I was witnessing people sent to take people on the final journey of death. I asked if the people could change their minds and the people taking their life said no. It was not cruel or violent deaths and then they said you are next. The angels/people took a very fluffy pillow and began to sufficate me and I was compliant and laying there. I said as I was dying I don't beleive God is ready for me there is more for me to do. Then I remebered all of the people that had been given death jsut before me. There seened to have been consultation and I was left and woke up.

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Lawrence,
In most dreams death is purely a metaphor for an end to something in the dreamer's life. A phase in the dreamer's life such as an end to a relationship, changing jobs, moving to another town or state. Seldom if ever does the dream depict an actual death of a person. If you are going through an important stage in your life where the above applies then look to those events to help explain the dream.

Stages of Life
You are at that stage of life where death is an impending reality and something that is either consciously playing on your mind or an unconscious thing that one does not wish not to think about or an unconscious emotional event. The final journey is that last stage of life and something that is realized but seldom rationalized. All life ends in death, it is a part of life. Rationalizing, albeit unconscious, may be one reason for your dream. Dreams are therapeutic, they seek to help the dreamer resolve emotional issues. The thought of death is a common event when one reaches that final stage of life {after the mid-life thing where one reassesses life and looks for meaning in life}.

Positive Acceptance of Death
There is no saying 'no' to death, one must learn to accept the realities. When that is achieved, the acceptance of death as a reality and not fearing death, it is not a cruel or violent in terms of an emotional response. Death is the next stage, the final stage of life. Leaning to accept that makes it non-violent, not a cruel event.

Midlife-Life Is Suffocating
Life is often suffocating. After 35 years or so of the mid-life thing one often feels suffocated by the emotional events from ones life. But when there is that realization that death is but one part of life and not to be feared, an acceptance and compliance to it would be a result. This part of the dream may be saying something about your personality and your ability to accept death. The fluffy pillow that suffocates may be saying something about a 'gentle' life you have lived. Dreams often depict personality characteristics.

Not Ready to Go
'I don't believe God is ready for me'. At 63 you still have many years of life ahead. Dreams focus on life at the time you have the dream. The people in your dream may be suggestive of other people you have known who have made that final transition. Pondering on death could be a consultation with yourself {the 'other people' would also represent the different aspects that make up who you are, a standard for dreams}. After an 'inner' consultation you realize you still have many years of life ahead of you. Perhaps this is a message that you should make the most of those remaining years, void of a fear of death which would make life much richer and less emotional.
Overall the dream is probably a realization and rationalization of death.

Another Possibility
Such a dream like this one could be from someone who is contemplating taking their own life. For someone who has had a hard emotional life and is at a stage of emotional trauma, there could be such thinking. It is not be uncommon thing, I had such an event {brief as it was] in my late 20s. But the rational side of self regains control and one realizes it is 'not time to go'. I don't see this as the primary theme for your dream but do not reject the possibility. If life has been so suffocating it is hard to bare, thoughts of death would be reasonable. For anyone who is contemplating this self consultation to a higher power within is needed. And perhaps a real consultation with someone who is trained in such matters.

Jerry

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Jerry, thank you for the response and it is on target with where I am in life. I am interviewing and look to continued employement. I am fortunate to be the recipient of good genes and do not appear to be my actual age. It has been a difficult time and transition to seeking new employment. Many thanks!
Have great holiday, Lawrence

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Jerry {Host & WebMaster MDS Dream Forum}

Lawrence,
In most dreams death is purely a metaphor for an end to something in the dreamer's life. A phase in the dreamer's life such as an end to a relationship, changing jobs, moving to another town or state. Seldom if ever does the dream depict an actual death of a person. If you are going through an important stage in your life where the above applies then look to those events to help explain the dream.

This protion is definitlely on target, please see the first email when I was providing a reply...I thing I understand the process now!

Stages of Life
You are at that stage of life where death is an impending reality and something that is either consciously playing on your mind or an unconscious thing that one does not wish not to think about or an unconscious emotional event. The final journey is that last stage of life and something that is realized but seldom rationalized. All life ends in death, it is a part of life. Rationalizing, albeit unconscious, may be one reason for your dream. Dreams are therapeutic, they seek to help the dreamer resolve emotional issues. The thought of death is a common event when one reaches that final stage of life {after the mid-life thing where one reassesses life and looks for meaning in life}.
Death does not frighten me in any way. It is a part of the living process.

Positive Acceptance of Death
There is no saying 'no' to death, one must learn to accept the realities. When that is achieved, the acceptance of death as a reality and not fearing death, it is not a cruel or violent in terms of an emotional response. Death is the next stage, the final stage of life. Leaning to accept that makes it non-violent, not a cruel event.

