I had this dream about a year ago, but it has become an interesting conversation topic with my friends and I would be interested to hear what you think. And just to preface it, I was brough up in a strict Irish Roman Catholic family near Boston. It was church for me every morning until I went to college. Then I was too hung over and my parents weren't there so, what the hell, right?...

I dreamed that my family and an ex-boyfriend (who I recognized in my dream) and some people who were my friends, but I didn't recognize them, were going on a trip to Martha's Vinyard. This is a small island off MA, that my parents own a small cottage on, where we go to 6 times a year for vacation. All of us were taking a ferry to the island, it was a nice day, the temperature was warm, the sun was out. I just noticed one HUGE problem. Water was sloshing over the sides of the top of the boat where we were standing. If you are familiar with the ferries, that means the entire boat is under water. Then the driver started doing 360s and the boat sank.

The next thing I knew I was swimming to shore with my mother, dad, and brother. The shore that we were approaching was the beach I always go to down here in Florida where I live now. As we swam closer and closer I saw about 100 bodies buried on the beach. They were burried standing up, with only their heads showing. Their heads were sun-burned and their skin was peeling off. Amngst the burried people were people who had been crucified. Their bodies were also burnt and had skin falling off.

The weirdest part was about 50 feet away people were sitting there like nothing was out of the ordinary. Thy were just having a regular day at the beach. I turned to my dad and asked him about the bodies and he said "Shhhh, I don't want your mother to see". I'm thinking, ok, there are tons of dead people, how the hell can she miss that?

then the dream pretty much ends. I think tis dream might have somethng to do withthe fact that I teach such impoverished children, who have nothing. They go home for a week of vacation, and they come back 10 pounds lighter because no one cared to feed them. I get so irritated hearing people complain about stupid things. Like they can't get their third BMW in the right shade of green. Can you tell me what you think?

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 27 FL

Have You Posted Before? Date of Last Post {Use Search and Your Post Name to Help Find Last Post} female

How Did You Find the Dream Forum? no

Jen,
First let me applaud you for your sensitivity and work with the less fortunate, young children. Having endured that type of early childhood myself I can know the positive influence you are having on these young souls. And it is soul work you are performing, giving of yourself to benefit others. Bravados to you. Kill all BMWs, and Hummers {the vehicle}. Inequities within this world are only getting worse.

Let's look at your family in the dream as aspects of your total psyche as compared to actual family relationships {although that may play into the dream plot also}. Since your boyfriend is recognizable there may be more involvement with his true person. All in all you have a pretty good life, this being the symbology of nice day and warm sun, at least when it comes to monetary means {and which is evident with the cottage on Martha's Vineyard}.

Martha's Vineyard is an island so it may represent a separate aspect, perhaps a complex or emotional issue {like the issues you have with poverty vs BMWs}.

Boats and water, especially boats crossing narrow channels of water often symbolize transition {water is a common symbol for the unconscious where development of the psyche is always under study}.
What may support the possibility of some type of transition is the numbers 6 and 360 {6x6-also equals 9, the feminine, or the goddess}. Six is the number for physical completeness. It is also the number for conflict. The 360s and the sinking boat may indicate conflicts in this transition. Something may be threatening aspects of the transition {boat sinking}.

The next paragraph would easily fit with the young, impoverished children you teach {although the language is graphic}. Instead of warm sunny days these children could be the 'sunburned' bodies in your dream. Let's hold on to that and go to the next paragraph in the dream.

Nothing is out of the ordinary? Isn't that the feeling you get when you see the well-to-do in their BMW's, all the while never noticing or caring about the children you care for? Numbers almost always have meaning in dreams {as with 6 and 360} so the number 50 probably applies somewhere in your waking life {so to the number 100}.
Your father doesn't want your mother to see. That may or may not be your real father's attitude but it probably applies to the people with the BMW's more so. It probably addresses something within yourself also, perhaps attitudes that would be persuasive/pewrvasive if not for your deeper caring soul that most of your better off friends lack. That caring attitude is actually spoken of with the last sentence in the dream, "I'm thinking, ok, there are tons of dead people, how the hell can she miss that?

End of interpretation.

