Dreamer's Response: Dream #4

I found Sarah's dream fascinating and I think the layers could be peeled for a long time. Here is what Sarah had to say about her dream and my comments on it:

" Your comments on this dream were really helpful. This was one of those dreams that struck me as being really random when I had it, but a few things you pointed out ended up making it great food for thought.

• The diamonds—I agree that these represent one's gifts, or maybe even something better than that (if it gets better than that!), a lightness of being or a brightness of soul, distilled into something tangible.
• The condo building—The setting of the dream was really random to me, at first. What threw me about it is that even though condos are homes, the building didn't feel like home to me; it felt more like one of those corporate high rises you see in the middle of NYC. I think the reason people were living in it is that this was supposed to be centuries in the future, and the world was so populated that this was how everyone lived, stacked on top of each other in de-personalized spaces. The building was high-tech, but it wasn't a luxury building; it was for working class people. The special security features took the place of security guards standing in the lobby. To me, these condos represent a common present-day woe, work infiltrating home life and how that affects the spirit.
• The elevators—Your suggestion that the elevators could represent a way to the higher mind was kind of the key to the whole dream, for me – it makes the dream come apart in three different onion layers: interpersonal relationships (represented by my interactions with the in-laws), career (represented by the condo building), and spirituality (represented by the elevators).
• The in-laws—Honestly, I'm still not sure exactly what my friend’s in-laws represent. But their part in the dream had to do with joyousness and a kind of innocence that was hard for me to interpret – I'm still not sure if it was the kind that comes with naiveté or wisdom. Because I wasn't sure, I was worried for them and felt very protective of both them and myself.
• The men in black—I still don’t really have them figured out, either, but I think it’s safe to say that their presence in the elevator suggests some shadowiness I’m feeling in my spiritual life, a 'journey into the dark forest,' as they say.

"So, basically, I’m reading this as a deeply existential dream – which is funny, because I certainly didn’t see all that in the dream when I had it! I’m seeing it now, though, and you’re right, Katrina – it’s giving me a lot to think about."

Doing this with Sarah's dream shows how differently two people can see a dream. I find that hearing others' interpretations of my dream gives me food for thought, and often gives me insights I would not have had on my own. But, having said that, it is my belief that the dreamer's interpretation takes top billing because they know themselves better than anyone else.

Next up, Toni's dream!

Dream #4: Diamond Dream

This dream was submitted by Sarah. Kindly remember the guidelines in the right column when you are posting comments. Thanks!

I’m in a futuristic skyscraper. The building is brand new, and it’s all condos. High-powered elevators quickly carry people from floor to floor. However, there is concern among people waiting for the elevators that they’ll be mugged – apparently this is a common danger in condo buildings. So a safety device has been built into the elevator; a code you punch in brings the elevator extra quickly, and once the elevator doors are open, you’re safe – instruments inside the elevators detect trouble and stop it. There’s still a small gap of time when you need to be on your guard, though – the elevator doesn't come immediately, and though the building has other security features, they’re not fail-safe; it’s possible to get past them.

I’m concerned, because many of my neighbors in the building have grown lax in keeping their guard up until the elevator doors open. It used to be that a group of people waiting together knew to watch each other’s back, but they have so much faith in this new building’s high-tech security system that they've been lulled into complacency verging on foolhardiness – especially in the case of my best friend’s in-laws, who live on the same floor as me. (In real life I barely know these people.)

One day, I’m waiting at the elevator with the in-laws. They laugh and joke and clearly don’t worry about being watchful. I’m tense, making an extra show of keeping my eye out to see if they get the message. On the contrary they become even worse! Both are carrying fistfuls of diamonds in their pockets, and the father-in-law thinks this is hilarious – he’s been walking up and down city streets this way, without a care in the world, assuming that since nothing bad has happened yet, nothing bad will happen. I tell him I think he’s out of his mind, and this is very funny to him – he thinks I’m just a Nervous Nelly. He grabs a handful of diamonds from his pocket and holds them out for me to see. They’re beautiful, like no other diamonds I've seen, especially all glittering there together, like a handful of stars. I exclaim about how beautiful they are, and he insists on giving them to me, pushing them into my hand. I feel a mix of emotions: scared to death, protective of my friend’s in-laws, bowled over by their generosity, worried about offending them with my insistence that they be more careful. I shove the diamonds in my pocket to get them out of sight. Then the father-in-law takes another handful from his pocket and so does his wife – they are laughing over them and comparing them in the open. I keep warning them, but they refuse to worry.

