The Psychology of Dreams<>On Line Since 2012

Jungian/Psychology Based [ GO ]

www.powerofdreams.net

Dream Forum
[Since 2005]
Myths-Dreams-Symbols    www.mydrsy.com    Since 1998
The Dream is to The Psyche

As the Immune System is to the body

Dream Analysis/Interpretation by Dream Analyst Gerald Gifford
Read: Methodology I Use in Analyzing Dreams,,,,,Based on Jungian Psychology
5000+ Dreams
    /a>
Interpreted
Please Support My
Rescue Kitty Fund

Click the Kitty

FREE INTERPRETATIONS: Please Provide Age/Gender For Proper Analysis.....Follow-up Response to Analysis Requested
By submitting your dream you have read & agree to our Disclaimer/Privacy Policy

The Dream Forum is Closed
Private Interpretations Available-E-Mail: mythsdreams@hotmail.com
Power of Dreams/MDS Dream Forum
Start a New Topic 
Author
Comment
Jean Raffa-Working on a Dream About Individuation-Continued

I have created pages {3} at Myths-Dreams-Symbols covering the whole dream, interpretations and comments to Jean's dream. The first page is Working on a Dream About Individuation.



A Review of the Dream & Interpretation
Here is Jean's dream, her summary, my interpretation and summary of how I approached the dream. To see the original dream and my interpretation go to Dream Forum-Working on a Dream About Individuation. You may want to open it in another window so to view it as make my review.

Let me state upfront that my interpretation of some of the symbols in Jean's dream are from hindsight. I do not normally try to interpret every symbol within a dream, instead I look for patterns or symbols that point toward a pattern. The first part of any dream is most important and Jean's dream does fit this pattern. Knowing Jean's final assessment of the dream let me look at those symbols I had not originally gave a definition to and pen what I see as verifying the primary dream message. If it fits, as Jung would say, it must be a good interpretation. Only the dreamer in the final analysis knows whether it does or not.

First Paragraph
I’m at a social gathering in a large square rooftop deck of an apartment building. I’m holding an empty clear plastic cup and want to fill it with water but there isn't any here. A protective railing surrounds the platform. I step over the railing on the right side to get to the water.

Interpretation of symbols: What led me first to the impression of an 'outer' ego event were the words and terminology social gathering, plastic, platform and right side. This was a 'first impression', what I considered as an intuitive sensing. I usually take these intuitive impressions as a 'truth' and go from there, Seldom do I deviate from those impressions and they always seem to be correct.

A social gathering alone would not necessarily mean a recent waking event to do with 'social' aspects. But when the word 'plastic' soon followed the intuitive impression began to take form. Plastic to me suggests something not authentic. Something not authentic leads away from the inner aspects and to the outer. Instead of the spiritual condition that would normally be the primary focus of Jean's dreams {Jean is 'spiritual to the bone without question} I saw the ego self being a focus. The platform, a term by itself not indicative of the ego waking life, then suggested to me this was an outer extension of Jean's psyche. Opposite the 'hero/heroine journey of the 'left hand path' Jean's unconscious {water} was addressing the right side, the social aspect of ego.

The opening statement in a dream, according to guidelines set forth by Jung as a rule-of-thumb', set the stage of what is the central conflict the dream is wishing to communicate. My experience is this is true to a great degree {the penning of the dream being done so in proper sentence structure of paragraphs} although not always so, possibly due to how the dream is presented. What I got from my first impressions were a statement of an outer ego experience/event. That set the stage to what that event/experience could be.
Keeping in mind that in my view the best a person can do when interpreting a dream is read the periphery of the dream and seldom name an actual event or experience.

Second Paragraph
A runway ramp is much like a hallway in that it leads the conscious to the unconscious and its contents. With the words rising, out far beyond and the rooftop I see a statement about the 'thinking mind, processes to do with the thinking self as opposed to other aspects like spiritual/creative. This lends itself to an outer event/experience and fits with the first paragraph and its pointing to an outer event.

But things begin to turn.

The silver metal railings point to something that 'keeps' someone within the confines of 'safety'. Silver would represent the feminine. Metal is material of strength. Railings is what one holds onto for security. Ms X, I assumed to be an actual named person in the dream that Jean wished not to name, was involved in a 'creative' endeavor. It is 'against the right railing'. The question in the dream 'what I'm doing' is a communication with the self, Jean asking herself this question. I thought of the cup as symbolic of the 'half full/half empty' and it is pointing to something within the unconscious {water}. It is 'a place she can not go'. A 'silly place'. These point to something 'outside' {right railing} the realm of spirituality but within the confines of a spiritual existence. Jean is 'spiritual to the bone' but what she is confronted with is something outside those normal experiences. It is a 'silly' thing, aspects that she would not normally go. Living 'within the spiritual realm' the place outside that would be 'ego related'. Not necessarily her ego but confronted by ego experiences of others.

