Guillermo del Toro tells me casually that he wants me to play the main character in his new movie. He says he thinks I will be perfect for the role. I first hesistate since I am not an actor, and then decide to embrace it, trust him and his judgment, and see what happens. We are aquaintainces so we already know each other to some extent.
My natural impulse is often to say “no” because others can do it better than me. (That’s a hangup and an issue for me.) Here, I instead decided to trust him and his judgment and go with the flow.
I like many of del Toro’s movies, partly because of the mythological themes, and I especially love Pan’s Labyrinth. From the little I know about him, he seems like a level-headed person who follows his own vision.
Although we didn’t talk about it in the dream, I know that the role is a person with chronic fatigue (CFS), and that’s partly why I would be perfect for the role. It’s not the main focus for the character or the movie, but it is one of the ingredients.
So what’s this dream about?
In my life, I am playing the role of someone with CFS and it’s not the main focus but one of many ingredients. Perhaps the dream is inviting me to see that I am perfect for that role, and to embrace it more fully and go with the flow, in spite of some remaining hesitancy?
The dream may also invite me to take in more fully that it is a role. Any role we play in life is a role. It’s not all of what we are or all of what our life is about, we may not play these roles for our whole life, we could easily play other roles, and none of it is what we more fundamentally are.
And it may also invite me to see the mythological and archetypal aspects of my life and life in general. I have gone through a phase of (intentionally) taking a more mundane view on things, so maybe it’s time to again embrace the magical and mythological aspects of life?
Day residue: I saw and posted an article about Guillermo del Toro where he says: “I fear natural stupidity, not artificial intelligence”. And my wife mentioned that a friend of hers used to be in a relationship with a movie director from Mexico, I first thought it was del Toro but it was AC instead.
Small synchronicity: YouTube showed me a clip from an interview with del Toro after I woke up.
Update: A couple of people have suggested that this is also about being the main character in my own life, and taking action. That feels true as well. When I am with others, I tend to see them as the main characters and myself as more peripheral. I often put my own wishes and needs second, although my health sometimes requires me to put them first. (This is reflected in that others are often the main characters in my dreams, even in this one.) Because of some issues combined with my health, I also tend to be more comfortable in an observer role and leave the talking and acting to others. So what’s the medicine? Perhaps to realize that I am the main character in my own life. I need to take care of my own wishes and needs and be a good steward in my life, including in smaller daily life situations. And to find more comfort with being more engaged and active. In general, this is about finding comfort with being more visible and the center of attention. (Which I tend to avoid.)
Update 2: The essence. It’s now a few days after this dream and it has had time to sink in and work on me. What stands out to me is being visible. I have one side that wants to be visible and seen and another that wants to be invisible and hide (from childhood experiences), and I haven’t quite found healing for that dynamic in me. I often hide, for instance, by turning down opportunities that would make me more visible. And another part of me resents it and wants to be more visible. When this dynamic is more healthy, we are free to flow between the two and find ease with it. In the dream, I trusted GdT and allowed myself to with the flow even if it would mean being visible. And not only visible but visible to potentially millions of people!
This ties into being the main character in my own life and being more engaged and acting in life. And it also ties into the GdT interview YouTube showed me immediately after the dream where he talked about being in the role of a movie director and needing to be tough as nails and stand up for your own vision while at the same time being deeply vulnerable and sensitive.
Dream
Guillermo del Toro wants me to play in his new movie, says he thinks I’ll be perfect for the role
Play someone with CFS although that’s not the focus
I first hesitate (my natural impulse is to say no, someone else will do a better job) then decide to embrace it and trust him and his judgment, go along with it
We are already acquaintances, so he knows me a little
Day residue: my wife mentioned her friend who was in a relationship with a director from Mexico (not del Toro) a couple of days before, and me posting an article by GDT on FB the night before (fear natural stupidity, not artificial intelligence)
Small synchronicity: YT showing me a clip from an interview with del Toro after I wake up
GDT: Like his movies (especially Pan’s Labyrinth), seems to have a good approach to filmmaking, level headed
So what’s this dream about? In my life, I am playing the role of someone with CFS and it’s not the main focus but one of many ingredients. Perhaps the dream is inviting me to see that I am perfect to play that role, and that it is a role? Maybe the dream is inviting me to embrace it more fully and go with the flow, in spite of some remaining hesitancy? Any role we play in life is a role. It’s not all of what we are or all of what our life is about, we may not play these roles for our whole life, we could easily play other roles, and none of it is what we more fundamentally are.
…..
Partly because of my issues, and partly because of my health, I have taken a more passive role in my life, and often more of an observer role. The medicine is engagement and being more proactive.