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Re: Clawed

Jerry, thank you for your thoughtful and thorough analysis of my dream. I am moved to tears. :)

You have given me a lot to think about.

Here are some things going on in my life:

1. Medical crises. Insomnia, anemia, and painful fibroids. My quality of life over the past 5 years has been awful because of these issues. I have a doctor now who is actually trying to diagnose the source and not just treat the issue. I have a nagging feeling something is going on with my body, so I am happy my new doctor is trying to get to the root of it.

Previously, I heard..."it's peri-menopause", "it's normal at your age (48)", etc. It was frustrating.

2. My daughter is leaving for college in the fall. She is my only child and we are very close. I am a SAHM and I know I have put a lot of energy into raising her and not very much into myself. I will need to re-evaluate my life and find something different to fulfill my time.

3. My parents and I are not very close anymore. We really never were, but as a family we all got along ok. My mom has made it so we can't stay at her house any more (CATS! LOTS!) when we visit (3 hours away). My oldest sister has been fighting with them a lot over her feelings that the family has broken up because there is no place to get together anymore. I feel guilty about not seeing them more often, but they make no efforts to come here. And they make no effort to be involved with their grand-daughter. They always play the victim role. They are both strong and controlling people.

I am tired of always being the one who has to "give in" to the whims/feelings/expectations of others. I feel like I serve my parents and my child. But I never have them to lean on.

Does that help?

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 48 raleigh, nc

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Re: Clawed

Annika,
I have to be in Orlando to do 'social duty' stuff starting early today and lasting late and will provide a detailed response Sunday morning. Are there any other recent dreams you remember you can post? That would help.

Jerry

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 64 Cocoa, Fl

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Re: Clawed

Hi Jerry,

Thank you. I appreciate your help in trying to figure this issue out. :)

I am a prolific dreamer....but I seem to forget most of my dreams soon after I wake up. It feels as if I am not meant to remember them. I have been having a lot of dreams lately that seem to be revealing parts of my life or possibly examining my past. I cannot remember the dreams, but I do recall the feeling. A few of them were "happy" dreams. It surprised me because I do not usually recall or have dreams where I feel good. Most of my dreams tend to be neutral or negative to varying degrees.

The dreams I told you about were both set in a social setting. A garden party or evening party of some sort. I think my daughter was there. Sometimes I confuse my twin sister with my daughter and vice/versa. They look similar, but are very different in personality.

I recently had a nightmare that shook me to the core. For the life of me, I cannot remember the content or anything about it. I will keep trying to recall it.

Thanks, again!

Enjoy Orlando. :)

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 48 raleigh, nc

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Re: Clawed

Annika,
It is difficult to read much from the two short dreams you posted. No doubt the issues you listed are part of the reason for your dreams {emotional issues clawing at you seeking resolution}. One reason I mentioned personality traits is there may be deeper issues involved. The fact you mentioned your twin sister and daughter may point to these deeper aspects. Two people who look the same but have different personalities. This may be a unconscious statement about the two aspects about yourself, the perceived ego self you project and the inner self you have yet to recognize. They are indistinguishable because you have yet to explore in the inner self. This may reflect a projection of unconscious aspects related to either relationships or/and metaphorical references within yourself. I would be interested in what your dreams may have to 'say' about your inner twin. How it may have associations to your sister as well as your daughter.

But I can only speculate on the possibilities. I do see a lot of personality traits in dreams and it is not uncommon for someone in midlife to have a conflict of personality {it is an unconscious conflict within most of us}. The best way to know more about the possibilities, and the 'clawing' in your dreams is to analyze other dreams. Here is a page from my Myths-Dreams-Symbols website that will help you remember your dreams Tips to Help You Remember Your Dreams. Once you put your mind to it is not as hard as it may seem to remember your dreams {everyone dreams every night usually during REM sleep}. Take time to record them {as soon as you awake}. Post that dream and let me analyze it. Most often I am able to see the deeper aspects to the emotional issues involved. Patterns emerge that reflect unconscious energies that motivate or even control your waking life. Understanding those qualities will help resolve other issues. This will help you remove the claws.


