Dream meaning: Stolen purse and the cage

“Dear Karin,

I had a weird vivid dream last night.  Will you see if you can figure the meaning?  I was trying to with my dream book but there are too many parts for me to figure out.  Thanks so much!

I was at a store with my ex and a friend (names left out for privacy) and we had to go somewhere (I don't remember where but we had a time constraint of some kind.) I had to go buy something (don't remember what) so my ex and my friend left early to make the meeting on time and I was going to follow.   

As I was walking around the grocery store there was an adult male with two teenage boys following me from row to row. I knew something was up, I just did not know what.  I found what I was looking for and went to check out the grocery line.  The men following me left the store.  Once I completed my purchase as I walked out of the grocery store the scene flipped. 

I was in a cage in the basement somewhere in a large metal cage like a prison cell.  The man and two boys who were following me in the grocery store were outside the cage.  They had the bag I was carrying with whatever I had bought along with my purse and everything in it.  They just smiled at me and said something( I don't remember what) and left out the side door.  There were a couple of barred basement windows I could see so as I was terrified I began screaming for help.  Then I woke up.

That’s it.  So very weird.  I was working on clearing some sort of childhood trauma issue I had around 10-12 years old yesterday and was asking my guides for more clarity in order to clear and heal this as I don't remember it but it keeps coming up so this may be one of the big pieces I need to identify and clear in order to gain more clarity in moving forward.  I don't know if this was a piece of guiding or if it is referring to something totally different.  When you get a chance would you see what you get?  Thanks so much! “

---Sarasota, FL

Dear Sarasota,

It feels like this dream is about identity. The big clue is the strange males took your purse and all its contents. 

In our purses we keep the keys to our homes, our identification, and our monetary provisions.

The dream started with two people you are close with that also have gone through the recent transition in life of one's identity change. They were divorced and then moved on. In the dream they were in the same situation briefly, then  moved on before you, knowing you were going to join them after you find what you seek. The store represents all the options that are in front of you at this moment in life. If you don't see what you want on this aisle, you can just go to the next one to find it- literally.

In the dream you felt uneasy about people you meet after making that choice. They may represent masculine  energies. Masculine energy (not necessarily about gender) is independent and analytical, representing our left brain. When masculine energy is appropriately used, it is creative, practical, and visionary. When masculine energy is misused, it can end in ego, anger, resentment, and have inner conflict. The men in your dream may be your own masculine energy and a subconscious fear of it. Do you fear something in you (your masculine energy) might in the near future jeopardize the keys to your home (where you live), your identification, and your monetary provisions? It feels like a reminder that you can always call for help when facing your fears, because the limitations (bars on the window) are only an illusion we create for ourselves. You have the power within you to walk out of that cell, or crawl out that window at any time. At the same time, you can always ask for help when you feel afraid and alone. Because that too is an illusion.

Does this resonate?

Kindly,

Karin