Hi Janelle and Gracie,
Janelle, Gracie has given you some great advice there and she's right onto the dilemma. I'll just add a little bit more ... I have a feeling others will add specifics:
You obviously work in the public eye (the public hall) or are considering it, and the dream shows your need to have your own sanctuary, your private space to rest and rescue yourself. Both the hook and the baby pouch reminded me of rescue helicoptor paraphernalia. Your arms (how you embrace and handle the world) were getting tired from your public/ professional efforts and so you needed to rescue the new self/new work/vulnerable self (baby) by making it safer. There may have been a feeling here of holding your new work (?I'm guessing) closer to your chest due to feeling anxious about your ability to handle it.
Yes, as Gracie says, it's all about knowing and keeping your boundaries. The dilemma is in being able to reach out and empathise while nurturing yourself too.
Gothics like being inside. You said they looked sinister ... 'sinistre' is French for 'left' (left side) which in dream symbolism is the inner self too. The sunshine outside was bright in comparison with the gothic feel inside.
Remember everyone in a dream can be seen as an aspect of yourself, so while you may feel negative pressures from the world around you when you are under stress, consider whether this is a reflection of your own fear/wish to stay away from the sunlight/away from the public.
I read, 'The river always keeps close to the earth' as suggesting that the flow of life (river) or your emotions (water) are part and parcel of being in-touch, being grounded (the earth). The river cannot do its day-job in the sky: you do your work by empathising with people, by finding places where emotions and life forces touch. It's as if the dream emphasises the emotional aspects of your work.
However part of the beauty of this dream, as Gracie points out, is its recipe for retreat and replenishment. You can use this powerful dream feeling of the sanctuary in the sky on a daily basis as a visualisation or meditation, or before sleep on nights when you just need total love, care and replenishment.
The hook: my first reaction, which I don't think applies, was that 'hook' can symbolise addiction. (We get hooked on things to escape, and there was an element of escape into the sky ..). However hooks also catch fish, and fish often symbolise the soul. The fish is a particularly Christian symbol and you mentioned that the dream sky people were Christian-like. As the dream later followed through with the ocean/soul statement (and fish swim in oceans), I feel this is a dream of finding the right mix between your spirituality and your grounded everyday river of work.
May you feel safe and fully blessed as you tend to whatever this baby represents in your life.
Jane Anderson |
