I'm back at the place I went to college. It's the second day of classes, but I forgot all about going the first day. I think I am signed up for courses, but I don't know what they are. My husband reminds me about my classes. I'm on the top floor of the main classroom building. I need to go down to the main floor to register, but I'm afraid of the staircase. Its ceiling is very low, and the space is small, like a tunnel. To go down the stairs I will have to either crawl or sit on the steps and slide down. I choose to slide down. Before I start down the stairs two silver-haired professor types come up out of the stairwell. One forgets to bend down and runs full speed into the jamb at the top of the stairwell. These professors pay me no attention. It's nighttime, and I'm not sure if registration will still be open. Also, I'm very scared that I'll be in trouble with my teachers for missing the first classes. And I'm scared that I'll have already fallen impossibly far behind. I arrive downstairs in a large open room, and there are women at registration tables. My husband gets help from these women to sign me up for my classes. They find my name on the list. Then I'm walking in front of bleachers full of people who seem to be students. One nerdy guy remembers me. I'm thinking, I'm too old to be here. The students will be so much younger. I want to drop out. I want to go home. I don't have to finish college. I walk out of the building and past the library. But the library is dark and empty, as if they don't use it anymore. This surprises me because it used to be a busy place.

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 56 PA

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Hi Harriett

I am sure the others will put in their thoughts, but what struck me about this dream is it seems to be talking about your learning more about yourself. Could the floors represent your life. You are on the top floor, but need to go down to the bottom floor to ‘register’, ie delve into your past to initiate the learning.

But you are afraid to do this. You are afraid to initiate the journey by descending (into yourself?) To go down you will either have to crawl (perhaps treading carefully – taking a long time) or sit and slide down (almost throw yourself down – immerse yourself in the experience – taking a short time).

You decide to slide down. Perhaps the motivation behind this is shown in your other fear, you fear it is too late. You fear you will not have the support of your inner guides because you have missed your previous opportunities to initiate this learning? You are scared you have already fallen impossibly far behind…

You compare yourself to the others who are undertaking the classes and they all seem younger than you. You feel out of place, you want to drop out. You feel you don’t have to finish college (learning about yourself). Hmm, the refusal of the call?

I think this is the symbol of the library (of you – swiped that one off Kristi, that works a treat). The library (storage of knowledge) is dark and empty. You don’t use it anymore, it used to be a busy place (of you). You are surprised. Perhaps a little sad?

Just out of interest, have you been following others journeys on this forum, such as Kristi (like I have)? Could this be reflective of the other students in the college, who’s ages are all displayed in each post? If you are, do you feel that you are passed the opportunity to undertake such a journey yourself?

Does that make any sense?

Sweet dreams,
Rook

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 27 - Perth, Western Australia

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HI Rook,

Thanks for your help with my dream. Yes, what you wrote does make sense. I hadn't thought about sliding down the steps as the quickest way down, but that seems right. I thought of it as being the way that feels safest to me; this is true in waking life if I'm going down steep, scary stairs.

I didn't associate the other students with younger people in this forum. Age just seems so irrelevant to this kind of inner work, and, at least consciously, I haven't felt that I am past the opportunity to undertake such a journey, especially since I've already been on this journey for a long time.

I don't see the college in the dream (or in waking life) as a positive place-- for me, anyway. There may be something in the dream about the female qualities being there to help me (register me) whereas the male qualities (the professors) were aloof. They were also on the top floor and the women were on the bottom floor. The library could also be a negative symbol of the sort of institutional knowledge represented by that college. Thanks for helping me to sort it out. Harriett

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 56 PA

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