I deramt that I entered a department store which was part of a shopping mall.

It appeared familiar in my dream, but does not represent one I know in waking life. In order to access the store from outside I had to walk through the restaurant area.

Another dream starts,which appears unconnected to the first.
I am walking through a public park. The grass is green. I am walking up a very slight incline and a mother runs past me chasing her son in play. I walk along the path - it is smooth, well looked after, evenly edged. The air is clear, the weather is fine, though is neither one thing or another (i.e. not noticeably sunny, but not cold or wet either)

The path passes between two hedges - dense, green - such as the ones grown for ues in topiary. It is as I pass through these hedges that the mother runs past me.

I see my son's school ahead of me slightly tothe left. It does not look like his real school, as his real one is quite modern. This school is Victorian. I aproach some French doors which are opening slightly outward. No-one is inside except my son who is next to the doors. The doors are to the left of the building in a corner. He appears to be hiding/cowering beside/behind them. I cannot see the rest of the interior, not that I look or am concerned about this, as my only concern is for my little boy,, whom I pick up and cradle in my arms.

I turn round and see an older women 50s-60's, with greying hair and glasses who appears to be the headmistress. (I do nnot know what his headmistress looks like in real life) She appears to be benign, yet is concerned that I am there to pick up my son as for some reason I should not be there. She concedes to me leaving with my son.

Next thing I know I am back in departemt store with my son, on our way back to the car/home.

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 39, UK

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

Hi s Williams,
you might have seen Gerards post - he is sick and so I thought I would reply.
As you know dreams often speak on more than one level, and I have tried to look at your dream with this in mind.

On one level it may represent some of the waking world issues regarding your son - an idealised life (green grass, mother and child playing, custody).
Things are manicured, controlled, all in order - could this reflect your thoughts of how things should be?
Does your life feel like it runs between two hedges? What in your life could the hedges represent? Fertile yet groomed, guiding and to an extent limiting.

On the another level, I wonder if the dream is alluding to animus issues,,, 'a mother runs past me chasing her son in play'. The masculine seems underdeveloped, alone, afraid - residing in your unconscious ('to the left') - the entrance is in your unconscious (the doors on the left, they are open to you). Could there be issues relating to your childhood (the dream is set in the past)?
I am grappling here as I do not know enough about the aspects of the young masculine ,,, what comes to my mind is 'innocence', 'boyish playfulness' 'competition just for the fun of it'. (I am stuck, maybe because I have no good childhood memories).(the masculine I mean is not the goal orientated and dominating adult masculine).
Are there locked part os you waiting to be picked up, that are repressed perhaps due to your mother issues or authority figures ,,, issues to do with worthiness perhaps? Meaning you learnt or were 'taught' not to trust or feel worhty of this aspect of yourself.

The dream starts and ends with you passing throught the dept store - this may be the choices that you must make in life. You must enter throught the restaurant ,,,, this seems important, do you need 'nutrition' nurturing / refuelling? to embark on the task of making life choices?
Once you are reunited with your son -these aspects of yourself - you are on your way 'home'.

I realsise this is a pretty 'out there' interpretation; it is also rather blunt - on both counts I hope you will bear with me as I found the dream very challenging ,,,, I would appreciate your feedback and thoughts
All the best
JC

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 47 Brisbane Australia

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

Justin

Thank you for your reply.

I think that the dream pertains to waking life issues about my son, but also as you mention, issues pertaining to my own childhood.

The school looked very similar to the one which I attended at 5. At school I was considered 'different' (and by the age 7, it was established that I had a reading age of 16, hence my perception of other children as, dare I say it, 'infantile').

At 5, I preferred to play out in the fields and orchards, looking at plants, painting, using my microscope to look at plants and insects,
or I would help to care for my two younger siblings.

I would always champion the underdog and would stand up for vulnerable children at school. Despite being perceived as 'different' I was not bullied at school.
My mothers second marriage (to my stepfather) was not a happy one, and I have vivid memories dating back to my birth and the moments just before my birth. My mother left my father when I was 15 months old -with very good reason, not just personal, but political.

My stepfather was abusive and resentful of my mothers love for me, her beauty, intellect and kindness and did all in his power to undermine and sabotage anything good in her life. It did not help that she had a thyroidectomy (during her pregnancy with me)
bad back (after birth of second child - my stepfathers) and an emergency caesarean at the age of 26 (after my sisters birth, also my stepfathers)

I became her only ally. I saw and listened to what went on and even at 4 knew what my stepfather was like - not because my Mum was trying to poison me against him - my own objective perception of theituation> When I was older, I implored her to leave him, but she did not have the strength.


