Wow, I think that all makes perfect sense. Except, my father didnt leave me when I was 3, he stole me away from my mother and lied and cheated in order to keep me. But you're right in that I want to be independent and get away. The balcony might be a stage, now that Ive read everything youve said, because Im hoping to be an actor, either in films or theatre. And my dad holds me back from these things because hes controlling and doesnt really want me to be that. unlike my mother who is supportive of me. So you're right in that I dont have masculine influences and support. And wishful thinking? yeah, possibly. I like dreaming big. I think ill be in the movies on the big screen in years to come. So you're right.

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Rachel,
Thanks for the reply. Once you told me about your father I as able to put the dream into context. Because the dream did open with him, there had to something about that relationship that was central to the dream. What was different was how the dream described the atmosphere as a party which, without knowing the true relationship with your father, could lead a person away from the true association in your waking life. Once it was apparent it was a wish fulfillment dream it all came together.

Then there was Alex. It sometimes can be difficult to determine whether opposite sex images in a dream are solely in relationship with the dreamer or are aspects of the dreamer {anima/animus figures}. Usually with the person is named it is about the relationship. That turned out to be mostly true in your dream. But when it turned into a 'he' the dream began using the masculine as a reference to your animus. That is not unusual for dreams. A symbol can be one thing in one instance and then another the next. What helps distinguish what is what are the evolving patterns. As I mentioned the pattern that seemed to be emerging was an animus application. Once the flow is established everything should fall into place within the dream. That came together quite richly in the dream.

As for the message of the dream. Because there is a need for a strong masculine to achieve your dreams, you need to be conscious of that. When things seem to conspire to get in the way of becoming an actor, your dream goal, you must remember not to give in. You have to learn to develop a strong masculine self to be able to persevere, reach the heights you wish to reach

It might be easier to explain if I use as an example of the thing you wish to be. Acting, and specifically an actor as the hero/heroine. And the best way to do that is to introduce you to Joseph Campbell {himself a Jungian} and the concepts he established for anyone who wishes to fulfill their greatest dreams. The aphorism he used was to 'follow your bliss'. In all great stories, or in his case myths, there is the hero/heroine who is on a quest, what is known as the hero journey . To do achieve her goal the heroine will go on a journey, a quest. Here is how Campbell describes it:

Campbell: There's a certain type of myth which one might call the vision guest, going in quest of a boon, a vision, which has the same form in every mythology. That is the thing that I tried to present in the first book I wrote, The Hero With a Thousand Faces. All these different mythologies give us the same essential quest. You leave the world that you're in and go into a depth or into a distance or up to a height. There you come to what was missing in your consciousness in the world you formerly inhabited. Then comes the problem either of staying with that, and letting the world drop off, or returning with that boon and trying to hold on to it as you move back into your social world again.

I see a collorlation in your dream to the hero journey. Campbell's statement above fits with your dream journey. Dreams and myths often share the same images as metaphors. In your dream the height would be the balcony. Falling from the balcony would be descending into the depths. You have to let go of the secure life you are hiolding onto {railing} and 'fall' to the depths {falling to the ground} so to discover your true self. In your dream the true self is lacking a strong masculine aspect {what was missing in your consciousness}. What you will face in the furure are 'dragons' you will need to slay to achieve your goal of being an actor. You will have to let go of the social dictates {your father telling you you can't} and stay the path. Once you have accomplished the task, slay the dragons, you return to the world as the heroine in your own life. You become the actor, achieve your goal.

But there will be many dragons in your life that will require a strong masculine. The idea is to hold on to you 'bliss' and not let go. Dreams will allow you to see where you are in your psychological life and in turn reveal your 'true self'. If there is something lacking, like a strong masculine, dreams will reveal that to you. Not only that it will provide the reasons why {as this dream did}. It is all very compliacted, until you decide you do wish to be the heroine. Most people submit and the dragon wins. But most people have no idea about their true self. Few people pay any attention to their dreams.

Here is my page on Campbell's Hero Journey. It will provide insights to the hero in mythology which many of the same motifs as does dreams The Hero's Adventure. It may be interesting to know that George Lucas was a stuednt of Joseph Campbell {as am I} and his Star Wars trilogy is based on Campbell's Monomyth, the basic patterns in the hero journey.

Jerry

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