Strange Dream- Help with interpretation appreciated

[ec1968]

Hi folks

I don't post very often, and I start threads even more rarely. Nut last night I had a dream so strange that I need some help from the members of the forum - most of you are more attuned to the unusal than I am.

Some background before I start. I have a very serious degeberative spinal disorder. It's caused by a congenital defect in my collegan make up that I was born with. I've had 5 major spinal surgeries - all needed as they were either emergency (cauda equina) or urgent. I am due a sixth very major operation on 26th April - recovery time will be 18 months to 2 years. As a consequence I am taking some very heavy duty pain meds, just to be 'comfortable'. I have to spend all day lying down - I can't be verticle at all because downward pressure on my lumbar region is a no-no whilst it is so unstable. I have also been in and out of hospital for pain relief texhniques that I can't have at home - IV meds.

I wrote the dream down as soon as I finally woke up, as I didn't want to lose the memory. I say finally work up, because another first for me was that this was a multilayered dream - I woke up several times thinking 'thank God that was only a dream' to find that the main events happenned again and I was actually still asleep.

So here goes with the dream - my additional explanatory comments are in brackets.

I was staying with my Aunt and Uncle, who live just a few miles away. (This is a normal occurance. I often stay with them just for a break from my normal 4 walls, although my routine there is just the same as here - meds and lying down all day every day).

My Aunt's friend Elaine arrived, so I went to bed to give them privacy to chat. (I have never met Elaine - she was a work colleague of my Aunt's and they have kept in touch since they both retired. Elaine has been battling cancer since just after she retired).

I was sleeping on a camper bed in the kitchen. (Not something I've ever done - I have my own bedroom at their house).

I was woken up by noise of a party going on, and discovered that there was a knees up in next door's garage. The party had been organised by my friends who live in Canada. (They have never lived anywhere near my Aunt!).

My friend's Mum, who is a very active, go-get em lady in her 70s who does a lot of travelling and lives life to the full, was riding around on a little kid's toy tractor, clearly enjoying herself as she was screaming 'weeeeeeee' as she raced around the place with a beaming smile on her face.

A guy at the party, who was my cousin's best friend in his younger days, gave me a drink of water at the party. (I haven't seen this guy since my cousin's furneral 18 years ago). Unfortunately, the water was 'doctored' in some way - it had 'magical qualities'.

As a result of the water, my face and hands swelled up to about 3 times there normal size. (As a result of nerve damage I have difficulties with propreaception in some of my limbs. Propreaception is the ability to know where your legs, feet, hands etc, are in spatial terms without being able to see them. If I close my eyes, I have trouble knowing where my feet are, because I can't see them. It also causes strange sensations, like if I'm settling down to sleep with my eyes closed, it will suddenly feel that my hand, or my foot, has grown in size to fill the whole room. As soon as I open my eyes and look at the hand, or foot, it becomes its normal size).

More strangely, as a result of the magic water, kojak pops (a popular candy when I was a child, basically a large boiled sweet on a stick!) kept appearing in my mouth, in 3s or 4s, filling my entire mouth. As soon as I took them out, another 3 or 4 would appear. They were all in their cellophane wrappers. Very soon, the kids at the party were folloing me around like I was the pied piper, gathering up the Kojak pops all the time. Meanwhile all the adults thought it was very normal.

Then, Margaret Thather appeared at the party, and she was the only one who thought that there was something odd about the situation. She donned a lab coat, took a sample of the left over magic water and chemically analysed it (I had been reading yesterday about her chemistry degree and her work as a chemist). She found the problem with the water, and was just about to tell me when I woke up, for real this time.

Any suggestions as to what any of this might mean?

Thanks, Eúnan

 

[Giray Khan the Brave]

Hi Eúnan, how you doing?

I don't post much either but I've been thinking about your dream and I think I'd like to have a shot at throwing around some ideas. Please tell me if I'm getting warm...

First of all let's have a look at the main symbols in the dream and try and figure out what they might mean:

- People around you, having a party: in general this may be humanity, living under General Law, going about their business, even having fun and oblivious to something of importance which is right there amongst them. More specifically the people around you in real life, your circle of friends, relatives etc. Of course its always good for your circle of friends and relatives to enjoy themselves and have fun but in your dream this 'fun' takes on a slight frivolity, almost like willful ignorance of something significant.

