Ripley,
Check back late tomorrow morning and I will have an interpretation to your dream. I sense what it is probably trying to communicate to you but want to look at it with a fresh mind in the morning.

Jerry

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Ripley,
What makes this dream more difficult to analyze is your age. Normally dreams of younger people have to do with present 'outside' experiences, those things in your everyday life that have emotional energies. Older people's dreams tend to be more about the past experiences {all the while addressing current issues also}, the accumulative emotional baggage they have to work through. Dreams are about the emotions and those unresolved emotional conflicts. Let's examine the symbols and see if you can connect the dots that fit with your life.

If you will look at the Earth symbol as a metaphor for yourself then you may see associations from that alone. The Earth is you. Oxygen is a life force, without it you could not survive. What we need to do is determine what exactly these symbols represent in your life.

The Earth can symbolize the 'Great Mother', the relationship with your real mother, your true self {spiritual/creative} and/or the deep unconscious which would be focused on the 'ground of your being'. The way the dream 'read's it seems to be talking about you directly {instead of a relationship with your mother}. Since you have had dreams of babies it could be you as the mother. Not a literal mother but the potential to do with growth}. But something vital is being removed {oxygen}. Put these things together and see if the clues awaken any possible associations.

The lack of oxygen may also represent something that is suffocating you {an actual statement later in the dream}. This one thing that is lacking could be something that is 'stifling' something important to your life . Another essential part of life is water but that is still available {water is a common symbol for fertility , growth, creative potential as well as emotional energy}. The water could represent potential when you compare it to the lack of the other vital aspect that has been removed. So it is one essential thing in your life you are running out of while other crucial aspects remain.

Let's look at it this way. If you are 'connected' to the earth and have concerns about its health {the planet is indeed losing oxygen due to destruction of forests and coral reefs} then the earth in your dream may have associations to your true self that could fit with babies in other dreams which could symbolize 'new born' aspects about your self or developing aspects}. That could mean something essential to personal/creative/spiritual growth has been removed but there is still great potential there {water}. At the age of 16 you still have plenty of time to recoup from experiences that may have limited your potential from your past. The dream states it is the adults that die first {death in a dream symbolizes an end to something}. Something in your life may have limited your potential as an adult. It could also point to actual adults where experiences you have had with need to come to an end {death}. Then the babies die. The babies may represent new potential in life, your potential. Then the plants die. Plants could symbolize fertility and growth. Could it be something in your life is sucking all the oxygen out of it and preventing greater potential for your future {you adult life will have been affected, and because of early life emotional experiences new potential come to an end as does possibly personal growth}.

The world looked apocalyptic. This statement is probably a statement of fact, how you either consciously or unconsciously view the world as it is when you had the dream. Things don't look so good. Consciously, at the age of 16 you could overlook such negatives because of the natural resilience a 16 year old would have. But if things are suffocating you there may be a conscious awareness. Deep down {your true self}, unconsciously, life may not so promising. That would be the results of earlier life experiences or/and current situations that tend to make life less promising, something in life that is limiting your growth. That could allude to relationships which could involve your mother {symbols can take on several different meanings with each being applicable}.

A bunch of me and my friends could be a literal reference to everyday life. That may reference actual experiences to do with what we have already discussed. But while the terminology 'a bunch of me' may be slang, in dreams such language is real. The bunch of me is a lot of who you are and the friends would be positive aspects of who you are. Look at it both ways. All these aspects have been grouped together. The friends {16-17 yrs old} could be about other people you have things in common with. It could apply both ways.

Your positive self, and possibly actual friends, are looking for oxygen tanks. That could be a statement about 'room to breath' That would fit with the suffocation possibility. The drinking water could represent 'refreshing your spirit' so you can have room for greater potential in life. Sometimes, currently in your life, you find it hard to breathe. Something is suffocating you. That something and would be emotional aspects. What emotional energies is there that limit your space and are at times suffocating?

