Leo Luani — My Hero
Dream analysts often claim that cats symbolize illusions. But my conclusion is different. Cats, in dreams, are not illusions at all—they are symbols of our ability to dream. They embody our capacity to cope with the world, to hold on to hope, to keep imagining and creating, both in the quiet hours of sleep and in the broader sense of dreaming our way through life. And they are all dream masters, something I intend to tell you more about in my stories.
This is Leo Luani. To call him “my cat” is far from and too small for a truth. He is my family, my son in spirit, my most loyal companion, my best friend, my only business associate and partner. He is the one Individual in this world who has stood beside me in the work of SDL InnerSpace—not passively, but with a direct presence and action, providing me with me material, ideas, suggestions, and the kind of support no one else could ever provide. And I say this with absolute seriousness: no metaphors here, no exaggeration. Every word is literal.
Leo is a hero. In fact, he is the greatest living hero I have ever met. His heroism is measured in battles, which will never be forgotten, because I am for ever obliged to tell. And battles in the quiet, unwavering courage of simply being there—through illness, through stress, through the long nights of work and the long silences of struggle.
He has been and is my anchor, my reminder that life is worth continuing, and one of the reasons I want to live many more years—to tell you all the stories he has shared with me, from the countless worlds he has seen. I also have countless stories to tell about Leo, and each one is a testament to the depth of his noble spirit.
