Thursday, January 03, 2008

fever dream



Removed, and then restored, at Lolabola's command. I figured it was too tame of a dream to be of much interest; but of course the *other* dreams I would never post here. ;)


In my dream I was wearing flip-flops which I hardly ever never wear now that I'm grown, with nice clothes, linen slacks, a light top. I had worn the flip-flops down to a nub like I always did those long summer days by the pool as a kid and they had started to come apart so I had to twist my feet up a bit in an attempt to get them to hold together as I walked up the path. Even still they pulled apart periodically and I had to stop to repair them. I could feel the cold stones under my toes.

The path was in Japan, maybe Tibet, and I was following an older woman -- well-dressed, Western -- who held the address of the dentist. The dentist came highly recommended and was the reason we were walking up the trail -- maybe it was in the Andes? But it was clear that it might take awhile to get where we were going. It had started to snow and she grew agitated, and although we had been walking for several hours I suggested that we turn back and try again when the snow had cleared. This calmed her some, although she continued to mutter under her breath as we began our descent.

10 comments:

Lolabola* said...

Oh but 'tame' things of not much interest are the most interesting things.

I wanted to read again because I remembered the picture and then thought somehow the flip flops were red. It has made me put on the velvety black ones my mom gave me back in June (right now! and yes there is snow everywhere)

I'm terrible at analyzing dreams. mostly because I think the symbols are all very personal and what the heck do I really know about anyone? We both know someone who I think is pretty good at the analysis thing but alas he is away because of internet tokens or some such thing.

Also not a fan of the "universal" symbolism in dreams but again, what the heck do I know? someone gave me a dream book for my wedding and according to it:

"Shoes signify our ability, or otherwise, to be grounded and in touch with everyday life. Recognizing shoes that we, or others, are wearing in a dream are strange alerts us to an adjustment that needs to be made to our attitude to life."

there are no dentists in the world according to the book (the nearest entry was demolition though!) but there are doctors of course and this it what it says

"When we dream of a doctor we are aware that we need to give way to a higher authority in health matters."

and Path:

"A path in a dream signifies the direction one has decided to take in life. The type of path, whether it is smooth or rocky, winding or straight, may be just as important as the path itself.

Often a path can represent the way we feel a relationship or situation is developing. It can also suggest a way of following up a concept or line of enquiry. In waking life it is often the way a clairvoyant 'sees' the way in which the enquirer's life is changing.

A path in a dream can indicate a Spiritual direction."


are you bored yet? I could just read entry after entry. Japan, Tibet, Andes, snow, cold stones......Do you have a sinus cold? that's what dentist's mean to me. but it sounds like things will make more sense when the cold goes away.

Now, what does it mean that I just dreamt that I was babysitting a family from my past and their pet camel and cougar? there was another animal I was supposed to remember but when I woke up all I could remember was myself saying "don't forget the third one". The animals kept escaping so they could come over and play with me like a dog would. Man that cougar had sharp nails!

suttonhoo said...

ooo -- very cool. I'm with you regarding the personal interpretation of dreams, but still, this take on the symbolism is kind of cool. I kept thinking in the dream: "these shoes; these clothes; they're not practical for this weather or this trail". hmm.

anything in that book about muttering old ladies?

Lolabola* said...

"being led suggests that we have allowed someone else to take control of a situation around us."

"an older woman mostly represents the dreamer's mother and her sense of inherited wisdom"


"old people can represent either our ancestors or grandparents"

I can't remember what I just read but it made me think that the snow is your illness.

no entry for muttering ;)

suttonhoo said...

I went from thinking the dream was no big deal to suddenly feeling quite naked and exposed. ;)

thanks for the rundown, lolabola!

Enyasi said...

OMG!!! This is sooooo deep. I had to read this like 5 times, but here is my (unsolicited) interpretation.

I think your attention to the shoes is a sign that you were your purest most innocent core in this dream. The shoes represent the child within and your pure self.

The woman you were following is "the ideal" the image of what "you believe" people expect of you.

Following her was not based on your own desire, but rather a "recommendation", someone else’s beliefs

Whereas the woman was intent on her goal (one that seemed silly given the surroundings), you focused more on the journey (more like a traveling observer)

You never reached the woman’s destination (a place- dentist, that noone really wants to go to) and only you had sense enough that the journey could not be completed.

Turning around was your desire and strangely it appeased the woman.


So here is what it all means,
At your core, you are a traveler and observer, however currently you are following a path that is expected of you, not one that you desire or makes sense to you given the world and the place you want to have in it. Part of you knows that if you persist on this path you will never reach “that perfect destination”. The part of you, you have trusted since childhood, knows it is not the destination, but the journey and that it is okay to go back to the beginning and start again.

In short, trust your instincts- focus on the little steps- and do what you really want to do with your life!

Wow this is major!

suttonhoo said...

WHOA! YOU are major -- great read! and you put your finger on something -- I was so not into going to that dentist. ;) I was doing it for her. entirely. kind of like afternoons spent with my grama, when it's just about being with grama even though I have no interest in the whatever-it-is.

+ should we reveal to the folks that you have the benefit of long, dessert-infused, offline conversations? no: let's keep that to ourselves. ;)

so cool, Enyasi -- thanks!

Unknown said...

wow. all of this is very interesting.

i'll have to hit up on lolabola and enyasi to interpret some of my dreams...

the path thing is interesting. i have that a lot in my dreams and they always either lead to water or follows the water's shoreline. hmmm...

Bonita said...

This feels like a transitional dream to me...traveling may symbolize the journey you are making or it may be about the journey of grieving your Grandmother's death. She has made the transition and now you are following her because you are curious..and want to go see the dentist...could this be a painful but necessary visit to God on the mountain and the snow is really a symbol of the clouds in the sky? You are traveling...but only willing to go so far..you ask her to turn back...your adult self is not ready...your child self is still wearing those soft flip flops and is cold, tired and needing to return to the familiar territory down the mountain....you are both the child and the old woman...the journey is something you will return to on another day.

suttonhoo said...

definitely need to keep you guys on retainer. ;)

Unknown said...

heh, suttonhoo has a dream posse!

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