This is a dream I have had over a period of four nights. The first two dreams happened just before the full moon the third on the full moon. The last the night after.

Night of march 18,
An air of not understanding, the lighting is twillight like. A red hair man with a scarred left side of his a face as if it was burned, warns me, with a sinister tone that I better beware. Of What I dont know. There is a feeling that someone or something wants to get me and a feeling of slight fear.
From there I remember six black nude women doing a primal dance in front of me as I was sitting down. When they were finished with thier dance the one in front of me asked for a hug. and I agreed to it and we hugged happily. After the dance I started walking then switch into a run from that someone or something. I ended up on a high pier that was very narrow and I was tryin not to fall in. I did make it to safety.
March19
Standing outside of a car were I am witnessing a rape scene with a Police officer and a person in the driver seat. The two are lying to the young woman to try and take advantage of her. Before they get to far with the women, she comes to her senses and realizes whats going on and attempt to end the scene. The next thing I know is that I am in a ambulance riding with the crying victim.
March 20 the lunar eclipse.
This dream strated as the moon was roughly in full eclipse and ended 2 1/2 hours later when the moon had its full shine back.
Iam in a mental instition thats very dark, like the twillight but darker. There are people who want to get me and kill me, but there not sure if they want to kill me or not seeing how I could be a good magic person are a evil doer. They try to get closer yet I seem to dogde there advance with my simple magic. T All of a sudden I am in a white room with everyone dressed in white and they are all taking about me. The were discussing if I can go back to the place I just came from and keep the faith to maintain my magic abilites. I am to confused to talk, they keep discussing it until I say myself that I am ready. I play a flute that I have in my hand and from there I go back to the dark place I was just in and navigate there halls successfully around all the zombies who want to get me. Towards the end after I feel I have gone through the worst of it, there is a door with daylight coming from it. I decide to take a left and end up in darkish room with people who I am not threaten by. I began to sing its a beutiful day by u2. I wake up immedittly. The lunar eclipse had passed
march 21
I ended up burning down a place that I work for and my truck. Feel really guilty because I dont remember doing it. However I know that I did.

Thats all that I recorded. all through the day and to this day I think about that dream. Eventually leading me to this site.
thanks.

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 35 usa maine

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? no

Matt,
I haven't forgotten your post. Often my morning hours are limited and I must put off some dreams {social dragon}. I will take a good look at your dream later today or first thing Friday morning.
The subject of your dream suggests there is a recognition of some sort about yourself. Does the word 'Manic' fit or is it something that came to mind when asked to name the dream subject matter?

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 used the word manic with-in the title because through out most of the dreams that I reported to you, I am in a somewhat of a manic pychosis thought pattern. I am diaginosed bi-polar one. Mania being the up swing of bi-polar. I go to a state of confusion where Iam in a magic realm of spirit and religon. I think I understand what is going on but it is just so overwhelming for my mind to grasp, so my thought pattern regresses to a more younger state. This happens in waking life when I go manic and it is a reacurring dream theme with me for many years now. The best way I can describe it would be like taking a lot of a drug substance like lsd or a psychedilic to the point where you can not speak anymore. Its like a regression to the state of a child. But yet you understand what is happening around you.

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 35 usa maine

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? no

social dragon????? I cant find it in any of my search's.

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 35 usa maine

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? no

Matt,
First the social dragon. The social dragon is social duty; doing what is required of you instead of doing what your soul desires. What the soul desires most is to be that creative Self. For me it is dreams and designing and maintaining the Myths-Dreams-Symbols website. Joseph Campbell's terminology is to 'follow your bliss'. Once you begin to follow your bliss social duty becomes secondary. The creative Self takes the lead and life takes on a whole new meaning.

In Jungian terminology the creative Self is an aspect of the spiritual Self {Self with a capital S being the higher Self, beyond the control of the ego self}. By being creative you share from the soul, and that is spiritual. An art piece reflects the deepest inner self and shares what is learned. Music, poetry, that thing a person loves doing most, this is the creative life, the highest level of the psyche.

