I feel the need to preface this post by saying that I'm not really one to interpret dreams - maybe I should be, I don't know. All I know is last night I had a pretty horrific vivid dream that I feel the need to write about I guess as a form of purging.
I was bushwalking with other people along a wooded path - everyone else was up in front and I saw them walking past a huge python, having handled pythons before I wasn't too concerned I figured as long as I didn't bother him he wouldn't bother me. As I went to walk past he raised himself up and brought his head right up to my face - I had to put my arm up to protect myself and it took all my strength to prevent him coming closer to my head. This was one huge python and somehow I think it was talking to me and making a deal with me, I have no idea what the deal was. It's a bit foggy but I think I agreed to the deal and then having no thoughts of following through on the deal I started to run to get away. Everyone up in front had stopped and was looking at me - most significantly there was a person I grew up with there - she is one of those people who pushes all my buttons (I ran into her walking the other day), she has a husband, 2 children and lovely suburban lifestyle and she bugs me big time. Not so much because of that - but I just find her incredibly insensitive and annoying and condescending. She is not the type of person I would ever be friends with now but we grew up together and it's one of those family friends things. Every Christmas my family (parents and sister's family) gets together with her family and one other family - everyone but me and one other of my generation now has kids. I just don't go anymore - it's really not a fun place for me to hang out.
Anyway my most vivid recollection from this dream was of her standing safely with her family (along with others) watching me as I ran for my life to get away from this snake, that I could now see was chasing me and gaining on me. I knew it was going to catch me, but there was nothing I could do and everyone else was too safe and secure with their families to even consider helping me.
I think this must be the most interesting dream I've ever read about! I've written about it, quoted it and linked to it in a post on my own site, which I hope is okay (I wanted to ask by email but couldn't find an address).
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your post this morning I visited a Buddhist temple (I'm in Thailand at the moment) and there were so many snakes and dragons represented in statues and paintings there, mingling with monks and nearby the Buddha himself. I wanted to photograph them all for you!
Quote away! I'm glad you found it interesting and I did like the Milarepa story. I still have such a clear image, no more than that I can remember the feeling, of me holding my arm up to protect my face and using all my strength to hold this giant snake back.
ReplyDeleteSo I guess from the Milarepa story "The moral of the story is, when the resistance is gone, so are the demons". Which to me initially brings up feelings that I have to accept being childless and single, and when I think that there is a LOT of resistance. But I find it a bit easier if I think - well I don't have to accept that will be my reality forever but I do need to find some peace with my current situation (which I do at times) - that I'm probably more likely to achieve.
Lucky you in Thailand, I've travelled quite a bit, but never been to Thailand, contemplating going there at the end of the year - as well as Burma...we shall see. I'd love a photo of those snakes and dragons!
Hi, thank you for sharing your very powerful dream. I have a few suggestions for understanding it more deeply if you'd like them: first is to write it down privately (not on your blog but in handwriting on paper). This sometimes makes things clearer. Second is to try and describe the most important facets of the dream as if you were trying to make an extraterrestrial understand them: someone who couldn't possibly know what things are like on our planet. So you'd have to describe exactly what is a snake, an annoying person etc. Third is to imagine you are all of the players in the dream: to describe what happened from the point of view of the annoying person, the other members of the party, the snake, and anyone / anything else who comes to mind. Telling the story from different perspectives can be very revealing. Hope this is of help!
ReplyDeleteThanks Lisa,
ReplyDeleteI'll give it a go. Certainly the most important facets that come to mind are the feeling of fighting off the snake and the huge sense of completely isolation as I ran for my life with no sign of anyone being there for me, or even being interested in being there. But a good idea to look from others' perspectives as well.