I have a new apartment for $400 or so a month. I've moved in but I can't identify the furnishings or what is even in the apartment. The space is small and windowless but seems efficient, although sparce. The floor and walls are made of concrete. Kind of like an unfinished basement. I leave to find the landlord and as I wander the building, I see there are other small apartments tucked away in small, unexpected places. I run into a female friend (old college chum who is begging me in waking life to visit her) and take her back to my apartment to show it to her. When I walk in, there are new things hanging on the walls as art/sculpture and the entire back of the apartment is now a pond, with running water and islands. The ceiling above the pond is way high so you can't see it but there is natural daylight pouring down onto the pond. I think the pond is an interesting touch except for the possible critters it would house. My friend and I leave and I again look for the landlord. She tells me the rent is in the $600 range which doesn't faze me. I go back to the apartment and there is what looks like an ardvark and a big black dog. Both are menacing and scary to me. I feel there are other animals in the apartment too but am focused on the dog. The dog starts to yawn and I shove a dish brush in his mouth and leave the apartment. I wake up.

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 56 yrs and GA

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Lisa,
I had broken the dream into an interpretation of the different symbols trying to determine what 'new' part/aspect of you {apartment} the dream is trying to communicate. The last part of the dream, those about art and sculpture, and past female friend seems to be pointing at one aspect, the apartment in question, that was once a part of your life and is now again becoming an interest to you. Have you recently given thought to creative aspects? In today's world it is so hard to concentrate on such aspects because of the social demands {one of which is paying rent that keeps increasing}. The dogs/animals may represent those outside forces that keep you from being that creative person you seek to be. Or/and they could represent emotional aspects {big black dog} that gets in the way of this most important aspect of Self. An Aardvark is an animal that must dig for its food {emotional/creative nourishment}. Along with the 'yawning dog' the last part of the dream may suggest you need to try harder to discover ways to access this creative aspect, more digging/effort is required.

This new apartment is a new discovery or rediscovery of some aspect in your life. If not the creative then some other emotional aspect. What recent experiences are new in your life? What does the 'old friend' possess, or that particular time in your life when you knew her, what experiences then may be something you wish for now?

Jerry

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Thank you for responding. I'd like to think about it for a bit. One thing I forgot to include was that when my friend and I walked into the apartment and saw the pond there, there was a banner that stretched across the (lower) ceiling with a gigantic 1 (one) hanging in the middle of it. BTW, the ardvark is a little misleading..it had a white head and dark body but its head was shaped a bit like an oppossum..nose pointed outward..but the head was all white fur, kind of long, very soft looking. I thought the dog was opening his mouth to bite me or snarl so I stuffed the dish brush in his mouth but later realized he was just yawning. Feel free to reply to these additional details while I work on what you've given me so far to think about. Lisa

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My college friend recently called me and expressed a very needy, pathetic almost, request to visit her in Oct. at her cabin in NH. I don't want to go b/c I think she is negative and bitter. Beneath that though is the real issue that is building up which is that I don't want to see my old boyfriend who lives roughly 20 miles or down the road from her cabin. He reconnected with me a year ago and while I do love and enjoy him over the phone, his face, habits and lifestyle repulse me, with his appearance the biggest stumbling block. This seems a very shallow thing to say but aesthetics (beauty) have always been important to my sense of well-being. Lately, I've wanted to redecorate my space ..something I greatly enjoy..but it's expensive and I shouldn't spend the money. I think the new apartment in the dream with concrete, indescrible furnishings in the beginning represent my shy/cold/lonely feelings lately (possible the wall I put up against love and commitment)OR it is wanting clean, uncluttered state of being (please help with this). I don't understand what the pond (water) represents unless a redecorating/creative symbol (?) and perhaps the mean animals aren't really mean at all but represent the economy and my frustration with nothing changing or hope of change (house won't sell, can't relocate, no new job, etc.). One thing my old boyfriend has allowed me to "rediscover" is how nice it is to have someone to love and have in my corner. If he were attractive to me, this would be a different story..seems so superficial of me but I just can't go there. Any more feedback given the above greatly appreciated.

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Lisa,
Not enough time at the moment to comment broadly on your response. Your description of what you think the dream may mean sounds very much how someone who is in their 20s or early 30s might interpret the dream. What someone at that early age does not focus is the past. What someone your, or my age, have are accumulated experiences in life. From the early 40s to the late 50s those our age are at a point in life when it is normal to reflect on those emotional energies, those most important experiences that do still possess emotional energy. It is called the mid-life thing, or for those deep in emotional sorrows, crisis. A younger person's focus is on building the ego/personality, different time of life, different properties. Normally they would not be focused on the deeper issues unless there is severe emotional need to do so.

