Ericka,
Again, don't take my last post as refutation of any experiences or abilities you may have with 'spirit world'. Although I do not have a belief in most of what is described as 'spirits' I don't entirely dismiss the possibilities. What I do believe is that anything that 'is', is within the confines of what is within nature. I believe in the natural world and there is so much we do not understand about that. We need only look at the new discoveries we are making in the underworld oceans. That vast world has barely been explored and the possibilities of what is there will probably continue to amaze us. But even there I see what ever is there is within the scope of the natural world. If there is a God it is within nature and to accurately name it we would have to change the vocabulary from masculine to the feminine. As in Mother Earth.

Back to your dream. I won't comment on all of it because we have covered those parts that address the spirit world and my take on those possibilities. I do wish to comment on what I see in teh dream that does fit with you are, as you have described yourself.

From your comments it was not hard to assess that you are African American. And we know you are female. But the dream's description of the 'heavyset/full figured black woman with long thick hair with beautiful thick waves' would not usually be a dead pan description of the dreamer. After reading your dream with full focus today it became apparent this was you as a strong willed black woman. That came through from the language 'long thick hair with black waves'. I often see hair in dreams as associated with intellect. The black waves is less about the color of your hair or skin as it is about a personality that is afraid to make 'waves'. This is an unconscious or inherent aspect {anything black is often addressing the deep unconscious} that I sensed as being about personality. I often see personality traits with dreams, something I began to realize with the past year or so. The red dress also says something about your personality. Passionate, red about your beliefs, and yourself. Self confidence.
But there seems to be a negative to this aspect of your personality. You can not see your feet. Feet are what you stand on, the foundations that make who you are. I see that coming primarily from childhood. My research has shown that the first years of life are the most important in development. My post from August 29th, New Study-Our personalities may be set as early as 1st grade supports this proposition. Rob Reiner's I Am Your Child campaign in California which advocates the first years of childhood development as being the most important also supports this proposition as do many other recent studies. It is no wonder dreams provide information about these influences, often showing children in some form or degree within a dream. These need not be traumatic experiences in life but merely formative impressions the psyche retains from early life influences and experiences. These influence/experiences are often the foundations of the adult life. Going back over the past year when I saw such images relating to childhood and presenting the possibilities in my interpretations, the response to them have been positive. That is why I believe your dream has focused to some degree and for some reason on your childhood.

The childhood experiences as well as personality traits I sense in dreams are patterns I see often in dreams and have been confirmed in responses to my interpretations. I don't know what Jung thought about these possibilities, I have to read any info on that. But because dreams do betray patterns of emotional behavior it is only proper to believe this is an aspect of the dream we can look for. The more I work with dreams, especially in the last two years {a time when subtle changes came about in my life that I sensed would lead me to higher understanding/realizations} the more insights I understand about the function of dreams. The past two years have been a time when I left the confines of secluded existence and returned to the world of social obligations {returning to fulltime management of my fence construction business I had passed to my son who moved to Orlando and started up an new fence construction business}. This is all a 'defined' part of the cycle of the hero journey, the evolving phases in my life. In Jungian psyche it is known as the Individuation Process. You probably don't recognize it, at least not in the vocabulary I use here, but you are engaged in that same process. The link I provided about teh shadow is a part of that self examination process.

"This wasn't about death (Kali) or sacrifice (Jesus) this was about understanding, acceptance and synthesis of knowledge."
That may well be but the spiritual journey is all about death and resurrection as well as sacrifice. Just when you think you have reached the highest plateau of your spiritual awareness something will bring you back down to reality and you realize you are but in one stage of many stages. Those stages continue until the very last stage, the ultimate stage of death and transition {transition to what or where is another debate of religious ideas and beliefs}.

There is a quote learned from Joseph Campbell that I hold close because it does keep me grounded. "He who knows doesn't know. He who doesn't know knows." A strong personality along with a lot of new realizations is a formula for not knowing as much as you think you know. I was there when I was in my mid 40s. There are so many different experiences in each of our lives that we must work through when we get to that mid-life stage it is a difficult road to travel without 'falling off the path'. And again, just when we think we have rounded the most difficult turns in that road we are met with new challenges that provide new realizations, not only about ourselves but of universal truths that enlighten the soul as well as the senses. The wise old woman or wise old man will eventually show itself, if not in your dreams then in some other fashion or form. Pay great attention to this wisdom aspect because it is a learning experience that will elevate you over an important threshold. The hero path is a model to live life by, a psychological journey that will bring about balance and harmony in life. And that ultimate goal of finding the Holy Grail is a realization that was 'within' you all the time. In Jungian psyche the Holy Grail is the spiritual soul. The myths in all culture speak of it. We need only realize the metaphorical reference in each to understand the universal symbol as it relates to the individual soul.

Recommended reading: The Hero’s Journey
A Campbellian Look at the Metaphorical Path to Personal Transformation

Jerry

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 60 Murfreesboro, Tn

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Thanks for those responses Jerry. It is great to know where the insight of my interpreter comes from. I respect you opinion. Please know that, first and foremost, or I wouldn't be here discussing this dream with you. It was very personal for me on so many levels.

I am not unfamiliar with Jung. I have watched films on him and have read a few books as well. I respect his theories, but I always felt as if there was something more. My own interpretation comes from the interpreted symbolism of other figures who also have been impacted by his teachings. No, I do not discount them, nor your interpretation. However, I realized that some of the feelings of the dream cannot be expressed verbally to lend to my reasons for insistence. Nevertheless, by my accounts, we both are right! Our thoughts together provide the perfect synthesis of what I feel to be true. There is much psychology there, but there is spirituality as well.

I really appreciate your insight. I, too, fell in love with Gnostic philosophy, cosmogony, and spirituality, and the book of Thomas is one of my favs. To hear that we share so many of the same opinions and foundations helps me to integrate what you say with what I feel.

There is a saying that goes:
If a man knows not, and knows not that he knows not, shun him; if a man knows not and knows that he knows not, teach him; but if a man knows and knows that he knows, follow him.

I feel as if, in this case, I am the second man and you are the third. Sixty years of knowledge is too much to dismiss and I appreciate your wealth in that area and thank you for sharing it with me. That is why I came and am sure to come again.

Your interpretation has opened many avenues of thought into my situation. Hopefully in time you will *SEE* the impact of your interpretation of this particular dream. For,as you said, once I have found my foundation, stabilize my thinking, and become determined in my position, there IS a great spiritual transformation that is due to occur. The old me will die out, sacrificed for the new life I will have been granted for great spiritual work.

Thank you so much.

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 38- Ok, Ca

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

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