Jerry

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 64 Cocoa, Fl

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Re: Clawed

Hi Jerry,

Thanks for your in depth analysis.

I had a dream this morning that I gave birth to a brown haired baby girl. I was frustrated and overwhelmed trying to take care of a newborn. My OB suggested I give the baby up for adoption. I gave him the baby. He said if I changed my mind I could call him in a week. I felt relieved. I didn't want the baby.

After a few days, I started to think about how upset my family would be (parents & sisters) if they found out I gave my baby to a stranger. It also began to feel weird having my baby raised by someone other than me or family. I had to get my baby back. I immediately began to try to find my OB's phone number. I couldn't find it anywhere. I struggled remember his name.

I went down to his office. A female employee told me they gave my baby to a very sweet and kind blonde 25 year old woman. They said she was fostering the baby for me, but I could contact her to get my baby back. I woke up.

Does this dream tie in?

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 48 raleigh, nc

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Re: Clawed

Annika,
I've got a sense what the dream is trying to communicate but before I give my final analysis {I do better early in the morning with interpretations} let me ask a question about the age statement {25} in the last part of the dream. How old is your daughter? How old were you when you gave birth to her? Numbers always have a significant meaning in dreams. The young woman at the age of 25 may have to do with your daughter or/and your age when you gave birth to her {also consider emotional experiences that involve the age 25}. The new baby in the dream was a girl, a female or a feminine aspect {emotional?}. The dream could be addressing present day emotional issues as well as 'foundations' for present day issues having to do with your past.
{Jung tells us, and I have often found this to be true, that all dreams/images have at least two meanings or applications}.

Being in the last of the dream would suggest a climatic point of the dream which may point to an emotional aspect that has reached a climax {final stage of emotional energies}. Are there new responsibilities you may have 'giving birth' to or are considering, or afraid of being able to manage new responsibilities {the OB doctor symbolizing animus qualities. I take note of your statement at the end of your last post, "I am tired of always being the one who has to "give in" to the whims/feelings/expectations of others". That statement denotes a frustration and being overwhelmed. The 'givin{g}' {give in} birth may be about new frustrations {as one application/meaning for the dream}.

The middle part of the dream may be about actual family members as well as your whole self {family of emotions}. If I can get a response to the age question it may tie loose ends.

Note your being able to remember your dream this morning. Thinking about remembering your dreams often stimulates a person to be able to do so. We don't remember our dreams partly because we never consider them or think about remembering them.

Jerry

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 64 Cocoa, Fl

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Re: Clawed

Hi Jerry,

I am 48 years old and my daughter is 17 years old. I was 31 years old when I gave birth to her.

Thanks. :)


Annika

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Re: Clawed

Annika,
Examine the years when you were 25. The number has relevance in some way. Or look at other possibilities of the age 25 that would fit. In some aspect this 25 year old 'blond' relates to some aspect of your psyche, and although it could be a real person it most likely represents a 'positive' aspect within your psyche
{From the Dream Dictionary-Blond - Blond may represent the fair side of the psyche, a harmonious, balanced self, or a desire for this aspect}. The 'she' that is fostering this 'new growth, attitude or aspect' in your life is you. You contact this aspect of yourself by going inward, into the unconscious {psychological}. Dreams are one way to access this 'other you'. What you find from this inner search is how to find that balance and harmony you seek.

What is one sided/out of balance on the outside, the ego conscious self, is countered by an opposite in the unconscious self, a positive, balanced, peace of mind, a harmonious, less conflicting emotional life. You 'went down to his office' to find this out.

Being in 'his' office is addressing masculine aspects {the animus qualities}. Discipline, an ability to achieve what it requires to have balance and harmony. The balance and harmony could be this 'new birth' you are fostering, taking time to finally do what is necessary to get away from the pressures of family and unreal responsibilities cast upon you. I go back to your statement in your post, "I am tired of always being the one who has to "give in" to the whims/feelings/expectations of others. I feel like I serve my parents and my child. But I never have them to lean on.'

