Dreams - do they mean anything?

I wonder if anyone thinks dreams have any meaning? I've had a couple of dreams recently I'd like to discuss if anyone is interested in dream interpretation.

I want to hear about it!

I have recurrent dreams also - nothing overly weird, they got me workin on the other side

It's all fascinating stuff to me - do tell!

I have a couple of books on dream interpretation. One is the standard 'if you dream about x it means y' book, and the other is more fluid than that.

I bought them because while I don't remember my dreams very often, when I do they tend to be the same ones over and over. I thought maybe it would be a good start to figuring out why I do that, and what my brain is trying to work out that isn't happening. I haven't had a chance to put the second book into practice yet (I just bought it about 2 months ago), because I haven't remembered any of my dreams since I got it, and for the most part, I haven't really had a chance TO dream anyway. Insomnia sucks. Although, I probably shouldn't complain - most of the dreams I remember tend to be on the 'night terror' side.

So what are you both dreaming about?

"Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live." - Oscar Wilde

Great! I had 2 dreams earlier this week that I want to talk about. They have some similarities to them, but they are different, but not all that complex.

The first one happened 3 nights ago. In the dream, I woke up to find my wife not in bed next to me. I looked towards the master bathroom and the door was open and the light off, so I knew she wasn't there. Sometimes late at night, she will get up and to go our home office when she can't sleep, but this usually doesn't happen if we have to go to work the next day, so I got up to go see if anything was wrong. I got to our home office and she wasn't there, the lights were off as they always are at night, then checked our back room and she wasn't there either. I woke up from the dream and found her in bed next to me as she always is. I did tell her about the dream, and she just said I didn't have to worry that she wasn't going anywhere and that she's pretty resilient so I should have nothing to worry about.

The next night, I had a dream I walked into our bedroom and she was packing a suitcase. I have not told her about that dream yet. I'm not sure if I should, especially after the previous dream. If I do, I'd probably say it was anticipation for a trip to Europe we saving up to go on next year. The advantages of being CF.

That's interesting! I have been having dreams about buying a house for the longest time, and last night I put my very first offer in for a house ever. I'm usually going through some sort of move, from the place I currently live, to a much nicer home. They are great dreams, but when I wake up and realize I'm still here, I get bummed.

I also have a lot of dreams about my past, like famblee events and people from years ago. They are usually quite pleasant. A lot of dreams about my moo when she was younger, but in my dreams she's a loving person, not the dragon lady she really was. When I wake up from those I usually feel quite sad because she's all demented and in a home now.

I rarely ever get nightmares anymore, but when I do, they are doozies.

When I bought my house, I had a dream just before signing that was kind of frightening. I guess I was kind of scared making this purchase, but everything worked out fine.

JohnDrake here's what I think about your dream. I believe that dreams are symbolic and represent our emotions. If you dreamed that your spouse was "not there," is there something that you two are divided over? It could be that her "absence" represents the feeling that she's not there for you in some way, or that she doesn't have your back.

It could also mean that you fear the loss of her. Are you going through a stressful time and perhaps need extra attention that you haven't communicated?

My last thought is that dreams can be a flash of the future. Perhaps she will need to go away for a while (to care for a sick or dying loved one), or something like that.

These are just ideas, I am by no means an expert, but I have been interested in dream interpretation and tarot FOREVER. I do know that water in your dreams symbolizes emotion. So if the water is rough, you are having a hard time. Seeing clear turquoise waters off the side of a boat indicates clear, happy emotions; you are transparent so to speak.

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starbelly
JohnDrake here's what I think about your dream. I believe that dreams are symbolic and represent our emotions. If you dreamed that your spouse was "not there," is there something that you two are divided over? It could be that her "absence" represents the feeling that she's not there for you in some way, or that she doesn't have your back.

It could also mean that you fear the loss of her. Are you going through a stressful time and perhaps need extra attention that you haven't communicated?

My last thought is that dreams can be a flash of the future. Perhaps she will need to go away for a while (to care for a sick or dying loved one), or something like that.

These are just ideas, I am by no means an expert, but I have been interested in dream interpretation and tarot FOREVER. I do know that water in your dreams symbolizes emotion. So if the water is rough, you are having a hard time. Seeing clear turquoise waters off the side of a boat indicates clear, happy emotions; you are transparent so to speak.

I can't really think of anything we're divided over right now. I've been depressed a little lately, mostly due to work issues, and she's been supportive all the way. Part of me feels bad about having to ask so much of her right now, but I'm managing to keep the mood swings to a minimum so she won't have to try and keep my depression in check.

