Self-image

How do dreams relate to self-image?

Attacked by a demonic presence…

Dream: I dreamed I was being attacked by a demonic presence. It was choking me, I couldn’t breathe. I felt his weight on me. I was screaming help, help. I could hear myself, fighting this thing off me. My grandson shook me awake, he heard me screaming.

DreamsMaster: My initial instinct with this dream is to recommend you visit your doctor to rule out any health issues that may be causing you to experience this choking sensation and difficulty breathing due to pressure on your chest.

If you’ve indeed been experiencing health issues, then it’s possible that the “demonic presence” was your dreaming mind’s way of visualizing the threat of a violent death, and getting your attention to take immediate action.

If this literal interpretation of the dream does not fit for you, next take a look at the theme and symbolism. The most striking thing to me is the overwhelming sense of powerlessness. The aggressor is not in physical form, so your attempts to fight it off physically fail. One way of viewing this is that whatever the threat you perceive going on in your life right now, your defense must come from your spiritual core. This is where your strength resides.

See also:

Baby bats flying out of the drawer…

Dream: I was standing in front of a dresser with it open and I was pouring gravy in the drawer and then baby bats would fly out I did it over and over again.

DreamsMaster: Key to understanding the meaning of this dream is to understand what the different symbols mean to you personally. Since I don’t know you, I will project my own thoughts and meanings onto the dream. As you read, consider what might fit for you, and when something does not fit, ask yourself what might fit better.

Dresser: In my home, a dresser contains clothes, organized into different drawers. If this were my dream, the dresser would represent my self-image, and depending on which drawer I was pouring the gravy into, would reflect on what element of my self-image the dream was about. For example, my main dresser drawer contains my undergarments. In this case, the dresser drawer in the dream may represent my self-image related to my sexuality.

Gravy: What do you usually pour gravy over? If this were my dream, I usually pour gravy over foods that I want to enhance their flavor. So in this context, gravy would represent something that makes something else more palatable.

Bats: Bats in dreams sometimes represent something scary, but baby bats would minimize the fear.

Now let’s pull the symbols together to tell a story. Again, I will frame this as my own dream, while you project your own personal symbols over mine:

I am pouring gravy (something tasty) into the drawer (my self-image) and baby bats (something not so scary) come out.

Phrased another way, if this were my dream, this is the message I might get from it:

There is something about my private identity that scares me, but if I allow myself to view it another way, I might actually find it enjoyable and discover that it’s not as scary as I think.

See also:

Penis cut halfway…

Dream: I dreamt of my penis cut halfway last night.

DreamsMaster: The dream is likely a metaphor for having felt “emasculated” or put down by someone in a demeaning way, left to feel “half the man” that you are, or “cut down to size.” Did something happen recently where you felt your power diminished?

A penis may also symbolically represent performance. From this perspective, it’s possible this dream represents some type of performance anxiety, either literally or metaphorically. Is there a situation occurring in your life where you’re feeling a lack of strength or confidence?

Another angle to consider with this dream is the connection to circumcision, which could lead to an interpretation regarding religion. For example, in religious circles, circumcision represents a commitment or bond. In this context, to dream of a penis cut halfway could symbolize the exaggerated extent of this commitment. If the feeling in the dream is fear or anger, then the dream might be sending the message that the scope of this commitment needs to be reevaluated to determine what boundaries need to be set.

On the other hand, religious or not, the dream could represent a sense of guilt related to sex or sexuality, with the penis cut halfway symbolizing a self-imposed consequence or punishment.

As you can see by the broad array of possible interpretations, the true interpretation of the dream is up to the dreamer. If you haven’t gotten that “Aha!” feeling while reading any off these possible interpretations, then think about what was on your mind when you went to sleep, and it’s likely you’ll easily connect the dots. If it’s still unclear, watch for another clarifying dream from your inner mind in the days ahead.

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Being pursued and didn’t know why…

Dream: I was in this town on the edge of the woods, very beautiful, but I was being pursued and didn’t know why. I came to the edge of this creek and took my boots off to cross, when this beautiful girl asks me what on earth I was doing. I told her I was trying to get away, although I wasn’t really scared or nervous. I crossed the creek and proceeded to a house, which I knew was an elderly couple’s who had recently passed away. The house was unlocked and I thought I could hide out there. It was a massive two story house overlooking town with a hallway upstairs with windows. I looked out the window and noticed a cop (very traditional 1920’s uniform on). He saw me and began to alert other officers. I quickly bolted down the stairs and out the back door. Before me was this large open field with a slight hill and woods approximately half mile away. I began to run across this field from the cops. I noticed when I was running I wasn’t nervous or scared of capture, as if it was a game. As I was running I felt as if my boots were heavier then normal. When I reached the woods I heard the sound of dogs so I knew that they had got dogs to track me. So I thought I could lose them in the smokey forest ahead (a large forest with smoke and fog so thick I couldn’t see but a foot in front of me). As I was heading to the smoky woods the girl appeared again and this time wanted to go with me. We ran into the smoke and ran for what felt like a long time. I knew we lost the authorities because I couldn’t hear the dogs anymore. We came to this cliff and jumped into this giant well of water, not knowing for sure there was water due to the fog and mist (as if it was a leap of faith). We survived, and after exiting the water we were in a familiar place on a dirt road. We saw a motel so we ran to it. It was run by an older couple and they agreed to give us a room. We stayed in the room together for what felt like a couple days. I got this feeling that we were gonna be caught. Sure enough, I opened the door to the room and I could hear a private detective asking the couple about us. We then decided it was time to give ourselves up. I had this odd feeling that I was going to be able to get the private detective to let us go. I was somewhat disappointed that we didn’t finish whatever journey we were on, and I was sad to be separated from this girl. Then I woke up.