You are at that midlife stage when you begin to reflect and re-access life. When you read the paragraph in the dream about how your family would feel, that goes to the issue of your statement above. It is how you feel, what you need and want {I had to get my baby back}. You need time, space for yourself, the self that needs to grow. This is about personal growth and this new birth is what you need to begin that task. managing that, a masculine/animus quality, is what it takes to get it down. In the past this masculine self has been weak, giving in to what parents and family want. You've got to get away from that. You struggle to find this masculine strength within yourself.

This is what I sensed the dream is about in the beginning. I probably put too much emphasis on the number 25. I am always gauging dream images/numbers to understand their relevance. From experience I find them {numbers} to have some relevance to the dreamer's life. Sometimes it takes a deeper examination to discover what it is. I am confident it fits somewhere. But the primary issue of this dream is related to the cat and eagle dream. Midlife, personal growth and finding ways to remove the 'claws' that hold you to the old self. This new baby is you, a new you that you are having a lot of trouble discovering because you have adopted out those aspects of your life to others {parents, family, social obligations}. You need to find your true self, that person you are inside, opposite the person you have become. The first dream in its simplicity re-stating the message in another dream in a different way. You will continue to have dreams, different dreams that will continue to state this message. They will continue until you really do something about it. That will require strength, the masculine OB doctor who can bring about healing.

Posting your dreams so you can understand them is a good start. Understand your dreams and you understand yourself. Your true self, that person you should be, need to be.

Jerry

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 64 Cocoa, Fl

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Re: Clawed

Hi Jerry,

Thank you very much for the detailed analysis. I appreciate your help. :)

What you explained makes a lot of sense. Everything you said falls right into place.

The number 25 is significant because it is when I moved to NC. I got married and quit a very lucrative job to relocate with my new husband. I was working many hours and under a lot of pressure, so I was happy for the change of pace. My parents had/have a house on the coast and early retired there. There was some pressure from them to move to NC.

The marriage didn't last very long because I found out he was a Jekyl/Hyde kind of person. Everything was a bunch of lies.

A couple of years later I met and married my current husband. We have been married for 18 years.

My second husband's job relocated us three different times (to three great cities - two were in Europe), but we have always ended up back in NC. We live in a very nice city and it's a great place to raise a family. But my husband and I don't like it here. I have been thinking a lot about where we should retire and possibly buying a vacation/rental home there. We have traveled a great deal and I have been focusing on areas rich in culture, personality, food, and energy. I feel excited in places like San Diego, New Orleans, London, NY, etc.

Although I don't dwell on it, I somewhat regret moving from the North East to NC (except for the fact I met the love of my life here). It has been a very nice, safe, suburban life. It's just not who I am. My husband feels the same way. His occupation does not allow us the flexibility of moving on our terms. I don't see a transfer in the near future either.

Thanks so much, Jerry. I am going to keep moving forward.

Best Regards,

Annika

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 48 raleigh, nc

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Re: Clawed

Annika,
I appreciate the response. It confirms my position on numbers in dreams. My belief is all images, every detail of a dream has an application that fits in the dreamer's life. In the morning I will take the information you have provided and re-examine the dream. I will look for specific patterns that may provide information beyond the emotional stress in your current life.

Jerry

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 64 Cocoa, Fl

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Re: Clawed

Annika,
After looking back at the three dreams you posted I see the possibility it is directed at one particular emotional aspect that is clawing at you {as one application of the dream}. That would have to do with giving up something earlier in life, at the age of 25. Something you 'gave birth' to but gave up because of pressures in life. Family pressures in particular.

But those feelings are still there, fostering within you. You are not sure how to get that back. That would point to present day indecision.

See where this could fit in your present day life. It may have to do with the decisions where to retire. What was it when you were 25 that you gave up and wish to have back?

