Aydan and the Eggplant, or Keeping the Little Fire

Aydan and the Eggplant, or Keeping the Little Fire

Aydan and the Eggplant, or Keeping the Little Fire

Acrylic painting, original 30″x30″, gallery wrapped, $2,875.
Prints and other merchandise with this image are available on my Fine Art America Store.

I’m sharing with you a newly finished dream painting and I’m still deciding what to name it. Perhaps you can help me decide from the two choices in the title?

The painting describes a dream I had over a decade ago featuring my grandson, Aydan, which means “Little Fire.” In the dream, “I see my grandson, a toddler, in a rather bleak environment – a dark room with only a mattress on the floor and that floor is old unfinished wood. Despite the empty surroundings there is a supportive energy in the room. There is an eggplant floating near my grandson, and it is protecting him. A dead eggplant lies on the floor with ants eating it.” – EOD.

This dream came sometime in 2012 when life felt like being in a whirlwind of dangerous, dark forces! There was a lot of pressure to make money to pay our hefty mortgage, to pay student loans, and to keep the whole family surviving. Drug addiction was a problem with my son-in-law resulting in his being carted off to prison. My daughter divorced and struggled as a single mother. I feared for both my adult children who were living, at that time, in poverty. Our prospects appeared dim. I worried about my grandchildren and especially our baby, Aydan.

The environment was not supportive to my artistic life. My daughter demanded I quit my work and babysit, while my relatives accused me of being selfish and sowing the seeds of the Devil -painting dreams. Mirroring my mind’s chaos, the neighborhood was in a constant state of construction – the jack hammers pounded, the motorcycles revved, and trucks roared! I couldn’t sleep, dream, or hear myself think – It was hell! Recalling all this makes me realize why I didn’t finish the painting and it ended up in the closet until now. The tornado of torture eventually caused my husband’s and my health to suffer. I was forced to slow down, but I never gave up what I loved doing.
Somehow while my mind and heart fought it out, my soul held my inner child in a safe place. I kept what was dear to me out of harms’ way as I worked through another Dark Night of the Soul.

(In dark times, how do you keep your Inner Child safe, your light shining, your hope, imagination, and creative spark alive?)
I didn’t have to think about preserving my inner child it just happened. Somewhere within my psyche there’s an inborn mechanism that kicks in. The dream informs me how this happens through this image of the Eggplant behaving like a Fairy Godmother, or Guardian Angel, to the little child. It happens like magic happens in fairy tales! This dream reminds me of Cinderella – her magical Godmother and the Pumpkin Stagecoach. (I was surprised to find out that there happens to be a variety of Eggplant called, “Fairy Tale Eggplant.”) You can’t make this stuff up!

Synchronistically, the sources I found when I looked up the meaning of Eggplant or Aubergine, confirmed this magical quality of protection and other beneficial qualities:
“Eggplants seen in dreams are signs of prosperity and success. Imagine dreaming of the spirit of eggplant as your guardian angel. See yourself protected by your own potential, your wholeness and integrity, and by your ability to create and be inspired. Eggplants represent wholeness, potential, new projects, and ideas.” www.staarmagichealing.com/spirit-food-aubergine/
“The eggplant is a symbol of rebirth and has been associated with fertility, rejuvenation and are used in various dishes. In Asian culture, the eggplant has also been associated with longevity, because it is thought to be good for the heart.” – https://lotustryo.com/egg-plant-meaning-and-symbolism…/

Recently I took my dream and painting with me to the https://wakeuptoyourdreams.com/ dream retreat, in Boulder Colorado. My dream was selected and considered by the group, and even more very helpful insights came out of that session:
The group saw in the sparsely furnished room a purposeful, uncomplicated environment allowing focus on what’s of real value, what ignites my imagination, nurtures, and comforts me.

The room is very womb-like and ripe with potential. It’s a sacred space. The fact that I, as the dreamer and artist, added more to the scene than was mentioned in the actual dream from 2012 shows that I am in a consciously better place, actively mothering myself. The box of “Cheerios” adds encouragement, the blanket and toys give comfort. The cats provide some warm fuzzy love!

The dead and decaying Eggplant is being carried off, piece by piece by ants, which seems to allude to a cycle of death, and rebirth. They saw the living Eggplant Protector as a resurrection. This really resonated with me because I am currently experiencing the dream as a rebirth!

One layer of the dream was left out of the dream work – the collective layer. I feel a collective layer in the dream strongly. Aydan, even as a baby, loved American Flags and so we often gifted him with toy flags, hats, and anything with the flag on it. Perhaps you have some thoughts to offer?

My own big picture feeling says my soul yearns for a world that is safe and nurturing for future generations. I long for every child to have a home, good food, loving parents, and opportunities that will keep their “little fires” alive.
Please let me know what you think. I encourage you to add your wisdom to mine. Thanks!

Brenda Ferrimani, May 27th, 2023