Midlife-Life Is Suffocating
Life is often suffocating. After 35 years or so of the mid-life thing one often feels suffocated by the emotional events from ones life. But when there is that realization that death is but one part of life and not to be feared, an acceptance and compliance to it would be a result. This part of the dream may be saying something about your personality and your ability to accept death. The fluffy pillow that suffocates may be saying something about a 'gentle' life you have lived. Dreams often depict personality characteristics.

The emotional component of life has taken some toll but I have been fortunate to have some time to shed some of the emotional toll and prepare for the future.

Not Ready to Go
'I don't believe God is ready for me'. At 63 you still have many years of life ahead. Dreams focus on life at the time you have the dream. The people in your dream may be suggestive of other people you have known who have made that final transition. Pondering on death could be a consultation with yourself {the 'other people' would also represent the different aspects that make up who you are, a standard for dreams}. After an 'inner' consultation you realize you still have many years of life ahead of you. Perhaps this is a message that you should make the most of those remaining years, void of a fear of death which would make life much richer and less emotional.

I feel emotionally prepared for the future and all that it holds. Again, there is not a fear of death. As is pointed out later, there have been suicidal thoughts but sought assistance in resolution.

Overall the dream is probably a realization and rationalization of death.

Another Possibility
Such a dream like this one could be from someone who is contemplating taking their own life. For someone who has had a hard emotional life and is at a stage of emotional trauma, there could be such thinking. It is not be uncommon thing, I had such an event {brief as it was] in my late 20s. But the rational side of self regains control and one realizes it is 'not time to go'. I don't see this as the primary theme for your dream but do not reject the possibility. If life has been so suffocating it is hard to bare, thoughts of death would be reasonable. For anyone who is contemplating this self consultation to a higher power within is needed. And perhaps a real consultation with someone who is trained in such matters.

I have reslized it is not time to go and I could not place a burden of taking my life on my family whom I love and love me back. I witnessed this in the family of a friend.
My sincere appreciation to you as this is quite insightful and beyond my interpretation.

hahttp://pub34.bravenet.com/forum/show.php?usernum=2863566527&msgid=1177393


Jerry

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Lawrence,
Thanks for the detailed response. As is often the case the original observation from the dream {In most dreams death is purely a metaphor for an end to something in the dreamer's life. A phase in the dreamer's life such as an end to a relationship, changing jobs, moving to another town or state} fit with your waking experiences. I say 'as is often the case' because death is a common dream symbol which most always represents an end to some aspect of the dreamer's life and not a literal death. I state this with confidence because of the many times the death motif has been present in dreams posted at the Dream Forum and the follow-up responses confirming a symbolic representation {verses a literal experience}.

I probably over emphasised the focus on 'Overall the dream is probably a realization and rationalization of death' although the death motif could still be an unconscious conflict in a some way. Even those who have made peace with the fact of death will still have reservations about the final transition, not knowing what to expect. If I had ended my interpretation with the first observation we would probably have defined the dream correctly. The last part of my response about suicide was an attempt to cover all the bases. Your age was a consideration in advancing the possibilities of the 'death' theme even though there was a positive tone to the dream {possibly reflective of your positive attitude in life}. I sometimes go too far in the possibilities but would rather advance all possibilities than miss something relevant to the dreamer's life, especially someone past the midlife stage who could be in a negative state of mind and needs to understand what the dream is symbolically stating.

My response 'After an 'inner' consultation you realize you still have many years of life ahead of you. Perhaps this is a message that you should make the most of those remaining years, void of a fear of death which would make life much richer and less emotional' would apply to not teh subject of death but the stress and difficulty of the changes you are going through. This part of the dream may be trying to get you to focus on your positive qualities and not let the negatives 'suffocate' you.

'Then I remembered all of the people that had been given death just before me'. In accord with the theme of the dream, the symbolic reference and not a literal one, this may be addressing past experiences you have gone through in the past. I will think this is the positive self coming through, the rational part of your persona providing strength to overcome the current trials you are now experiencing. It probably says a lot about your personality.

God in Your Dream
As metaphor God in a dream often symbolizes ones 'higher self'. The changes you are currently experiencing are probably influenced by the positive aspects of your personality/psyche. There is more for you to do may be a reference not only for the preparations needed in these changes but a reliance on those higher qualities to help you persevere. Past experiences shape who we are. Your positive attitudes are the higher qualities you may need to look to in this moment of 'changes'. I often look to my days at Unity Church and the reference they used when God was a metaphorical reference. Let go and let God. Let go and let the higher self take control. Because you do possess such a higher attitude this part of the dream may be trying to get you to focus on those qualities. Dreams often try to focus on the positive qualities to overcome the negatives.

