Hi Gerard,
Thank you for your assistance. This has been a great help. If you have time I have another dream I would like to present. I believe I have a close interpretation using the MDS site information. (Or I could be in way out in left field!) If you would respond with your thoughts I can then compare my interpretation to gauge progress.

Many thanks,
Kathy

There is a black smoke or liquid ink chasing me. It’s pure Evil. I evade it & hide but it keeps finding me. As I evade it I can rest for a moment but then must find another place to hide as I know it’s coming for me. From above I see Evil creeping along the streets searching for me. The streets & buildings are brown dirt, a maze. The black Evil continues to expand, never leaving where it has already been. It nearly catches me. I realize it’s tracking me by my brain, my thoughts. It can find me by reading my mind. I feel it trying to enter my mind. I flee again, more scared now because I now know what it wants. It wants to take control of my mind. I finally realize I must hide underground to escape it. That it cannot find me under the earth as the dirt and soil will block Evil’s ability to lock onto my mind. People offer to help me while I’m evading it but I tell them it will still find me. I thank them and continue to flee. I finally find a place underground, a root cellar with lift up doors. I go down in there and it can’t find me but it’s dark & I’m alone without human companionship. Sadness, sorrow. I resign myself to being alone knowing I can’t be with others and evade Evil.

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 42

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

How Did You Find the Dream Forum? Central OH

Black is a common symbol for the unconscious. By this I mean there is something within your unconscious that is chasing you, needing for you to acknowledge this still unknown thing, in your unconscious. You may or may not be consciously aware of this fear, phobia, neurosis, complex, or a negative life experience. Pure evil doesn't necessarily mean evil in sense of satan or the devil, but may be expressing something within your unconscious formed from some past experience {or lack of experience, i.e. not receiving proper love and attention as a child}, a psychological dis-pairment, or injury, that is a metaphorical representation of evil. The fear, phobia, neurosis or complex or negative experience would be the evil seen in your dream. An experience of being abused as a child could be the evil, but so could a neurotic personality trait that deep down you resent but have no courage or discipline to overcome. The evil is some part of you, not a supernatural evil. The evil is predicated on your life.

You may be evading this evil may be repressing it, keeping it in the unconscious state so the conscious mind doesn't have to confront it. But because it is still within the unconscious you have not gotten rid of it, so to evade it you repress it. It has some if not a great deal of control on your waking life. Having to find another place to hide from this evil may be saying you seek conscious, physical comforts or pleasures to hide behind, over indulge in a thing so you will not have to confront the evil lurking within you. Or it could mean you are pushing deeper within the unconscious thus making it that much harder to bring up. In your waking life the influence of this evil has more control. Hiding underground indicates this is in the unconscious, hiding. Root cellars is another symbol for unconscious contents.

From ‘above’ may represent the mental, the mind. The streets could be the various avenues that you travel everyday, your daily routines and patterns. The buildings also represent parts of who you are. People who offer to help you are probably other healthy aspects of yourself that try to take your ‘mind’ off this ‘evil’ within. Your continuing to flee indicates repression or an inability or desire not to confront this evil.

I can’t begin to say what your evil is. Only you know you. Look at your whole life, past and present and see what might this evil be. It could be something that controls your whole life, unconsciously motivated and not realized, or it could be something significant. Put your thoughts together and make another post to express your conclusions. Are you depressed? {sadness, sorrow}. If so what is the cause, that thing you are consciously aware of?

Gerard

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 54

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? Murfreesboro, Tn

These are the notes I made:
The Evil represents something I’m repressing or avoiding but wants to surface, needs acknowledged, dealt with. Feel this dream is sexual or relationship orientation in nature. Possible reflections of conscious/unconscious aspects or attitudes towards sex and relationships.
Evade & hide: avoiding it, not feeling prepared to face it, fearing loss of control. Using my unconscious to block.
Dirt brown maze: Sexuality & relationships
Expanding, never leaving: has always been there & will not go away
Reading my mind/taking control: fear this will take control if allowed to surface
Knowing I can block it with dirt/soil: knowing my unconscious can block it
People helping: could be need to seek help in how to deal with these issues.
Cellar: going into the deepest part of my unconscious mind to fully suppress.
Dark & alone: isolation
Resignation: awareness that by not dealing with the issue I will not resolve it.

After reading your reply I think this dream may indicate it's time to deal with two issues. Not sure if it's one or both.

I was sexually molested when a child. That's always been in both the conscious and unconcious but have never really dealt with it other than to finally learn forgiveness. For many years I held intense hatred for the person but a few years ago, on my quest, realized that it was unhealthy to carry the anger for so long. Whenever I think about it, it's usually fleeting as I can never place an exact age or time duration. I reason if I 'can't' recall, I have license to not examine it. I know repression is the reason I won't remember these two details. If I recall them then I must recall the details which I haven't consciously wanted to examine and resolve.

My current relationship with my partner is ending soon. For the past few years I've repressed my sexuality due to his 'health issues'. (While sex isn't the main reason it is a factor in my decision. As ususal in this situation there are many factors that come into play.) I believe this may be a secondary aspect to the dream. Needing to repress my sexuality has had a negative effect. It's possible I'm viewing sexuality as negative because I need to repress it. Therefore, by repressing it I don't leave, or stray from, the restraints of the relationship.

Not depressed although the decision to end the relationship was long thought and difficult. Feel good for the most part. I'm usually 'upbeat and positive', as my friends describe me. Possible my new business venture and time spent hiking is offsetting any conscious negativity.

I'll invest some serious thought to being molested and the relationship. I think some research into both is warranted.

Thanks ever so much,
Kathy

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 42

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

How Did You Find the Dream Forum? Central OH

Kathy,
I believe you have a firm understanding of the symbolic nature of your dreams. Jung said the best way to determine if an interpretation is correct is to see if it fits your life. Your diagnosis of the dream symbols seems to fit with your life.

What you have done and are doing, whether you are aware of it or not, is what Jung called the Individuation Process. In effect it is a self examination of your whole life, conscious and unconscious. You are the analyist and the couch warmer at the same time. It is difficult for most people to do this. One, they are not aware of the process and/or would have little time to put to it. Two, to face unconscious contents would be so frightening they would never face the truth beneath the surface. You have tackled a serious mental/physical {molestation} injury headon and you are attempting to resolve the inner conflict. Healing can not take place until this is done.

Letting go the anger is so important for good mental and physical health. I often chastise good christians for hating Bill Clinton. This hate is harmful to them, not Bill Clinton. We must learn not to harm oursleves with distructive attitudes.

As for your relationship with your current partner, I believe you have examined the whole situation and will make the best desision in the end. As for good therapy, not only should you indulge yourself in the new business but also make sure your creative self has the opportunity to express itself. From my own personal experience with my creative avenue with Myths-Dreams-Symbols, I strongly agree that the soul requires a creative release. It is who we are, that thing in life that is intuitive and natural. When else can you forget all the problems of the world?
Gerard

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 54

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? Murfreesboro, Tn