It’s not often these days that I have a dream that lasts most of the night. Nor one that has so much symbolism and a unique message.
Dream Part 1: Clearing the Closet
The dream began at a house that reminded me of the mobile home my dad lived in when I was little (7-8yrs). With me were about four or five others, all “roommates” or so it felt that way. My friend, Angela, was one roommate. I remember feeling like I got along well with most if not all of them. I was proud of this because it is not usual for me to feel comfortable in such a big group.
In the living room area I met with my friend and told her how people were beginning to call me up just to talk, also something unusual. It was surprising to me but also made me feel good because it is so rare that people want to talk to me about anything these days.
One of the group members was talking about how they were all counselors and asking how we were all doing with our “work”. I kept quiet, unsure if I should speak up because when I speak it is often followed by an unusual quiet and awkward feeling from groups. I do much better one-on-one. Eventually, I got up the courage to speak and told them how I am trained as a counselor but working in finance. I explained that numbers don’t judge like people do. Numbers are simple and straight-forward. They never lie. People are complicated and numbers aren’t. I felt my words were my truth and then felt relief in knowing my current work was exactly what I needed at this time in my life.
I left the group and walked towards the bedroom but this bedroom was my old one at my Mom’s house. The room had two closets and I opened one up to look for some of my old things. I found that the door had been painted. About six equally sized boxes had been painted on the door panel. The first two boxes at the top were complete. They had images of an owl and seemed to be a storyline. I told my friend it was upsetting to me that someone had taken over the closet without telling me. I could see a long, plastic box on the top shelf indicative of someone’s moving storage. I was looking through the clothing and showing my friend various items while telling her that most of the things in the closet were very old and I needed to sort through and clear the closet anyway. The clothing were little girl’s dresses and various adult women’s dress shirts. My friend left and return telling me she knew who was using the closet and had shared my concerns with them.
Then the woman who was using the closet came and we talked. I told her that the other closet in the room use to have my dad’s old things in it. I specifically mentioned his scuba gear and how we kept his regulator in there. I looked and couldn’t find it among the other things. The woman said she scuba dived and was a level 2. I said my dad was a master instructor and told her I hadn’t been diving in years because I had no partner/buddy. You always dive with a buddy.
Dream Part 2: Cliff Diving
Then I was standing on a rocky cliff overlooking dark water. The water was quite a ways down. The woman from the closet was with me. I don’t know what we talked about but I still recall thinking of clearing out the closet in my old bedroom and thinking how I didn’t need to hold onto any of that stuff anymore. Then me and the woman both jumped over the side of the cliff. Rather than falling into the water we floated and flew through the sky, never touching the water’s surface. I remember hearing music and singing as we flew together. I was feeling quite high and happy. The woman reached her hands out to me and I grabbed them and she flipped herself over me and then invited me to do the same. I did and continued to sing along with the music.
Then we were back on the top of the rocky cliff overlooking the dark water. I felt very friendly with her and got a strange questioning feeling from her. I told her I just wanted her as a friend and she said, “As long as I don’t have to listen to jazz music”. I laughed and told her I didn’t like jazz anyway and listed some other types of music – classic rock, alternative, folk, etc. She was in agreement and smiled.
Our discussion must have gone to scuba diving again because I had a flash of being underwater with the woman and some others. The water was dark but I could see. I was deep down and became concerned that my air was running low. I also couldn’t see the rest of the group. This made me panic and I instantly blinked back to the cliff.
Dream Part 3: Message to a Friend
I noticed a house across from me and decided to go to it. The house was two stories and had fallen leaves all over the front lawn. I could see some lawn chairs to the left as if there had been or would be a gathering there. I was transported instantly to the front door with just a thought and then, when I decided to go in, a white tunnel opened up. I don’t recall going through the tunnel, just intending to and then I was on the other side in the back yard of the house.
