Gerard, this is great!

How quickly you've made these forum changes. I love the direction you've taken this and have much hope for all of us to encounter many new AH HAs.

My dream of a couple nights ago woke me in great terror.

I was at the end of the drive, hovering in an area where the garbage is put out. It was absolutely pitch black. I could not see a thing. Suddenly, I felt a terrifyingly dangerous presence and it was coming straight for me. Because everything was so black, I hunched way down, hoping the person/presence would not know I was even there. My heart was racing as I heard the steps of it getting closer and I knew it was carrying a knife with intent to cause hurt. I was trying to be silent and still, yet when I tried soundless breathing, I was utterly horrified to discover that instead of breath, I was making pig noises! The sounds were too noisy and would not stop. Was I a pig??? Either way -- human or pig -- the fear was incredible.

****

In a quick after-note, about a year or so ago, a young man was stabbed where this dream took place. So, I can see how I transposed my own fear of being metaphorically knifed and 'cut open' onto the place.

But the pig noises...????

Thanks!
Angela

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 39 UK

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Angela,
Hovering in the garbage is great metaphor for 'dwelling in the negative aspects'. It is mostly an unconscious attitude {pitch black, can't see anything} but the influences on the waking self are what needs to be addressed. There does seem to be elements of repression {Because everything was so black, I hunched way down, hoping the person/presence would not know I was even there}.

The 'dangerous presence' would be the fears and negative aspects in your life. It may be they are now about to reveal them-self and that is why you had such a dream. It may be the dream is trying to point out what you are unconsciously motivated to do in your waking life.

The pig. What do pigs do? They 'hover in the garbage. Could it be that is what you are doing, the garbage being a metaphor for 'dwelling in the negative aspects? Or there may be fears of doing this. Either way I see unconscious influences being at the center of the problem, past negative attitudes/experiences influencing your waking condition.
Does that sound plausible in your current situation?

gerard/Jerry

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

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Hi Gerard,

Well, it took a long time to find this, but your idea of dwelling around negative thoughts, producing an instinctive (animal-like) reaction was a perfect one. I was just about to reply, that it must still be unconscious, because I couldn't think of anything -- when I suddenly thought of something...

Pig -- piggy bank.

My personal connection is that I was an enterprising kid and had a little business from 4 years. The money went into a piggy bank, then the real bank. (I would use a knife to open the bottom of the piggy bank and the dream had that person coming at me with a knife!) After 14 years of growing that business, I had enough to pay my share for University. It turned out though, that I hated my University years and resented how much of my hard earned money I had actually spent there. I LOVE learning, but much of my University experience felt useless and even now, from time to time, I still hear myself complaining about it.

So, definitely there is negativity here, centred largely around money -- the piggy bank.

Which brings me to now -- when we have daily negative news about the banks! It's getting worse here all the time, as the British pound is freefalling against virtually every currency. I am feeling very fearful -- with a palpable knot in my stomach -- since I liquidated all when leaving Canada 4 years ago and moved almost everything to British banks. It was the money I made after University from 6 & 7 day work weeks and real estate investments.

This seems to be a repeated scenario of worrying about seeing all that hard earned money going to 'waste' (garbage) again.

And, ah ha! My University was called 'Queens'!!!! Could I get more *Queenly* than Britain this time around?

I see that I could easily resent the British economy. Because... a couple days ago -- after this pig dream -- my husband received news that his loan is surprisingly being called in, without renewal (even though that was promised indefinitely just 6 months ago). This is going to leave us very vulnerable and is taking the security blanket away. (It could also tie in with 'The Turn Off' dream where the hooded-'blanket' was being pulled out the window, taking me along with it. ??)

There are possible financial solutions coming to mind now, one is that I sacrifice my piggy bank... That was to be my future security. I do hope this doesn't sound cold, but I do know I will be on my own for many years to come because my husband is 30+ years my senior. So, the idea of handing that security over does in fact terrify me. It could leave me in my 50s having to start from scratch, while in grief, due to a negative economy.

It is indeed incredible what can be found in the trash -- me, making selfish, pig noises... I must say that I think I might feel worse for this particular discovery. Sigh...

How to get myself to sacrifice with a willing spirit seems to be key here.

Thanks so much though, Gerard. Your insights are invaluable.

Angela

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Angela,
You get an A+ for taking the time to delve deeper into the possibilities and find what fits with the dream. Or should I say what fits in the dream with actual waking life experiences. Although I think of myself as possessing good intuitive skills in interpreting dreams, it is the dreamer who ultimately must determine what in the dream fits. Sometimes it comes in a flash, other times it takes a lot of effort. Of course it is easy to say 'this fits with that' and make it fit. But if there is a genuine feeling an experiences goes hand in hand with the dream then you most likely have deciphered the dream's message. It is the dreamer who 'knows' for certain.

Isn't it marvelous how dreams do use symbolic illustrations and language from the waking life, often mixing up events/experiences days or even years apart to address an emotional conflict? Not all dreams or dreamers follow this route but when they do it can take extra effort to see where the dream came from. The symbols and language of dreams are fascinating but I find it even more fascinating how certain people, like yourself, have the discipline and desire to investigate deeper the possibilities. Sometimes I will post an interpretation that is very clear and right on and the dreamer misses the point. But mostly what I have found at the Dream Forum are souls who are interested in expanding their horizons and are awake to the possibilities within themselves. One reason I wanted to change the format, to work with those who are serious about personal growth and the inner search.
Thanks for the greater effort to get to the message of your dream. It reinforces my intent to be of help for those who want to help themselves rather than just dismiss a dream because they will not take the needed effort to look at themselves.

gerard/Jerry

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

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It is utterly amazing, Gerard!

I know I've landed on the right interpretation because the feeling was powerful when that connection came. As as I was writing to you about it, the layers kept unravelling, like the Queen/s connection and the knife to open the piggy bank. There has been another one since, which is that I'd watched a TV program the night before the dream that included animal sacrifice. So the need for sacrifice is highlighted.

And it does indeed invoke immense terror in me to think of this sacrifice/giving up of security. But, of course I must trust that this process which is forcing me into the present, might be where a new point of internal transformation appears. I have never, ever lived my life this way before. I've always stashed away for the rainy day. I guess I never expected the rainy day would come...

Next week I plan to work through my finances and make a decision. For, I just read in a Robert Johnson book, something to the effect, that if you don't act when something has come up from the unconscious, it will come back later in much worse shape. That reiterates your point at the end of how unconscious work is about helping ourselves and the real help comes when we pay attention, rather than dismiss things.

Thanks for the A+. I couldn't have done it without you.

Angela.

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