DreamsMaster: What an involved dream! What particularly strikes me is the amount of confidence and faith you exude throughout the adventure. Despite all of the obstacles and challenges, the whole thing feels like a game to you, not to be taken too seriously. I don’t know you personally or what current life challenges you face, but the message that comes through to me from this dream is that you are fully capable of handling whatever is thrown in your path. And even if you don’t succeed in crossing the desired finish line of this particular leg of life’s journey, you will be all the more enriched for trying.

That said, let’s get down to more detailed dream interpretation. There’s so much to this dream, I’ll just go with the symbols that feel the strongest to me. As I put my ideas forward (my own projections), look internally for more pieces of the puzzle to reveal themselves to you.

These symbols appear multiple times:

Boots (taking them off to cross the creek; feeling heavy while running): A form of protection; sense of groundedness
Water (creek, giant well): Emotional/spiritual state
Trees (woods, smokey forest): Obscure one’s direction or path
Elderly couples (in both instances, the owner of dwellings): Could represent wisdom that comes with age and experience
Shelter (house, motel): Often represent one’s ego or self – the house is massive, multi-dimensional, with windows to a full view; the motel is a temporary dwelling, a place to hide out
The Law (old-fashioned cop, private detective): one’s conscience or superego
The Edge (of the woods, of the creek, of a cliff): a metaphor for living on the edge?
Beautiful girl (in both cases appears just ahead of immersing in water): The yin to your yang; inner harmony and balance

And this thread throughout:

Being pursued
Trying to get away
Hiding out
Running
And finally, peaceful surrender

As I run through this exercise and project my own meanings onto your dream, I arrive at this message, phrased as if it were my dream:

I have a desire to make certain life choices that may not be completely acceptable to others or to myself. A wise part of myself is in support of these riskier choices, and feels safe to take a leap of faith. Another part of myself is trying to stop me from veering away from the more conventional or righteous path. Both of these sides are equally compelling and I will be fine with whichever direction I take, but I may be somewhat disappointed and experience a sense of loss if I surrender to the more righteous path.

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Recurring dream about a house…

Dream: I keep having this recurring dream about a house. There is this house I keep going to, this house doesn’t look as large as it is. I open doors in this house that have many furnished rooms. Some of these rooms are in disarray. There are clothes in the closets that make me think people once lived there. There is not a number on the house. I have this dream 3 to 4 times a year! Could you please tell me what this means!

DreamsMaster: A house in a dream commonly represents one’s Self, which is to say one’s personal identity or personality. Consider this as you think about how you’ve described this particular house in your dream. I’m going to project myself into your dream and interpret it as if it were my dream…

It doesn’t look as large as it is: Looks may be deceiving – I may not appear like much on the surface, but inside I’m complex and multi-faceted.

Many furnished rooms: On the most part I’m well put together. There’s no mention of the style of the furnishings, so perhaps this represents that on the whole my thinking is rather conventional.

Some rooms are in disarray: Part of me is confused and not as well organized in my thinking; some areas are feeling out of control.

Clothes in the closets, other people once lived there: Could represent different personas I’ve donned in my life, different roles I’ve assumed.

No number on the house: I’m reminded of the lyrics of a Bob Seger song, “I feel like a number — I’m not a number”, having to do with one’s individuality. Could also represent lacking a feeling of belonging, not an established part of the community.

The fact that this is a recurring dream suggests repeated circumstances in your waking life have been triggering a level of self-reflection. Speaking of levels… is this house one-story or multiple stories? This also may be a metaphor for how “grounded” you are, or how “multi-dimensional”.

When you dream of this house, what feelings are evoked inside of you? Is it a pleasant experience, or is it uncomfortable? Do you feel at home in the house, or do you feel like an intruder? The dream could be making a statement about how comfortable you are in your own skin, as you transition through the events in your life.

Next time the dream occurs, make note of what was on your mind that night and what you did the previous day. Do this each time you have the dream, and you’re bound to recognize a pattern. The dream is processing something important, and trying to send you a message. It may be your innermost self telling you to “take inventory” of your life, and to consider what you could be doing to eliminate some of the clutter.

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