I am a 41 year old female high school teacher. I am married, but don’t have children.

My dream is about taking a large group of students on a field trip to a neighboring town. Several other teachers and I took the students to a town about 70 miles away. The first place we went was to an old cemetery. We all looked at the old headstones (some dating back to the early Spanish settlement in the 1700’s) and enjoyed looking at a beautiful waterfall in the cemetery.

After we were finished there, we went to “Old Town,” a tourist-y area that had been refurbished to look as it did during the Old West days. The students all had a really good time looking around, and we all met up at the appointed meeting place when it was time to leave. The meeting place was a picnic area, which was rectangular, paved in concrete, and covered, but without walls or a fence. It contained several picnic tables and benches. The area was surrounded with an observation area. The observation area was oval, also made out of concrete, and it had three tiers. Each of the tiers had concrete benches and short concrete dividers that separated it from the other levels. The dividers were about three feet high.

Suddenly, one of the students, a girl named Katie, tried to do a back flip from the second tier to the first tier. She executed the flip well, but missed the landing. She hit the concrete flat on her back. I ran over to her, while her friends ran up and other students gathered around to watch. Katie was still conscious, and not bleeding, but she could not get up and walk. I was examining her to figure out where she was hurt, and told one of her friends to call Katie’s parents, and another to call an ambulance.

As I was trying to see where she was hurt and keep her calm, Katie kept trying to move. Her arms and hands moved well, but she didn't move her legs. The back of her head was where most of the injury appeared to be, even though there wasn't any blood. She was scrabbling around on the ground, trying to crawl even though she was flat on her back and could not stand up. I looked away to tell another teacher to gather the students and get them on the buses to go home. When I looked back, Katie had somehow managed to scuttle away somewhere.

I went to find her and discovered that she had dragged herself into the nearby cantina. The cantina was dark and cool, compared to the outside, which had been bright and warm. I found her, and again tried to convince her to stop moving. At this point, the fire department arrived, and they put her on a stretcher—the kind that they use to carry people up and down mountains, not the big kind with legs and wheels. They tied her to it to try to keep her from moving and injuring herself further. Katie was still struggling and trying to move, but she wasn’t talking. She didn’t seem to understand that she had been hurt.

The ambulance arrived and the attendants came in and picked her up, stretcher and all, and put her on a big stretcher and wheeled her out to the ambulance. As they were loading her, the buses with the other students were leaving to go home. I asked the ambulance driver which of the two hospitals they were taking her to, so I could have someone tell her parents. The driver said neither, because she was a military dependent and she could go to the base hospital which was just two blocks away.

I was the teacher who was going to stay beside Katie until her parents arrived, and the police were supposed to take me to the hospital, but I was left behind. I decided to walk to the hospital because it was close, and I asked for directions. I was told that it was part of a huge, three blocks long, and three story building. The building was made of thick, white-washed adobe, again very cool and slightly dark. I entered on the lowest floor of the building, and walked through, asking directions along the way. I climbed some stairs, and asked again for directions, and the person told me they had never heard of the hospital. I climbed another set of stairs, and walked out onto a city street. It was after dark, and mass had let out not too long before at the church near the cemetery where we had started the field trip, but the streets were empty.

I walked for two blocks, and found the hospital. I entered and went to the reception desk to find out about Katie, and it was bright and cheery in there. Three of Katie’s friends were in the waiting room, and I asked about her just as her parents walked up. I said, “You must be Katie’s parents, “ and they nodded their heads. Her mother was a blonde woman with her hair pulled up into a bun on the back of her neck, and Katie’s father was a tall man with dark hair. That was the end of the dream. I never found out how Katie was doing.

Katie is really a student of mine, but she is not a military dependent. The city where we took the field trip is real, but the cemetery, waterfall, and Old Town are not. There also is not a military base or military hospital in the city, but there are two city hospitals. I noticed that the numbers two and three came up quite a bit in the dream, as do higher and lower levels. There is also a contrast between light and dark that runs through the dream. I see these things, but can’t figure out what the connections are or what the dream is trying to tell me.

Thanks for your help, Gerard! You did a great job with my “There Is No Chinatown in Albuquerque” dream, and I am eager to read what you say about this.

