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thief in the house

Hello,

I was in a house (my house in the dream) which was a small rooftop/penthouse flat (very basic house with low ceilings). My friends had come over because a burglar had been breaking into the flat (3-4 times previously) and we were to discuss this. We were all serious, each friend was sitting on a chair, I was standing up doing chores, and I was not serving them anything. I told them I always leave the windows of the house open and don’t stress about locking the door. A friend (named Victoria, who has my dream job and whose carefree attitude I admire) goes out on to the roof and shows me two small windows on the roof and tells me that I should keep them closed if I want to prevent further break-ins. I close the windows but she opens them easily from outside and tells me to find the key for them and to lock them.

By now it is getting dark inside and outside of the house. I find the small key for those windows, walk to the window to lock them and as I pull the curtain open I see the burglar in front of me, on the roof, trying to get in to my house. In one second she (the burglar) enters the house from one window and immediately leaves it from the other window next to it, it all happens very quickly and it is almost dark in the room now so I cant see her well. I feel a bit scared. I lean out the window and look after her and see her get away on the roofs. She (burglar) turns to me and says “sorry” quietly. I dont know her but I know her name is Mutlu which means “happy” in my language and which is a common name. She looks like an ordinary girl, brown hair, wearing a long skirt, and she is fit. (I am a bit overweight, blond and usually wear pants). Then I talk to my friends in the house who are all surprised and a friend who has recently given birth to twins in real life tells me she was able to see the thief well and has a lot to tell me.

Then I look out the window again and announce that there was a thief and she tried to enter from the window. Many people who also live on rooftop penthouses come out /look out one by one and I tell all of them what happened and also think “now that everybody knows about the thief she wont be able to come back again” .

I would be happy for any interpretations, especially about who the burglar could be..Thank you..

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 36

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? Yes

Re: thief in the house

Hi Fish,

A few quick thoughts on your dream follow. The burglar character may be a Shadow aspect. It threatens, or acts, to rob you of some thing. Possibly prevents you from being your true Self in some manner. Although perceived as outside the Self, not an inner aspect (group of friends) the Shadow dwells within. This dark aspect rises in and out of consciousness. The Self directs this is a time to address this issue, the Shadow aspect does not serve the Self in a positive manner, it prevents the Self from expressing it's true nature. One possible manner the negative Shadow develops is allowing or taking in of external influence through conscious ego (some external influence).

Victoria may represent the desire to integrate or develop her carefree attitude. To do this instruction is given to close off that external influence, or possibly keep it outside, do not allow it to enter and internalize it. Perhaps you attempt this yet have not yet found the key to successfully dealing with it. You search and locate the key, or method. This Shadow aspect/influence is not yet clearly identified, and possibly difficult to understand.

This is a common (common name) issue many people face (others in rooftop flats). The description of Mutlu may point to some generally feminine issue which could be any like low self esteem, not fitting the false 'social' definition of the perfect female, body image (soft, girly, skirt, fit). You would determine this through self examination. Whatever the issue, it may be comparitive, 'measuring up', or judgement that prevents you from developing the carefree attitude you desire.

The friend with twins, what do you recognize in her personality that perhaps would help you identify the issue within you? (able to see the theif well and birth of twins).

By bringing the Shadow issue to consciousness. acknowledging the Shadow is a part of you (taking ownership), and finding positive expression...you remove it's power removing unconscious affect and transforming it to a positive in your Self.

Several links to Myths-Dreams-Symbols pages with good Shadow information follow:

Shadow-the Dark Side of the Psyche

The Shadow

Shadow in the Individuation Process

The Shadow in Women’s Dreams

What do you think the dream message to be? And does the interpretation seem to fit with your current life/thoughts? If not. we'll revisit and try to determine more relevant meaning to the dream.

Kind regards,
Kathy

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 44 Central OH

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? Y

Re: thief in the house

Hi Kathy,

Thank you very much for your interpretation, accurate and insightful again :) I read the links you sent and I had read about the shadow before but I am still confused about it..

In the link the shadow is described as “those qualities in ourselves that we repress because they are unacceptable to our ego ideal. Jung once called the Shadow “the thing a person has no wish to be”; it is the opposite of the conscious personality”

but if I am a woman who in conscious life is acting too prim and proper for my own good - could the shadow be its opposite and therefore be something good for me? I am really confused why the thief in my dream was named “Happy” (and why my flat was so dull). And if the shadow is “unlived parts of my personality” maybe I need to let her enter the house rather than keep her out and that’s why I was keeping the windows open? Am I starting to think completely the wrong way now?!?

And in real life I do not live in a rooftop penthouse and that dream was all about roofs. One of the dream dictionary definitions for roof is: apex of thought or understanding. I am also confused why the thief was always on the roofs. Any ideas would be very welcome..

Sorry this is so confusing! Thanks a lot once more..

Fish

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 36

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? Yes

Re: thief in the house

Hi Fish,
Thank you for responding. No apology necessary. I think most, including me, have found this process somewhat confusing, still do sometimes. Exactly the reason this Forum exists, to support each other.

The Shadow DOES contain good things for us. And ‘good’ is sometimes cloaked in ‘hideous’. The Shadow is where we bury all that we’ve been taught by others, or by society, that is ‘bad’. The stuff we shouldn’t do or be. Some of it is necessary…don’t kill, (or “fold, spindle or mutilate” ) etc but some of it is garbage, that goes against a person’s true nature. We repress it so deeply it becomes a ‘shadowy’ figure we don’t recognize in our Self, or take ownership.

