Big egos and dream interpretation

[Beekeeper]

Do you think that ego gets in the way of interpreting the messages from our dreams?

Up until a few days ago I subscribed to the "What does your intuition tell you your dream meant?" school. I still do but with some qualification. I think sometimes we let ego get in the way so we don't see the obvious, less flattering aspects our dreams are pointing out.

[CFTraveler]

Ha ha- I have a huge ego- maybe that's why I can't interpret my own dreams for sh-t.
:lol:

[Beekeeper]

:D :D :D :D :D You're funny!

[cainam_nazier]

Interesting.

If you think about it they are after all OUR dreams. That in itself tends to make us think that they are all about us. Which isn't to say that aren't because they are but as with most things we tend to only see the good parts of ourselves or the at the very least the qualities in ourself that we can accept. It often takes an outside objector to see the qualities in ourself that we do not like or ignore because they don't seem to be "us".

I have always tried to take an objective view of my dreams. Knowing that they are not always there to flatter me. I don't know if I have always just had darker dreams than most or if it because that I have that kind of view I remember more of the "not so flattering" dreams.

I know I don't have an ego. People with extream intelligence, capabilities, and high moral character usually don't.

[Beekeeper]

I know I don't have an ego. People with extream intelligence, capabilities, and high moral character usually don't.

:D :D :D Okay, if I don't get anything else out of this thread, I can see I'm going to get a good laugh.

Here's what got me started. I had a poor recall night (in fact I had a run on them.) I read somewhere on this site about asking a question before sleep and seeing what dream answer came. I asked the question and got only a vision of my hands covered in green paint.

I decided
Hand- can mean stop.
Green-can mean go
Message= Just make up your bl**dy mind.

I tell my friend (who always rejects my intepretations of his dreams, btw). He says, "Green is for jealousy."

I instantly reject this, not that jealousy is completely foreign to my psychological makeup (I'll require some of your perfection to rub off on me Cainam :) ). Then I think about it: has jealousy or envy held me back? Hmmm....

[cainam_nazier]

I dunno. I have always taken Green to be a positive color as it is a natural color. It would really matter how you felt about it and where the paint came from.

Other possabilities.

Hands mean stop, green means go, if you put the paint there then it could be your hesitant but feel you should go anyway.

Same,same but some one else put the paint there then your feel hesitant and some one else is telling you to go.

--------------

Hands mean stop, green means jealousy. You put paint on hands, then you know that you may be that way and feel you need to stop it.

Same, same, paint from some one else. Some one else thinks you act that way and labeling you as such and you feel you need to stop.

Same, Same, Same. Some one eslse thinks you act that way and you feel that THEY need to stop.

--------------


I instantly reject this, not that jealousy is completely foreign to my psychological makeup (I'll require some of your perfection to rub off on me Cainam ).

It wouldn't hurt, but I don't think that the three of us could fit in the same room. That of course being you, me, and my ego. :wink:

[sash]

It's always been a common problem for me, but usually several interpretations still produce some form of insight.
Dreams get you thinking about things in different ways, as long as the interpretation is pragmatic in relation to your current life events I would say it is accurate to some degree.

I'm not sure about there being any one absolute interpretation for every dream, but sometimes you just "know".

[Beekeeper]

Cainam,

You know every one of those interpretations is to some degree pertinent to the situation. (It's a complicated, long-standing situation.) I even think "green" could reference inexperience.

Anyway, another dream came along to mess things up even more. I'll ask you guys about that in a moment or two, if you care to play counsellor for me.

Sash, I completely agree with everything you've said.

Here's the current dilemma. I didn't actually want this thread to be about me as such but, what the heck. You can always stop reading now.

Let's say that sometime in the past (say 16 years ago) I followed my head instead of my gut (as I'm prone to doing) and took a job that didn't feel right because it was convenient. 16 years later, I've made the best of it, learnt a lot and, hopefully, did a lot of good. But, I feel that somehow I missed the best path, didn't fulfill my full potential (despite a teaching award) and suffered a lot as a consequence of the choice. So now, I'm a bit wary of mistakes (translate "cowardly").

Lately, several people have mentioned that I should pursue a particular (promotion) position at another school in our system. My chances of getting it are very good (I'm told) but I want very much to leave the system I'm currently in and this school has been referred to as our "poorer cousin." Poorer, I can live with, but cousin!

I've stringently resisted suggestions that I apply because my gut says, "No!" And there's a strong possibility that a job will come up with my old head teacher who went to another (independent) school. Black and white, right?

Then I have this dream. My boss is walking with me, pleading with me to apply for the position, telling me repeatedly that I'm needed there. Even in the dream I don't want to apply and I tell him so but eventually I agree - unhappily. (Then I look down and I'm wearing slippers - maybe a comfort zone thing).

So, do I apply?

[Beekeeper]

Forgot to ask you, Sash, if you wrote the poetry at the end of your post. I like it!

