I usually don't remember my dreams, but I had one the other night that is still bugging me. Usually the dreams I remember are fairly clear in directing me, such as finding a burden I'm carrying is not as heavy as I thought. Does anyone want to take a stab at what the heck was in my head for this one?
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I was outside at the back of my house when an animal came along that looked like a small kangaroo. The head was similar but the front legs were only a little shorter than its back deer-like legs . I approached it and it let me hold and cuddle it which I found very warm and soothing.

Way below and further out the back of our house was a large winding river. Four people were down there standing and working in the river. I was still holding the animal when the 2 men and 2 women came up from the river. I saw that at least one was dressed in exotic clothing. He had a long sleek trouser with a blouse-like shirt that was very elegant, wrapped around his arm, made of a sheer beautiful material. I asked him to turn around and show off what he was wearing. They said they did not recognize the animal.

I asked the 4 people if they had a cell phone, and why they were working down there. I was suspicious, but I wanted to believe they were legitimately working for something at the river. They left without any good explanation for no cell phone (doesn’t everyone travel with a cell phone?) and no reason for working in the river. I wondered if I could trust them not to come back and steal from the house, because now I was in front of an old farmhouse that I used to live in and it wasn’t very secure.

Then I noticed the exotic animal was gone. I had put it down, assuming it would need to poop or pea. My daughter was there and couldn’t see it either. My eyes were closed and I couldn’t get them open to look for it. I was sad that it was gone. Then I woke up.
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Thanks for your input!

I was going to ask how you feel about kangaroos, but since it let you cuddle it, that seems to answer for me.

You mentioned you were at the back of your house, which seems to indicate your subconscious mind, which is what guides dreams.

The four people may represent various beliefs / religions / truths that can be found in this world. Some of them may look exotic and fascinating (the man's elegant clothing), but really have no answers or merit and cannot be trusted (your suspicion about what they were doing there and why they had no cell phone). You were intelligently asking valid questions, but they could not satisfactorily answer them - just as you are asking valid questions about religion and this life and your place in it, but have yet to receive any valid answers that resonate with you.

The old farmhouse you used to live in that isn't very secure may just represent your current state - stripped bare back down to whatever you were or believed before Mormonism controlled your life. It feels uncomfortable and a little insecure at the moment because it isn't what you are used to, and part of your subconscious mind worries that other religions or organizations may try to force their way into your life to take control.

The exotic animal... since you were the only one who could see it, perhaps it represents your core values and beliefs, your goals, your 'mission' in life, if you will. As kangaroos are noted for their ability to make large leaps, perhaps you are making large strides toward recovery or towards a comfortable point in your life, and you need to remember to embrace that (holding the 'roo).

In other words, you are doing well and should have confidence in your abilities and achievements and should continue on as you have been!

Just my two cents...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/03/2011 07:51AM by AngelCowgirl.

I think it means that you shouldn't eat cheese close to bedtime

I find that while some themes usually hold true, so much about dreaming is personal, that having another person help often muddies the waters for me.

Here's what I do; Write down the dream by hand, in as much detail as you can. Use a journal or sheet of paper large enough to write out on the sides if you want to.

Take each theme, character, etc, and below the dream start to free-associate, topic by topic. If you can, write a paragraph or so on each, but don't push it.

This will let you take a step back, and my bet is that you'll start to see some patterns and connections that you didn't before.

Focusing on what other people around you are doing is causing you to lose sight of what matters to you, and what makes you happy.

The little animal to me is symbolic of a soft, childlike side of you. You cherished this animal.

Then you saw those people by the river. Water in dreams is always symbolic of the emotional realm, and how you are feeling.

Those people symbolize outsiders who you are letting get too close to your own heart. You don't understand why they are there, they appear cold, and have no explanation for their presence.

You losing this animal while talking to them means that you are letting them distract you too much. I would say, focus on what matters to you. If you come across those people in your dreams (or in real-life) again, stay close to your truth and your joy and let those people pass right on by.

Good luck... <3

... that is I think I disagree.

Excuse me while I kiss the sky!

Timothy

I remember almost all of my dreams, and from this I can say that they don't mean anything.

I can usually piece together the "why" of a dream by thinking about what I did during the day. What I watched, what I was thinking about, concerned with etc...

Your brain is just trying to sift through all the inputs and toss the irrelevant out, store the important stuff.

some meaning to you, and it may not.

Most dreams are combination of what we saw, or read or were thinking about during the day and are a hodgepodge of images that are not realistic. Some may represent something in your life, some may not.

Interpreting a dream is a "do it yourself project" as it's your dream. The images are in your head.

If you want to figure out what was the origin of the images in your dream, write it down, identify the characters, and title the dream. Then let it sit. You may find some association with the dream to your daily life that has something to teach you, but maybe it's just a dream.

I sure appreciate your input, all of you. This gives me ideas to pursue. TSCC has caused such distrust in me that I wonder if that is not behind my suspicion of the 4 people from the river. They may have been trying to help me and just couldn't get through.

I have often wondered about spirit guides because of an experience I had a few years ago. I had a "reading" done by an acquaintance a number of years ago, and it was quite remarkable and included suggestions I later forgot. But I did save a transcript.

A few years later I was talking to a woman I knew only slightly who suddenly told me that I had a spirit standing next to me. She said his name began with an "R" and she thought it might be "Ralph". Because of my experience with TSCC I was skeptical both times. But I went home, pulled out my old transcript, remembering a similar discussion. I nearly fell off my chair when I saw "Ralph" as the possible name of my spirit guide. I hadn't remembered the name. I remember meeting only one person in my life named "Ralph". So I know the name was not in my head at the second reading. These woman had nothing to do with each other as far as I know, so unless there is a conspiracy for all mediums to use the name "Ralph" this is still amazing to me.