Jerry

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 64 Cocoa, Fl

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

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Re: Clawed

Hi Jerry,

I'm not really sure what I gave up at age 25 beyond moving to NC. I have been giving this a lot of thought. I did give up a lucrative career, but I was under a lot of stress and pretty much burned out after 5 years of 70 hour work weeks. I owned a few businesses in NC when I was younger, but I have primarily been a SAHM and volunteer for the last 18 years.

I had several dreams again last night. I remembered the last one in detail this morning, repeated it in my head so I could share it with you, only to completely forget it this afternoon. This is an example of what I meant when I said it almost feels as if I am not to remember many of my dreams.

What I do remember is that my daughter has been in my dreams a lot. The dreams usually involve some aspect of her life as if it is my life. I am very close to my daughter and she shares a lot with me. (I do not try to live my life through her.) I mentor her and try to guide her in a way that will be helpful to her. But I allow her to make her own decisions and mistakes. She is a very independent girl who has been a little clingy lately. I think going to college next fall is making her a little nervous. She will only be a couple of hours from home.

I know I am going to miss her very much. I enjoy being her mother and she has been challenging in many ways. Some good, some not so good...lol!

I don't know how relevant some of the information I provided is, but it came to mind.

Thanks, again. :)

Annika

EDIT: I just remembered the color pink was very vivid in my dream. There was another color too. Possibly blue or white. I think white.

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 48 raleigh, nc

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Re: Clawed

Annika,
If you don't write or record the dream it will disappear. Usually they are gone within mere seconds if you do not give immediate thought to them. Why they disappear from consciousness is not understood although it could have to do with waking to consciousness {from an unconscious state} and the mind being fixed on ego centered things. Egocentricity does not wish for you to know your true self since it gets in the way of what the ego/body desires and not what is best for the psyche. The true self {which is within the unconscious and seeks wholeness} is an opponent to the conscious egocentric self which is dedicated to desires of the body and mind.

As for the dream of being 25 years old. Could that dream have to do with giving up a career you had at 25? I know it caused a lot of pressure but could it be those years {the same years your daughter is about to enter} was something you felt good about {success in a career} and something you could return to if necessary {the dream language, "He said if I changed my mind I could call him in a week. I felt relieved. I didn't want the baby"}. Being so close to your daughter and trying to guide her through a very difficult stage of life may have something to do with those emotions. The middle part of the dream points to pressure from family for giving up the baby to a stranger {the stranger being something in your future that is an unknown quality}. Was there indecision about leaving your career {wanting to get your baby back}?

Again I have dwelled too much on the age thing. This dream could be addressing many issues in your life {every dream, every image has at least two applications/meanings}. Usually when age appears in a dream it is during the very first part of the dream {very often in the opening statement}. Every time this has occurred I bring it to the attention of the dreamer in my analysis and it always fits within their life. But those are statements about early life.

example: A female has a dream that begins with, "I saw an unknown girl about 8 years old being chased by a dark figure". The girl in the dream is the dreamer at 8 yo, an experience with emotional energies that was forgotten or repressed. Your age statement is at the last of the dream, in the climatic part of the dream. Those early years are the foundations for which the dreamer builds their life on. At age 25 the foundations are set and the focus would be on other aspects of your life. What exactly that is has turned out to be difficult to discern. I know from experience in working with dreams {22 years} it fits somewhere. It could have to do with your daughter and the closeness you share {since she is in your dreams a lot}. Upon reflection you probably recognize things she is going through that you shared when you were her age.

What we really need to understand is how to remove the 'claws' that are digging into you. That would involve both present day pressures as well as your own life foundations and experiences. If it is in your dreams it means it has emotional energies and almost always points to emotional conflict. Our dreams are attempting to help us resolve these conflicts so we can be whole and live a harmonious life. Just as the body has the immune system to protect and help restore health, so to the psyche/mind with our dreams. Nature doesn't provide tools for no reason.

Be sure to immediately think about the next dream you have as soon as you awake and record it {as you remember it, word for word if possible}. Lay in bed and go over the dream. If you move you begin to loose the dream. Some dreams stay longer naturally but even strong dreams loose their energies as the day goes on. We become so entrenched in waking life experiences of the outer world we forget about the inner self.

