On a muggy afternoon in Central Illinois, accompanied by my husband and his mother (who we were there to visit), I (along with half of America), went to see the film I've been anticipating all summer: "Inception", Chris Nolan's cinematic masterpiece that so far boasts 142.8 million dollars in box office sales (200 million is predicted by summer's end). My mother-in-law, bless her heart, hated the movie (with a passion). She snarled in disapproval and through gritted teeth exclaimed (for all the other moviegoers listening pleasure), "That was the worst film I've ever seen...worse than Borat!" I don't know what my mother-in-law was doing watching Borat, but that's an issue for another blog. My husband said the movie was, "Ok"...like dry popcorn...he fell asleep during the film and had some trippy dreams, so he said it wasn't a complete loss. I, on the other hand, loved it. I can't say I followed every detail with complete comprehension (I prefer to suspend my critical mind during a film, not have to furrow my brow in an attempt to do the math through every scene), but I loved it. I will admit I am a bit biased. Being a Dream Coach, I'm hooked by any movie, TV show, music video, even Youtube web-clip based on dreams, referring to dreams, or featuring even a brief dream sequence. What thrilled me about "Inception", however, was that it made the case about our nighttime dreams being more than just pillow talk, but a phenomenon deeply relevant to our lives...a true secret weapon to help us make positive changes. Why do we need a movie to tell us this? Why do most people yawn off dreams as irrelevant? Even Leonardo DiCaprio says (in real life) he typically does not pay attention to his dreams. On the other hand, Marion Cotillard, Leonardo DiCaprio's love interest in "Inception", is an avid dreamer. In fact she attributes her Academy Award from her performance in "La Vie En Rose" to her dreamtime rendezvous with Edit Piaf. Like Marion Cotillard, I personally think of dreams as a fascinating source of wisdom and guidance...albeit delivered in a foreign language. Allow me to digress...I remember when I was five years old being in line for Space Mountain at Disneyland behind a Japanese family who were chatting noisily with one another. My sister and I cupped our hands over our mouths trying to suppress the giggles. "This can't be a real language," I thought, "It sounds tooooo strange." Seventeen years later I found myself studying the language in Japan and was dumbfounded to discover Japanese isn't just a random bunch of meaningless sounds thrown together haphazardly. When I learned Japanese, a whole world of insight opened up to me that had been heretofore closed. Eurika! There's actually a pattern and an order to it. Go figure? Our dreams whisper to us in the language of metaphor, which according to mystics, happens to be the language of the soul. For example, the movie "Inception" revolves around the "safe"--a dream symbol typically representing the place where secrets, shame, or deep seated beliefs are hidden. When you recall a safe (locked drawer, or room) consider the question, as dream thief, Leonardo DiCaprio does, "What important truth about yourself are you trying to keep safe (i.e. hidden, protected)?" Perhaps once you uncover what is in the safe, like in "Inception", you too will have a life altering experience...and hopefully for the good. Whether or not you are a linguist, a dream thief, or an "inception" fan, if you are human (which I am assuming you are) I believe the language of dreams is one worth learning. ******* Kelly Sullivan Walden, is a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist and #1 bestselling author of "I Had The Strangest Dream...the Dreamer's Dictionary for the 21st Century.She is the creator/founder of The Dream Project, a nonprofit organization that bridges the gap between the United Nations and inner-city school kids. Contact Kelly if you have a strange dream that you'd like her to consider interpreting for her Lemondrop Dream Column. If you are interested in learning how to interpret your dreams on your own (very empowering), then purchase your copy of "I Had the Strangest Dream." Or if you'd prefer to have Kelly interpret your dream for you, you can always schedule your own private Dream Coaching session with her.