In the dream, I walked around the house looking for her in our living room and 2 back bedrooms and she wasn't there. I was about to go to the kitchen when I woke up, so I don't know if she would have been there. It was disturbing to me to dream something like that. Maybe it means something, or was just a bad dream.

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JohnDrake

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starbelly
JohnDrake here's what I think about your dream. I believe that dreams are symbolic and represent our emotions. If you dreamed that your spouse was "not there," is there something that you two are divided over? It could be that her "absence" represents the feeling that she's not there for you in some way, or that she doesn't have your back.

It could also mean that you fear the loss of her. Are you going through a stressful time and perhaps need extra attention that you haven't communicated?

My last thought is that dreams can be a flash of the future. Perhaps she will need to go away for a while (to care for a sick or dying loved one), or something like that.

These are just ideas, I am by no means an expert, but I have been interested in dream interpretation and tarot FOREVER. I do know that water in your dreams symbolizes emotion. So if the water is rough, you are having a hard time. Seeing clear turquoise waters off the side of a boat indicates clear, happy emotions; you are transparent so to speak.

I can't really think of anything we're divided over right now. I've been depressed a little lately, mostly due to work issues, and she's been supportive all the way. Part of me feels bad about having to ask so much of her right now, but I'm managing to keep the mood swings to a minimum so she won't have to try and keep my depression in check.

In the dream, I walked around the house looking for her in our living room and 2 back bedrooms and she wasn't there. I was about to go to the kitchen when I woke up, so I don't know if she would have been there. It was disturbing to me to dream something like that. Maybe it means something, or was just a bad dream.

I was thinking about this more, and I keep thinking that it is really like a classic stress dream. You know like the old template where you show up for a test that you haven't studied for all semester, or you're naked in a public venue... Mine manifest as weird shit. I have a recurring dream that I have to be at a fancy dress ball, like a masquerade, and I'm still unshowered and in my pajamas and I don't have my dress ready and the ball starts in 30 minutes. The dream is spent rushing around simply trying to get home so that I can get ready, but in the meantime, I'm at a friend's house moving furniture and they won't take me home. Or some version of that. Your dream could simply be the manifestation of that stress. You are "looking" for something, perhaps a solution?

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starbelly

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JohnDrake

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starbelly
JohnDrake here's what I think about your dream. I believe that dreams are symbolic and represent our emotions. If you dreamed that your spouse was "not there," is there something that you two are divided over? It could be that her "absence" represents the feeling that she's not there for you in some way, or that she doesn't have your back.

It could also mean that you fear the loss of her. Are you going through a stressful time and perhaps need extra attention that you haven't communicated?

My last thought is that dreams can be a flash of the future. Perhaps she will need to go away for a while (to care for a sick or dying loved one), or something like that.

These are just ideas, I am by no means an expert, but I have been interested in dream interpretation and tarot FOREVER. I do know that water in your dreams symbolizes emotion. So if the water is rough, you are having a hard time. Seeing clear turquoise waters off the side of a boat indicates clear, happy emotions; you are transparent so to speak.

I can't really think of anything we're divided over right now. I've been depressed a little lately, mostly due to work issues, and she's been supportive all the way. Part of me feels bad about having to ask so much of her right now, but I'm managing to keep the mood swings to a minimum so she won't have to try and keep my depression in check.

In the dream, I walked around the house looking for her in our living room and 2 back bedrooms and she wasn't there. I was about to go to the kitchen when I woke up, so I don't know if she would have been there. It was disturbing to me to dream something like that. Maybe it means something, or was just a bad dream.

I was thinking about this more, and I keep thinking that it is really like a classic stress dream. You know like the old template where you show up for a test that you haven't studied for all semester, or you're naked in a public venue... Mine manifest as weird shit. I have a recurring dream that I have to be at a fancy dress ball, like a masquerade, and I'm still unshowered and in my pajamas and I don't have my dress ready and the ball starts in 30 minutes. The dream is spent rushing around simply trying to get home so that I can get ready, but in the meantime, I'm at a friend's house moving furniture and they won't take me home. Or some version of that. Your dream could simply be the manifestation of that stress. You are "looking" for something, perhaps a solution?

I've had those kinds of dreams in the past, but not for a long time. The other dream I used to have when I was growing up was something chasing me, usually monsters or something like that, and when I tried to run I couldn't. It was like I had forgotten how and couldn't figure out how to move my legs to run, or something prevented me from running.

There are some problems I'm having right now, some are work related, plus we're having some issues with our home that will cost a lot of $$$ to address. I just wish I could solve these problems, but am not having much luck. My wife is being understanding about it all, but still, I wish she didn't have to. I'm getting my depressive episodes under control for the most part, now just need to find a way to solve the other problems. She means the world to me, and I wish things could be better right now.

