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Chapter 3 The dreamscape method
Sometimes it’s easy to see why a dream is set in familiar surroundings. You might be dreaming of a work issue and so your dream is set at your usual place of work, for example. Or your childhood home and streets may be the backdrop to a recurring dream because there is a recurring issue in your life stemming from those days. These known locations offer vital dream interpretation keys, but where do you start when your dream presents you with unfamiliar landscapes? How often have you woken up from dreams set in the most amazing landscapes: mountains, 360 degree sea views, distant tidal waves, unknown cities on the horizon, or exotic forests complete with sun, rain, thunder or black clouds? Often the scenery, no matter how breathtaking, seems to be simply a backdrop for the main dream action. Or is it? How much can unfamiliar scenery, landscape and weather help you to interpret a dream? I prefer the word ‘dreamscape’ – a richer kind of landscape - to describe dream settings. This chapter encourages you to revisit recurring, memorable or spectacular dreamscapes to learn how to read the signs that lead you towards better self understanding. Dreamscapes known to you in waking life usually give a time reference clue (if they relate to the past or to a future event you have planned) or help identify the issue your dream is dealing with by identifying the location you associate with that issue. You will be investigating dreams which take you back to the past later in this book. For now you will focus on five of your dreams each featuring different types of dreamscapes unknown to you in your waking life. STEP 1
Select five dreams, each featuring a
different dreamscape. *If you don’t
have five different dreamscapes, see*. As before, you will gain most by working with recurring dreams before looking at more recent ‘one-offs’. * You may not have dreams to fill all five categories, but that’s okay! I have provided sample dreams based on common dream themes to illustrate each type of dreamscape: these are designed to guide you through the exercises but you can also use them to substitute for your own dreams if you don’t have any to work with in some of the dreamscape categories. Choose a dream with a natural setting, mostly inland. Write it down. John’s Step 1 dream
The heart of the matter
I was walking down a track towards a forest when I saw a lone pine tree growing from a rocky precipice. At first glance it seemed healthy, but as I got closer I could see it seemed stunted and some of the branches were broken. I was carrying a child on my back and feeling tired. The ground seemed hard and the air seemed dry. I stopped for a while to catch my breath and motivate myself to keep on going. I looked back up the track and saw a smaller lone pine tree. This one was very green and healthy but as I watched it toppled over pulling its roots clean out the soil. My heart leapt and I felt very sad, as if the tree could never be righted again. Tears stung my face. I looked ahead and now saw an old man chopping down the stunted tree. Suddenly I was up close and looking into the sawn trunk of the old tree, counting its tree rings. In the heart of the trunk was a heavy metal weight. No wonder the tree’s growth had been stunted. I took the weight and placed it at the side of the track. I had a strange feeling that plants would grow around it and that it would become a milestone for travellers along this track to measure the distance to the forest ahead. Or would it measure how far the travellers had come? The child had disappeared so I ran the rest of the way, breathing light and easy, and when I reached the forest I laid down on the forest floor, drawing comfort from the strength of the surrounding trees and seeing clearly to the sky above. I woke up laughing with relief! STEP 2
Choose a dream with a natural setting including a water scene. Write it
down. Fiona’s Step 2 dream
Below the surface
In this recurring dream I come to a waterhole which seems at first to be quite deserted. Then I see a man and woman standing on the rocky edge arguing with each other. I decide to go in for a swim, but as I get in the water always turns muddy. I start to get frightened, thinking about what kind of dangerous objects or animals might be hidden from my view beneath the opaque water. I always see people on the other side. They feel like old friends and they seem to be having fun. I want to be with them, not here on my own, but I am always too frightened of swimming through the deeper water full of unknown submerged scary things. I can’t go forwards or backwards: I feel paralysed. All the time the argument on the rocky edge gets louder. I always wake up feeling sad and frustrated. STEP 3
Choose a dream set in a built environment where most of the action takes
place outdoors. Write it down. Michelle’s Step 3 dream
Lost & found