'I am fortunate to be the recipient of good genes and do not appear to be my actual age'. I want to thank you for presenting the physical factor. It is so important to consider when life advances and we begin to wonder why life is as difficult as it is for the Boomer generation.
Having reached that 'mile' stone age of 60 myself I understand how important good health can play on the mind. Like you I have a good set of genes but I also have made physical fitness a major part of my lifestyle for the past 30 years. I emphasis the importance of good health not just because of the physical attributes but also the psychological. All experiences in life are psychological. The positive aspect on life you possess probably has a lot to do with your good health. Just imagine not having that healthy body. I was recently reminded of the consequences of that when I received an e-mail about the death of a high school classmate {age 60}. He was at our 40th class reunion and like 90% of those who attended had not taken very good care of himself physically. The importance of good health and the stress factor are real. If a person is suffering from bad health that person most often has compounded the problem with a stressful attitude that affects the immune system. How I wish I could get the word out to everyone about the positive attributes of taking care of the body. Life is hard enough as we age but when the physical aspect is in decline it makes life more difficult. You and I do not have that baggage to carry. And as you know it is a positive, not the negative psychological factor most our age have to endure.

I hope I haven't 'over done' it with my response.

Have a great, and healthy holidays.

Jerry

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Jerry,
You have not gone overboard but allowed me the opportunity to truly reflect on this dream and relate it back to earlier ones. I am most appreciative of 'serependitously' locating this site!

I too, and my family, have focused on physical fitness the past thirty five plus years and continue with that way of life. Yes, the endorphins truly help in maintaining the positives of life and your commesnt are on target with my daily living. I am dreaming a lot lately and will post again when another that goes on as long in one night as this one did! As a side note I am Presbyterian since college but my psyche maintains my Baptist roots which mainfest themselves all to frequestly!-:)

My sincere and heartfelt wishes to you and yours for a peaceful, grace filled holiday. Blessings

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Lawrence,
Your use of then word 'serendipitously' reminds me of my own seren·dipi·tous encounter with Joseph Campbell. That occurred in late 1992 with The Power of Myth when it was shown on my local PBS station. It changed my life, lead me to Jung and is the path I have been on every since. I believe nature provides us with such chance encounters that have the power to change lives. And as with the hero journey they come about just when we need them to do so.
My goal is to make Myths-Dreams-Symbols a tool to share what I have learned from my journey. But the essence of any serendipitous encounter is not about me or Myths-Dreams-Symbols. It is that 'light' in the darkness of ones life that hopefully is switched on when the true path is realized. I hope your being drawn to the Dream Forum will help in some small way in your heroic journey to wholeness.

I am grateful for your dedication to physical fitness. Our generation is the first to experiment with good health attitudes and I see you and I as good examples of how much better life can be when one takes care of the temple/body. And to read your whole family participates in this endeavor of the higher self, that is encouraging. Life need not decline to a point where it is a suffering just to get up every morning, taking pills to just survive. For you and I, and anyone else who finds the discipline to exercise the body, life is just beginning. We can use the wisdom we have gained from experiences in life and share what we have learned. We need to be good teachers and image has so much to do with perceptions. Getting the word across is much easier when you are a good example. I am sure you agree.

Baptist roots. I too was raised Baptist and Church of Christ. Having studied all the religions of the world {an important part of understanding the importance myth} I have withdrawn from those 'closed' ideologies and have been healed of their negative influences. But I have not rejected the most important aspect of the teachings. WWJD is the path I try to follow and live my life. I don't look outside myself for salvation, I look within. Just as with the Gnostics I believe Jesus is about finding spirituality within oneself, and then discovering it within everything else in nature. When I need spiritual nourishment I either engage myself with my dream work, my bliss, or go to the 'forest', back to nature. Waterfalls are a big attraction for my soul. As I tell all my Christian friends, if you must judge, judge me not by my faith but by what I do. WWJD is my path and good deeds is my faith.

I would be more interested in learning more about your spiritual life and how that has evolved. And your path overall. I know you have a lot to share and with all that I know about you I can only guess it is educational.

