Nightmare Week 2010: analyzing my horror-ible dreams
August 3, 2010 Some of you may have noticed a blog post that showed up here the other day that was nothing more than random notes on dream symbolism.
No, I am not losing my shit.
That was supposed to be saved as a draft for my own use after experiencing the horrors of Nightmare Week 2010.
But my web host, Squarespace, automatically sets posts to "published", so if I want to save something mid completion, I have to unclick the "published" box so half posts or rough drafts don't get published to the internet. Kind of annoying, Squarespace. . . KIND OF ANNOYING.
Obviously I forgot to do that.
And then the link got fed to my Twitter.
First Nightmare: The Hotel
Nightmare Week started with a dream where my mom and I were lured into a hotel by one of my many emotionally unstable, former co-workers. We then realized that the rest of the hotel was empty and we were being monitored via surveillance by a group of psychopaths who intended to kill us.
Like in that horrifically, creepy movie, The Strangers.
And I was about four months pregnant. . . you know, just to make things a little more interesting.
Symbolism according to the hippies at dreammoods.com
Hotel - To see a hotel in your dream signifies a new state of mind or shift in personal identity. You are undergoing some sort of transition and need to move away from your old habits and old way of thinking. You need to temporarily escape from your daily life.
Mother - To see your mother in your dream represents the nurturing aspect of your own character. Some people may have problems freeing themselves from their mothers and are thus seeking their own individuality and development.
Pregnant - To dream that you are pregnant symbolizes an aspect of yourself or some aspect of your personal life that is growing and developing. You may not be ready to talk about it or act on it. Being pregnant in your dream may also represent the birth of a new idea, direction, project, or goal.
Second Nightmare: The Uncool Zombie Dream
The next dream I had was about the zombie apocalypse. I know, I know. I am always complaining that I don't have enough kick-ass zombie dreams. But what's the one thing that would wreck a good zombie dream?
That's right.
I wasn't kicking ass.
:(
Instead, I was barricaded in a house, trying to herd my childhood cats, Chub Chub and Dudes into a cat carrier so I could load them into my vehicle and potentially seek safer refuge. Of course, I couldn't find the cats.
And I didn't even have a weapon.
WHAT KIND OF A ZOMBIE HUNTER DOESN'T CARRY A WEAPON?!?!
This is a regressive dream for me. I used to have kitty and baby saving dreams about once a week. Since Bear came into my life with his Nobody Better Ever F!ck With You Because I Don't Want To Have To Go To Prison attitude, my subconscious has been alleviated of the weight it once carried when I felt like I constantly had to take care of everyone. I blame this dream on the Saskatoon SPCA.
Third Nightmare: The Anime Dream from Hell
This dream placed me in a huge mansion with ponds and luscious greenery and staircases that went up and then down for no particular reason. Again, I was barricaded inside the house, although this time it was surrounded by military figures. Assassins were storming the building and I was on the run, even though I had nowhere to go and no place to hide. I was with some unknown, albeit friendly figure who was ultimately assassinated in front of me, but before he went down from the bullet, he shot the female assassin in the head and a chunk of her brain landed at my feet.
Welcome to Lojo's Dream World, kids.
At this point the dream became lucid. I ran through the corridors of the mansion with my eyes closed, repeatedly punching myself in the face while yelling, "WAKE UP! WAKE UP! WAKE UP!" Usually that does it for me, but this time my subconscious was having way too much fun. And, like the zombie dream, I never even contemplated picking up the dead assassin's gun so I could actually shoot back. Apparently I ain't no holla back girl.
Like both my previous dreams, I spent my energy trying to strategize a way out-- a way out that didn't involve violence-- which I wholeheartedly blame on reading too many Mommy Blogs via the Sits Girls 31 Day Blogger Challenge.
Eventually I gave up and handed myself over to the military figures and waited to die.
Symbolism according to the hippies at dreammoods.com
House - To see a house in your dream represents your own soul and self. To see a new house in your dream indicates that you are entering into a new phase or new area in your life.
Pond - To see a pond represents tranquility.
Plants - To see plants in your dreams indicates fertility, spiritual development, potential, and growth. To see indoor plants suggests that your growth is being hindered or slowed in some way. You are experiencing a lack of independence.
Water - To see what in your dream symbolizes your unconscious and your emotional state of mind. Water is symbolic of spirituality, knowledge, healing, and refreshment.
Stairs - To dream that you are walking up a flight of stairs indicates that you are achieving a higher level of understanding. You are making progress in your journey.
Soldier - To see a soldier signifies discipline, structure, and rigidity.
Common themes throughout Nightmare Week 2010 :
- Being barricaded inside a living space
- Deadly forces outside of said living space intending to kill me
Conclusion to Analysis
My sense of self is changing, transitioning, and growing. I am developing new goals. Although I am flourishing in some ways, I also feel boxed in and constrained by the rigidity of my life circumstances. I have been putting an incredible amount of energy into strategizing as to how I can open up doors and continue to move ahead in life. According to my dreams, I need to get aggressive and start blowing doors down.
I need to stock up on guns and ammunition.
And I did some research on your winged werewolf dream, Lt. Suz. Supposedly the werewolf represents fear, anger, and uncontrollable violence, and the wings represent a freer way of life. I am not sure about the dream where you have three kids. I only hope that they are not all boys, and not all ginger kids.
You should probably stock up on guns and ammo, too.
What do you think? Do you ever have recurring dreams? What are your thoughts on those recurring dreams?
dream
Reader Comments (5)
I always have dreams that occur in a house with a red door... well I did, until I started living in a house with a red door. But I sometimes have dreams where I have to rescue the kitties and I can't find them. That's not surprising, since my worst fear is the kitties getting caught in a house fire or car wreck. Like when I took Bearface to the vet? I was TERRIFIED of getting T-boned while driving.
My most recent dream that I recall was Matt leaving me at the altar. It was fairly anti-climatic:
Matt: visibly rattled "I can't do this." walks out
Jacquie: :O
After my little brother was born, and until he was 9 or 10, I had the same dream over and over that we were all playing outside, and then a giant robot rolls in and bites Chris's head off. I take from it that I watched too many Transformers cartoons as a child, and either hated my little brother and wished him dead, or feared for his safety. Since I woke up from these dreams terrified, rather than feeling victorious, I assume I wasn't harboring any violent tendencies against him, it was more the protective instinct.
Before I realized that you had been accidentally signed in with Nad's account, I was thinking, awww, Nad is such a sensitive man, worrying about the kitties like that.
I hate kitty rescue dreams. I am relieved that other cat ladies have them, as well.
I, too, used to have dreams about my big brother being in trouble. I remember asking my mom why I had those dreams, and she would answer with, "because you really do love him." And I was like, hmmmph, whatever.
I totally noticed you dream symbolism... but I didn't think I was worthy to comment because... because... well... IT'S SO GODDAMN PINK! It hurts my soul and makes rain fall from my eyes!
Fuck! I distinctly remember changing to my information! God damnit, Nads.
Steve: I call this shade of pink " Steve". 'Cause it's a bit homo.
Twitch: I am really digging the "Nads" nick name.