[CFTraveler]

Feel free to ignore this, but this it what I get:
Your gut is saying no, but you're getting dreams about this prof. that is convincing you. Maybe in real life he's been thinking of you and wants you to take it and you're getting that.
This is what I would do: I would bypass messengers and ask God for a clear cut answer for what you should do. Be specific: " Tomorrow someone is going to come to me and comment on whether I should take the job"- and then expect an answer.
The reason here is that I sense your reluctance- and your own subconscious may be getting in the way of your decision, because of the different thoughts and emotions you are having about this, so an answer like a dream may reflect what you want, but it also may reflect what you fear. So I'd ask for a clear cut answer that can't be misconstrued in any way.

[Beekeeper]

Your imput is always welcome, C.F. This is an odd one for me: dreams and feelings in contradiction.

You said,

Maybe in real life he's been thinking of you and wants you to take it and you're getting that.


Maybe, as a passing thought, perhaps. He did mention it as a likelihood last year . I imagine he's been silent now because my leaving would be possibly inconvenient for him.

I will try your suggestion. Generally, I go straight to God, anyway. (Wonder if she's sick of me yet?)

If I apply and get an offer and the vibe is bad I'll say "No," in any case. And, hey, I'll have updated my resume for when the right one comes along.

[Pilar]

Hello, Beekeeper,

I personally find dream interpretation really confusing and usually end up over-analyzing myself into a muddle.

But what I am hearing you say as you speak about this issue is that 1) in the past you have sided with your head rather than your guts 2) you regret this 3) on the current issue your guts are saying "don't apply"

I would encourage you to make an alternative choice to what you've done in the past, because...oh hell it could just be terrific!! Go with your guts!! At least you'll know, and you'll feel satisfied. It sounds like, from your own interpretation of the hands/paint dream image and your own description, you become divided when faced with a decision between your head/guts. I can relate to this! It is really excrutiating! Being divided is not meeting your needs for peace and ease within yourself.

Perhaps the question to ask & answer is what decision would bring you back into oneness with yourself, into a state of peace and ease?

love & light as you work out your inner struggle,

Pilar

[Fliesatnite]

May I?

Here's my .02 for what it's worth. Take a step back, inhale... deeply.
At some point someone will either say something, or offer some type of information that will either make you take a step forward or stand still.

It would seem to me that you already have a lot of anxiety about taking this position, if it's troublesome already then why would you consider it? If it's meant to be all the pieces will fall into place and you will know in your 'gut' what to do.

Perhaps you could sit down and, as corny as this sounds write down all the positives and negatives of changing positions? That way it's clear and logical instead of trying to interpret what a possible dream might have meant. Something like this is way too important to put an emphasis on dream analysis.

On the other hand: green and hands dream interpretation?

hands = working and craftsmanship
green= lucrative

Bottom line is I think you already know what you should do. Updating your resume is always a good thing to have around.

As far as God being sick of you? Nah She's pretty patient with us human folk!

[Beekeeper]

Thank you both Pilar and Fliesatnite,

I am grateful and have given much consideration to what you've said.

Pilar said:

I would encourage you to make an alternative choice to what you've done in the past, because...oh hell it could just be terrific!! Go with your guts!!

Seriously, I plan to. I guess I formed my opinion on this school long ago and it's not based on more than an impression but if I don't like the vibe I truly won't accept any offers. (If I get one)

As for coming back to oneness, time out (say a year) would do it. :lol:
It's hard to really know until you try though. I think a lot about moving on but, as you can imagine, there are a huge number of powerful attachments to people and it's not always easy.

Fliesatnite said,


At some point someone will either say something, or offer some type of information that will either make you take a step forward or stand still.

I agree. Hasn't happened exactly yet so I'm proceeding with caution. (Waiting for that message from God. Out of the blue my sister rang. I played a game: "Say yes or no." Without hesitation she said yes. Variation on tossing a coin. Stupid, I know.)


Perhaps you could sit down and, as corny as this sounds write down all the positives and negatives of changing positions?

I haven't written them down but believe me I've considered them (being a head-directed sort of person). Sometimes it's not the quantity on the for or against side but the intensity of the pro or con, if you know what I mean.


Something like this is way too important to put an emphasis on dream analysis.

Such is the common wisdom but my dreams have been incredibly accurate as a guide so it's hard to ignore them. I dreamt last night that I had taken the job and it felt strange and foreign to me. Wasn't blissful but wasn't horrible. There was a feeling of space around me which I appreciated.


hands = working and craftsmanship
green= lucrative

Hmm, like the sound of that.

Thanks again. You've all been incredibly thoughtful.

[Beekeeper]

That application was supposed to be in by today. I just couldn't do it. I feel good about that decision! :D

[Pilar]

Oh, that is interesting to hear. Thanks for letting us know your decision! It sounds like you DID find some peace

:D

Pilar

[ranlinra13]

I believe that the interpretation of a dream is with the dreamer. I believe that others could "connect into the dream" and help the dreamer see past their blocks, but only as a suggestion. The dreamer than decides whether to accept this information or not.