This is the event/experience I sensed from the dream. An outer event experienced by a 'to the bone' spiritual person. Perhaps not a 'usual' experience for someone who so spiritual.

Third Paragraph

Looking beyond her is looking beyond 'herself' {Jean. The 'narrowing' is a fixing the sight on what the experience dream is attempting to communicate. It involves an 'elimination' {bathroom] of something that has to do with something of purity {all white}. Jean is that purity. At first sight this seemed to be a contradiction until I looked at it as reference to something that needs to be purged from Jean's psyche. The door opens to these unconscious influences, of the ego experiences. There is the spiritual person on the left that seeks to eliminate anything 'ego' related {negatives and on the right, the outer ego life need to cleanse these negatives {sink}. Her back is against the wall due to these negative influences. This could also be a statement of the unconscious {back} has met a barrier {wall} that must be addressed and reconciled.

The water fountain would be an 'unconscious sensitivity' to the ego events/experiences. The unconscious conflicts are negatives and would cause Jean to ponder whether these emotional conflicts are something she wishes to have in her life.
A person of strong spiritual strength Jean isn't afraid of the usual norms the social dragon throws at her {it is helpful to know of personal qualities the dreamer possesses when interpreting a dream}. She has that 'natural' protection afforded anyone who consciously engages in the 'hero journey'. This is 'one thing' the hero/heroine can always 'hang' onto no matter the dragons that come up in life.

But there will always be new events/experiences in life that test this resolve. The lower of the rails, her normal protection {left}, threatens those foundations {foot height}. The first thought, albeit it unconscious, is to eliminate these emotional conflicts connected to the ego experience.

The inner self is always safe. But the outer self has a beginning and an ending and it is the emotional aspects that bring about the fear. Gusty winds represent turmoil and conflict, she could lose that balance she has built in her life {the Individuated Self}.



End of Dream Interpretation

As it turns out there was an event Jean had experienced a couple of weeks prior to the dream that was indeed a focus of the dream. There is no doubt the dream was addressing spiritual aspects but probably to a lesser extent to this 'outer' emotional event. And it does turn out this experience/event had to do with Twitter, the social media. Part of my reasoning that it was a social event the dream was focusing on had to do with my own experiences with the social media and this naturally/intuitively came to mind with this dream. It just fit with what I 'felt' to be a correct assumption of the dream.
Here is the link to Jean's summary of her dream .

The intuitive mind can be a great asset to possess when developed and used to its potential. We all have this aspect since it is an 'inherent' quality of the psyche. The ability to access this 'natural' quality is a plus and important when working with dreams and the psyche. Given that, along with a lifetime of experiences I can use in so many ways when working with dreams, I am blessed to have found my bliss. Having sages like Jean to learn from has provided me with even greater tools in my working with dreams and exploring the deeper psyche. If I can develop a keener sense of being most anyone can. Having been that couch potato/sports nut whose world was a concentration of ego, it does prove the mental facilities can be developed later in life. Use it or lose it may be the proverb but how you use it is the 'practical' application that means the most.


Jerry

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 61 Murfreesboro, Tn. USA

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

How Did You Find the Dream Forum? Yes

Re: Jean Raffa-Working on a Dream About Individuation-Continued

Jerri, I haven't the time at the moment, but I read the first in depth part of your survey and surmised that you're suggesting that the bathroom/sink is on par with the outside of the railings. Will have to read again.

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 34 Missoula MT

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

How Did You Find the Dream Forum? Yes

Re: Jean Raffa-Working on a Dream About Individuation-Continued

It seems like everyone agrees it is a problematic dream. This reminded me somewhat of a dream, 4-8-08 being on a mountain sort of precipice protected by a fence. There is a white-trash kind of party giong on and I look down on the city and see its beauty except for the fence in the way. When I had first parked at the top, I got out and was excited to see large sledge-hammers and rifles laying around. Then I noticed they were rusted and rotten. Now I should take it as my conscious ego being useless power tools and the fence preventing me from my natural humanity. My protected ego height is rusted and useless and I'm given muschrooms to reveal to me I'm really just a natural man, as I find myself in an inane conversation with coworkers back in town, surprised to find myself only on the second story of a store.

A thing I read Jung say, to be taken in its specific context of course, "Man is just a little lantern in the world of darkness, and as soon as you have a certain amount of ego consciousness, naturally you are isolated and become self-conscious--you can't help it--and naturally you no longer possess the absolute simplicity of nature: you are no longer naive. It is a great art and a great difficulty to become like unto a child again--or better still, like unto an animal; to become like an animal is then the supreme ideal." What!

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 34 Missoula MT

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

How Did You Find the Dream Forum? Yes

Re: Jean Raffa-Working on a Dream About Individuation-Continued

Matt,
Let me examine your question later today before responding.

Jerry

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 61 Murfreesboro, Tn. USA

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

How Did You Find the Dream Forum? Yes


stats from 7-14-10 to the present