- Kojak pops: for people of a certain generation like me who used to watch Kojak, these lollipops are something that sticks with you. None of us could remember any Kojak plotlines but the Kojak pops are unforgettable because they were so incongruous, an absurdity. One of the hardest-boiled detectives, the very image of a tough, no-nonsense even rough man... but with a lollipop in his mouth! Therefore I feel that in the context of your dream Kojak pops symbolise absurdity and keeping in mind the fact that lollipops are associated with the mouth (which we use for speaking, communication, self-expression), the Kojak pops coming out of your mouth seem to be an image of the fear of absurdities coming out of the mouth, your mouth in particular. You are forming words, rational sentences to explain something but what's coming out of your mouth are not words, but absurdities (or so you believe).

- The magic water: it's 'magic' because what its doing to you is beyond common sense, natural laws, your current knowledge of the situation. Of course, there is a reason, a rational explanation but it's 'magic' because you haven't yet found that reason or explanation and are afraid you may never do so. Hence, magic.

- Thatcher: of course she is many things to many people but in this dream your inner self has latched onto her as a kind of organising principle, one who says 'hang on, it's well and good enjoying ourselves but there's something going on here, we need to stop and take a look'. In fact, I feel that Thatcher in this dream is actually a part of yourself, a wise part, and this part appears to yourself as someone apart from yourself, even a well-known celebrity, because its a part of you that you haven't yet integrated or got in touch with but its trying to get in touch with you. The fact that this part of you appears as a celebrity to you seems to say that you don't fully trust this part of you or even believe that you could have such wisdom within you. But a certain time has come, this inner part of you is tired of waiting and is doing anything it can to try and contact you, hence the playacting.

Putting it all together: you have something important to say, maybe even of some considerable significance but you are afraid of expressing yourself because if you do you might fail, your intention to speak may transform itself into a series of absurdities and that you may even become a figure of fun by even trying (the kids following you around, grabbing the lollipops). You don't want to experience the deep frustration of intending to put into being one action but having it turn out as something so far from the original intention that it actually sounds absurd. However, the cause of this problem seems to be outside yourself (someone spiked your water) BUT something inside you knows the cause, has already figured it out and is trying to tell you what it is but has had to disguise itself as a famous authority figure in order to get you to listen because it knows that you don't trust yourself enough to listen to yourself. In a nutshell, you have a problem but you yourself have already figured out a solution and will reach that solution once you have more faith in yourself...

Does any of this make sense?

Edit: spelling

 

[ec1968]

Hi Giray Khan

I remember once reading a book about dream interpretation but compared to your analysis the author of that book was an amaetur.

I'm going to have to read your post several times to make sure I understand it fully and then relate it to what's going on. So hopefully I'll come back to you with a more detailed response. But I couldn't let the moment pass without expressing my graditude - thank you so much for taking the time to write such a comprehensive response.

Cheers

Eúnan

 

[Giray Khan the Brave]

Hi Eúnan, no worries at all But do please keep in mind that all I said may be complete hogwash, so don't forget that proverbial pinch of salt!

The thing is I'm nowhere near a dream interpretation expert; however I can safely say that I have become an expert in interpreting my own dreams over the years. Your dream resonated with me as it seemed to have similar narratives/symbol mechanisms to my 'style' of dreaming and I interpreted it on that basis. Hopefully what I wrote down, even if wrong, may help kick-start your own narrative of yourself ;D

Please let us know what develops!

Cheers,

 

[Zadius Sky]

Hi Eúnan,

Giray gave you a good input. There's a couple of books by Gayle M. Delaney that could be useful in as a way of interpreting dreams, especially Living Your Dreams. I'll give my interpretation on your dream since you asked. It's just another data, mind you. :)

I was staying with my Aunt and Uncle, who live just a few miles away. (This is a normal occurance. I often stay with them just for a break from my normal 4 walls, although my routine there is just the same as here - meds and lying down all day every day).

My Aunt's friend Elaine arrived, so I went to bed to give them privacy to chat. (I have never met Elaine - she was a work colleague of my Aunt's and they have kept in touch since they both retired. Elaine has been battling cancer since just after she retired).

I was sleeping on a camper bed in the kitchen. (Not something I've ever done - I have my own bedroom at their house).