Your Dream
Your psychic condition most likely plays a role in your dreams, beyond the norm since your 'mania' is beyond the norm. The medications can also affect dreams. Beyond that your dreams are about you and your total psyche {physical, psychological and spiritual}. It may be your condition reaches deeper into the unconscious than the norm and uses symbolic forms and/or language to express the mania that resides within. The sinister aspect is something a person with a bipolar condition would expect in dreams, as well as waking life {without the medications. The primal dance is the dance of life, your life, the ritual to manhood, or to wholeness. The six nude women would be the feminine aspect, exposing itself from the depths of the deepest unconscious, luring you to heights previously unavailable. In Hindu mythology {as one example} she is known as Kali and represents the Great Goddess responsible for all of life from conception to death. To survive her onslaught is to achieve success in the life of the hero pattern {your life}.
In your dream you are confronted by the 'darkness' of the psyche, yet despite the dangers you survive. A positive.

The second dream there is an attempt to deny the feminine. I suspect the feminine aspect here would be the passive condition that provides normality to your life. Rape is symbolic, as is the Police Officer
rape possibly symbolizing Feeling abused, disrespected, violated or drained at any level of your being.
Feeling overpowered, helpless, victimized

police officer representing structure, rules, and control}

Are these emotions that you experience off and on in your life? The dream reflects your true condition, consciously awareness and unconsciously unaware.

The third dream. The mental institution is your own mind. You threaten yourself with harm yet are able to overcome the threat with the magic of your own inner resources {refer back to Kali}. The magic could also refer to your medications.

keep the faith to maintain my magic abilities. As long as you use the prescribed medications you are keeping the faith. In a deeper sense, that of the hero pattern of myth, this would refer to the hero within you. Strength to continue the path {including the medications}, overcoming the darkness and finding the light within yourself.
Confusion. This is your life as you describe at different times. Playing the flute. The deeper creative aspect, the language of the soul that gets you past the 'zombies' within. There is daylight beyond the darkness. You are not frightened by the darkness, it is your own deep unconscious that holds all the secrets of who you are.

Yet the darkness on the outside {distinct from the inner darkness which is positive}. The place you are burning is a place within you. Guilt feelings due to the bipolar condition. Or the treat of not taking your medications?

Much of what i have stated above may be foreign to you. But again it may strike a cord since you are dwelling deep within the realms of the unconscious {bipolar conditions often take you to those deepest realms}. Let me know yor thoughts and perhaps we will gain more insights to your dreams and your condition.

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

hi Matt I read your post with interest and two books jumped to mind which i have found an valuable source of information, the first one -

Spiritual Emergency (Paperback)
by Stanislav Grof (Author)

Covers in detail various stages of life development and transformation, and how we respond to what seems to be intense spiritual experiences, and can be a very life affirming to read.

The second book The Stormy Search Grof & Grof for the Self Christina Grof writes with much experience on spiritual emergency, and in brief defines it as the dramtic, overwhelmong eruption of a larger perspective or spiritual experience in ones life in a way that disrupts it for a time, she breaks this experience down into experentially difficult stages of a profound psychological transformation that involve ones entire being, and which takes the form of non ordinary states of consciousnessinvolving intense emotions, visions and other sensory changes,
Stanislav grof writes "there exists increasing evidence that many individuals experiencing episodes of nonordinary states of consciousness accompanied by various emotional, perceptual, and psychomatic manifestations are undergoing an evolutionary crisis rather than suffering from a mantal disease" the recognition of this fact has important practical and theoretical consequences. If properly understood and treated as difficult stages in a natural developmental process process,these experiences, spiritual emergencies or transpersonal crisis can result in emotional and psychosomatic healing, personality transformation and consciousness evolution, this fact is reflected in the term of 'spiritual emergency' which suggests a crisis, but also suggests the potential for rising to a higher state of being.

