Dead Rats = Dead Fears....dissolved!
Lorraine!
This is a pretty interesting dream...I think the dead rat is good...because, well, it's DEAD! And you were willing to have it hang around your neck...meaning...that your Fears (rats) no longer run you. Ya know? That makes sense eh?
And the fact that you were in a 'beauty contest' with women a lot younger than you seems really positive too...Could be that you are confident of your Beauty (inner? outer? just General BEAUTY!), period. Nice.
Fears gone, confidence up!
Interesting that the girl in Gold and crying won! I immediately thought of Gold as being a symbol of hands on healing....or some kind of healing body work? Do you do anything like that? hmmmmm... Crying symbolizes a wound of sorts maybe...which makes me look at your Chiron and it is next to your Venus in the Body House (house 2). Are any of these words ringing some bells in any way?
Seems like a significant dream, to me - and positive!
Your dress...two shades of Blue is perhaps showing 'clear communication' (5th chakra stuff) and healthy communication with the more Divine aspect of yourself (lighter blue is mixed with White)...There's a lot of talk about our Etheric bodies actually being Bluish/White light! So....maybe you're more in touch with your True Being?? hmmmm...
Those are some thoughts, anyway!
love T