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 41, New Mexico

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

pilly,
Your As far as I know, there's no China town in Albuquerque dream presented me with an opportunity to provide insights to how dreams function and how metaphors can represent experiences in life that define the deepest desires within the soul. When I have the time and the mental resources {when social requirements do not invade my intuitive psyche} I try to explain my reasoning so to hopefully articulate the best possibilities in a dream. Jung has given us the basic tools to understand dreams but it is often intuitive insights that provide a clear understanding of a dreams intent. I see myself as being blessed with a very developed intuitive sense and hopefully one day soon I will be able to give all my attention to my dream work.

Although this dream on the surface does not seem to be directly addressing those same aspects it does seem to be 'looking back' to your past and those experiences that are in need of expanding or healing {creativity/spirituality being a good possibility}. Dreams are important and so are those aspects they focus on. They can influence how a person lives their life and do so in a most positive manner.

The Old Town suggests something within your past is at play. Along with the old headstones and cemetery {buried aspects} it does seem to suggest something within your past is seeking/needing your conscious attention {dreams compensate our conscious minds with unconscious information that seeks to provide balance to the waking life}. The 'Old Wild West' days and the good time had by the students may suggest a prosperous time in your life, possibly your own high school days {this is an important stages of life because of personal and psychological development}. The students would be those various aspects of your psyche, at a time where basic principles and foundations for your future were being formed {concrete, without walls or fence}. The three tiers may represent several aspects in your psyche with one possibility being the divisions of being, body {physical necessities}, mind, {psychological factors} and soul {your bliss, the soul's deepest desires}.

Katie may be a part of your dream because she reminds you of yourself when you were younger. Either that or there are aspects she possesses you relate to that describe some aspects of your own inner self. What she is doing, or attempting to do, and the follow-up consequences in the dream would represent some aspect{s} about yourself that left an impression on your psyche and is now recast to help you retrieve some of those 'soulful' aspirations you may have abandoned. I use the word soulful because knowing your aspirations from your 20s {from the China Town dream} and that the priority of intent of the psyche {working through your dreams} is to lead you back to those soul aspirations. The attempted flip, while successful and representing an intent {of choices upon your part while at that stage of life, was the right choice but has not been 'properly' executed {a good possibility being getting back to certain aspirations to do with creativity in the China Town dream}.

There is an injury in this stage of your life, one that affected certain abilities or possibilities {remember, the dream is about you and your life}. What struggles were you experiencing in this phase of your life? An experience strong enough to leave unconscious imprints that still need to be addressed at this mid-life stage?

You are the teacher who stays with Katie. That teacher may represent that higher Self, teaching the 'self' about higher aspirations of mind, body and soul? Is that what has been left behind, the higher possibilities being realized at an early age only to be thwarted by some experience earlier in life? A three story building, three blocks long?
Social duty, what society dictates, may be part of that thing that blocks your soul's intent {walked out onto a city street. It was after dark, or unconscious}.

The building was three blocks away and you have traveled two blocks {have taken care of two of the major aspects in life?}. Is the third aspect now what is confronting you and calling you to take action {at the church near the cemetery where we had started the field trip}. The street are empty, your life is empty until you travel that third block.
Are we back to those higher aspirations of the soul? You have achieved the first two, the normal progression of life in the early stages being met.

That third aspect {Three of Katie’s friends were in the waiting room} is waiting to be rescued. The outlook is bright and cheery {as are the prospects of discovery of that third aspect?}.

But the dream ends with the description of the parents. Is there something to that which applies to your true parents or is it merely a metaphor for those balanced wisdom aspects? Most likely it is the later but it may be important to look back at your teen years and determine what it was that threw you off course in your soulful endeavors. You have stated you had real creative desires {in your China Town dream response}. Dreams do not normal describe events unless there are reasons for it. Often we discover the development personality traits when looking back if not deeper aspects. I would give some real time to that part of your life and determine what was there and how it affected you then and now.

One last thought. In your opening you state you don't have any children. Is that significant and possibly related in any way to 'higher aspirations'?

P.S.- Since you are a teacher I used spell check several times.

gerard

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 58 Murfreesboro, Tn

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? Yes

Hi Pilly

In addition to Gerrards insightful comments, one thing that stood out for me whilst reading your dream was the phrase - "Katie was still struggling and trying to move, but she wasn’t talking. She didn’t seem to understand that she had been hurt."