Traditional psychiatry does not recognise the difference between mystical and pychotic experiences, in psychiatry all all unusual states of consciousness are essentially seen as pathological and attributed to anatomical, physiological and biochemical changes in the brain or other medical causes, there is no acknowledgement that any dramatic experential states involving chnages of consciousness could be potentially therapeutic and transformative,

But to be clear and to prevent misunderstanding it is important to emphasise that not every experience of unusual states of consciousness and intense perceptual, emotional, cognitive and psychosomatic changes falls into the category of spiritual emergency, However these books came to mind because of the nature and profound content of your dreams that suggest otherwise.

If you would like any further information I can email you a well cited article that I have which will give you a thorough overview of spiritual emergencies and the transpersonal crisis and reference many authors.

Also to help one distinguish the nature of ones predicament, there are many qualified counsellors who specialise in this particular field.

Good luck
Marce

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 35, uk

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

How Did You Find the Dream Forum? y

One other thought. What is your passion, your bliss? Could it be music {U2}. Perhaps your passion could be a link to overcoming your bipolar condition. Of course medications may always be necessary. They help balance the chemical imbalance that is the underlying cause to your mental state. Your passion, your bliss would be nature's remedy.

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

Hi Matt having pondered on your dreams during the day, I feel compelled to respond, the general thread of your dreams suggests that you are going through some very profound changes at this time which is part of your growth process.

Males in dreams often represent our own mind, attitudes or actions/behaviours, In your dream of witnessing a rape the male police officer seems to imply that some 'belief' you have is one that carries some level of authority in your life, and this external authority has been one you've believed will protect and serve you 'police officer'.

Authorites in our lives are those ideas, people, groups, structures etc to which we give over our power of self authority believing in that external structure as the best entity to serve our true needs. This never quite true however as giving our power over to something external puts in a victim role a role that is subordinate. However in our life growth we are always encouraged by our true self to take back investment in external authority so that we can become our own authority of what is happening to us on an inner level.

The above understanding of the symbology of a police officer I gleaned from someone with a wonderful eye for the inner life and its representation in dreams. With this understanding and your last post I am wandering if this relates to some investment of belief you have made outside yourself to some authority structure for example the medical world, doctors etc, as so many times in our lives we encounter situations where we need help only to place ourselves in a position of need and taking on external beliefs that ultimately are false or incorrect.

Your dream suggests that these masculine beliefs, ideas, behaviours is raping your feminine self 'heart' or threatening to do so, In our hearts we know what is right for us and what is true irrespective of the external popular opinion, to deny your own true self and your inner promptings is to give away your power to something that is ultimately placing you in a victim stance, and may cause you to feel vulnerable helpless and overwhelmed.

In our current culture the mind is a dominating force, and governs our current understanding in everything scientific, medical, the mind believes in progress and reason. The feminine aspect or principal relates to our intuition and our receptivity to our higher life and self, its voice is all knowing and guiding it is in essence an intelligence so pure and refined that to experience the true self can be a cosmic experience so profound that words are inadequate! to describe it. However it has been repressed for much time now and our newtonian mechanistic way of thinking is dominant in how we understand events, events that are not understood are either tossed out or put in the 'chemical imbalance' box. As I mentioned before there are many wonderful beings who have been working in this field for many years, stanislav grof a psychiatrist with an experience of almost thirty years of research in non ordinary states of consciousness and is presently a scholar in residence and member of the board of trustees at the esalen institute in Big Sur california. Christina Grof his wife whos main focus is on the relationship between mysticism and psychosis and has developed her therapy around the treatment of evolutionary or transpersonal crisis. She is also the founder of the spiritual emergency network (SEN) in Big Sur california.

Coming back to your dream what can been difficult to embrace or understand is that the dominating masculine authority stems from our fear, for example we fearful first and then choose things from out of that place of fear, such as placing our power of self authority in the hands of an external something, structure, group, individual, beliefs which we believe will 'protect and serve us' but the real answer is to face our fear inwardly and eliminate it, therby no longer needing protection. ONCE WE UNDERSTAND SOMETHING WE NO LONGER FEAR IT!