I finally got a chance to sit down and pull out both my books. The one where it's all "x means y" basically says this about your first dream:

Bedrooms means issues or thoughts you don't feel comfortable talking about or sharing. The living room is supposed to symbolize either being done with putting in work on a situation, or being unconcerned about something. So since you dreamed of two back bedrooms then the living room, I'm going to guess there are a couple of things that you aren't fully communicating with your wife, but you're trying to move past it and just be comfortable with the situation. Sometimes dreaming about a person is more symbolic than literal, and dreaming about a spouse is a symbol of some kind of permanent aspect of yourself/your personality - like a habit you can't change or the part of your personality you feel she imbues the most. Searching for someone is supposed to mean there is a part of your life or personality that isn't working for you anymore, and you are trying to change it or wondering why your coping skills aren't working anymore.

For the second dream, that book says this:

Luggage/suitcases are "emotional baggage" and packing means making changes and putting past issues behind you. So, I would say that one is actually a good thing! It would seem like subconsciously, your talk with her helped put some fears behind you.

The other book basically says to write down your dreams, then pick a symbol, mentally become that symbol and ask yourself questions about it. So, for your second dream, if you picked the suitcase, it would be to describe the suitcase as fully as you can, then ask yourself questions about why you (as the symbol) are that particular quality if any jump out at you. So, if the suitcase was overflowing and couldn't shut, you go "tell me suitcase, why do you have so much stuff in you" and then write down whatever answer comes to mind. It's weird, but it's worked for some of my more bizarre dreams. If you get nothing, you keep breaking down further and further. So for the suitcase, it would be the function of the suitcase, and then if that gets no where, a literal description of it (like was it a collapsible canvas bag, a hard rigid metal case, etc). If that still gets you no where, then you mentally relive it and go consciously wander around and look at things and talk to people. So you'd go mentally ask your wife, why are you packing. You'd get closer and see what all she has inside case, etc, and go from there. Like I said, super weird, but it works.

I hope that helps! (And now I need to go look up stuff about mine from last night, which was basically just the images of writing/a script being projected on my wall in my bedroom. Boring, but odd.)

"Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live." - Oscar Wilde

JD, I think these dreams are probably just sub conscious 'working through' of stress.

I have had some 'prophetic' dreams - very vivid and detailed. This does not seem like that to me.

I think it might just be stress.

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Bedrooms means issues or thoughts you don't feel comfortable talking about or sharing. The living room is supposed to symbolize either being done with putting in work on a situation, or being unconcerned about something. So since you dreamed of two back bedrooms then the living room, I'm going to guess there are a couple of things that you aren't fully communicating with your wife, but you're trying to move past it and just be comfortable with the situation. Sometimes dreaming about a person is more symbolic than literal, and dreaming about a spouse is a symbol of some kind of permanent aspect of yourself/your personality - like a habit you can't change or the part of your personality you feel she imbues the most. Searching for someone is supposed to mean there is a part of your life or personality that isn't working for you anymore, and you are trying to change it or wondering why your coping skills aren't working anymore.

The way my house is set up, I have to walk through the living room from the master bedroom to get to our two back bedrooms, even though one is a home office and one has our exercise equipment in it. There are a couple of things connected with something that happened recently I haven't discussed with her, but I decided to just let them go instead of reopening a wound, and they are fading thank goodness.

I've been having job issues lately since we've had a change in management and I've been looking to move on. I've gotten interviews, but nothing has panned out. I've been with my current employer for 19 years, 9 in my current position, and the changes that have come down the line haven't been good. I used to feel like I was listened to when it came to my job, now not so much.

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Luggage/suitcases are "emotional baggage" and packing means making changes and putting past issues behind you. So, I would say that one is actually a good thing! It would seem like subconsciously, your talk with her helped put some fears behind you.

I've heard that about the suitcase dream, but it wasn't me packing it, it was my wife. Recently, an ex boyfriend tried to get back in touch with her on Facebook. She hadn't seen this guy in 25 years and said he'd tried to get back in touch with her a few times since then before we got married. She told him where she stood that, that she was happy in her marriage and wasn't risking that, so he unfriended her and left her alone. I think it was a difficult relationship that I think she still had issues with, because she had it when she was younger(teen in high school and early 20s in college), but I think she's over it now.

We have a strong marriage and it gets stronger every day.

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Zzelda
JD, I think these dreams are probably just sub conscious 'working through' of stress.

I have had some 'prophetic' dreams - very vivid and detailed. This does not seem like that to me.

I think it might just be stress.

I guess that is possible too. Things have been stressful lately, and hopefully they'll improve soon.