Dream Interpretation 16

DREAM 16  

27 December 2011

Main environment

An interior with a long, brick corridor – I could only see the wall. From the corridor, there was a transition into a non-descript, unfurnished room which contained nothing but medium-sized red boxes (similar to those on ITV show, Deal or No Deal. Then at my desk, in my bedroom at home – which appeared as it does in real-life. The final scene was me looking up at the sky – but I saw nothing else of the outside environment.

Timing 

The final ‘outside’ seen was during the day – the sky was a very pale, washed out blue – as it is in winter.

Characters 

Myself (first person perspective – I did not see myself). There was also a male, unknown to me in real-life, but my ‘friend’ in the dream. He shared characteristics similar possessed by many males known to me in real-life which leads me to the conclusion that he is a ‘composite’ character. He was of medium height and very slim build; white or olive complexion (similar to my own); his hair was thick, black and tousled (several inches long) and he was wearing baggy black jeans and black high-top trainers with a white sole. I also associate him with myself, in male form – this is an association which came to mind immediately upon waking. I felt as if I might have seen male ‘twin’ (I am an only child, although I do have a step-brother JM, the same age as myself). There were some females in the dream – I do not recall who they were or what they looked like – I remember their presence and voices in the dream (this may have been another aspect of ‘myself’?). The final character was N – the dog- who appeared transformed (see below).

Narrative 

I was standing in the brick corridor, conversing with the male character. I do not know what was said. He was leaning against the wall, arms stretched. He appeared to be anxious or scared about something. I noticed that his right leg was extended towards me, with his foot at an angle. This was how I saw what he was wearing on his lower body. I was aware that I was trying to convince this male to come into a room with me to open some boxes. I could hear or ‘perceive’ female voices trying to persuade me not to do this and to leave the male alone. I took his hand and the next moment we were in a room, of which I recall no detail. There were many red boxes in the room – I’m not sure if they were on the floor or on a surface – this was not recalled. Myself and the male discussed which boxes to open and began to do so – I didn’t see what was inside them. The next scene, I was in my bedroom, sitting at my desk and using my computer. I was completing an online transaction – paying for something using my credit card. I then became worried that I had used the wrong bank card – i.e. one which was not authorised for online transactions (I do have a bank account in real-life for which I do not have a debit card and therefore cannot use for online payments). I am not sure exactly what happened next, but I had some black gel eye-liner (similar to one I use in real-life). However the consistency was all wrong – too wet and gungy. The application brush was far too big to even dip in the eye-liner put, let alone draw a precise line – it was like a large artist’s paint brush. There was then a transition, and I was outside, looking up at the sky. Above my head was a huge ‘speech balloon’ – which appeared to be N (dog). He was speech-bubble shaped (with his tail forming the ‘point’ of the balloon), but had his same ginger fur and a large, flat, one-dimensional face. I woke up.

Potential Triggers 

I had recently (two weeks ago) watched Tim Burton’s version of Alice in Wonderland, and the N character certainly seemed to be reminiscent of the Cheshire Cat. The night prior to this dream, I had been online and used a software application that warned any ‘online transaction confirmations’ would be ‘resent’ if I proceeded. My credit card is (and has been for sometime) sitting on the computer hard-drive, directly in front of me every time I use my computer. Further, Deal or No Deal has been shown on TV quite frequently over the recent Christmas period – a time also associated with the colour red and the opening of boxes. I had used a 24-hour gel eyeliner with a brush the same day as this dream, and additionally, found some photographs of eye make-up designs I had previously created, from the files of my computer.

Interpretation  

Hallway/corridor:                                                       

1. A passage from one phase to another in your life or being caught between two major aspects of your life 
2. Spiritual; mental and physical development; self exploration 
3. A new beginning/initial steps  
4. Connection from one dream scene to the next 
5. If stuck – stagnant position; inability to break free; indication of path to be followed to make a transition

Bricks:

1. Strength, solidness, reliability, or rigidity
2. Individual thoughts and creative process; ideas, designs, information
3. A catalyst a creative process, such as resourcefulness or talent
4. The process of establishing or building something
5. The process of breaking something down into its smallest components (for example, to examine or understand it)
6. Weight, load, burden, or feeling weighed down
7. Hardening of the person by the experience of heartbreak or callousness as a result of previous bad experience; may indicate inner sensitivity despite a tough outer-shell
8. Defensive actions; protection against future pain; isolation