Your last part of the dream suggests that on some level you have taken some action in your life that has brought you 'back to your senses' what is true for you, you have taken your power back realising what has been happening. the ambulance signifies a truer place of protection and healing within the self of your 'victim' role part of this healing comes through our grief and crying is real an expression of coming into contact with our true feelings about what is going on inside, your feelings represented by the woman is reflecting on an inner level your own victim hood within some life situation has been or is being resolved, your going with your feelings riding wit them so to say which is therapeutic within itself.

As you read through this interp just see how it sits with you, if you get a sense of any truth of this or make any connection inwardly to weather this fits for you just make a note but dont try to force it to fit go with your gut instinct about what is right and what does not suit your present situation.

I must make a point that the initial prompt to interp your dream was based on 'MY' notion which does not make it a correct notion that the authority was representing the medical world of belief in a material existance only, however there are many avenues to explore where the authority as mentioned above can be related to any number of 'false beliefs' that is in someway 'raping' or attempting to 'rape' your feminine, emotional, intuitive self.
If it does fit with you i will be happy to delve into your fourth dream as well which reveals something of your spirituality and your relationship with your spiritual self at the moment.

Good Luck
Marce

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 35, uk

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

How Did You Find the Dream Forum? y

A funny thing

I was looking over the reply's
and as I was rereading my own post I realized I typed The month of march, I meant the month of Feburary. From there the dates should roll with the moon correctly.

but that is niether here nor there?

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 35 usa maine

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? no

Gerard,
Dream one
Appears to be pretty cut and dry in the symbolism department.
As far as reaching the depths of unconscious. I have always been a long time reader of the tao te ching. The darkness of the darkness and the mother of the females has been a long pondering thought. I wonder with the number six is that significant to finally reaching a personal/ spiritual goal. With seven being the final last mystical number???
Dream two
I am having a difficult time sorting that one out. I have a feeling to dive into that one, it would bring me more harm to display it on an open forum. I going to have to take some time on stew on that one.
Dream three
Let me start of with what I describe as my bliss....
I have always taken my manic episodes as a transcedencal experience. Just as they were happening I just was to young in mind, experience and wisdom to understand the altered state. With that in mind I needed medication to keep me from going back there. Because it is a long journey of weeks of highness. So I turned to drugs, to take me to a place somewhat like it but allowed me to come back down and still be socially responsible. ( To deal with the social dragon ). Needless to say drugs become a monkey on the back and end only empeding progress towards my goal. Alcohol mainly was the monkey. So my bliss has always been to get off of the drugs then my psych meds in a responsible way and face my mania- my greatest fear and my greatest passion. In order to do that I know I need to maintain soberity for a long period of time ( at least a year the acess before I attempt. But its very lonely without the energy, so its been a very slow final cut.
This is my immedite thought on all my dreams- take the next step foward, grow up, and face the mind of soberity.
Your interpertation makes sense. But the taking of medication is a lack of faith to me.
I have more to say but I think its going to take a week or more to come back with a informed response. I need to cross check with what little I do know of my unconciousness.
thanks for taking the time for interpertations.
What did I save myself? A 150 bucks or so.
peace

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 35 usa maine

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? no

Hi Marce,
Thanks for the reply.
I am familiar a little with madness and spritiual emergence. I own and I have read the book Healing the Split sub titled Integrating Spirit Into Our Understanding of the Mentally Ill. Written by a doctor that goes by the name of John E. Nelson. He mentions the Grof a few times with-in that book. I my self have never looked into the Grof. Seems right up my alley though. I would certainly like to recieve that email you mentioned.
This is some what an esotric topic. What's your back ground on the subject?
matt

