Despair in a dream usually reflects a sense of being stuck -- exhaustion that's gone on long enough that the direction forward has become truly hard to see. Unlike ordinary sadness, despair in a dream often names a specific loss of momentum, a feeling that effort itself has stopped producing any visible change.
When you are loathed use Venus who has very strong influx and quick response in this and other aspects, and means renovation and growth. - Picatrix (Andalusia, ~1000.AD)