Since then I've often wondered if I really do have a spirit guide name "Ralph". If so, Thank you, Ralph, for helping me out of TSCC.

And thanks again, folks, for giving me some ideas to work on.

I do but it $1,000 per hour. You will have to get in line.

The brain processes a lot of information which must be interpreted and remembered.

The dream state is where our experiences are interpreted and sent via neurons to the memory center in our brain. This is how we develop long-term memories. There are electrical signals that are sent to memory centers of the brain. This is why people with brain damage have difficulty with memory. The pathways are sometimes restored.

The new brain (recently evolved pathways) communicate with the old brain, limbic (survival, ancient system). Humans do this in images and possibly easily assimilated stories. Someone with a neurobiology background please jump in here, please. I'm a pharmocologist.
I believe our dreams are ways of interpreting memories, so that they can be saved in our hard-drive. Ever notice that after a very intense, emotional day, our nights are filled with vivid dreams. Mine haunt me well into morning, even the emotions.

I have noticed that my dog (not to demean anybody) has especially noticeable dreams, whimpers, kicking, etc... after a day when we had a hike that included birds, rabbits and streams. I think she is absorbing memories into deep memory. I do not personally attempt to interpret dreams. I think my brain is doing its job and making long memories in order to make sense of what happened in my pretty bizarre day.

My interpretation. Take it for what it is worth.

The "exotic" stands out, and what that entails. Newness, new discovery, the future itself. Rivers and roads, especially winding roads and rivers are often symbols of time and the future, since we can't see what is ahead, creating unpredictability.

The feeling of not quite trusting the people and what they are doing could be your own fear of what is to come mixed with fear of what others might think of you. They're exotic and strange which you delight in for its beauty and newness, yet fear because you don't understand what they're doing.

Two males and two females also is a fairly balanced group. Adding a fifth is like being the fifth wheel. You could be anxious that there won't be room for you in this future, that you'll be left out or out of step--i.e., unfashionable. The future is attractive and daunting at the same time.

People stealing from you is a violation, a crossing of boundaries. A home is often representative of the self in dreams. It's a private space where we control who we let in figuratively and literally.

The sudden appearance of your old home and how insecure it was probably is a magnification of that worry of people having negative judgments about your past, or being afraid of things reverting to a past state when you were less secure with yourself. Not as strong or as confident as you are now.

Cuddly animals are often representative of children. Losing them in a dream can be the fear of them growing up. The not recognizing the animal could be this as well. Children change so quickly they're often unrecognizable as they transition in stages of development, at least in comparison to the cute, cuddly children they used to be.

The eyes thing was probably the slow awareness of you dreaming and needing to wake up, rather than any great symbol of not wanting to see the future. Not being able to open your eyes right before you open your eyes seems more like a dream response to your physical state. Sort of like being constricted by sheets translating into being held down in a dream.

And again, take this dream interpretation with a grain of salt. Dreams are often too subjective to easily analyze. One person's phobia is another person's hobby.

The animal represents your emotional self, your true nature or inner child. You are beginning to allow yourself to accept and love who you really are (embracing the animal), but you are afraid that the people around you, specifically some authority figures in your life (exotic dress), a person you admire, will be displeased with you for embracing your true nature (don't recognize animal) and try to take it from you (wondering if they can be trusted). You are questioning the legitimacy of their work. The people may represent the church or church leaders whose teachings and legitimacy you are questioning. You have tried to communicate with them about your feelings (cell phone), but with little success (they did not answer your question).

The river may represents the changes you are going through in your life. Rivers are also prominent symbols in religious stories, crossing the Jordan river, and so may also be a clue that the people in your dream are related to a religion.

You feel vulnerable (old home that is not secure) and are afraid that someone or something might sweep away or steal your new found happiness. You feel insecure about these changes and are afraid that you might loose them or it might not last (lost animal). You worry about sharing these feelings with your daughter (daughter can't see the animal). The fact that you associated the animal with poop and pee and then couldn't open your eyes makes me think the animal might represents emotional feeling that you have been taught are dirty and should be repressed (can't open eyes). You are sad that you have lost touch with this aspect of who you are.

I think you found something that made you feel great (the animal) but that certain things (or people) are distracting you from it (the 4 people). These things or people raise doubt and insecurity because you find yourself back at the 'old farm house that is not very secure' and think these people may rob you and your animal (feel good) is gone and the fact you can't open your eyes indicates lack of control.
Something that you have found now that brings you joy (in the present) is being challenged by either beliefs or people that go back to your childhood (or past) that is in contradiction of what you are learning now, and it gives you a sense of insecurity or lack of control.

That is my take on it though. The most important part of a dream tends to be the feelings, not the pictures.

I found the book Inner Work by the late Robert Johnson, a Jungian analyst, to be very helpful during a difficult and painful period of my life. Here is a brief description and outline of his method:

http://innerworkjohnson.blogspot.com/2007/06/dream-3.html

Maybe we should start an ex-Mormon Dream group. :-)

What about those dreams where you physically become involved? I have had several dreams lately where I have physically reacted and ended up on the other side of the bed with my heart literally pounding out of my chest.

That sounds like you're having night terrors or another parasomnia.

YOU are the script writer, the director and the characters in the dream. No one else can interpret it for you, you have to do it yourself.