I am lost in city streets. I seem to know my destination but I can’t find the way there in the dream. Every street I take leads to a dead end or ends up being the long way round, not the short cut I had anticipated. Some roads just take me back where I started, as if all I’ve done is walk around a block and achieved nothing. Sometimes in this recurring dream I go into houses. I seem to be looking for somewhere to live, but none of the houses end up being right. Staircases lead nowhere, doors are shut. The dream always ends the same way. I find myself approaching my old school where I am expected to join in a game of hockey. I struggle to find excuses until finally I think ‘I’m too old for school! I graduated years ago! I don’t need to be here!’ Then I leave the school grounds feeling really pleased with myself for realising my situation and for expressing myself so assertively. The dream ends with a sense of expansiveness and peace. I don’t seem to be searching for a destination any more, but I’m not sure, when I think about the dream, whether I arrive anywhere specific that I could describe. I just feel pleased with myself. STEP 4
Choose a dream set in a built environment where most of the action takes
place indoors. Write it down. Alan’s Step 4 dream
Lord of the castle
I am in an ancient castle, feeling safe behind the fortress walls. I am the lord of the castle but whatever I do in this recurring dream I always have a feeling of dread because I know I have locked people into the dungeons. No matter what goes on in the dream, I cannot fully enjoy what’s happening because I’m worried that someone will discover the starving and dead bodies below. Through the arrow slit in the wall which serves as a window out onto the world I can see brightness and happiness which, as lord of the castle, seems denied to me. STEP 5
Choose a dream in which you were aware of the weather, or changes in the
weather. Write it down. Felicity’s Step 5 dream
Warning heeded
I was walking along the road with my partner when we met Laurie, an old friend from school. As I introduced them to each other I heard a loud, reverberating thud behind me. The sun disappeared behind a cloud as heavy, black clouds gathered on the horizon. The air felt heavy and I could hardly talk. I began to feel scared, somehow knowing that an earthquake was coming. Where could I hide? Although my partner and Laurie didn’t get on, I was so frightened of the storm that I pleaded with them both to listen to me and my concerns. I don’t remember whether the storm ever happened, but I do remember the end of the dream, where I was sitting on a rock with my partner (I don’t know where Laurie had gone), and the ground was cool and smelt beautifully rain-wet. Everything was refreshed, washed and clean and the air was sparkling clear. How did you feel reading John, Fiona, Michelle, Alan and Felicity’s dreams? Although they have been chosen for simplicity to illustrate the dreamscape method of dream interpretation, how much insight have you already gained? Even without understanding the symbolism of dreamscapes, you must have picked up some ideas just by observing the storylines. (You might like to interpret these dreams using your storyline method techniques before going any further - just for the practice.) It is often much easier to understand other people’s dreams than it is to analyse your own. One reason is that your dreams often address issues and areas of your life which you may be struggling to understand. It’s a matter of "Well, if I knew that about myself, I’d hardly need a dream to sort it out, would I?" Bearing this in mind, you will be learning the art of dream interpretation using the dreamscape method, by analysing John’s dream alongside your Step 1 dream, Fiona’s alongside your Step 2 dream and so on. STEP 6
Take a highlighter or pen and break John’s ‘Heart of the matter’ dream up
into the four parts according to the Storyline Method of dream interpretation,
ie: the situation, the problem or question, taking action, the resolution. My
suggestion (how it seems to me) follows for you to compare with your own
results. The Heart of the matter
Jane Teresa’s feeling for storyline
The situation
I was walking down a track towards a forest when I saw a lone pine tree growing from a rocky precipice. At first glance it seemed healthy, but as I got closer I could see it seemed stunted and some of the branches were broken. The problem or question
I was carrying a child on my back and feeling tired. The ground seemed hard and the air seemed dry. I stopped for a while to catch my breath and motivate myself to keep on going. I looked back up the track and saw a smaller lone pine tree. This one was very green and healthy but as I watched it toppled over pulling its roots clean out the soil. My heart leapt and I felt very sad, as if the tree could never be righted again. Tears stung my face. The action