You’re thinking in the right direction. Maybe just tweak it a bit. In the dream if you left ALL the windows open possibly ALL the shadowy repressed stuff would come in. You don’t want ALL that coming to consciousness at once, yikes!, only what you’re Psyche knows is the foremost issue right now and that you’re prepared to handle…carefree or Happy. Also, it could be that the windows in the lower part of the house, these openings in lower aspects of Self or thought, aren’t the issue.

With the dream dictionary definition possibly meaning this is a top most hierarchy of thought…the apex of understanding…it’s been ingrained in you. Thus Victoria shows just closing off to thoughts is not good enough, won’t work. You must find the key, the source, to resolve it permanently or it will just return. These thoughts creep in, stealing away the ability to be carefree, and are the source of prim and proper. The questions to ask to find the key would then be…where do these thoughts originate? Who taught you to behave in this manner? For what purpose? In what way did they teach this conformation to their standard? By exploring these types of questions you get to the source and exactly what goes against your true Self and what is of your true Self. And begin to resolve the issue.

If you have some time perhaps try the following exercise. While not exact it can provide a good base line of insight to the inner Self. I did this same exercise some time ago and found it quite helpful in understanding the shadow and ego.

This exercise asks you think of a person. Anybody, past or present, real life or fictional, anybody…

1. Think of the person you hate the most. Just the thought of this person brings feelings of disgust, loathing, revulsion, extreme hatred, etc. What qualities does this person possess?

2. Think of a person you love or admire the most. Thinking of this person brings you peace, calm, light, serenity, a desire to emulate, etc. What qualities does this person possess?

3. The person you both love or admire and also hate at the same time. Thinking of this person brings conflicting negative and positive emotions. What qualities does this person possess?

Example:
1. Adolf Hitler. Leader, genocidal mass murderer, megalomaniac, destroyer, hate bringer. Adolf Hitler led/permited/caused the suffering of millions. (This is the Shadow)

2. Mahatma Gandhi. Peaceful, self sacrificing, wise, spiritual, truthful, idealist, noble, enduring. Through spiritual transformation Gandhi devoted his later life in service to the greater good. (This is the ego ideal/conscious personality)

3. Colonel Kurtz (Apocalypse Now): Intelligent, cut through the BS, keen insight, honor, duty, did what he wanted rather than what he was supposed/expected to do, get it done, insane, loss of reality, murderer, unpredictable, renegade, dishonor, distorted insight. (This is the ‘alter’ ego. It is a combination of both ego ideal and shadow. That which we perceive ourself to be and fear we could become.)

Hope that answered your questions and enables you to work with the dream. Let us know any additional thoughts that come to mind.

Kind regards,
Kathy

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 44 Central OH

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

How Did You Find the Dream Forum? Y

Re: thief in the house

Hi Kathy,

Thank you very much for the follow-up. Luckily I am on holiday and I have all the time I need to do the self work and the exercises - and I had an amazing morning where I had one revelation after another.

I think I got what my Psyche was trying to tell me thanks mainly to your interpretation. Here is what I came up with, and I am curious to learn what you think..

My house: the way I lead my emotional life now, “tight fitting”, barely enough, functional but gloomy.

My friends: aspects of myself, those in the dream were all serious and passive - just watching

Me doing chores: me keeping myself busy without really doing what needs to be done

Me not serving my friends anything: the way I am waiting for something to happen to be able to start enjoying life

The burglar: this is a few things at once. At the base is my “fear of intimacy”, but “the shadow’s taking in of external influence through conscious ego” is the way I keep having crushes (3-4 times previously like the break-ins) while never acting on the crushes to have real intimate relationships, and therefore preventing myself from the possibility of “being my true self” (perhaps becoming a mother, as my moon and ascendant are in Cancer).

The windows on the roof - as they are between my house and the outside - let the crushes in, and the crushes make me happy (why I leave the windows open), but having crushes is not “good enough”, and Victoria is telling me that I should stop having these escapist crushes if I am serious about having real relationships.

Self image (feeling different as I am an ethnic melange in a country where there are not many) and parental/societal tapes (don’t be a loose woman) are also feeding the negative shadow, thus the description of the thief, and the stronghold of the fear in waking life.

Victoria and my other friend with twins: they are both friends who have boyfriends easily and have always had boyfriends, and I would like to have their carefree and light attitude toward relationships. And I am happy for the friend who gave birth to twins at the age of 40.

So the challenge seems to be feeling ok with experimenting more to have real relationships without feeling bad about this.

As the dream came now I really hope that the psyche is ready to work on this shadowy aspect as you suggested. And now that I have “announced” it to people here, hopefully “the thief will not come back again”!

Many thanks for everything and I look forward to hearing your thoughts if you have any..

Best wishes

Fish

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 36

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? Yes

Re: thief in the house

Hi Fish,
By examining the dream in context to your inner and outer life you have gained a relevant interpretation. Conscious knowledge forms the foundation of resolving the issue. By keeping this in mind, being mindful, you gradually move to a position of balance within. Small changes, persisting in a calm manner, gradually brings the results you desire.

In viewing dream symbols as metaphors the unconscious message is unveiled. Revealing the personal aspect of a dream always relies on the dreamer. Thank you for working with this dream on the Forum. This provides a good learning opportunity for us all.

Kind regards,
Kathy

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 44 Central OH

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? Y

Re: thief in the house

Hi, houses or buildings, usually represent the self.
You may have been discussing with your friends issues of personal space and or needing time to yourself?
It's interesting that you mention you didn't 'act the host' or serve them anything. And the mention of burgulary suggests 'invasion' of privacy and breaking into ur self? Are you getting the personal space u need? The friend with the carefree attitude that u admire, pointed out 'weaknesses' in your defense, maybe she is carefree because she ensures she lets people in only to the extent that is comfortable to her?

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 37 herts

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

How Did You Find the Dream Forum? no


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