The brick wall my male companion was leaning against

Leg/foot (of another person):

1. Admiration for that person; need to adopt some qualities associated with them
2. Ability to move forward; take action; make progress

Box:

1. Natural desires or devastating/destructive urges; instinctual behaviour; female genitalia 
2. Restraints; limitation and deterrence
   Aspects of yourself protected; guarded or hidden from the rest of the world 
3. Self-discovery

Opening a box:

1. Curiosity 
2. A desire for understanding or information 
3. A search for something such as an object, person, opportunity, etc. 
4. Beginning something new, or a curiosity or desire to do so 
5. Clarity or a willingness to hear the truth or to be honest with yourself 
6. Receiving, or a desire to receive something

Consider how your dream self felt whilst opening the box – in my dream, I was eager to convince the male to open the boxes with me, whilst he was hesitant at first. There was some debate over which boxes to open. Perhaps this reflects some form of ‘debate’ with myself over the process of revealing or finding something I’m not sure I really wish to uncover. I am inquisitive and (as a lawyer) have a habit of fishing for evidence/trying to find the ‘truth’ of a situation.

Red boxes

Red:

1. Anger; energy; passion; sexuality – red is a stimulant colour
2. Highlights something of significance within the dream

Bedroom:

1. Aspects of yourself kept private 
2. Intimacy; sexuality; carnal desires; romance

Me sitting at my desk, using my computer - as I appeared in the dream

Computer:

1. Yourself; your mind or your brain
2. Technology; information; expertise; progression; modern life
3. Availability of new opportunities
4. Lack of individuality; absence of thoughts/feelings; non-expression of own emotions; going along with the flow
5. Depreciated sense of superiority; desire to break free from conformity and exude your own personality

Internet:

Desire to communicate/connect with a wider group of people

Credit cards:

1. Worth; credibility and value; merit and integrity
2. Debt; attitude towards finances/frugality
3. Losing/misuse – carelessness/irresponsibility in real-life

Make-up:

1. Desire to hide/conceal a personal characteristic from others 
2. Desire to be more attractive and increase self-esteem/worth 
3. Enhancement of self image 
4. Metaphor for a need to ‘make up’ with someone in real-life 
5. Make-up pot (a small round glass pot filled with sticky liquid substance, together with a long, over-sized brush (see below) to be dipped in for application) – overt phallic imagery

The Maybelline 24-hour gel eye-liner and application brush & artist's paintbrush

Brush:

1. Desire to cleanse problems from waking-life
2. Nonchalant attitude to issues which need attention
3. Paintbrush – creativity and talent
4. Oversized object – magnification/exaggeration of symbolic meaning of object

Sky:

1. Looking up into a clear sky – hope; possibility; freedom of expression; peace 
2. Overcast sky – anticipated anguish and hardship 
3. Grey sky – dampening of optimism; feelings of sadness, melancholy, irritability, grumpiness; wistful reflection

Pale blue sky

Speech balloon/bubble – items which float in the air:

1. Lightness; happiness; ability to rise above troubles in real-life
2. Enclosure; self-contained environment
3. Isolation; ignorance; protection; void

Orange speech balloon - the shape 'N' (dog) appeared in the dream - with a one-dimensional face and the 'tail' in the same location as above

Dog:

1. Intuition; loyalty; fidelity; protection; generosity – or a person in real-life possessing such qualities 
2. Progression as a result of strong values/good intentions 
3. A forgotten, lost or neglected skill/talent 
4. A dog which is flying/reaching the top of a building/floating in the air – victory/elevation in status

'N' - the dog

Fur:

1. Protection from/fear of an undesirable social experiences or harsh environment
2. A need to feel powerful over one's environment (often based in feelings of inadequacy)
3. A sense of entitlement or self-righteousness
4. Primitive attempt at self-preservation
5. Lack of compassion or reverence for living things (if the pelt is removed from an animal)
6. Empty or void of life energy (as above)

Cheshire cat:

1. Deceit; mockery; mischief 
2. A person in real-life you are not sure if you should trust/rely upon

John Tenniel's illustration of  the Cheshire Cat from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventure in Wonderland (1865)

