Descent into Hell

[Argonaut]

Last night I wanted to start trying some dream work. So I tried prepping myself before sleep by pondering my future - as in, what direction I should head compared to where I'm heading currently, if I should make any particular changes, etc. And this is the (very vivid) two-part dream I had:

First part - I was sitting on the floor with my sister (inside a house, not sure where). We were playing with a large model of a rural area, which was on the floor and about 2-3 feet square. The model contained a few buildings, some roads, and lots of trees. I don't remember the details of what we were doing with it, but we were having a lot of fun playing and pretending.

Second part - The dream changed to me walking on a downtown sidewalk. The town was completely deserted and it was dark. There were no lights on anywhere, but everything was bathed in a reddish-orange glow. I knew that I was in Hell... which in the dream's reality, consisted of an exact replica of the "real world," just without any people. And due to the darkness and the glow, it also seemed to be located underground. I knew that I was walking through Hell in order to find and save my sister, and that I had deliberately chosen to descend into Hell for this purpose. I knew that I had reached the "deepest level" of Hell - even though it seemed no different from the rest of it that I had already passed through. As I walked past abandoned storefronts, I worried that I might encounter demons, but none ever appeared. I remember looking into the windows of several stores as I walked past, seeing the various items for sale in them - only I noted that they weren't really for sale, because there was nobody around to sell them.

At one point I walked past a pay phone, one of those that are inside a "box" standing on an upright pole. I stopped, because under the phone (inside the box) was a bunch of money. It was just lying in there. Various bills - some fives, ones, and a lot of hundreds. All in a messy pile. I eagerly started grabbing it and stuffing it in my pockets, all the while realizing that it was worthless in this empty replica of a world. But I still wanted it, for whatever reason. I didn't take it all, though. There were still lots of bills sitting there when I decided to move on. All I remember after that was walking, walking, and more walking...

I checked a site called dreammoods.com and looked up some of the symbolism there. Here's what came up:

Search
To dream that you are searching for something, signifies the need to find something that is missing or needed in your life. You may be searching for love, spiritual enlightenment, peace or even a solution to a problem.

Rescue
To dream that you are being rescued or rescue others, represents an aspect of yourself that has been neglected or ignored. You are trying to find a way to express this neglected part of yourself. Alternatively, it symbolizes an unconscious cry for help. Perhaps you are too proud in your waking life to ask for assistance.

Sister
To see your sister in your dream, symbolizes some aspect of your relationship with her, whether it one of sibling rivalry, caring, protectiveness, etc. Your sister may draw attention to your family role and sense of belonging. It may also serve to remind you that someone in your waking life has characteristics similar to your sister. Alternatively, your sister may be a metaphor to refer to a nun. In this case, she may represent spiritual issues.

Hell
To dream of hell, denotes that you may be suffering from a seemingly inescapable situation. You may have placed your decision or course of action into someone else's hand. Alternatively, you may be possessing a guilty conscious, some inner fears or repressed negative feelings. It is time to quit punishing yourself and take it easy for awhile.

Walking
To dream that you are walking with ease, signifies a slow, but steady progress toward your goals. You are moving through life in a confident manner. Consider your destination.

Town
To see an abandoned or empty town in your dream, suggests that you are feeling rejected by society. You may be isolating yourself from others.

Downtown
To dream that you are in downtown, represents your material concerns and possessions. It may indicate the hustle and bustle of your life.

Telephone
To see or hear a telephone in your dream, signifies a message from your unconscious or some sort of telepathic communication. You may be forced to confront issues which you have tried to avoid. Alternatively, the telephone represents your communication and relationship with others.

Money
To see or win money in your dream, indicates that success and prosperity is within your reach. Money may represent confidence, self-worth, success, or values. You have much belief in yourself. Alternatively, dreaming about money, refers to your attitudes about love and matters of the heart.

If you are hogging or hoarding money, then it denotes insecurity or selfishness.

All in all a pretty sobering picture, if these interpretations are anywhere near accurate. A lot of it sounds spot on, as far as how I feel towards myself and my life. If the telephone denotes a message from my unconscious, then the money event is probably my "answer," the key to the whole thing... And according to the website, "If you are hogging or hoarding money, then it denotes insecurity or selfishness."

The first thought I had upon waking is that it was archetypal/mythological in a way - me venturing into Hell to rescue my sister. And if it's the alternate meaning of "sister" - a nun, signifying spiritual issues -it seems like there's something big here that I'm not seeing. Some of the other aspects appear to point towards spirituality.

As an odd coincidence, today my ex-wife posted on Facebook that she saw a person, and wasn't sure if it "was a nun or a ghost." Possible confirmation about the meaning of "sister"? I don't want to read into things too much, but it made me wonder.

I'd really like some feedback on this, because it feels like a significant dream.