There was a paved path with soft lit lamps that glowed orange-yellow. Again, there were fallen leaves all around. I saw my friend Angela sitting on a bench all by herself, the lamp illuminating her silhouette. She had her hands cupped in her lap and was staring intently into them. I approached her and paused realizing there was a flat, disc shaped object hovering over her cupped hands. I recognized she was seeking guidance and whispered, “Oh, I won’t disturb you”. I walked a short distance away and waited. Not long after she looked up at me, inviting me to approach. Her mood was low and she seemed deeply concerned about something. I paused, waiting for her invitation to speak. She got up and motioned for me to follow her. She said nothing, keeping her head down as she walked. I stayed close, realizing my company was comfort enough.
The paved path curved around and took us into what looked like a college campus. Ahead I could see a kind of pavilion with curved, concrete seating. Others were seated there. My friend went and sat with them. I recognized them to be the same people from the house earlier in the dream with one exception. There was an older woman there I didn’t recognize but who seemed familiar. Her hair was completely white with a few streaks of darker gray. It was long, wrapping around her neck and falling down her chest. Her face showed no emotion and was deeply etched with wrinkles.
My friend sat in the middle facing the group, the old woman sat close to her on her left. She was seeking guidance from the group. She said something about school starting and preventing her from doing something she really wanted to do. There was also a mention of “cancer” but it seemed to hover above the other words as if it was subconscious or an after thought. Honestly, it was like her words floated over her head and were not spoken, if that makes any sense.
I replied by saying, “When I’m experiencing a pause, I try to find the positive…”, but I was interrupted by the older lady. She snapped at me, saying to me that I had no right to tell my friend to look for the positive in the situation, that saying so was rude or made less of my friend’s struggle somehow. I instantly recoiled, feeling the full extent of the woman’s emotion and immediately began to cry from the onslaught. I told the old lady, “I just meant, ‘Look for the positive in the pause’.” The old lady snarled back at me. My first impulse was to leave but my friend spoke up, telling her old lady friend that she was not upset and valued my input. Before I could leave, the old lady made a loud huffing sound, got up from her seat and left.
The whole group sat in silence and watch my friend. My friend looked to the group and asked, “Is there anything positive? Can you tell me?” She seemed genuinely curious to know. I still felt awful and was contemplating the old woman’s reaction and energy. I am so use to reactions like the woman’s and remember thinking, “Why does this always happen?”. I recognized the woman was fiercely protective of my friend and that was what caused her to react in such a way. She was also quite possessive. So, her energy onslaught made sense. Even so, I was still reeling from the “attack” and soon woke up, unable to free myself from it.
Considerations
Thankfully when I woke I wasn’t emotional at all. I understood where the woman was coming from and that her reaction was protective and motherly. Mostly, it’s the message I had to give my friend that hit home. This time is, for many, a “pause”. What is paused? I think it may vary but for me, at least, the pause is that I feel spiritually stagnant, as if that part of my journey is on hold.
Other parts of the dream seemed significant. The fact that the first and second houses reflected memory of similar houses in my lifetime is not lost on me. The first house was my dad’s mobile home from way back when I was around 8 years old. So maybe it reflects an area of my life that I still have not cleared? The next home may also reflects a time in my life that may require additional clearing. The closets have yet to be sorted and cleared. The clothing items indicate a time in my youth as well as part of my adulthood, specifically times when I wore dress shirts (probably when I was a teacher). It almost seemed like I was traveling through my life, inspecting certain times that needed tweaking.
Then the whole scene with the woman flying over the water was quite distinct. I wish I had been more lucid! The flying was a blast! The scuba diving portion was a discussion about diving deep into the unknown subconscious and confronting it. I went under the water but my fears kept me from lingering too long. My fears seemed to be running out of air (feeling suffocated or overwhelmed) and losing my group (being alone). I also mentioned how I didn’t do any diving because I didn’t have a partner, indicating I felt I needed help.
The last portion of the dream might be relevant to my friend. I won’t know until I tell her, though. However, the message I gave her was not just for her. I do think many of us are experiencing a “pause”.
The old lady’s reaction reminded me of why I hesitate to speak. The reactions I get from others can be horribly upsetting to the point that I have to excuse myself so I don’t humiliate myself further by bursting into tears. The end and the beginning of the dream both show me using my voice. I find it interesting that the first left me feeling good because it revealed my truth and the second was the opposite. Just goes to show that I need to feel out the group before I speak.
Living Life in Between 