I looked ahead and now saw an old man chopping down the stunted tree. Suddenly I was up close and looking into the sawn trunk of the old tree, counting its tree rings. In the heart of the trunk was a heavy metal weight. No wonder the tree’s growth had been stunted. I took the weight and placed it at the side of the track. I had a strange feeling that plants would grow around it and that it would become a milestone for travellers along this track to measure the distance to the forest ahead. Or would it measure how far the travellers had come? The resolution
The child had disappeared so I ran the rest of the way, breathing light and easy, and when I reached the forest I laid down on the forest floor, drawing comfort from the strength of the surrounding trees and seeing clearly to the sky above. I woke up laughing with relief! STEP 7
Without going into great detail, what is your feeling so far for the
meaning of John’s dream - based on looking at its four storyline parts? Jot it
down. STEP 8
Based on your answer to Step 7, what do you feel the following symbols mean for John personally? (Go by your gut feeling: let the symbols speak to you.) The situation
Lone pine tree ~ The problem or question
Smaller lone pine ~ Roots clean out the soil ~ The action
Heart of the trunk ~ Plants ~ The resolution
Surrounding trees ~ Sky ~ Dream dictionaries listing specific meanings for tree, water, elephant, string, and so on can be extremely misleading. While many of the elements in dreams do have similar meanings for most people, this is not always the case. Take tree, for example: In the majority of dreams a tree represents the self, from the roots being our beginnings in life to the growing tips being our present day growth. The health of the tree may reflect the health (physical or mental) of the dreamer and the branches may symbolise the different branches of the dreamer’s life or paths the dreamer has taken. Dead branches may be dead ends or old parts of the dreamer’s life no longer nurtured. The roots may symbolise, in addition to the dreamer’s ‘roots’ (origins), his anchoring and stability. To see a tree uprooted in a dream can simply represent the dreamer’s feeling of being uprooted, but most frequently appears to symbolise depression or a dire warning of losing means of support, security and access to nutrients. On the other hand a tree can represent the dreamer’s family tree. Yet again, the dreamer may have a special love for trees in which case a tree in his dream may symbolise ‘something precious’. The dreamer may be an artist who specialises in drawing trees, in which case the dream tree may represent work. A woman who suffered a broken leg as a child when a tree fell on top of her may find trees in her dreams symbolising injury, surprise, fear or shock. Another dreamer who has been carefully cultivating a project for years may dream of cultivating a tree and feel that the tree represents the project. And so it goes on. The important thing to realise is that while many things in dreams have similar symbolism for most people, the dreamer’s personal feelings about a symbol override the more universal meaning. This is why dream dictionaries are misleading and should only be consulted as a general guide. Be aware that some so-called dream dictionaries prepared for the mass market are absolute nonsense and should never be consulted at all. The idea is to use a sensible dream dictionary only if you must and then to combine what you read with your feelings for your dream. In a future chapter you will learn how to discover the meanings behind some of the more bizarre or personal symbols in your dreams, meanings that no dream dictionary will ever be able to accurately provide. Now that warnings have been duly given, here is a general guide to some of the more commonly occurring natural inland dreamscape elements and their frequent universal symbolism – in other words, what they tend to mean in most people’s dreams. These are deliberately short and vague to impress the idea that they are guidelines only, rather than being the right answers: Natural inland dreamscapes
A general guide
air
Thoughts not yet materialised. Sometimes not
grounded. Mental perspective. animal
Aspects of yourself, especially natural
(animal) instincts. Interpret as if the animal is a person (using the people method). Bush, wilderness
Natural or wild self untouched by society,
expectations. Cliff, edge, verge
On the ‘edge’; ready for transition or
change. Feeling restricted (solved by change). desert
Emotionally deprived (dry), or emotionless. farm
Domestication. Natural instincts, life in raw,
being productive. forest
Growth of those around us. Relationship to
others. ground
Physical grounding, being grounded, stable. Potential
for nurturing and growth, fertility. jungle
Wilder parts of self. Survival. mountain
Challenges and overcoming them. plants
Personal growth. Potential for reaping what
you sow. rock
Most grounded thoughts. Solid basis of life. Old
rock-hard thoughts. Security. track
Your inner path. Individual path. Way you are
going. ‘On track’? tree
Your self: physical and personal growth, from
beginnings in roots to most recent growth in tips. Roots also about feeling
anchored, grounded. Can be family tree. valley
The downs between the ups. Rest and
recuperation.