Years is passing time. Being still alive suggests you have survived something in life that was restraining you. The sun is great energy and with each new day that passes by you grow stronger. But there are still those limiting aspects that are preventing potential growth. becoming a mother could represent those actual desires in life. But it could also represent the wise feminine {Mother Earth}, the 'source' {literally} of nourishment and growth. You will become the mother but you will need to overcome the lack of oxygen that now exists in your life. This statement could also point o the mother relationship.

A lot to consider. A couple of questions. Are you the creative type? The dream may have something to do with those aspects in your life. Or to do with spirituality if that has been a recent experience and you are looking to growth in that aspect. But nit could have to do with your life overall. Something has limited your potential, as in your life growing up. What is the relationship with your mother and family? Is there something about your early life that has suffocated/stifled/limited your potential? There are likely elements to the dream that are dealing with current waking experiences {school, friends those experiences}. But I think your dream is going deeper, something more profound is sucking the oxygen out of your life. Let me know your thoughts and perhaps we can narrow it down further if you are unable to make connections to what I have already offered. Again, the dreams of a 16 year old, especially one like this dream that uses Earth images, is more difficult to analyze because of your age and lack of life experiences. Because of these things we need to explore all the possibilities, beyond what is the norm in dreams fora 16 year old.

Jerry

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 63 Space Coast, Fla.

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I can definitely see the parental relationship angle. My father and I have issues, which causes dissonance with my mother and I. Thank you so much. This caused me to think a bit more about the intrinsic meaning, which lends me to think that posting some of the other dreams I've had. I've had the same nightmare since I was about 7/8 years old, so I'd love to see what you have to say on them (:

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Ripley,
Do post those dreams. They may tell us more about what is in your unconscious. Often these unconscious energies have a profound impact on later life. Early life experiences and influences provide the foundation for the personality we take on as we grow into adults and development of a specific complex is not unusual. If you are aware of them before hand you can remove their impact. If there are 'mother' issues {Cinderella complex} and you know what the signs are, when you display such actions in your waking life you will know they are unconsciously driven. We all possess complexes and most are negative. Consciously knowing they exist is how you overcome their influence. To gain insights to your possible Cinderella complex I suggest you read these three links, one which is from a woman who wrote a book about her own experiences. There is also a link to an interview with her about her experiences. The third is a general overview of the complex. You may want to read the last one first since it will provide a general idea what the other two will be about.

THE CINDERELLA SYNDROME

The Cinderella Complex and the Prince's Problems

Cinderella complex


As you will read the complex becomes more apparent as you grow older {and develop personal relationships}. To become aware of these unconscious forces can help you avert possible psychological challenges when you get older.

Jerry

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 63 Space Coast, Fla.

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Ripley,
Going back over my original analysis I don't see any mention of the Cinderella complex although I had it in mind. The feelings of being suffocated and the apocalyptic outlook would be classic symptoms of the Cinderella complex. Looking back at the dream with this in mind I can see where it would fit. The Earth is you, but also a symbol for the 'Great Mother', as in a powerful mother association. Running out of oxygen would symbolize feelings of suffocation because something essential to proper personal growth has been removed {and replaced with a complex}. As the years go by, as you grow older, the sun representing these great energies {complex} become stronger. But only in some places, as in the complex affecting you in association with your mother, which in turn prepares you to be the 'mother' possessed by this complex.

The more we discuss this possible Cinderella complex the more I think we need to explore it. Carl Jung discovered in his working with patient's dreams the same images also appeared in mythology {fairy tales are essentially myths}. Both are addressing patterns of emotional behavior. The patterns I see in your dream fit with the Cinderella story. By looking at that fairy tale, what we would term the 'universal psychological pattern', we can derive what could be influencing your personal unconscious, what we would call the 'personal psychological pattern'. When you read the fairy tale you will find similar patterns to your life. Read the fairy tale and see if the mother in it reminds you of your own mother. Let me know the results. The whole story doesn't have to fit {you may not have two sisters or live alone with your mother} but vital parts the story may fit.

Jerry

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 63 Space Coast, Fla.

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