Jerry

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 64 Cocoa, Fl

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Re: Clawed

Hi Jerry,

Sorry it took so long to get back to you. It has been a hectic week.


I am still having what I feel are "message" dreams. I remember a small segment of one dream. The dream seemed almost set back in time. Two women were having a conversation in an old Victorian style house. The older woman(beautiful, elegant, and sophisticated) was standing at the top of the stairs looking down the staircase at the other woman (young, beautiful). The younger woman was holding a baby and she said "I am taking the baby." The older woman said "you can go ahead and take the baby, but she will always be mine."

The other night I had what must have been a dream that my doorbell rang. A couple of hours after I fell asleep I woke up. About 20 minutes later I heard the doorbell ring. I went and got my husband to check on it. He was awake and said the doorbell did not ring. I must have been sleeping. This has happened to me once or twice before. I could swear I was awake.

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 48 raleigh, nc

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Re: Clawed

Annika,
If you will take the images {older woman, younger woman and the baby} and apply them as being aspects of you and your life you may see how they fit. There is an inner conversation taking place, a dialog about aspects of yourself and possibly literal experiences in your life. The baby can be to a literal experience but it will always have a metaphorical reference {the baby would be a symbolic reference to some emotional aspect within you-see dream dictionaries}. One aspect about the two women in the dream is both were beautiful. This could suggest a positive aspect about your personality. But there is a conflict about the 'baby' {and what it represents in your actual life}. It is something you possess and will always do so {she will always be mine}. It is an aspect of yourself {the baby is a 'she'}. Take this and see where it fits within your life and what emotional aspects there are that may be conflicting.

As for hearing the doorbell ring and it probably being your 'imagination'. Not so much imagining it but 'imaging' it. It could be your unconscious trying to awaken you to something important, something within the unconscious your dreams are trying to communicate to you. There is a bell, a closed door that needs to be opened. Most people would think it was meaningless. Not necessarily so. Our dreams are a tool for unconscious communication with the conscious self. And they will can go to great measures to get their message across. Especially when you are on the verge of beginning to pay attention to your dreams and understand what they are trying to communicate {as you are doing by posting them for interpretation}.

Answer the door. There is something that needs to be opened up to.

Jerry

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Re: Clawed

Thanks, Jerry. I will give what you said some introspective thought.

Another baby dream last night. It is a really odd dream and hard to put into words because it doesn't make sense. But here goes. (The dream contained vivid colors)

I was trying on clothes and my sister was there. She said our niece was pregnant and in the process of having an abortion. I guess she took some type of pill. My sister didn't seem to care much about the situation. I noticed my niece was in a tiny box on the counter. It was silver and similar to a juice box, but wider. It was collapsed around her. I picked the juice box up and reshaped it to give her more room inside. She thanked me and said it made it easier for her to breathe. She told me she could leave the box after the baby was expelled. She said the baby would drop out like a marble.

After a while, I noticed my niece was out of the box. I asked her if she aborted the baby. She said yes. I asked her what she did with the baby and the box. She said she threw it in the trash.

I felt really weird about the matter of fact attitude displayed by those around me. It was all so casual.

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 48 raleigh, nc

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Re: Clawed

Annika,
Sunday morning I'll take this dream and the other baby dreams and see what patterns I can see. Trying on clothes {usually symbolizes our outer persona} along with the pregnancy and baby suggest there is something new occurring in your life or you are contemplating new changes.

