Hi. I had the strangest dream last night and for some reason I can't get it out of my head. Actually, I think I had a series of strange dreams last night, but I only remember the details of one.

I was walking through the neighborhood that I grew up in. There is a huge graveyard in that neighborhood, and I'm walking along the edge of it. The earth kind of shakes, but this does not scare me. I hear a deep, soft voice say, "Release them into the world."

The sky turns red, or so I think. As I stare at the sky, I realize it is moving, and then, as they get closer, I realize that the sky is actually filled with red bats. The bats are flying fast toward the Earth and breaking off in lines going in every direction.

I turn to run thinking it's the end of the world. Then, I think to myself, "I always thought that if humanity were coming to an end, I would be one of the few survivors. I'm probably going to be one of the first to die."

I start thinking about diseases the bats might have. I wonder if I'm immune, and realize I'm probably not. I'm convinced this is the end of the human race. I want to get home to say goodby to my fiance, and let my dogs outside so they'll have a chance to survive on their own.

A calmness sweeps over me, and I stop trying to sheild myself from the bats. I start to walk instead of run. The wind picks up and I think, "It's going to blow me away." A strong guff pushes me backward, and then in another second I'm lifted off of the ground. It's not a tornado, just very strong wind. I look for something to grab ahold of, but I can't reach anything. It's like I'm flying, but I am scared to death.

That's when I woke up.

I know that the dream sounds really long, but it was really fast and fluid. There was no other person in my dream. And the deep soft voice seemed to be more in my own head than a voice that filled the world. A great deal of the dream seemed to do with my own thoughts.

The thing that sticks out the most to me is the bats. They really bug me.

Any ideas about what all this could mean?

Betty,
Very often dreams that make note of a 'neighborhood that I grew up in' are addressing actual issues that began or had to do with such early childhood environments. Grave yards are where things are buried. So my question to you, to determine if there are unresolved childhood issues, are there any unconscious experiences buried within your psyche that are on the verge of or are in need of becoming conscious I'm walking along the edge of it.

Bats often live in caves {which is very often symbolic of the deep unconscious}. Your bat is red, as is the sky {perhaps indicative of your future horizons}. Red can be symbol of anger, pain, frustration. If the above is true then there will be a need to "Release them into the world", let these emotions out so to be begin a healing process. The bats would be those 'held in' emotions that are directed at your soul {earth}.

The fear of diseases that bats may carry. Could that be related to the 'bats' in your unconscious? Perhaps by letting the dogs out {human/animal emotions} you have a chance to change the direction {breaking off in lines going in every direction} of your life {the controlling agents that are from past childhood experiences}. Or the 'disease' may merely be holding those experiences in instead of releasing the emotions.

Tornadoes are a common symbol for emotional disturbance. What is your tornado and what has you scared to death?

The question becomes, are there unresolved childhood issues that need to be exposed, letting the bats out?

Gerard

Yes. There are a lot of things in my childhood that I think about everyday but I have never told anyone. Everything you said makes a lot of sense.

There was no tornado in my dream, just a very strong wind. I even thought to myself in my dream, "This is nothing like a tornado." I wasn't spinning, I was just caught in the wind with nothing to grab. It was like flying, my arms were stretched, but I was terrified.

I wish I could write as figuratively as I dream. After you explain it, the dream is kind of beautiful in a sad way.

Betty,
I miss read the tornado part. But although the strong winds are less than a tornado they probably represent the powerful emotions you have with the childhood issues.

Your statement "the dream is kind of beautiful in a sad way". That most likely fits who you are. A beautiful person who still has to deal with a sad aspect {childhood issues}.

Gerard

Thanks for everything.

Hello
A dream with bats was one of the most important dreams /nightmares in my life.For me it was after a shock, and it had something to do with evil. I was surprised to talk with someone else about bats in dreams and that person told me her dream/nightmare . I personally believe that it has something to do with one person's relationship to evil. I tried to hide in an house, she was protected... I don't know how does that apply to your dream, but I think you should search your own answer.
Sofia