Remember, the trick is to get the feel of any element in your dream. If you can get into the element or object, its meaning becomes obvious. Approach the elements of your dreamscapes as if they are living things with feelings: they are, after all, expressions of you, the dreamer. As an illustration, here are my feelings about John’s dream based on a combination of dreamscape symbolism and the storyline method: The heart of the matter
Jane Teresa’s summary interpretation
John has come to a point in his life where he recognises that he is not as healthy, in mind (probably, rather than body) as he had believed. He now realises his personal growth and development has been stunted and some branches of his life (probably mental rather than physical) are no longer functional. His aloneness is also highlighted. The problem is that he’s been weighed down by something, making the going tough. John realises, looking back to an earlier stage in his journey, that when he was smaller he suffered a sadness which uprooted him or cut him off from his means of nourishment. He may have suffered depression. Now he sees his past sad situation with compassion. The problem is that he feels he can’t recover and right his situation. John, in his wisdom (wise old man), gets to the heart of the matter and discovers the burden (weight) which has been slowing his progress in life. Contemplating all of this, John will be able to relate the sad uprooted event in his earlier years to a mental burden he has carried since. Now he can put that weight down and let it serve as a reminder (a milestone or a marker for others) of a new release and an important step forward on John’s life journey. New life can now grow. The burden (from childhood) released, the dream suggests that John can now lose his sense of aloneness and will soon reach a state of comfort and strength in association with other people. He will relate well in the future. He can ensure this by making sure he does release that childhood burden! STEP 9
Go through Steps 6, 7 and 8 with your own Step 1 dream, finishing by writing
down your summary interpretation in much the same way as I have done for John’s
dream. STEP 10
Take a highlighter or pen and break Fiona’s ‘Below the surface’ dream up
into the four parts according to the Storyline Method of dream interpretation, ie:
the situation, the problem or question, taking action, the resolution. My
suggestion (how it seems to me) follows for you to compare with your
conclusions. Below the surface
Jane Teresa’s feeling for storyline
The situation
In this recurring dream I come to a waterhole which seems at first to be quite deserted. Then I see a man and woman standing on the rocky edge arguing with each other. The problem or question
I decide to go in for a swim, but as I get in the water always turns muddy. I start to get frightened, thinking about what kind of dangerous objects or animals might be hidden from my view beneath the opaque water. I always see people on the other side. They feel like old friends and they seem to be having fun. I want to be with them, not here on my own, but I am always too frightened of swimming through the deeper water full of unknown submerged scary things. The action
(There is no action.) I can’t go forwards or backwards: I feel paralysed. All the time the argument on the rocky edge gets louder. The resolution
(There is no resolution). I always wake up feeling sad and frustrated.
STEP 11
Without going into great detail, what is your feeling so far for the
meaning of Fiona’s dream - based on looking at its four storyline parts? Jot it
down. STEP 12
Based on your answer to Step 11, what do you feel the following symbols mean for Fiona personally? The situation
Waterhole ~ Rocky edge ~ The problem or question
Muddy water ~ Deeper water ~ The action
Rocky edge ~
The Watery Dreamscapes guide may help: Watery dreamscapes
A general guide
coast
Edge of unconscious mind. Deeper emotions. sea
Unconscious mind. Collective unconscious. Deeper
emotions. Water in any form
Emotions. Interpret according to description,
eg calm water, raging water. tidal wave
Overwhelming (repressed) emotions breaking through. Here are my feelings about Fiona’s dream based on a combination of dreamscape symbolism and the storyline method:
Below the surface
Jane Teresa’s summary interpretation
Fiona has arrived at a time in her life where she is ready to approach an emotional situation. She either feels deserted or she wants peace and quiet to contemplate the emotional matter. Fiona has a big conflict to sort out: an inner argument which has been raging for some time. This conflict has her right on the edge of something: she may be feeling that her emotional situation is rocky. She is on the edge of change. Her emotional situation is unclear to her (muddy). Her fear is in the way of making progress. She is frightened of encountering what really lies below the surface of this emotional issue. She feels threatened, even though the dream shows that unless she can summon up the courage to look below the surface, she will never get through to the other side of this issue. Fiona’s fear of the unknown is keeping her emotionally isolated (deserted?) instead of in joyful relationship. Her paralysis serves only to intensify the inner conflict and add to her sadness and frustration. STEP 13