Jerry

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 64 Cocoa, Fl

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Re: Clawed

Annika,
Trying on clothes may point to looking at other possibilities in your life {clothing represent our outer ego personality}. That would fit with new beginnings, or a new baby. There may be actual literal associations to your sister {she may be involved with these decisions/actions}. The niece would most likely be a 'related' emotional aspects {feminine} that is growing and developing that you want to/need to abort. The pill would be a simple remedy to the situation {which is unlikely}. There is disagreement about this way of achieving this and may make you feel boxed in {the related pressures outside the primary conflict}. It makes things worse {widens the pressures}. It threatens to cause a collapse of the whole experience. You have to reshape your thinking/attitude so to adjust to what others want/think. This gives you breathing room, for the time being {likely it is not what you want or how you would go about resolving the issue}. It will be a continuing issue beyond the resolving the primary issue of expelling this new thing {baby} in your life. The box may represent your instinctive abilities {juice box the vitality or powers of the instinctive self}. This new aspect would then happen {drop out} because of your perseverance. You have to go against what you instinctively feel {which is usually the wrong way of doing things}.

The pressure is off but you had to disregard { throw in trash} how you really feel.
People around you are taking a too causal attitude that is for you something very important.

Is there anything that fits with this in your current waking life? Could the baby be about new ideas? Let me know your thoughts and perhaps we can gain insights to what this 'pregnancy' is about.

Jerry

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 64 Cocoa, Fl

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Re: Clawed

Hi Jerry,

Sorry to not get back to you sooner. I had unexpected house guests last week/this week so I haven't had much time on the computer.

Everything you said is starting to reveal itself. I haven't had any dreams of consequence over the past week or so except for last night.

I was at high school and a teacher handed me an aptitude test booklet. She told me I could take it again. I flipped through the worn booklet and I was confused about what I was suppose to do with it. It appeared to be missing parts. My sister came up to me. The teacher asked her to tell (lie)someone on the phone we had taken the test. Then out of nowhere, I heard a voice say to me...

"You need to re-channel yourself to find your life purposes"

I hope I am getting this right. I repeated it to myself a dozen times in the middle of the night and I was sure I would remember it exactly. But I didn't. Ugh. I think it may be slightly off. Re-channel may be the right word, but it could be re-evaluate. I am sure of the last part. I remember thinking about the fact "purpose" was plural.


My daughter is graduating high school soon and will be going away to college in the fall.

I think this is what the dreams may be about. I do not believe it is about a job or something. I am a stay-at-home mom. I have been looking into businesses and other opportunities, but nothing has really gotten my interest. I wonder if I am meant to be on more of a spiritual path because I got the feeling it was a spiritual purpose. It's as if God is trying to lead me in a specific direction. But I have no idea where to go with it.

What do you think about these types of messages in dreams? Do you believe it to be related to the baby dreams?

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 48 raleigh, nc

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Re: Clawed

Annika,
I'll provide a response in the morning {Sunday}. Have a long day ahead of me serving the dragon {social responsibilities}.

Jerry

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 64 Cocoa, Fl

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Re: Clawed

Annika,
I understand completely the need to focus on the 'social events'. When friends/ relatives drop in you can't turn them away. With that said I have dedicated myself to eliminating as much as the social 'dragon' as possible, limiting my relationships {good friends and family only}. But no matter how hard you try it is inevitable it will be apart of life, no matter what. That is not a bad thing as long as you/I have control over it. My having to take Saturdays to work for my son {in his fence contractor business I passed down to him when I retired} is a social responsibility I took on willingly. It takes away from my dream work but 6 days out of 7 doing what I love doing most ain't bad.

I was at high school and a teacher handed me an aptitude test booklet. She told me I could take it again. I flipped through the worn booklet and I was confused about what I was suppose to do with it. It appeared to be missing parts. My sister came up to me. The teacher asked her to tell (lie)someone on the phone we had taken the test. Then out of nowhere, I heard a voice say to me...

"You need to re-channel yourself to find your life purposes"

The dream
The aptitude booklet can have two applications {if not more}. It represents a natural ability to do something. The book is the book of your emotional self. One application would likely have to do with your daughter's graduation and moving on to 'higher learning'. A second application would have to do with your own higher learning.
You mention spirituality and this is one aspect of this higher learning within oneself. In Jungian psyche one aspect we all possess is a spiritual identity that when accessed puts us on a higher level of 'knowing'. This spiritual self has less to do with religion and more to do with the laws of nature, cause and effect {also called karma}.

