Hello everyone - I had a dream last week that I would like to get some feedback on.

I am sleeping in my bed and awake to the sound of a bird flying in my room. I assume that the bird got in through an open window, so I just lay there thinking that the bird will eventually find its way out. However, the bird flies into my closet, and up into an opening in the ceiling. Now I know that if I don't help the bird out, it will die in my attic. And I didn't want that to happen.

My boss is now lying in bed next to me. (In real life, my realtionship with him is absolutely platonic. In the dream, it was completely normal that he was in the bed with me - as if we were a married couple.)

He says "oh you don't have to get up. I will turn off the vent fans in the attic, so that the bird will be able to fly out." Then he reaches over and flips a switch.

I'm not convinced that he's right - and I'm also wondering if he flipped the switch in the right direction. So I decide to get up anyway and climb into the attic.

Once I get up there, I am immediately surprised by how clean and neat the attic is. There is no dust and it's brightly lit. I lay on the floor on my stomach to look at the air vents - I was right - the vents were still on. However, there is no sign of the bird.

As I continue to look around the room, there is a row of bodies sleeping on the floor on blankets - actually two rows of bodies. The people aren't dead - they are just sleeping deeply - but I intuitively know that they will not easily wakened (like they are in a coma). I also get the impression that the people got there individually over time. I find it so strange that the people were sleeping in neat rows, side by side.

I walk to another side of the room and find some photographs. They are pictures of the same attic but from the past - years and years ago - not sure of exact timing.

The pictures were taken by a man with the intent of exposing what was happening in the attic. The pictures were of animals that were diseased or sick b/c a young woman was keeping the animals in the attic for too long - and not taking proper care of them. The one photo that I studied a lot, was of a pig who had wounds on its skin - but the pig looked like a drawing of a pig from a children's book (as opposed to a real pig). End of dream.

Here's what I get from the dream: the bird is a vessel that encourages me to explore my subconscious (represented by the attic). The comatose people are different aspects of myself that are dormant. The photos are telling me that I (the young woman) have abused myself (the animals) by keeping things inside - perhaps by not releasing stored emotions. I am assuming that since the photos were taken in the past, that I should interpret it as the past in my waking life.

What I still don't understand is why everything is so neat and clean in the attic - even to the point where people were sleeping in neat rows. I'm also curious why the photo of the pig stands out to me - does that mean that some part of me views/viewed myself as a pig? Also, since my boss was in the beginning of the dream, would that imply that this dream has some kind of connection to my job? I will admit that I have lots of stress at the office currently.

Thanks for your input

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 30, TX

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? yes

drshell,
Good to have you back. It has been awhile since we have had the privilege of your company.

After reading your dream and writing an interpretation, and then reading your assessment of the dream, I agree with your interpretation. Outside the possibility of a waking experience with your 'boss', your assessment seems to fit. And if it fits you have to wear it.

As for the neat rows of bodies. Perhaps that is a statement of how you handle past experiences. Putting them in rows to be dealt with later. Sleeping, stored past experiences. The pig could represent many possibilities. These would most likely be traits, or how you handle a particular situation. There are wounds in the skin {your skin} of the pig thus it may indicate behavioral or personality traits formed in childhood that carry over to adulthood. It may involve how you handle situations as an adult.

The stress from your job may be a catalyst for something deeper, and how you neatly handle the 'bodies' having to do with emotional conflicts. How do you handle stress? Do you lock them away, perhaps an avoidance of them {children would often lock away bad experiences so not to have to face them}. This dream may be about this aspect of self as much as it is about the stresses you encounter in life, how to handle them.

Jerry

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 59 Murfreesboro, Tn

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

Thanks for the welcome and your reply, Gerard. Interesting how you asked how I managed stress. When I told a friend about the dream, she was not surprised by the idea that I probably neatly store everything inside. I supposed the dream is reemphasizing that I need to continue to release emotions - and not bottle everything in.

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 30, TX

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? yes