Analysis

This interpretation, on the symbolism alone, is quite interesting – particularly given the fact that I had had an argument directly prior to this dream – on the subject of finances (not my own) which left me feeling as though my opinion on the matter was not being adequately heard or heeded to. In addition, I had also been thinking that my own financial management had substantially improved and I had been planning ways to make money (and increase my ‘status’) from my creative/intellectual talent – i.e. legal and creative writing. Most significantly, the image of the dog (N) is, most certainly linked with another person (PS) in respect of whom I had recently expressed trust issues, despite outwardly being reassured that there was no cause for concern. Thus the juxtaposition of N/Cheshire cat character, hanging over my head may be analysed in terms of my ability to progress whilst such anxieties and mixed emotions are ‘hanging over’ my head. Perhaps, in direct contrast to the fidelity and loyalty represented by the symbol of the dog, the Cheshire cat associations illustrate how I’m trying to see below the surface and find evidence of deceitfulness. The ‘smile’ of a Cheshire cat may symbolise the fleeting and fundamentally unobtainable nature of human happiness, which vanishes as soon as it makes itself visible. This is a particular dream I wish to free associate upon and interpret further and I will post any updates as soon as I have a chance.

In terms of the 'pale blue' sky, which appeared to be washed-out and overcast, there is one observation I think I should make at this juncture, although due to the complexity of this analysis, I undoubtedly will have to research this aspect of my interpretation further. I experience mild 'synesthesia' in my waking-life - it is estimated that 1 in 23 persons also have symptoms of this neurological condition, which has not been subject to extensive study as it rarely inhibits the daily functioning of 'sufferers'. Simply speaking, synesthesia is a condition whereby stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway causes an involuntary experience in a secondary sensory/cognitive pathway - i.e. one sense triggers another and thus associations are made between objects/sensory experiences (i.e. personification of words/numbers; the 'tasting' of words/sounds; colour associations etc). Research has shown that individuals experiencing various synesthesic thought processes also tend to have difficulties in arithmetic (I have dyscalculia - number dyslexia); left-right confusion; and poor distance/spatial awareness (the latter providing me with two excellent justifications for not learning to drive!) although they typically have 'photographic' memory. The majority of those experiencing synesthesia are unaware of the fact until they learn their peers are not perceiving the world around them in the same way - usually in childhood, which is when I first learned the associations which 'sprang' to mind as strong mental images or 'sensory memories' (my own definition, as I had no understanding of this phenomenon until a friend very recently pointed out that she had read an article about it and recognised the experiences I had described to her) had been 'randomly' allocated by my own brain - often without any form of logic. 

For example, a couple of years ago, I used to write articles as a freelance journalist for a online sex shop/information site and whenever I think about this job, I get the mental image of a screenshot from the Playstation game, Call of Duty (Black Ops) - a scene in a warehouse with grated metal mezzanine level. In the mental image, I see the scene as it appears in the game, if the playable character is positioned on the ground floor level, behind a wooden structure, looking up at the mezzanine level and the entrances onto the platform from which 'enemies' can enter the interior. Another one is the word 'grape' - for which I get the mental image of a female's thumbnail with a bruise beneath it. The day 'Wednesday' is burgundy colour and linked to the number '6' and the shape of a kite. A particular man I worked alongside in a law firm several years ago, is associated in my mind with the number '53' and the rough feel of public transport seat covers. The seaside town 'Great Yarmouth' in Norfolk is 'yellow' - I don't 'see' yellow when I'm visiting, the word 'looks' yellow in my head when I think it. The most unusual one, which has been with me for as long as I remember is also the most complex of them all - when I think back to my primary school days, I always remember sitting in morning assembly and the words "Good morning Mr Cooker" (the headmaster). I then associate a feeling of having a huge gobstopper or marble in my mouth, as if it's physically present - although I do not actually recall this being a real-life incident - and a pale green colour. There are many more experiences I could recount here, but I shall leave these for a separate post.

Back to the dream analysis - the notion of a pale, washed-out blue sky is always associated in my mind with the word 'Tuesday' and a particular road corner in my childhood hometown of 'Sheringham'. It is a very 'dynamic' image - i.e. not a one-dimensional photographic 'snapshot' (I can see all angles of the area), although it does not seem to respond to one specific memory. I cannot recall the name of the road I can see, but as Sheringham is a very small town, I will describe it to my mum and see if she knows where this image relates.