The confusion is reflective of your conscious attitude about spirituality. There are missing parts as how to go about finding this within yourself. To do this you will need to 're-channel' your attitudes as well as aptitude toward the spiritual. Mid-life is all about rediscovery and finding meaning. Not only about spiritual aspects but the 'meaning' of who you are and why you are that person. And because the dream is a 'natural' phenomenon the laws of nature are the truth and not necessarily those of religions {all religions are myths-exaggerated truths}. To access the true spiritual identity you have to look to and live in accord with nature and its laws. When it comes to moral issues the laws of Karma hold true.

As for meaning of life. One of my favorite quotes by Joseph Campbell {my spiritual mentor} is:
“People say that what we’re all seeking is a meaning for life. I don’t think that’s what we’re really seeking. I think that what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances with our own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive.”

There is a story he tells that goes with this quote that, for me, describes it perfectly. Here is an exert from my page 'Functions of Myth' from Campbell's interviews with Bill Moyers in The Power of Myth.


Bill Moyers: You changed the definition of a myth from the search for meaning to the experience of meaning.

Joseph Campbell: Experience of life. The mind has to do with meaning. What's the meaning of a flower. There's the Zen story about a sermon of the Buddha in which he simply lifted a flower. There was only one man who gave him a sign with his eyes that he understood what was said. Now, the Buddha himself is called "the one thus come". There's no meaning. What's the meaning of the universe? What's the meaning of a flea? It's just there. We're so engaged in doing things to achieve purposes of outer value that we forget the inner value, the rapture that is associated with being alive, is what it's all about.
_______________________________________________________
In accord with the psyche that Jung has laid out, and expounded on and articulated by Campbell, most people have to learn to re-channel their thinking about spirituality. Away from the notion that religion is the answer to one where the life is in accord with nature and its laws.

A quote by Campbell from the Power of Myth:
CAMPBELL: The reference of the metaphor in religious traditions is to something transcendent that is not literally any thing. If you think that the metaphor is itself the reference, it would be like going to a restaurant, asking for the menu, seeing beefsteak written there, and starting to eat the menu.

For example, Jesus ascended to heaven. The denotation would seem to be that somebody ascended to the sky. That’s literally what is being said. But if that were really the meaning of the message, then we have to throw it away, because there would have been no such place for Jesus literally to go. We know that Jesus could not have ascended to heaven because there is no physical heaven anywhere in the universe. Even ascending at the speed of light, Jesus would still be in the galaxy, Astronomy and physics have simply eliminated that as a literal, physical possibility. But if you read "Jesus ascended to heaven" in terms of its metaphoric connotation, you see that he has gone inward – not into outer space but into inward space, to the place from which all being comes, into the consciousness that is the source of all things, the kingdom of heaven within. The images are outward, but their reflection is inward. The point is that we should ascend with him by going inward. It is a metaphor of returning to the source, alpha and omega, of leaving the fixation on the body behind and going to the body’s dynamic source.
end quote

This is pure 'Jungian', going inward to discover the true self. And by doing that you will discover a spiritual aspect, a natural aspect of the psyche we all possess. The references we use in religion are to influence the thinking {patriarchal of course}. But they point to he inner references of the true self, and when you live a positive, spiritual {moral} life govern by the laws of Karma, like a flower life blossoms. Self discovery is an inner journey and so is spirituality. The spiritual path is a psychological journey.

So, this dream is not only about your daughter's graduation and moving on the higher education, it is also about your own education. And not only to do with religion but also learning about higher consciousness that comes by 'going inward' {psychologically}. I took this journey 22 years ago and from experience {I don't need faith, I have experience} I have seen the spiritual philosophy of Karma work time and again.

If you wish to comment about your religious upbringing and more on the spiritual self we may discover more about yourself {in the dream} and perhaps new avenues to your spiritual identity and path.