I usually see this sometimes - being in a "normal" scene before going on to a rather "unusual" scene (sometimes, this tells me that the "unusual" scene can reflect the "normal" scene in a symbolic-connective way, or so I think). If you had gone to your bedroom, it would be a different situation than the kitchen. The bedroom being "private thoughts or issues" (I think) and the kitchen scene is something like a preparation or a transition (a place to "cook" from pieces into a solid result) or it could be a "heat" connection (e.g., "if you can't handle the heat, get out of the kitchen"). My question for this scene is - does it remind you of anything significant in current life or any situation in life? I think it's just a transition of sorts between your relations with your aunt and uncle and the party.

I was woken up by noise of a party going on, and discovered that there was a knees up in next door's garage. The party had been organised by my friends who live in Canada. (They have never lived anywhere near my Aunt!).

My friend's Mum, who is a very active, go-get em lady in her 70s who does a lot of travelling and lives life to the full, was riding around on a little kid's toy tractor, clearly enjoying herself as she was screaming 'weeeeeeee' as she raced around the place with a beaming smile on her face.

A guy at the party, who was my cousin's best friend in his younger days, gave me a drink of water at the party. (I haven't seen this guy since my cousin's furneral 18 years ago). Unfortunately, the water was 'doctored' in some way - it had 'magical qualities'.

As a result of the water, my face and hands swelled up to about 3 times there normal size. (As a result of nerve damage I have difficulties with propreaception in some of my limbs. Propreaception is the ability to know where your legs, feet, hands etc, are in spatial terms without being able to see them. If I close my eyes, I have trouble knowing where my feet are, because I can't see them. It also causes strange sensations, like if I'm settling down to sleep with my eyes closed, it will suddenly feel that my hand, or my foot, has grown in size to fill the whole room. As soon as I open my eyes and look at the hand, or foot, it becomes its normal size).

More strangely, as a result of the magic water, kojak pops (a popular candy when I was a child, basically a large boiled sweet on a stick!) kept appearing in my mouth, in 3s or 4s, filling my entire mouth. As soon as I took them out, another 3 or 4 would appear. They were all in their cellophane wrappers. Very soon, the kids at the party were folloing me around like I was the pied piper, gathering up the Kojak pops all the time. Meanwhile all the adults thought it was very normal.

My, you got "a lot going on" at this party.

The water is an interesting symbolism. Water can be either uncertainty, unconscious, or can be a symbol of regeneration. Since the water was "doctored," then it could be used to lead you to "believe" that it has magical qualities when in actuality, it may not be a "good" thing. It could be a method of rejuvenation that has been "corrupted." It ended up with you being "enlarged" then it got you popping out candies for the kiddies to start flying at you.

Seeing "kojak pops" could be a temptation or "over-indulgence." Since you're "popping" out the very thing that attracts those who are "tempted" reminds me of "attachments" that is affecting your health in a big way. It could be associated with the mouth (as Giray pointed out) as it may be your expression or receptivity to certain things/persons that would affect you negatively.

Does this specific dynamic (mouth, a form of temptation, attraction, etc.) reminds you of any situation in your life? Could it be with your aunt and uncle? I don't mean that you would be popping out kojack pops anytime soon (I hope not!) - it is merely an energetic representation. What do you think the "kojack pops" means to you? How does that relate to the situation, with the people you interact with at the party?

Then, Margaret Thather appeared at the party, and she was the only one who thought that there was something odd about the situation. She donned a lab coat, took a sample of the left over magic water and chemically analysed it (I had been reading yesterday about her chemistry degree and her work as a chemist). She found the problem with the water, and was just about to tell me when I woke up, for real this time.

Looking at this particular scene, I would agree with Giray about her being "a kind of organising principle." Being a chemist is a scientific approach to finding what's the problem within her area of specialty (i.e., water). I think your mind was trying to find a most recent imagery of a scientist to be implanted into your dream acting as the one who see something's wrong with the situation. She is an aspect of you that see things rather than coming over to you and taking that pop. Once she found out the problem, she wanted to tell you...but you woke up before she got the chance. Don't you hate it when that happens?

Any dream action is about the dynamics of your own life (hopes, fears, questions, conflicts, possibilities, etc.) as it may use images from experiences of the previous day or so before (as well from others). The dream symbols can be both literal and symbolic interpretations. So, the true meaning of the dream can only be determined by the dreamer.

The questions that I pose above could be helpful to understand the dynamic involved. Maybe not.

Hope this would be helpful. For what it's worth...

:)