Dreams are about us and katie seems to reflect some aspect of the inner child that has been wounded, the back of the head where the injury appears to be implies that the wounding is at the level of belief, one that leaves you paralysed, an inability to 'stand up' for what you believe in maybe? or an inability to move forward due to some false self belief you have about yourself that was likely imposed on you at some stage in your life. The nature of this belief or rigidity exists within your own energies and maybe is of a military type nature where we hold high expectations of ourself that stop us from truly moving forward.

The other possibility and im just throwing ideas out there, is that the wounding to the back of the head is reflecting some learned behaviors 'back flip' that has taught you to shut down the 'emotions' (Katie female) and function in your physical life, these learned behaviours again are usually formed in our early life and serve to close us of from certain emotions that are difficult as a consequence we lose a part of ourselves, the level of concrete that seems to exist at this dream location shows you something about the lack of free flow of emotional energy in this part of your life, do you ever find you contain yourself or hold yourself back in any way?

Again the backflip may be an attempt to move this energy to express these feelings, but through ones attitude 'military dependant' one holds oneself back and you fall at the first fence so to say sustaining the repetive injury that stops you from moving forward or going with the flow.

The next scenes of your dream seem to indicate your separation form this internal state you find yourself in, your dream ego self or every day thoughts and feelings are however reflecting your own concern and worry at this inner predicament, "She didn’t seem to understand that she had been hurt" how does this statement apply to you it may be suggesting that there is a lack of awareness around this issue at the moment prompting your deeper consciousness to throw it up to the surafce for you to get some objectivity on it. when we become aware of the underlying forces and feelings that drive our behaviours and motivate our actions we can if we choose respond accordingly out of love instead of learned behaviours.

It is our inner child that yearns to be noticed and accepted and it is this behaviour that may as a consequence hold us back from expressing our true self, giving time to that vulnerable place inside of you and cherishing and nourishing it with love can bring about much change.

Just some food for thought Good luck
Marce

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 36, Uk

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

How Did You Find the Dream Forum? Y

Dear Gerard and Marce,
Thank you both so much for your insights. I think the dream has to do with creative aspirations more than anything—Katie is very creative, and I would like to take the time to express that side of myself more fully, yet I am always shoving that part of myself aside to take care of “responsibilities.” I definitely could describe my creative aspirations as buried.

Much of my creativity was stifled when I was in high school. I was definitely raised with the idea that creative pursuits were fun for hobbies, but not something that I could use to support myself. I think that ties in with the idea that Gerard discussed about the empty street symbolizing a block to my soul’s intent. Social duty or what society dictates would be the expectations of my parents.
The believed in the need for a “real job” to earn a living. That idea definitely influenced my majors in college and my career path.

My own high expectations definitely come in where creativity is concerned. For a long time I was paralyzed (wow—that thought just occurred to me) in my creative pursuits because I was consumed with perfectionism. I couldn’t work on any kind of creative project—writing, scrapbooking, card making, jewelry making—because it had to be perfect. I’m working on overcoming that demon, and have been able to enjoy those activities more because I am able to relax and enjoy the process as opposed to focusing on the finished product. Before, I couldn’t enjoy the creative process because I was so worried about the end product being perfect, but I’m getting better. I think Katie’s struggle to move is symbolic of my struggle to become more creative and overcome perfectionism. The parents at the end of the dream might be some aspect of my personality trying to force the perfectionism back on me.

I definitely agree with the idea that I suppress the free flow of emotion in my life.
I think the higher aspirations definitely have to do with creative endeavors, and not children.
Thank you both again for your help!

Pilly

PS I am the world’s worst speller—I always check the board two or three times before the kids come in. It is very embarrassing when the students find mistakes before I do!

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 41, New Mexico

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

pilly,
It seems we have established a trend to your dreams, the utilization of those creative aspects within your psyche. The struggle to overcome perfection is probably one issue your dreams are addressing. But underneath those 'perfection' issues are probably something a bit deeper. Where did such issues begin and why. You mentioned your childhood and generally childhood is the first and best place to begin the search. If you have overcome those issues that have stiffeled your creative juices and yet you still have these dreams, then there is a good chance those deeper issues are at play and need more attention. Issues with your parents, are there still unresolved aspects to those relationships? Your dreams may be pointing to those aspects as well as the creative self. Jung tells us all dreams have at least two interpretations, two meanings.

gerard

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 58 Murfreesboro, Tn

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? Yes