What I have done is looked at the dream and the added information and tied the two together. Them seem to fit, not only in the symbols and metaphors but also with the transition that may be taking place in your life. And in dream interpretation we tend to believe 'if it fits it must have credibility'. Dreams are about the dreamer's life so the contents of every dream must fit that life.

That transition would be one of maturing and choices in life, from strict Irish Catholic upbringing to being hung over and 'what the hell', to that mature person of compassion. Rejecting the overly abused world of materialism to one of rejecting the inequities of young impoverished children. That may be the transition, and the emotional issue that appears in your dream as a boat crossing water. If you feel my explanation has merit, and fits, you may have an immediate recognition of that. Let me know if that happens.

As for your boyfriend and my thoughts that he may have more relevance in the dream. I go back to the part about the numbers 6 and 360, and the words HUGH problem. Since he is an ex boyfriend there may be something within that which applies. Of course the rest of the dream would have implications to him also. Dreams often address more than one aspect in the dreamer's life. But the involvement of your ex-boyfriend would probably be minor is at all.

Let me know your thoughts. You may recognize something within my comments that helps you to new realizations about the dream and will shed new light to its meaning{s}.

Gerard

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 57 Murfreesboro, Tn.

Have You Posted Before? Date of Last Post {Use Search and Your Post Name to Help Find Last Post} Male

How Did You Find the Dream Forum? Yes

I will say all in all I do have a good life but for right now I am out of work on disability, which is making me feel completely useless. My younger life was not very good as far as mental anguish considering my mother's mental disorder. However money-wise we never did have to want for anythiing. My parents were two very hard working people, both teachers, so by no mans rich. Our grandparents were very well to do and their wealth was passed down and was never used frivillessly. They grew up during the great depression and still cut cupons and drove 5 extra miles to get the cheapest gas. The boyfriend in that dream was a good one, he was very kind and empathetic and after the boat sank he dissapeared in the dream. Only my family was left swiming in the water. Maybe the transition was when I left MA to teach in FL. I did encounter a completely different type of student down here. In MA I was working with uper middle class subburbia.
Could the sunbuned bodies be a reflection of their actual skin color? I hardly have any white students here. What does the crucifiction have to do with it? That is what I am more worried about or wondering about. Considering how muchI reject the catholic faith asan adult now. why ould that pop up?
I think my dad may have said that because I have realized in threapy that his "job" in our family is the pacifier and to just keep everyone (mainly my mother) calm. So I attribute that to him.
Another transition maybe out of the religion I was brought up in and confirmed in. Coming from Boston where the majority of all the sex scandals first came out, and just feeling the "dirtiness" of the church and their beliefs. Telling people in Africa that they should not use condoms, when AIDS is spreading like wildfire and it doesn't need to. The fact the the current elected pope is a former member of Hitler's youth.... I believe in th simplicity of the good in people and doing good for people. A church is not a building, glass windows, or holy water. (admittedly an achetechture fan, I do love churches and their stained glass windows and things, buts thats a different thing).
I am I on the right track?

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 27 FL

Have You Posted Before? Date of Last Post {Use Search and Your Post Name to Help Find Last Post} female

How Did You Find the Dream Forum? no

Hi Jen

Gerard has already replied in a very full way so I shall just mention a few things that popped up for me.
If you roam this site you will see that it's basis is from the work of Carl Jung. He did lots of work on dreams, symbols, and the religious aspects of our psychology. With this in mind, and based on what Jung wrote it is not surprising that an image of cricifiction is in your dream ,,, try as we might we cannot get way from, or deny our legacies (both positive and negative).

The issue is what does crucifiction mean symbolically ,,,, one part of it is 'death of the ego' ,,, if you are unable to work then that can be a death of an image of who we are. It could also represent letting go of things that you held dear.

This is a significant dream for you - otherwise you would not have remembered it so well, nor posted it a year afterwards. This being so ,,,, honour it ,, treasure it ,,, keep it inside and let it unfold its message to you. Be careful where and how you share it , so as not to dilute the energy of the message intended for you.

All the best
Justin

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 48 Australia

Have You Posted Before? Date of Last Post {Use Search and Your Post Name to Help Find Last Post} Male

How Did You Find the Dream Forum? yes