Go through Steps 6, 7 and 8 with your own Step 2 dream, finishing by
writing down your summary interpretation in much the same way as I have done
for Fiona’s dream. STEP 14
Take a highlighter or pen and break Michelle’s ‘Lost and Found’ dream up
into the four parts according to the Storyline Method of dream interpretation,
ie: the situation, the problem or question, taking action, the resolution. My
suggestion (how it seems to me) follows for you to compare with your
conclusions. Lost & found
Jane Teresa’s feeling for storyline
The situation
I am lost in city streets. I seem to know my destination but I can’t find the way there in the dream. The problem or question
Every street I take leads to a dead end or ends up being the long way round, not the short cut I had anticipated. Some roads just take me back where I started, as if all I’ve done is walk around a block and achieved nothing. Sometimes in this recurring dream I go into houses. I seem to be looking for somewhere to live, but none of the houses end up being right. Staircases lead nowhere, doors are shut. The action
The dream always ends the same way. I find myself approaching my old school where I am expected to join in a game of hockey. I struggle to find excuses until finally I think ‘I’m too old for school! I graduated years ago! I don’t need to be here!’ The resolution
Then I leave the school grounds feeling really pleased with myself for realising my situation and for expressing myself so assertively. The dream ends with a sense of expansiveness and peace. I don’t seem to be searching for a destination any more, but I’m not sure, when I think about the dream, whether I arrive anywhere specific that I could describe. I just feel pleased with myself.
STEP 15
Without going into great detail, what is your feeling so far for the
meaning of Michelle’s dream - based on looking at its four storyline parts? Jot
it down. STEP 16
Based on your answer to Step 15, what do you feel the following symbols mean for Michelle personally? The situation
City streets ~ The problem or question
City streets ~ Roads ~ Block ~ Houses ~ Staircases ~ Doors ~ The action
School ~ The resolution
School ~
The Outdoor Built Environment Dreamscapes guide may help: Outdoor built environment dreamscapes
A general guide
airport
Place to ‘take off’ (or not). Plans, goals to
launch. Apartment, unit, block
State of mind: uniformity, pigeon-holed. Floor
level or number may be clue. Mental block. bridge
Bridge a gap. Move from one state of being to
another: transition. Bus, bus station
Journey with others. Society’s expectations
of destination. Beginning or end of personal journey. car
‘Drive’, motivation. How you are progressing
in life. castle
Defensive. Acquisitive. Old fashioned? city, town
Relationship to society. Material or modern
world. hospital
Healing. Institutionalised. Hotel, tent
Temporary state of mind or condition. Time
out. Rest. Transition. house
Your state of mind. Your self. garden
Your growth. What you cultivate: front garden
as outer presentation, back garden as true, private self. library
Knowledge. pool
Emotions. Cooling off. prison
Imprisoned. Restricted. Guilt. Blame. road
The way you are travelling through this part
of your life. school
Learning or teaching. Lesson. Institution.
Teacher/ student relationship. shop
Choice. Train, train station
As for bus but also rigid track (rails)
suggest rigidity. Pre-set course. Disciplined ‘training’. village
Relationship to community. Here are my feelings about Michelle’s dream based on a combination of dreamscape symbolism and the storyline method:
Lost & found
Jane Teresa’s summary interpretation
Michelle feels lost in society. She knows what kind of situation she would like to be in but she can’t find her way. She tends to repeat the same behaviour patterns in her relationship with society in general, either ending up in dead end situations or working extra hard or relating extra hard instead of achieving what she wants to achieve quickly and simply. She’s making no progress: going round the block instead of solving it. She is looking for a different way of thinking but hasn’t found the right approach yet. She can’t find the right leads, and opportunities seem to be closed off from her. If Michelle can understand her dream, then she can turn things around and find her way. She can do this by throwing off her old ways of relating to authority figures (school) and of fulfilling the demands of others to be competitive in a team way (school, hockey). It’s time for Michelle to express herself assertively instead. Self expression will give her a sense of expansiveness and peace which is what she has really been searching for all the time. STEP 17
Go through Steps 6, 7 and 8 with your own Step 3 dream, finishing by
writing down your summary interpretation in much the same way as I have done
for Michelle’s dream. STEP 18
Take a highlighter or pen and break Alan’s ‘Lord of the Castle’ dream up
into the four parts according to the Storyline Method of dream interpretation,
ie: the situation, the problem or question, taking action, the resolution. My
suggestion (how it seems to me) follows for you to compare with your
conclusions.
