Hi,

I had this dream Christmas Eve:

A Egyptian woman my age appears with dark swarthy skin, the right attitude, accent, non-verbal communication and behavior of a bicultural Egyptian who can pass for just an Egyptian- unlike me who is just so American that when we stop at the curb a block away from my apartment in Cairo to hail a cab, one of them yells out, 'Hey Man!' and drives off. Three cabs pass, so we walk via the next district as streets turn into huge grey rocks etched with stars throughout their surface (ones you see in ancient Egyptian temples designating Cosmos). Traversing these stones en route, she sings a melodious, beautiful Ode to 'Qanoun', an Egyptian Harp, originally from Pharonic Egypt. Qanoun is also a colloquial Arabic word for 'Law'. We reach a shop that's an isolated branch of a retail outlet I bought and exchanged colored long-sleeve tee-shirts at while figuring the tax difference on the returns. The shop is vacant. As we walk in I tell her they sell Christmas and Islamic cards. The phone rings; the shop employee says my name. She is the librarian at my university in real life. Walking with friends, all of them Arabs, except for one girl who is short, fat and has short hair- all of them Lebanese even though one of them in real life is actually Palestinian -all of them virgins- except the short American one -all of them older, post-college, I marvel that they are all Arabs, and older.

My husband comes home, I want to make love, he's not in the mood, keeps getting out of bed. I have my period and want him to put something over the sheets, he brings two pairs of jeans I like but I don't want to mess them up and I get mad. His mother is the reason for his lack of mood. When he leaves, the room turns into a deep and just slightly murky lake. His orange canoe sinks with him far down in the water. Walking on the surface of the water, like Jesus, concerned he is in deep and in far too long for any human to be able to breathe, I give up on him as lost but he emerges. I use a small dirty bathroom of a male pastor. After I go, I put a tea bag in a cup and fill it with boiling-hot tap water. The bathroom expands with furniture (that I rearrange more nicely, cleaning it up) into a big sitting-room/bedroom with 3 big windows instead of walls, and the door on the fourth side at the foot of the bed that has a cloth lazy-boy at its end that used to be in the corner, surrounded by dirt. Filled with warm orange-yellow soft glowing sunlight, it's now the room of a woman overseeing a home for people with special needs. She wanted the lazy-boy to be moved back into the corner but liked it more at the foot of the bed.

Thank you everyone,

May

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 36/Europe

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Hi May,
I'm looking over your dream, a few times, and it's coalesing. The specific cultural aspect(s), of which I'm unfamiliar, appear to be significant in this dream. I'll keep thinking on this.

Are there additional thoughts you can add regarding your take on the Mid East cultural aspect?

Kind regards,
Kathy

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

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Hi Kathy!

Thank you for your interest in my dream!

I am very interested in cultural identity and this is one of my academic specialties. The day before this dream I was reflecting on what it meant for me to have a dual and even multicultural ethnic identity. I feel the woman in the dream is my shadow, 'my other', in terms of the non-dominant cultural identity that I embody....since I am both cultures but its hard to be two at the same time, I end up coming across as more 'westernized' and percieved that way in real life....the dream is showing me that my very real 'eastern' side is inside me and alive and well, but that perhaps its not being expressed. This is one of my biggest life issues. I am studying the subject at the graduate level and also analysing myself. I wrote pages my dairy, asking myself the research questions that I pose to my participants.....I wrote my life story in terms of having a dual ethnic identity......and it really is complex for me. I want to actually go over my dairy entry sometime and post parts of it here...

hope this helps...

May

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: Europe

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wow!

In researching the harp symbol I found this:

http://www.khaldea.com/rudhyar/harpsymbol.html

I had no idea musical instruments had such links with the divine.....

any ideas?

best,
May

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 36/Europe

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

Hi May,
Thank you for responding and providing your thoughts on this dream.

Your thoughts mesh exactly with the first paragraph. The cultural dualism, or multi-ism(?), an ancient heritage. I would only add the woman does not appear as a Shadow aspect, but rather as a duality in Self. If I read this correctly her actions and demeanor are not dark, only her physical appearance is, which acts as her (your) cultural identity. Lebanese should have a distinct meaning to you. An association exercise would likely aid in identifying meaning if it’s not already apparent. Virgin may represent singular cultural identity as perhaps an aspect you admire, as a single culture can be much less difficult than dual or multi cultural identity.


Regarding the second half of the dream…this seems to identify a change of approach and perspective would facilitate your personal quest of joining the two (or more) cultures into a single identity which incorporates them all, to your specific desire and need. Cultural identity as it applies to your professional and educational field is very much a masculine analytical/intellect aspect. However, cultural identity is not a rational act, it is weighted to the feminine, as a feeling/empathy function. We experience cultural identity, we don't think it. I think the second paragraph describes this in great detail.

An intellectual approach is denied by the masculine, knowing full well the masculine can not it does not have the appropriate tools (not in the mood, his mother’s fault). The feminine is the appropriate aspect (period, it is his mother’s fault) so the masculine defers, shown by offering the feminine the pants (men in charge, men wear the pants).

The internal feminine, who has relied much on the masculine in education, does not understand which results in frustration (mad). The masculine appears to leave, signaling it’s up to the feminine to solve it alone. Although on the surface this may seem negative it’s actually very positive as it opens the deep unconscious for exploration. The animus, your trusted guide can now lead you safely in and out of the deep unconscious. The feminine is not yet able to trust the animus, so remains on the outside looking in. ‘He is in deep and in far too long for any human to be able to breathe’ may identify the block to deep unconscious as the feminine over reliance on logic rather than an appropriate feminine trait. You desire to release the block. Tea is an herbal infusion, meaning water infused with the elements of the herbs, with the actual plant matter removed. Steeping tea requires just the right amount of time for a perfect infusion, not too much, not too little. For daily tea not so much, but for pharmacopeias this is extremely important. This may signify allowing the feminine adequate time to adjust and work into trusting the animus to deliver her into the unconscious and safely back. Although the feminine is wholly trusting and makes good use of the masculine in relation to studies/profession, venturing into the deep unconscious is a wholly different matter where trust is not yet given to the animus.

The room change would be rearranging and expanding your attitude/perceptions. Still contained or shielded, but now able to look out the window walls. The moved lazy boy would again indicate changing perception, and facilitation (was surrounded by dirt). These changes would facilitate and aid the higher feminine that oversees the other aspects.

Overall, applying too much rational intellect to your personal search for cultural identity. ‘To know another (wo)man’s life is to walk in their shoes”. BTW- I too work with dual cultural identity in Self work…and finding my middle ground.

Of course, this is the personal aspect of your dream. You travel the Journey, so the spiritual aspect of this dream and the harp is very interesting. I briefed the article, good info! Thank you for including this.

“Music, when thus applied, raises in the mind of the hearer great conceptions; it strengthens devotion, and advances praise into rapture.” Addison

Let us know what you think and anything else that comes 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

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'Ode to 'Qanoun', an Egyptian Harp, originally from Pharonic Egypt. Qanoun is also a colloquial Arabic word for 'Law'. '

My area of expertise is law. This is the area I'm published in.

It is my study of law that empowered my career and got me out of a bad marriage and in a higher station in life.

The yellow orange colour is happy, and the expanding room is an improvement. I dreamt this when I was doing my second master's in international law.

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 38

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