interpersonal relations. I wish I had written down more, but here is the part I recall:
A handsome high school boy had exchanged his tee shirt for something with a male nerdy friend of his. He thought this exchange would be misinterpreted so he and his friend returned the items they had exchanged. Meanwhile this high school boy was dating a girl at the school. The girl or someone else asked if he was gay. He said “no.” Through many twists and turns in the dream all involving interpersonal relations, a theme of “coming out” and “reconciliation” kept being played out. I also recall that somebody said “need to be simple to get it right.”
January 21, 2011 at 1:53 am
Tzivia
Thank you for getting the ball rolling, David! The interpersonal relationship theme stands out for me … we are all interconnected on this planet and the plight of the sea life affects all of us. The caring we express awake or dreaming hopefully affects all as well!
January 19, 2011 at 11:20 am
Organic Form: The Shape Dreams Take « All the Snooze That's Fit to Print
[…] click on the Starfish photo above to read more about Starfish Dreamers and the plight of the starfish in the Southern […]
January 20, 2011 at 2:11 am
Starfish Totem « 350 Dreamers
[…] Since we’re inviting dreamers incubate dreams about starfish in an effort to send healing ener…, I looked up the meaning behind the Starfish totem. (click the link above for more information on this dream incubation.) […]
January 21, 2011 at 1:29 am
Tzivia
I incubated last night … here’s what I got:
Actually, I had two intentions working together! Since it was the full moon I wanted to dream with a group of dreamers who dream on the full moon each month and their focus was on balancing male/female energies for healing. (You can find them at: http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=198&post=816&uid=115114085196452#post816)
Here’s how it went:
INCUBATION: “Tonight I will learn how balancing energies of male and female can bring healing to myself and the planet – and help the starfish and marine life in the South.
DREAMS:
Starfish have Two iis
I dream that “starfish have two ii’s. The dream consists of an image of a starfish and those words. I can see the two lower case ii’s.
EOD
Lost in the South
I dream that I’m in the south. I’m talking a taxicab to D&R’s house (a female couple) where I’ll be meeting C. and her (female) friend. I have $50. The cab ride is taking a very long time. We’re on a suburban road where all of the buildings look similar, the architecture is white and flat and monotonous. I look at the meter and look like already the fare is close to $50. I ask “are we close?” I tell the cabby I may need to get out and walk because all I have in my wallet is $50. He pulls over and I take out my wallet to pay him. I’m looking for stray singles so I can give him a tip. He reaches over into my wallet to “help” me find the money faster. This peeves me so I pull the wallet away and just give him a single dollar bill, which I realize is a very cheesy tip. But he’s made me mad, so that’s that.
I get out and start to walk. I don’t know where I’m going. The cabbie has told me the address but I don’t have anything to write it down with. The house number is 5-digits long (847???) and the street name is something like Bellquevue (?) [I remember there was a que in an odd place in the word, but can’t recall the street name now.] I try to commit the address to memory and I begin asking people on the street if they know where this street is.
I walk through a football game.
Now I’m with others, including my cousin Chrissy, who gets lost somewhere a long the way.
I walk through a football game during my search.
May 11, 2018 at 11:42 am
diepkloofacweb
Wow, I heard of a similar touching story last night and I remembered my dream a few nights back. I dreamt I was swimming with two starfish in my hands. I was in a beautiful fun holiday setting with water activities happening in the surf. People seemed unaware of these beauties. I was saving them somehow, someone bumped me in the busy surf and I dropped them and tried to pick them up… When i picked them up they had turned into rocks. It was a confusing dream. It left me feeling like I was trying to make a difference.
May 11, 2018 at 5:54 pm
Tzivia
Thank you for sharing your dream. It does sound like you were trying to make a positive difference in your dream.
Btw, 350Dreamers is now on Facebook if you’d like to join us there.