Although I have always been told that I was a happyyoung child, my perception of my childood was of melancholy - not because of my mother as she did her utmost to make my life happy and wonderful. Because of my stepfather and his incessant Schadenfreude/socio-psychopathc behaviour.

It is strange as for the last week, memories of my childhood have come to mind and I have fallen asleep - not repressed memories as I do not repress anything. I have an excelent memory - maybe this is the problem. As I remember lovely beautiful, happy things vividly, so I too remember not such good things. Everyone comments on my memory and it often unnerves them as I can recall detailed data about people whom I have met briefly as well as information about other events/situations. I do not try to do do this, I have always been like this.

The hedges - two manicured hedges, the verdant grass - controlled, perfect - apparently flourishing - but under controlld conditions. Hedged/hemmed in? The path - almost running on tramlines?

My son cowering in the corner adjacent to the door - afraid to come out. This IS him - but it is also me in my current situation. You are right - there is a sense of 'unworthy'. As much as I am confident in many area of my life, this situation with my son has takenits toll on my resilience. At the moment I feel impotent, unable to act, but also know that this is a result of relentless persecution coupled with fatigue.

If you look at cases simlar to mine, you willsee why there is no hope of redres with regared to legal situations such as this. I refuse to accept this, so I am endeavoring to approach my case ina different manner. It is exhausting. Meanwhile my son continuwes to be abused. I have audio tape evidence, so I am finding out how best to present this - as one has to do things a certain way otherwise evidence is invalid/disregarded.

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 39, UK

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

Your interpretation was not 'out there'. I looked at the dictionary before I posted the dream and also concluded that this was about the past, about the young masculine aspect as well as perhaps pertaining to waking issues (which never leave my thoughts).

The hedges are higher than me. Do they represent barriers I must break though or are breaking through . They represent fertility/feminine perhaps. Do they reprent a re-winding/replay/rebirth?

The school/headteacher - lessons to be learned and retracing lifes path to understand how the past influences the future.

The happy young mother and child who run past me - this is what I had with my child in the past and when I walk back even further I see a frightened child - the one I used to be the one I got away from, evolved from into a confident happy person and once more I am that child again - rendered vulnerable lost, melancholy. And so my own son has had this inflicted on him too -lost, melancholy, alone.

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 39, UK

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

Hi s Williams

Thank you for your candid reply, and confirmation that some of what I saw in your dream were relevant.

I have reflected on your dream, and my reply - dreams do speak at two (or more) levels - the waking life, the unconscious life (and more).

I wonder if your dreams overall could be looked at from this perspective. It is a bit like, 'what is without is within', or the 'macrocosm reflects the microcosm' as the tantrics say.
So while the dreams are dramatically representing your concerns about your son and your struggles in the world, could the dreams also be interpreted as reflecting an unconscious (maybe repressed) inner world.
This is pretty heavy stuff and I apologise if I am off the mark, however I also realise that you have a very keen mind and may well be able to 'revolve' your vantage point to consider this.
What do you think? All the best
JC

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 47 Brisbane Australia

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

Hi Justin

I agree with the macrocosm/microcosm theory.

I do feel very strongly that I am undergoing somesort of transformation - I have had two strong, memoravble dreams since the last one I posted - which indicate some sort of re-birth/appraisal/letting go.

The dream the night before last was about sex. I was a woman (as in waking life!), but had a penmis in the dream and I was having sex with a woman. Weird.

The one last night was about being in labour. I was at home, but not any home that I recognise as having lived in in waking life.

The midwife comes and then I remember being exhausted and falling asleep (not remotely likely mid labour, as I can attest!). I wake up (in my dream) and feel refreshed, but all is still. The labour has stopped, but I have not given birth.

My immediate thought is that the baby has died, but the midwife seems unconcerned and I think 'I'm going to need an emergency caesarean' but she says something like 'you can go and have a lovely relaxing time at the spa'. Which was bizarre, but I do not feel troubled by the dream, I feel as though a weight has been lifted from me. I then wake up from my dream and again feel as though a great weight has been lifted from me, I feel untroubled and rested. The period of sleep within the dream appears to have restored me.

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 39, UK

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