Are there deeper issues the dream 'COULD' be addressing? Jung says there are at least two interpretations to the dream. Your response does seem to show the ego life is still in the control mold. Does such things {those things in your interpretation} fit with who you are, that great interest the social being?

My experience is dreams CAN reveal personality, issues and traits. I have had experiences with a dream where I thought I saw personality issues/traits, mentioned it, and learned later they were probably correct assumptions. I guess it is a response to Jung's personality typing, something that is probably the most accepted theory in that field of science.

If indeed true, as it seems to be, it could provide great insights to the personality of the dreamer, just by interpreting their dreams. If there is one thing dreams do is 'REVEAL'. Very helpful for someone who is deeply analyzing another person.

Dreams can be so fascinating.

Jerry

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When you have the time, please help me more with this dream. I'm not sure what you mean by "ego life" being still in control but if that was to pass when I was in my 20s or 30s, it didn't happen because I focused 90% of my life on work during those years. I could hide behind it instead of getting involved (socially or emotionally).

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Lisa,
This is what seems to be coming through in your dream. Locking yourself away in your work, and thus not letting the wholeness of diversity have a place in your life, the 'ego self' had pretty much won out. Not giving some room for emotions, which is the opposite, and problem for most, of letting the emotions control you, may have left yourself devoid of necessary tools that provide a balanced life.

But there seems to be an existing problem having to do with your interpretation of your dream. If in fact your interpretation fits, then it is a mirror of your waking life, in the present. My sense is your interpretation is about the past and not the present. That is why I made the statement the interpretation was more in line with what a person in their 20s or early 30s would fit. Your dreams are about you and focus on the emotional aspects in the present time {which includes all the accumulated emotional experiences that had enough 'psyche' energy to be stored away in the unconscious}. I guess in summary I was questioning your interpretation because from my experience it wasn't something that would fit someone your age but would fit someone in their 20s or early 30s.

I go back to my original interpretation and point to the 'apartment' representing a new place in your life. The sculpture/art would be that metaphysical aspect that 'should' be a part of your life to provide balance. If your 'whole' has been devoid of emotion and all work then the dream is pointing to the need to include this 'other' side of life. You need to create 'room' in your life for the emotions, but not to the point they are controlling. For most the problem is unconscious controlling emotions from past experiences. But since you lived your life trying hard not to have such emotions, it may be the lack of them is the problem.

Getting back to personality. If this is true about a lack of emotions that could very well be reflected in your personality. How would you describe yourself? Look at yourself as a third person and then see how they might see you {usually this is different from your own perception of self}. Would you be someone who seemed void of emotions? My experience in working with dreams is they do often provide insights to the dreamer's personality. If this is true, the knowledge could be of use for the dreamer since it would provide insights that the person may not have noticed or acknowledged. Dreams are therapeutic and try to help the dreamer understand what is 'out of balance' in the dreamer's life. By doing this the dream provides a healing because the knowledge provided gives the dreamer tools to change what needs to be changed, or make improvements where needed.

If you could provide insights to how life has been over the past 10-15 years that may help clarify questions about the dream, and you. Also your interpretation. From what formula or theory were you using to come up with the interpretation. It isn't Jungian. It does sound to be Freudian but because there is no mention of possible sexual aspects that may not fit entirely with his theories on the dream.

Jerry

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I think you nailed it. I am certainly void of emotion toward my current boyfriend from HS and it is bothering me a lot. He is very kind and manages me well..doesn't push but always there. I know we wouldn't work as a marriage but he is a really good friend at the moment although I don't feeIf I completely let him go, but if he goes away, I don't have much left to be emotional about, I guess. Moving on, when trying to piece the dream together I used the MDS Dream Dictionary at the top of this site and looked up "apartment" (layer of unconscious that represents ego life. An aspect of the ego self. One part of the whole self. Room for growth). "#1" (unity, oneness--conscious and unconscious integrated). "Animals" = parents (I didn't write it all down). "Water" (unconscious, emotions, attitudes that are hidden that want to be made conscious, emotional energy, common symbol for fertility, growth, creative potential. Also symbol of psychic energy (free flowing or stagnant). So, reading through these, your theory seems to fit. Thanks for the insight. It's given me some things to think about.

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