Dream Interpretation 1

Here is the first of my 'Dream Interpretations' based on entries I made in a previous dream diary which I recorded as and when I incidentally (i.e. at that time, I wasn't actively trying to recall each and every dream on a daily basis, unlike now as a result of my current research project) remembered my dreams, after which I would interpret them. Due to the rather haphazard nature of my previous 'diary', these dreams - although well-documented and fully interpreted using several dream interpretation tools (textbooks, reliable websites etc) -  omit a date with which to contextualise them. From this point onwards I will properly date every recalled/interpreted dream, however for the purposes of my project I feel it is still very worthwhile sharing my previous work with you as all interpretations were written contemporaneous to the dream, thus detailing current events/triggers which may have influenced the dream.

I will be posting my 'Dream Interpretations' in the original format in which I initially started recording them as I don't think there is a particular methodology and the one I am using works sufficiently. As I am an amateur 'Oneironaut', my terminology may not always be very scientific or technical in my early posts and therefore some descriptive detail may appear somewhat vague or overly subjective. If I find an image online which aptly illustrates a dream scene or just nicely evokes a particular 'feeling' of the dream, I will include it for artistic purposes :)

DREAM 1

Main Environment

I was in the kitchen at ‘home’ (I recollect that I felt ‘at home’ but it the environment certainly wasn’t my actual real-life home); in a normal, yet non-distinguishable room, of which I recall no details other than there was a large rectangular table. Next, without experiencing travel, I was in a forest, lit with fairy lights in the trees, where there was a small sparsely-decorated 'rustic' wooden hut - it was brightly lit in the interior with a wooden table and chairs and not much else that I can recollect.

Timing

The forest part of the dream took place at night, but I am not sure about the other scenes as they took place inside.  

Characters 

Myself (as I am in wakeful life); CJS (middle-aged female, known well in real-life); a middle-aged male (unknown in dream/real-life); some other unknown persons in the forest, one of whom was in the hut, although I cannot remember any details, even the gender; PS (boyfriend, real-life). 

Narrative 

I was standing in the doorway of the kitchen of the first ‘home’, looking in. CJS was in there, holding a pack of butter and I asked her what she was doing. The next thing I know, I'm in another room where there was a long rectangular table, behind which a middle-aged male with grey hair was standing. He showed me two long reams of white fabric and told me one was silk and other satin, and asked me to touch them. I was then in the forest, standing in a small fairy-light lit clearing amongst the trees. It was night and I recall that it was a happy, tranquil atmosphere. I went into the hut, with PS. The ambiguous persons were inside and I asked how I would be able to get home. 

Potential triggers 

I had been on several long drives with PS in my wakeful life, where we did not know where we were heading and on a couple of times, explored some woodland roads and had to use a SatNav to find our way home - though it was a fun evening out as opposed to being worrying or scary. I had some interaction with CJS during that week and experienced hostile feelings regarding demands I felt had been placed (unfairly, in my perception of the situation) upon me in a passive-aggressive manner (i.e. a typical learned-helplessness response to a domestic issue, forcing me to take control against my own judgement) which had left me feeling anxious and frustrated. I had recently bought two packs of butter in the past week and furthermore, had been writing about different fabrics - notably satin and silk - frequently during the previous week, whilst reviewing fashion shown at the Paris Haute Couture Week.

Interpretation 

To see a kitchen in a dream symbolises a need for spiritual nourishment; healing and warmth. It may also be symbolic of the nurturing mother or protective feelings you have for others in your waking-life. However, it can also refer to transformation and a need to abort plans in reality. 

To dream of butter can mean that you are looking to be gratified in an area of your waking-life or can be a sign that you need to indulge yourself a little more. Alternatively it also symbolises a need to 'butter up' someone to ease a troublesome situation. 

To question someone in a dream is a sign of self-doubt, although it is also believed that the ability to question a situation whilst in a dream is a sign of self-enlightenment or higher knowledge - i.e. even your subconscious mind is able to question facts presented in dream form.

To see a table in your dream symbolises social unity and family connections - unless it has unusual or odd characteristics or involves some form of action. In my dream, I simply recall the presence of two separate, completely unremarkable tables, which were being used in an orthodox, ordinary way.

Reams of fabric appearing in a dream is a sign of latent creativity and is a reminder that you need to take control and shape your own experiences in your waking-life. The texture and type of material is of importance. Silk or satin represents luxury, smoothness and softness.

To see lights in your dream generally refers to understanding, insight and illumination - light is being shed on a cloudy situation. It may mean that you have found the path to the truth of a certain situation that is faced in waking-life.

Analysis 

This is interesting - I definitely agree that there is a situation in my waking-life which could be made so much easier if I simply succumbed to other peoples' ways of doing things as opposed to maintaining my strong-will, acting as I see fit at the time and then questioning myself afterwards. I have experienced this particular issue in prior waking-life interactions with CJS, with whom I associate domesticity and motherhood, yet cannot reconcile typical characteristics associated with these traditional feminine roles, such as maternalism and nurturing – hence the symbolism of ‘butter’ and ‘kitchen’ and the other aspects of the dream which tend to point to a loss of control in a social (or familial) situation and desire to reconcile demands made of me with a more harmonious life. I do see a lot of accuracy in this interpretation - but then it is really clear to see how my dream content was directly and very literally influenced by events in my waking-life. If only I could recall more of this dream - upon waking I ran straight to the bathroom and I know that there were more details fresh in my mind, which were quickly lost in those vital moments!