Lord of the castle
Jane Teresa’s feeling for storyline
The situation
I am in an ancient castle, feeling safe behind the fortress walls. The problem or question
I am the lord of the castle but whatever I do in this recurring dream I have always have a feeling of dread because I know I have locked people into the dungeons. No matter what goes on in the dream, I cannot fully enjoy what’s happening because I’m worried that someone will discover the starving and dead bodies below. Through the arrow slit in the wall which serves as a window out onto the world I can see brightness and happiness which, as lord of the castle, seems denied to me. The action
(There is no action.) The resolution
(There is no resolution)
STEP 19
Without going into great detail, what is your feeling so far for the
meaning of Alan’s dream - based on looking at its four storyline parts? Jot it
down. STEP 20
Based on your answer to Step 19, what do you feel the following symbols mean for Alan personally? The situation
Castle ~ Fortress walls ~ The problem or question
Castle ~ Dungeons ~ Wall ~ window ~
The indoor built environment dreamscapes guide may help: Indoor built environment dreamscapes
A general guide
attic
Higher mind. Stored memories. basement
Base of a matter. Basis of self. Unconscious mind
(if things hidden in there). bathroom
Place of emotional cleansing. bedroom
Rest. Relationship with partner. What you are
not awake to, or need to wake up to. cupboard
What is hidden or stored. door
Opportunities. Openings. Or are these locked
from you? hallway
Access. Birth of the new. kitchen
Nurturing. Creating. Lift, stairs
Accessing different levels of life: physical,
emotional, mental & spiritual levels. toilet
Need to let go of emotions or matter no
longer needed in your life. wall
Obstacle. Division. Boundary. Walled-in. Security? window
View. Perception. Here are my feelings about Alan’s dream based on a combination of dreamscape symbolism and the storyline method: Lord of the castle
Jane Teresa’s summary interpretation
Alan has built himself into a situation where he feels safe: he has done this over a long period of time. The reasons why he needs to feel safe are steeped in his personal history: they go way back. He feels in control of his life but this is undermined by a feeling of dread because he has locked away aspects of himself as a result. He has lost a sense of joy because he has denied (starved) aspects of himself which he knows, in the dream, will make themselves heard one day. In short, he is defensive and walled in to prevent perceived attack from outsiders, but what he has really done is walled himself in from himself. He is living half a life: half of Alan is locked up. He can see the greater view: that becoming lord of his own castle has denied him happiness and joy. This stalemate situation is reflected in a lack of action or resolution in the dream. STEP
21
Go through Steps 6, 7 and 8 with your own Step 4 dream, finishing by writing down your summary interpretation in much the same way as I have done for Alan’s dream. STEP 22
Take a highlighter or pen and break Felicity’s ‘Warning Heeded’ dream up
into the four parts according to the Storyline Method of dream interpretation,
ie: the situation, the problem or question, taking action, the resolution. My
suggestion (how it seems to me) follows for you to compare with your
conclusions. Warning heeded
Jane Teresa’s feeling for storyline
The situation
I was walking along the road with my partner when we met Laurie, an old friend from school. As I introduced them to each other I heard a loud, reverberating thud behind me. The sun disappeared behind a cloud as heavy, black clouds gathered on the horizon. The problem or question
The air felt heavy and I could hardly talk. I began to feel scared, somehow knowing that an earthquake was coming. Where could I hide? The action
Although my partner and Laurie didn’t get on, I was so frightened of the storm that I pleaded with them both to listen to me and my concerns. The resolution
I don’t remember whether the storm ever happened, but I do remember the end
of the dream, where I was sitting on a rock with my partner (I don’t know where
Laurie had gone), and the ground was cool and smelt beautifully rain-wet.
