Greetings. First off, I am one of those unfortunate people who rarely remember dreams by the time they wake up, so I may be working with a rather small sample compared to others, but I am very familiar with two oft-recurring themes.

The first is of flight, these seem to arise when I'm in a low-stress point in my life. Each dream starts with me discovering that with alot of focus and concentration, I'm able to will myself into the air. I thoroughly enjoy my ability, soaring over everything and everyone I know, but always with the realization (and slight fear) that I can't get too distracted by my beautiful surroundings, I have to spend alot of focus on willing myself through the air, lest i fall to the earth and injure myself. By and large those dreams are highly enjoyable, to the extent I often find my conscious self wishing I had the same ability.

My other theme is far more disturbing and has caused me to wake up in jolts, covered in sweat, and once, induced tears. The dreams usually starts with me hanging around other people I know and enjoy the company of, the setting is very frequently a beach-like area, or at least one where land meets water. I seem to have a sense of foreboding, like something is about to happen and I'm the only one that feels it. Suddenly (and usually) there is a great shaking of the earth and, sometimes, a flash in the sky. The initial shock causes everyone else in the dream to run in panic and i lose them like extras in a movie amongst the many people running around aimlessly as structures around me collapse. I seem to be the only one standing still, with a bizarre combination of frozen-in-fear and a knowing, almost annoyed sense of "here it comes". By now everyone fleeing in terror has left my sight, the earth continues to shake and rumble menacingly and I'm still unable to move, seemingly because I know how futile it will be. My focus turns to the ocean, as I see a far-off wave rise to impossible size, a tsunami of terrifyingly immense proportions. It seems as if the entire contents of the ocean were shoved into one massive curl taller than any building I've ever seen. Even though I'd partially resigned myself to the impending doom earlier in the dream, now my terror resurfaces right as the wave takes aim. I'm practically staring straight up at the wave as it crests, ready to crash down violently. The earth still rumbles angrily behind me, my surroundings lay in ruins, and I wake up just as the wave causes my final destruction. It may help to note that I never really know what causes the initial land-born distaster, whether it is nuclear or natural or even if that's what caused the ocean to rise up, because up to that point the direction of the ocean was calm. However, the sense I get is that everything in the other direction is decimated, the entire land mass except for out-of-the-way areas like this beach have been torn asunder, and then the ocean strikes.

I've read several interpretations for what possible meanings apocalyptic dreams can have but they seem to vary. Hopefully with the full context, someone can help me decipher the various symbols taking place. Any info regarding my flight dream i'd appreciate too, but is certainly secondary. It's not dreams of flying that have given me frequent bouts of insomnia.

Thank you for your time and patience, any help at all is appreciated.

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 22, North Carolina

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After a little research today I feel I can offer a little self-analysis that may help others in helping me understand.

It seems earthquakes and tsunamis are both strong symbols of loss of control, and it is true that in my waking life I have had anxiety about my ability to control my path in life. As a university near-graduate I'm probably experiencing as much, if not more subconscious stress than conscious stress about the rapid changes likely to take place in the next few years. The difficulty I have keeping concentrated and aloft in my flight dreams may also beguile my self-doubts. On top of that I fear I may have lingering hang-ups regarding the divorce of my parents, which happened when i was about six years old. Until their divorce I used to be awoken by their fights upstairs which were far from quiet disagreements. In my waking life nowadays it never bothers me except as an unpleasant memory, but I may have created for myself an inflated super-ego (which I'm almost sure I have) which conceals my ability to confront subconscious emotional trauma in a resolving way.

The potent mix of rapidly-changing current events and possible inability to reconcile my emotional past and self-doubts might be what created the overdone cataclysmic apocalypse scenario that I live out repeatedly in my dreams.

As for solutions to those problems, any help in that direction would be appreciated as well. I've been considering everything from therapy to lucid dreaming (perhaps if i can control the symbols of my emotions, actual emotional control may follow) but I'm open to any suggestions.

Again, thank you for your time.

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 22, North Carolina

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Hi Timothy

There are many ways to interpret dreams ,,, if it has a meaning that resonates then that interpretation is likely one of the meanings - your 'self-analysis' sounds spot on ,,, self-reflection is a great trait, and a key key.

Another way of looking at your dreams is in terms of masculine / feminine energies.
Keeping focused is a masculine trait and necessary to achieving your goals (life's purpose). Flying can be looked at as getting overinflated, like too big for you boots ,,, or, as 'transcendence' - in the sense of achieving your life's purpose is a way to fulfillment - and really this is an achievement of the Divine.
An aspect of unrefined masculine is to be distracted by beauty ,,, and this causes us to 'fall' ,,,,

In your dream of destruction, we can look at this in a similar way - and using mythology.
The earth and sea are symbols of feminine. The masculine can view the power of nature (feminine) as unknowable - we can see no reason for it. Yet it's power is immense, so immense we cannot comprehend it. Yet the masculine must be able to stand it's ground and be unmoving even in the face of this energy we do not understand ,,,,

Mythologically, there is Kali - the destroyer ?? "What we think is destruction is the stripping away of illusion (maya)". Through destruction (a very Biblical theme) comes rebirth.

How does this fit for you ?

Justin

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: Brisbane Australia 47

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That's an interesting point actually, and after doing a little research it makes a certain amount of sense.

I did recently pass the anniversary of the breakup of my first serious relationship. It was a very close three and a half years that ended for reasons completely beyond my control. (she agreed to go into the navy without discussing it with me beforehand, and then the relationship deteriorated from there because of distance)

This may have caused a regression in my psyche, a separation of the anima from animus. The superego i mentioned in the earlier post is almost assuredly of the 'wise old man' archetype. It also may be breeding inner thoughts of mistrust (the 'here it comes' feeling in the dream) and more broadly, fear and a lack of understanding toward not only other females, but my own inner femeninity. I probably had some of these feelings beforehand (i was raised by a single parent, my father) but they became exacerbated by those events.

Furthermore, it is possible both of our interpretations are correct, which may mean that the feelings relating to my fear of future change and femeninity found the same symbolic outlet in my subconscious, resulting in these repeated dreams that have shaken me deeply as of late.

On a good note, my father and stepmother are planning to introduce me to a cognative therapist, and if anything that should help reconcile these unconfronted emotions to some degree. I would hate to see my hang-ups degrade into unhealthy, self-destructive behaviors.

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 22, North Carolina

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Hi Timothy,

Thanks for your reply and thoughts on the interpretations.
You bring up some interesting points.
It strikes me that we (all of us) can get caught up on the theoretical aspect of 'analysis' ,,, any analysis - we lean to the scientific ,,,, I think this is a relatively global issue.
Is this because we don't trust ourselves ,,, ourSelves ,,, our Self. I think we have a tendancy to want external proofs, evidences and theories - when,,,, the answer lies inside. We know this.
However the real question is ,,, are we (i) brave enough to act on what we know but cannot see (ii) do we have enough Trust - in ourselves - and al this relates to (iii) do we have sufficient Self Esteem to do what is in our own best interest.

I believe that the NATURAL tendancy is towards health and wholeness - what is required from us is an honest open-mind and the 'discipline' to keep gently on keeping on.
To this end, dreams will serve as trithful guides.

All the best
JC

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