Jerry

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Jerry {Host & WebMaster MDS Dream Forum}

Lawrence,
Your use of then word 'serendipitously' reminds me of my own seren·dipi·tous encounter with Joseph Campbell. That occurred in late 1992 with The Power of Myth when it was shown on my local PBS station. It changed my life, lead me to Jung and is the path I have been on every since. I believe nature provides us with such chance encounters that have the power to change lives. And as with the hero journey they come about just when we need them to do so.
My goal is to make Myths-Dreams-Symbols a tool to share what I have learned from my journey. But the essence of any serendipitous encounter is not about me or Myths-Dreams-Symbols. It is that 'light' in the darkness of ones life that hopefully is switched on when the true path is realized. I hope your being drawn to the Dream Forum will help in some small way in your heroic journey to wholeness.

Thoughts: I beleive we are drawn 'serendipitously' to individuals on our journey to wholeness. I will secure a copy of 'The Power of Myth
' in the next few days and begin to read and consider how mit will assust in the journey.

I am grateful for your dedication to physical fitness. Our generation is the first to experiment with good health attitudes and I see you and I as good examples of how much better life can be when one takes care of the temple/body. And to read your whole family participates in this endeavor of the higher self, that is encouraging. Life need not decline to a point where it is a suffering just to get up every morning, taking pills to just survive. For you and I, and anyone else who finds the discipline to exercise the body, life is just beginning. We can use the wisdom we have gained from experiences in life and share what we have learned. We need to be good teachers and image has so much to do with perceptions. Getting the word across is much easier when you are a good example. I am sure you agree.

Thoughts: Fitness is an important of the journey because we need not lose our capacity to function well just because society celebrates youth. I hope I am a good exaple to many of the journet jsut as you are. We do need to continue to spread and live the word.

Baptist roots. I too was raised Baptist and Church of Christ. Having studied all the religions of the world {an important part of understanding the importance myth} I have withdrawn from those 'closed' ideologies and have been healed of their negative influences. But I have not rejected the most important aspect of the teachings. WWJD is the path I try to follow and live my life. I don't look outside myself for salvation, I look within. Just as with the Gnostics I believe Jesus is about finding spirituality within oneself, and then discovering it within everything else in nature. When I need spiritual nourishment I either engage myself with my dream work, my bliss, or go to the 'forest', back to nature. Waterfalls are a big attraction for my soul. As I tell all my Christian friends, if you must judge, judge me not by my faith but by what I do. WWJD is my path and good deeds is my faith.

Thoughts: I was fortunate to become friends with a Presbyterian Minister 25-30 years ago through a Presbytery Meeting who served as a spiritual guide since he was open to and had studied the world religions. I had just ebough in college to be dangerous. The friendship led to readings that led to other readings based on refernces in books and ultimately to 'The Cloud of Unknowing'. Readings that have shaped my world view the past ten or so years have been Marcus Borg, Huston Smith, Parker Palmer etc, There was one book we studied in 25 (?) years ago group 'Celebration of Discipline' which provided many books that I pursued. Bill Moyer is a favorite of mine and I hope he will come back again...Waterfalls are an attration to me particularly in the fierce landscapes of CO. I always feel the presence/thin places in the mountains and peace beyond words.

Then first I would be more interested in learning more about your spiritual life and how that has evolved. And your path overall. I know you have a lot to share and with all that I know about you I can only guess it is educational.

Thought: I have been blessed with a Spiritual Guide who led me to many readings and redirection over the years. I have been without a guide due to relocation six years ago. Will close for now but I will meditate, pray and reflect on all you have said...and you can do the same. Serendipity?

Jerry

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Lawrence,
The Power of Myth is very 'powerful'. It was at one time available in video at MySpace but the Joseph Campbell Foundation thought it more important to preserve 'intellectual' rights than it is to 'share the word' and had the six videos removed {as well as all other videos by Campbell}. The video is available for purchase and may be a better tool to understanding Campbell's message. I have it in book and audio and of course have seen it many times on video. PBS regularly uses it as a fund raising tool. That is the venue for which I first saw it some 18 years ago.

Campbell had many well known students including George Lucas {also Linda Ronstadt and Jackie Kennedy Onassis to name a couple}. Most of the video series {six one hour videos} were filmed at Lucas' Skywalker ranch. The Star Wars trilogy is based on the basic stages of the Monomyth {also referred to as the hero's journey, the basic pattern found in many narratives from around the world}. Campbell borrowed the term monomyth from James Joyce's Finnegans Wake.

Here is a video about Campbell's Monomyth and the film the Matrix The Matrix.

Jerry

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Jerry,

I am sending well wishes for a peaceful and joyous New Year. May your year be filled with wonder and awe.
I look forward to posting dreams and having the benefit of your expertise and wisdom. I am pondering and interpreting the past few days. They have been short and intense and need to digest.

Blessings and great peace, Lawrence

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Have a great New Year Lawrence. Look forward to your future posts.

Jerry

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