Everything was refreshed, washed and clean and the air was sparkling clear. STEP 23
Without going into great detail, what is your feeling so far for the
meaning of Felicity’s dream - based on looking at its four storyline parts? Jot
it down. STEP 24
Based on your answer to Step 23, what do you feel the following symbols mean for Felicity personally? The situation
Sun ~ Heavy black clouds ~ The problem or question
Air ~ Earthquake ~ The action
Storm ~ The resolution
Rain ~
The weather dreamscapes guide may help: Weather dreamscapes
A general guide
clouds
Light clouds: fluffy, dreamy, or not seeing
things clearly. Heavy, black clouds: depression warning, anger,
negative thinking. earthquake
Deep inner change breaking through. Groundbreaking
change. Restructuring. flood
Emotional flooding. rain
Light rain: refreshment. Slight sadness. Release.
Light grief. Heavy rain: depression. Grief. Emotional
outpouring. Release. rainbow
Promise, ‘sunshine after the rain’. Full
spectrum of self. Snow, ice
Frozen or cold emotions. Slippery situation. storm, tornado
Turbulence. Emotions brewing about to erupt. Inner
explosiveness. sunshine
Conscious self, clarity, happiness,
enlightenment. thunder and lightening
Flashpoint. Anger released to re-balance. Inspiration.
Nervous imbalance/re-balancing. tidal wave
Overwhelming (repressed) emotions breaking
through. wind
Winds of change. Feeling blown about. Here are my feelings about Felicity’s dream based on a combination of dreamscape symbolism and the storyline method: Warning heeded
Jane Teresa’s summary interpretation
Felicity is either dreaming about her relationship with her partner or her relationship with her ‘inner male’: her outer world. Both approaches are probably valid. She has come to a point in her journey in her outer world (and/or with her partner) where negative thoughts need to be dealt with. Her situation is clouded due to negativity possibly coming up as depression which is covering anger about an issue (the loud thud). It is seen in the distance in the dream, being potential trouble ahead of her if she doesn’t take heed of the warning of growing negativity and take action. The clue is Laurie. Felicity will need to apply the ‘People Method’ to work out which issue or aspect of her life is symbolised by Laurie. This is the issue/aspect that needs attention. It is interfering with her progress. The problem is that Felicity is finding it difficult to express these feelings and difficult to live with them. She is fearful of deep changes ahead which feel inevitable. The question is: where can she hide from all of this? The dream answer to this question shows that there is no hiding from the issue because hiding will do nothing but amplify her fear of the accelerating emotional storm. The best approach is to express her feelings (appropriately) and get some negotiation going with her partner or her outer world. She needs to be heard. Following this approach leads Felicity to a more comfortable relationship with her partner or outer world, a place where there is no longer any threat from this issue. The issue will disappear and the emotional storm will subside, if she does this. She will feel more anchored, secure and refreshed. From this perspective she will feel more positive and have clarity. STEP
25
Go through Steps 6, 7 and 8 with your own Step 5 dream, finishing by
writing down your summary interpretation in much the same way as I have done
for Felicity’s dream. Tip Stage right, stage left?
Here’s a final tip to take into consideration when interpreting your dreamscape scenery: Whatever happens to your right, or on the right side of your dream may represent your outer world, and whatever happens to your left, or on the left side of your dream may represent your inner world. What moves from right to left may symbolise something the outer world is presenting to you and what moves from left to right may represent something originating from within you and going out into the world.
In Chapter 4 you will discover how to interpret your dreams by looking at
your dream journeys, as well as how to change the endings, both in your dreams
and in your waking life, for more positive outcomes in both worlds! STEP 26
To prepare for Chapter 4 choose a journey dream (preferably a recurring
one) in readiness for more self discovery.
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