Isn’t it strange when you wake up suddenly from a dream and have to do a slight double-take to make sure that what you experienced wasn’t really happening? I was jolted awake this morning after a particularly strange one, and it’s been stuck in my head for much of the day. Not the entire dream, but certainly themes from it…names of people and places I encountered.
I’ve previously done a post with some dream interpretation, so I thought it might help me figure out just what I was thinking if I tried that again. I think that the best way to go about this – since my dream was incredibly disjointed – would be to attack the pertinent stages, one at a time.
I recall sitting on an old fashioned-style park bench that you would see in the middle of a shopping mall. It was located outside of a Tim Horton’s coffee shop…the mall-style outlets. For those of you who don’t know, Tim’s is like a Canadian institution. Directly next to it was a Tim Hortan coffee shop – they were not nearly as busy as the real store.
We now have a Tim's in Iqaluit...that's Horton, not Hortan...
Apparently, dreaming of a shopping mall represents one’s attempts to establish their identity and sense of self. It could also represent trying to make a favourable impression on another. When a donut (which is arguably Tim Horton’s second most popular item) shows up in your dream, it signifies that you might be trying to find yourself…that you’re feeling a little lost or not quite whole. Perhaps I’m trying to find my place up here in Iqaluit still… Dreaming of being at a coffee shop may indicate a desire to catch up with old friends. Yup, I could buy that…
The line up at Tim Hortan’s caught my eye, as it was much shorter than Tim Horton’s. In the shorter line up, I could see a man who was shifting nervously while waiting to order. Shortly after, I was being introduced to the man, who ended up being Scottish. His name was Master Carlyle – not Master as in “mister”, but Master was his given name. I only found out his name when he wrote down his email address.
When you do a Google image search for "Master Carlyle", this is who comes up. Well, him and a lot of pictures of Carlyle master bedroom furniture...
Seeing a group of people in a line may indicate that one should be more aware of a situation or relationship. I’m not sure what someone else being nervous indicates, but if you are nervous in a dream, it could indicate feelings of self-doubt and insecurity. Perhaps I am seeing that around me? The fact that the man’s name was master could suggest a couple of things…I may feel like I need a strong-willed leader in my life, or perhaps need to take on more of a leadership role myself. Dreaming of email may point to the need to reach out to those who are not physically present. Hmm…there seems to be a pattern developing here. Of course, it could also mean that I’ve been spending too much time in front of my computer.
In a weird out-of-body experience sort of way, I saw myself – now outside at dusk – walking towards another bench in a park setting. Walking towards me was Ian. Also walking towards me was the strange Master Carlyle man from the mall. Ian reached me first and we sat down on the bench, as I could see the other man stop suddenly and stand there. From “inside” my body again, I talked to Ian about where he had been, and never once saw the other man in the park. Ian told me that he and a friend of his had been mugged by “The Family”, though he had not been injured.
Sitting on a bench relates to procrastination, or taking a passive role in something. Being in a park tends to relate to a temporary escape from reality; renewal, meditation and spirituality. The appearance of one’s spouse in a dream can indicate your unconscious feelings towards them. This really confuses me, because I’m fairly sure that neither his family, nor my own, have tried to mug him. And again, while there is no real interpretation for another in your dream being mugged, if you are mugged, you may be suffering a crisis of identity.
At some point, Ian’s expression changes and he bolts. I quickly follow suit, but not him. As I’m running, I realize that I’m with someone else – I don’t know who, but I assume it may be Ian’s friend that was also mugged. We reach a “downtown” area and come to a halt, out of breath. I reach around my bag for my wallet, and try pulling out most of the money. I put several bills of unknown denomination in my pocket, leaving behind – specifically – a $5 bill. I notice that I have neglected to remove another bill accidentally – it is a $50 bill. But we are off and running again.
One of the most common themes in dreaming is of the chase. At the simplest level, being chased signifies that you are running away from a situation that seems insurmountable. Seeing a wallet in one’s dream indicates one’s financial security. So did the fact that I removed most of it indicate that I’m feeling good financially, but that there are parts of me feeling intentionally and accidentally vulnerable? Hmm…
We round a corner and crash right into three members of “The Family”. They are the largest women I’ve ever seen. Amazons would call them “Tiny” in that ironic way that you call a 300 lb man “Tiny”. One of them is holding what appears to be a grenade. She demands all our money or she will drop the grenade. Neither of us move, attempting to call her bluff. She drops the grenade, which puffs as it lands. She does this crazy sort of freak out where she cocks her head back and slams her entire body forward, cracking her skull into the grenade. At this point, the man who I believe is Ian’s friend is too frightened to move, but I don’t hesitate and tear out of there, running through an alley between two houses and hiding out in some bushes. As the woman’s head hits the grenade, steam escapes it in a huge cloud, and the man I was with disappears – as if disintegrating. I wake up…breathless and wondering what was in the milk I drank before bed…
Being confronted or attacked by a gang indicates that one may feel overwhelmed by situations or circumstances in your walking life. A grenade can represent pent-up emotions that are about to explode. Steam may signify an intense emotional state or response to an issue or situation.
Oh boy…am I about to have a mental breakdown??? Right on!
Sometimes man...sometimes...
I sometimes wonder why my brain is never this imaginative when I’m conscious…do the boundaries of reality prevent us from being able to dream so big while we’re awake? Perhaps it’s for the best…I can’t imagine having to explain to the folks at work why decisions were made if I based decision-making on my dreams.
Thanks to Dream Moods for the help with interpreting my dream…
Massively Attacked 