Jerry




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Re: Clawed

Hi Jerry,

Thanks for taking the time to help me out. I really appreciate it. :)

I was raised in a strict Catholic home. About 8 years ago, I had a series of events that led me to become a born-again Christian (on my own). I have read the bible thoroughly, many times. I have given up religion in favor of a spiritual connection with God. I have some difficulty reading the bible and I abandon it at times, as my interest in God feels as more of a "as one" kind of feeling with the Holy Spirit. I say short prayers daily, but mostly I keep an ongoing inner dialogue with God. I don't believe in organized religion and it's perversion of what I see as the "truth." God wants all of his people back. We are made whole in our belief and in our furthering ourselves to be of a higher conscience.

I, too, believe in Karma and I try to live by the Golden Rule. I try to limit the negative influences in my life. I grew up in a very critical and controlling household and it can be easy to fall back on negative thoughts about certain family members. I limit the amount of time I spend talking to my parents, as I feel they are very self-centered and "punishers."

I think it is sometimes hard for me to "let go." I understand that I need something more. I need to re-connect to the person I am or meant to be. I don't see a job, business, hobbies, etc as fulfilling that right now. I have the time and the inclination, but I don't know where to begin. I feel there is something I am meant to understand, but I feel blocked. Does this make sense to you?

Thank you for sharing information about your journey and insight into the psyche. Reading this stuff is helpful for me.

It's funny because I usually have a spot-on innate understanding of people and situations. My daughter is the same way.




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Re: Clawed

Annika,
I too have forgone religion in favor of spirituality {spiritual connection}. My belief system is based more on deeds more than faith. Good deeds toward others as well as limiting and controlling the negatives in my personal life. The laws of Karma, cause and effect, not allowing negative forces to happen and letting the positives to guide my actions limits the possibility of anything negative to occur. What happens in a person's life usually is caused by their own actions. A simple equation is applicable for everyone {and thus a natural law}.

As for God, I look within myself to find my highest qualities and live from that. It is not something I need to bring in but instead to bring out. My formula is to live life by WWJD. What would Jesus do, but not in selective occasions but in every action. Most religious people talk the talk but don't walk the walk. It is by our deeds we are defined, not by the faith we follow. Faith in what? Oneself. To live a life of good deeds, walking in the footsteps of what Jesus would do and not by the instructions of a preacher or priest or rabbi. You are not living by the limitations of what others perceive as truth.

Joseph Campbell says we should have teachers but not a guru. By following a guru or person who proclaims to know the 'truth' is follow a path that is limited as far as that person has progressed.

In psychological terms it is living to your fullest potential. Achieving 'Buddha consciousness' {Buddhism is not a religion, it is a psychology}. Jung discovered a 'spiritual' aspect within the psyche {to go with the anima/animus and the shadow}. The spiritual aspect is a natural aspect related to nature, being in accord with nature and the laws of nature. All religions are myths {myths are exaggerated truths}. Myths reveal universal truths but we must distinguish the metaphorical references from literal facts. Jesus' death and resurrection is symbolic of what must happen to the individual. Death to the egocentric self and a resurrection {rebirth} to the spiritual Self. That involves an inward journey to discover the foundations to why we are who we are and what motivates us to be that person. From earliest childhood to the present time, the emotional experiences that define who we are. Understanding those issues and removing the barriers so we can be whole is what Jungian psyche is about. And it is in our dreams the motivations are revealed. Once the barriers are removed we discover a spiritual identity and find meaning in life. Usually we also discover a creative aspect, or that thing in life we love doing most. That is where meaning in life comes from. Living a spiritual life {in accord with the laws of nature} and a creative life. Fulfillment in the outer life depends on wholeness in the inner life. Think psychologically and living spiritually is my formula for life. In the past 22 years of living by these laws I have found them to be true. I am pretty much living my conscious 'dream' having discovered my true self from my unconscious dreams. This what Jungian psyche is about.

Jerry

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Re: Clawed

Thanks for the insight, Jerry. :)

I think it would be helpful to me to study Jung. I believe it would be of benefit to me on my journey moving forward.

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