When dialoguing with a dream symbol, try to maintain a flexible attitude. For the purpose of growth or healing, it is sometimes necessary to be firm, sometimes yielding. If the symbol seems downtrodden, rejected, or repulsive, it is often necessary to be accepting and sympathetic, perhaps allowing the symbol to have a moment of catharsis—or even letting it tell you off!—before you can expect it to cooperate with you. Frightening or highly aggressive symbols require special strategies, such as those suggested by Jack Johnston in his discussion of Senoi methods (see page 50 in this issue of Sundance). All your skills in listening, negotiating, compromising and loving are relevant. Often you will discover that fairy tales, myths and Biblical stories provide examples of how to deal with difficult situations. You may find yourself like a Daniel facing a lion, a David facing a Goliath, or a Princess kissing a toad. And like the Princess who kissed the toad, you may be rewarded by a surprise gift, such as an insightful statement about yourself or the discovery of a new talent.

One gift that is often helpful to ask for is that the symbol please come to your awareness during the day at times when it is active within you. For example, if the "deer" were to remind me of its presence every time I was using innocence as a defense in some situation, or when I needed to be more "invisible" in a situation, I could get a better feel for the activity of the deer in my life and learn to integrate it more creatively. Receiving such a gift could also lead to an ongoing  relationship   with    that   symbol   and   the   special