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 35 usa maine

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? no

I was diagnosed bi-polar at the age of 19. Through much denial for the next 5 or 6 years I played with not taking medication. Now though my doctor's and I have found a perfect cocktail of drugs to sail me thru conciouness with no side effects as of yet. been on this cocktail for a good 5 years or more.
U2 in the dream signifys more of the poetry with in that specific song, I believe. Live for the day and what not. ( its a beutiful day dont let it slip away).
Ironic song in a dream, no doubt.
My bliss is the paradox. Which I explained in my reply to your dream interpertation. Any insight?
The funny thing is deep inside I know, I know. It's just F'in hard accepting.
I think I need to go over Joseph Campbell Hero myth again. I caught his Bill Moyers special and Its been years since I have fliped through his book relating to that special.
thanks matt
p.s. I have a book talking about of the 7 archtypes of Campbells hero myth. It seems I can relate to all of them through out my current life phase. Magician seeming the one I aspire to and most relate with, as we all do. But then I think well maybe its just my ego-mania wanting that and I am not really there are ready for it.

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 35 usa maine

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? no

Thats a very intresting interpertation.
Relating it with the events that is happening in my life presently.
I would however, place the police officer in the role of the Church, I have just started to attend. With this perspective the pieces of the puzzle began to fit, with-in dream #2
This is how.
I have gaurded my spiritual side with great strength. I rarely talk about with people I meet and If I do it barely scracthes the surface on to the depths I wish or am able to reach in conversation.

So perhaps the woman being raped is my guarded spiritual self which I am just begining to let people in and see my true self. Which I still have hesitation. After all I am a madman, And I have been taught to bury this reality. Also I am a practical person from a middle class up bringing, where New Age mumbo jumbo was mocked and treated as just that.

This church I must mention is the Unitarian Universalist. Easy going bunch, who basic principle is Respect.

This opening up of my spiritual side is some what of a rape of my once isolated inner self.
Which explains myself riding with the crying victim in the ambulance because I am ready to take the next step in opening up my spirt to others.
Wow
A lot to think about.
thanks matt

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 35 usa maine

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? no

Matt,
The relationship of your dreams to your waking life is a fundamental of Jungian dream interpretation. More accurately it is the relationship to your emotional life.

Yes, I can see where the church could be the 'authority' represented by the police officer { representing structure, rules, and control}. The treatment of New Age spirituality could be a stimulus for 'authority' metaphor?

The spiritual Self flows from the feminine aspect of the psyche, as does the creative {which is spiritual in that you 'give' of yourself when you create}.
If the context of the rape metaphor fits, and only you can discern if it does, then it becomes one piece of the dream puzzle to fits into place. It fits!
{and it is one criteria Jung used in determining whether an interpretation is correct, or at least taking the right direction}.

I was once a Unitarian. I've visited many different UU churches in Tennessee and Florida. Now when I feel the need to touch that deepest spiritual self I go into the woods, or visit a local waterfalls {Burgess Falls in Middle Tennessee}. A great place for the spiritual Self. Much more to ofter to the psyche than the dogma associated with most churches.
My first visit to a UU church they had injured birds, a hawk, an eagle and an owl, as the central theme of the service. You could feel the spiritual energy to these beautiful animals. We all are a part of the whole, no separation. Most UU churches have a close identity with Native American spirituality. They have more of a Humanist approach.

Dream psychology. It makes you think a lot. And the thoughts are directed as much to the inner as the outer. The inner Self holds the real secrets. The secrtes are about the outer. Dreams introduce one to the other.

Such is the philosophy of Jung and Campbell. It fits with who I am. I have a keen sense there is a fit with you also.

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

Hi Matt

Thanks for your feedback. It takes great courage and strength to open up to our inner self and let others in, the church sounds like a safe place to do this, when we have such systems of support in place our growth can take leapes and bounds.

I have looked for the article I mentioned and realise I dont have it saved on my system but do have a hard copy, which I can send via snail Mail if you like. If you still want to receive it just send your address details to my email address marchelou@hotmail.com bearing in mind it may take a few days as I am in the U.K

All the Best Marce

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 35, uk

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

How Did You Find the Dream Forum? y