Journey through the Night
Saturday, October 13, 2007 at 8:41 AM 
Do you ever have those mornings where you wake up and feel like you have been on a long journey throughout the night? I slept well last night…I think. As I started to awaken, I realized I was dreaming and so I lay there and tried to stay in the dream. It was neither a pleasant or disturbing dream, but it was intriguing nonetheless. I finally sat up, gathered pen and paper to me and started to write the dream.
It was fragmented and I could not find the flow which is much like the dream itself. I hesitate to put too much down here because it feels like a lot of processing is still going on. As I said earlier, it felt like I had been on a long journey. There was a bus ride, a pick-up truck with its bed filled with loads of baggage, a parking lot with only handicapped spaces available. I pitched a tent next to the lot. It was in a huge field of dry grass. My tent poles got twisted up and a woman I know (one that I see as quite depressed, sarcastic and conflicted) helped me realign the poles. There were two other tents in the field, but I have no recollection of other occupants.
After pitching the tent, I was riding along in my little convertible, going through the fields of dry grass. I was standing and trying to climb through the car while attached at the ankles to my husband. No one seemed to be driving the car. (Yikes! I can only imagine the symbolism in that one.) It felt as though I was constantly looking for water. Usually my dreams contain water and ironically while lunching with a friend yesterday, she suggested that I am closely associated with the element of water. Hmmm. Was I looking for myself all night?
There were lots of other unusual little images and symbols throughout the dream. It felt like a very long, foggy journey. Therefore, it was no surprise when I looked out my window this morning to see the neighborhood blanketed in white mist. It feels like a good day to cozy up in bed and see if the fog lifts.
I’d love to know what you think of dreams…yours, mine, or generally speaking.
fabulous new photo taken in whitefish, montana by bill
Dreams
Reader Comments (7)
I love the dream and the photo is fabulous! I am a big fan of foggy, misty places.
Well, you know how I feel about dreams already, but if it were my dream I would notice the sense of journey, both past and future in the dream. I would ask how this woman who I perceive negatively is part of my own shadow energy and how she is helping me to create a dwelling space (albeit temporary as tents are). Perhaps you are being invited to dwell together for a while growing familiar with her. Water often represents the unconscious in dreams, although I hesitate to make any blanket statements about dream symbols. Were you thirsty? Or did you want to swim? What was the nature of your longing for water?
Today is definitely a day for napping and cozying up. Sweet dreams, my friend. :-)
christine--i always welcome your perspective on dreams. in regard to the water, it seems like i really just wanted to touch it and allow it to flow through and across my fingers. it seems like i saw a brief image of a small rock resting just beneath the water's surface. i am also reminded of a recent dream where a man i respect and who i imagine may represent patriarchy to me was drifting just below water's surface.
do you have any sources you recommend for dream exploration?
I dream a lot. Many of my dreams are about houses: being lost in houses, coming to houses that I know are home, knowing there is someone in the house important to me. Or not.
I find it helpful when writing dream journals to write in the present tense: "I am walking into a house that seems familiar. It has a blue door." That way it's surprising how many extra details you can tease out.
I don't know much about it, but I understand that Jung believed every tiny part of our dream represents some part of ourselves. So the tent poles are you, the other woman is you, the dry grass is you etc.
Wow - cool dream! I was struck by the driverless car and thought ... maybe that's not such a bad thing??
I dream all the time! And am almost finished with a small book entitled, DREAMS, God's Forgotten Language, written by John A Sanford, retired Episcopal priest. Look for talk of dreams on the MIND SIEVE - coming soon:)
Sometimes our parallels are downright spooky!!
I'll take a shot at this. First let's turn to water. Freudians, and some others are sure it has to do with sex, but then they think that's true for everything. Old men interpret them in a more practical way understanding that it means they have to get up and go. But in your case, I'm going to suggest that it has to do more with the biblical symbolism of water that so strongly represents a major change in one's personal life and in one's relationship with God. The different modes of transporttion are allegories for the differnt parts of your personal and spiritual life. They do not represent disintegration but a more mature recognition of a healthy individuation. Esseential to your healthy self-awareness is that your husband is very much a part of, a good part of, your life and self. It is a dream of growing maturity, in the very best sense.
this is all so fascinating to me. i love hearing the different perspectives on dreams and your words have definitely given me more food for thought!
comments that stood out were the thought that a "driverless car" might not be such a bad thing. and i, of course, loved the thought that this all represents healthy individuation as opposed to chaos and disintegration.
more dreams last night...maybe i'll post :-)
thank you all for taking the time to comment. i love it!