I'm standing in line in a cafeteria setting. That is, it looks just like a cafeteria, but there is no food. I have donated two paper cups of blood, and I'm carrying them through the line. Each cup is about half full of blood. A woman working there looks at my blood and tells me to go immediately to the front of the line because my blood is valuable. They'll use my blood right away. It's type A. But first, she mixes milk into one of the cups of blood. This makes is useable. The woman reminds me of the woman who prepares communion at our church in waking life.

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 56 PA

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

How Did You Find the Dream Forum? Yes

Harriet,
A place that serves up nourishment yet has no food to offer. That is most likely symbolic of some aspect of your life where you are not receiving or have not received the proper nourishment you need/desire. The blood may represent life's energy and your 'cup' is half full.

To what extent this nourishment is pertaining to is the question. Milk is often symbolic of the 'mother's milk', maternal instincts/love. It can also represent human kindness and wholesomeness. Perhaps you are needing to add something to your life that makes it more 'usable', or gives your life more meaning. Since the lady providing the milk is from your church there may be an element of spiritual nourishment involved.

What is it that is lacking in your life? Do you have children {I would assume they would be adults}? It may be you are looking back and realizing what you are now missing in your life, those experiences of your younger years that sustained you. That happens often when we get past the age of 45, looking back and trying to determine the meaning of it all.

If you do not have children the dream may be addressing feelings of having a 'cup half full' because of not having children. Two cups could represent duality, the opposing forces we all confront in life. Raising children would provide real meaning. If you had children it may be you miss those things in that endeavor that providing 'reason' in living.

If it is connected to spiritual aspects then perhaps the dream is addressing a lack of spiritual nutrition. Spiritually your cup is half full. Adding milk is to add more compassion and kindness to your life, definitely a spiritual endeavor.

Let me know your thoughts as to what you see in your life as being 'half full'.

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

Harriet,
If your dream is focusing on life after 45 the page below may provide insights to why we have these feelings of a 'cup half full' after mid-life.

Individuation

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

Hi Harriett,

I've some thoughts/another twist as to what it may be reflecting that I'd like to add to Jerry's.

A cafeteria is a social/community setting. So, something concerning a sense of giving ("life" [blood] nourishment) socially, in the larger community, but not receiving, maybe...?

Have you a concern of empty returns in giving? Have you felt this way in the past? That you gave yourself away, worked hard, or gave much, but did not feel yourself fulfilled in doing so? If so, it might be addressing this belief. Of course, as you know, you would then need to root out where this belief originated.

Does the satisfaction / sustenance that is born of giving and sharing come from outside? And, if we saw it as coming from inside, from Love, for the sake of Love and Service, would there be a sense of empty returns?

I wonder if the woman worker (who is some advising aspect of your own self) is truly making a statement about what it is that you do give or have to give...to share...to offer, to others. That it is valuable!

Might it be you who does not see your value? And she (the "communion worker") is compensating for this, bringing this to consciousness, trying to help you to correct this? May this be the statement on the two half cups? And "communion?"...Within you? Of you? Which could then be reflected without? For, if you poured one of the two into the other, "One" would be "Full." Is she trying to help you bring two sides/parts of yourself together (into communion)?

How do you see/perceive the real life communion worker? Do you feel she enjoys/serves in her communion role for the sake of serving (selflessly)? Would you like to perform/partake in serving the Eucharist? How do you feel about "communion" itself? The eating (assimilating) of the body and the blood of Love (Christ)? I feel it can be a very profound and powerful ceremony/ritual.

Is she encouraging you to make yourself useful ... usable? Through believing in your value? Through marrying these two half/separate parts of yourself into one whole. If so, the key to doing this would seem to rest in the milk, the nurture from "Self" (as I continue to be reminded that she serves the "Eucharist") to self.

That is a lot of questions for your consideration for such a short dream, but it took me on these lines of thought/possibility...

What were your "feelings" regarding the empty cafeteria and the woman, in the dream space?

Kristi

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 43, Kansas

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

Jerry and Kristi,

Thanks for your help with this dream. It seems like a very important dream to me. Although I do have grown children, I don't really feel that this dream is related to them. I feel that it's related to the church. I made a link between the cafeteria with no food and the church (which I left two and a half years ago), especially since the woman in charge of the line was someone from the church. It fits that the cafeteria, an institutional way of serving food, was not serving any food at all but was instead a place where I had to stand in line to give something vital, my blood. I don't even remember feeling surprised or resentful that there was no food-- it was more like "Well, what's new? This is the way it always is." I had no idea what my blood was being used for but I was willing to stand in a stupid line to hand it over.

I will read the link about individuation. This is probably relevant.

The feeling of giving my life blood but not getting anything in return is definitely linked to the church, although the feeling was more this-- giving my life blood but they don't want it. The feeling was that what I had to give, they didn't value or want. So in a way that would fit with "empty returns." Yes, in a way Kristi is right; I gave and didn't feel fulfilled because what I gave was considered to be of no value. That's why I was surprised that the woman in the dream said my blood was type A and that it is valuable and usable.

I will keep thinking about how the "communion" woman could be trying to correct the way I do not see my value. I did feel a definite link to communion in this dream. In the dream I accepted the woman's authority. I felt validated by her saying that my blood was valuable and usable, and I believed that she knew what she was talking about. But I still had the feeling that I was being directed somewhere in an institutional line without having any idea where I was going or knowing what they would even want to use the blood for. I couldn't see where the line was leading so I had this feeling of blindly following orders.

I just noticed that another dream that same night continued the communion theme. I'm in a cathedral-like setting. It's before church starts. The most powerful woman in my former church sees me and tries to delay me. She wants to keep me there until the service starts. I have a small child with me. I'm trying to get out of the cathedral before anybody sees me. There are bread crumbs scattered on the floor.

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 56 PA

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

How Did You Find the Dream Forum? Yes