Zeus was the central god of Greek mythology, and Hermes was his messenger. If Zeus had something to tell mankind, Hermes delivered the mail. But Hermes was also a trickster–a poser of puzzles and weaver of riddles. His messages often left the recipient scratching her head. “What does this mean? If I read it this way I get this, but if I read this other way I get that. Hermes, take this back to Zeus and ask him where the commas go.”
A young woman was in love with two men but didn’t know which one to commit to so she prayed to God for a dream. Here is the dream she received: “My boyfriend, John, follows my father into the building where my dad practices law. They are wearing similar pinstripe suits. When they come out of the building, Carl, a man I also have strong feelings for, pulls up quickly in a red car and shoots them both dead. Then he tells me to get in the car, that he’s going to Las Vegas. Shocked at him and what he’s just done, I refuse.”
Untrusting of Carl’s motives and character after the dream, she eventually marries John. This was an unfortunate mistake that might have been avoided if she knew more about the language of dreams. On the other hand, she did get a large house with a backyard swimming pool out of the deal. Perhaps that was all she really wanted.
The young woman over-idealized her father. In marrying her boyfriend she was, essentially, marrying her father. The other man, Carl, represents a viewpoint that opposes this idealized father image. If she is going to grow beyond the dictates of society–symbolized by her attorney dad–and discover her individuality, she must choose the boyfriend who symbolically kills her father. Going to Las Vegas was a symbol of her need to take this gamble.
It’s said that nothing comes free in life and this is no less true of signs and dreams. God gives us the answer, but we have to decipher it. We have to do the work. We have to go deeper into ourselves—our feelings, intuition, and life—to figure out the correct interpretation. We want God to speak our language but spiritual maturity means learning to speak His. We want things black and white, but God wants consciousness and discernment. We want answers, but He wants growth and humility. Therefore, God answers our questions through the trickster, where our interpretations reveal our deeper attitudes, intentions, and the depth of our sincerity. When it comes to signs and dreams, the future you get is the answer you give.