And then I see bad news out of the corner of my eye – men dressed in black, all geared out like museum robbers in the movies. They surround us just as the elevator doors are opening. With the elevator doors open, they can’t harm us, but they don’t just leave us alone; they climb into the elevator with us. As we ride up from floor to floor, I’m frantic wondering what we’ll do when the elevator doors open again. I imagine us running down the dark hallway to our apartment doors. I know that the men in back are prepared to get past any light security that’s in the hallway, and also that I’ll need to look out for my friends’ in-laws, who clearly don’t understand the gravity of the situation. I feel tense and ready to act. But I can’t know what will happen until the doors actually open, so it’s impossible to formulate any sort of a plan.

Dreamer's Response: Dream #3

I got some really interesting feedback on this dream that helped me get a better hold on it.

Liliana wrote me an email with this insight: "I read discount as 'doesn't count,' and 'slips' as mistakes. The slips were pink and pink to me means innocence, so whatever the mistakes were, they were innocent, so don't worry about them."

Denny had these comments: "A hardware store represents the masculine space for
repairing brokenness or completing new projects. If this were my dream, the dream represents that I am unemployed. In order to fix the brokenness or complete projects, I am using very analytical thinking but I am stuck in one spot not moving. My creativity joins me to help me move forward. But (she) cannot understand my thinking."

And Sarah wrote: "Maybe it, too, could be about bureaucracy on some level... Makes me think of paperwork and forms - things we need to figure out, complete, and turn in, that are meaningful to us, because we have to do the work, and meaningful to whoever the work is for, but difficult to understand when you're someone outside the process or exchange."

All of these had resonance for me. I am in a space where I feel like I've "slipped up," but it was a good slip, one that led me to make some needed changes. I am also looking for a job and trying to go about it in an analytical way when some creativity would probably help things along quite a bit. And I do feel like, in trying to find this job, I am dealing with a lot of bureaucracy.

I also think the stuckness in the dream is important...at the time I had this dream I felt stuck in a spot and I couldn't see the way out, even though I had tools and people all around me who could help. Once I saw creative ways to engage those tools and people, things began to move.

Thanks for all of your insights!

Look for Sarah's dream in the coming days...

Dream #3: Hardware Store

Please refer to the guidelines on the right and enjoy interpreting this dream...

I walk up to a hardware store. I see a big neon-pink sign in the window that says, "Discounts For Pink Slips" -- they are giving discounts to people who have been laid off. I am there to return something. I get in line. The people working there are busy, but none seem to be interested in the customers in line. They are taking calls and saying stuff over the loudspeaker. The line grows and shrinks, but I stay in the same place. I lose track of time. My number is never called. Now Susan (a friend) is there. I am showing her a worksheet I've created. It's reminiscent of a numerology chart, but it has to do with math. She's giving me feedback on it -- parts of the sheet are hard for her to understand, she says.

This one's a mystery to me...I can't wait to read what you come up with.

Dreamer's Response: Dream #2

I really enjoyed Sarah's comments on this dream, and I felt they were on the mark. She mentioned that the setting is inspirational, that the children are uninhibited, and that the witness makes the choice to follow the children right down into the center of the pool at the bottom of the waterfall. And here is the most important part: that the dream is about deciding to follow one's bliss.

I very recently made the decision to finally do what my heart has been asking me to do for a long time. And while it's a bit too soon to share this with the wide world, I will tell you that I have already started down the path and it feels amazing.

So, for me, this dream was saying, "Here, this is what you are capable of. You can follow those children down into the earth, you can flow like the water, you can enjoy adventure. And although it might look scary at first, you will be rewarded with amazing things." I had this dream several weeks ago, and I'm glad that I took its advice.

More dreams to come.

AND: if you would like to have your dream featured here for others to comment on, please email me.

Dream #2: The Waterfall

Just a reminder of how this works: use "projective dreamwork" to interpret the dream. Check the guidelines in the sidebar for more information. To give your input on the dream, leave a comment.

I am in a park, maybe in Hawaii, definitely somewhere tropical. I am standing at the edge of a cliff. When I look down I see a waterfall. The area is basically a big circle carved into the earth, and water comes down on most sides. The inside is rocky and steep -- it's like a straight cylinder was carved into the ground. Down at the bottom is a small and inviting pool. I want to go down, but the rocks look slippery and dangerous. Two kids next to me, a boy and a girl, who seem like they are native to the area, start hopping down from one rock to the next. They are laughing and gleeful with no fear. This surprises me. Part of me wants to tell them to be careful. But I don't say anything. I start following them down, more as a witness than a physical person. We reach the pool and it's nice and cozy. The top doesn't seem as far away as I thought. The kids splash around and eventually climb out.