I also believe that the symbols mean different things according to the context of the dream and what is happening in the dreamers life.

If I have been physically worried about my health and see spiders in my dreams, I would first ask myself "how did I react to the spiders?" Did I talk with them, did they show me a sacred spot, Was I afraid of them? If they were crawling on me, I was frightened, and I wanted them off, or maybe they were feeding off me, I would then use my association of spiders as a precurser to cancer. So then I would take the healthy steps to prevent this.

On the other hand, if I were working on sacred spaces and working with a Native American Elder on respect to all life. I would try to get past my fear of spiders, try to talk with the spider and understand that Grandmother spider is a weaver - a weaver of creation.

I do believe our ego (which are also there to protect us) could stand in our way of seeing the "truth" in our dreams. But I also believe that there are many truths in one dream. An emotional/psychological truth, a map for our physical life to make it better, an intellectual/learning meaning and others.

I believe that one should not force their meaning of a symol or a dream onto a dreamer, but merely suggest a different meaning for the dreamer to investigate.

Thanks

[shanti guru]

Do you think that ego gets in the way of interpreting the messages from our dreams?

Up until a few days ago I subscribed to the "What does your intuition tell you your dream meant?" school. I still do but with some qualification. I think sometimes we let ego get in the way so we don't see the obvious, less flattering aspects our dreams are pointing out. our ego has become a tool of curruption!

[Jesse Rose]

I hope you don't mind me, the newbie on campass trying a stab at this one. I see so many layers though I have to shout it out, I must admit i didn't finish reading the discussion but....

I think dreams are layers and layers and layers. Some we can see objectivly, and some are so far down we don't know they exist. We only realize that we had this inner knowledge all along once it is placed in front of us. Hindsight and all. I just think that info that we can't see objectivly we do know the answer but it is on file per se, or maybe more like one of those funny paintings...that you can stare at forever...but never quite find the big picture.

On the dream, well, I know it was five years ago now probably so you don't remember, but something i didn't see yet was the meaning of cover. Well, a cover can be quite a comforting thing, security blanket, but it can also be quite suffocating. Like paint for instance. I think when you worry about the green for security financially, your life giving force loses it's energy. Because while Green works great as a blanket against financial tides, it leaves you feeling covered in a matter that is inorganic. Like paint for instance. Thus causing a tug of wars of sorts with your concious and subconcious minds. I notice that almost all aspect of the dream can be linked to eachother...kind of, remember, i am new at this

Cover - security blanket - money - green - hands, well, they bear your fruits of labor. Maybe any search for anything soley on the means of a security blanket contigency only ends up covering and smothering aspects of you. Green, well, that can mean jealousy, envy and go all at the same time. They link too, maybe either your material and non material mind are envious or jealous that one cannot see the other and in opening that doorway....can you experience the Greeness, (growth of life)

okey dokey, might have been an overanalyze for ol jbird here...but I am just learning to drive so...

[Beekeeper]

No Jesse Rose, it's all good. Still really glad I didn't go for that job!!

I totally agree with the "layers" thesis. The longer I keep a dream journal the more I realise some amazing stuff is going on.

Interpreting our dreams will never be fully accurate if we are to try and assimilate their meaning based on concepts that would apply to our normal waking reality. Dreams often posess metaphorical and symbolic meanings that can only be understood as what they truely mean in the dream state itself. Afterwards, we're only left with a vague recollection of the true meaning behind our dreams.



I know I don't have an ego. People with extream intelligence, capabilities, and high moral character usually don't.


LOL ... Please tell me that statement was a joke. =)

[cainam_nazier]

Quote:

I know I don't have an ego. People with extream intelligence, capabilities, and high moral character usually don't.



LOL ... Please tell me that statement was a joke. =)

Ha ha. :lol:

I only half agree with you. Dreams do posess tons of metaphorical and symbolic meanings, but much of it based on things going on in a persons waking life. We have to understand more how our own brain thinks in order to understand the symbolism being used in our dreams.

But I would be lieing if I did not say that much of the work is based on an "educated guess". But as with most things the more you look at your own dreams and seek to understand what is going on the easier it to know for certain what your own dreams mean. But when dealing with other peoples dreams we can still only supply an educated guess based on how we understand our own dreams.

[Peter19]

im not sure what the green hands could mean and as some peeps have allready said i think the most important thing would be your reaction to the green hands, and or just the colour like was the green very bright and lively an full of life or was it like you have just put your hand in a bin, and if you do that (get the job) you will be getting rubbish on your hands. but its only ideas.

i find dreams sometimes can tell you what is going to happen in a day or too. like prepare you for the future. one time i dreamed about me sister, and i asked her how much she had spent on her boyfreinds present and in me dream book i wrote down she said about 40 or 40 ish pound. and i think the next day when i asked her she said she spent 40 pound lol. its all good.

[Alaskans]

deleted by me

[sleeper]

I know i'm a year and a half late posting here, but I just joined the forums...

My first thought is to wonder whether you've solved your dream yet. My feeling is that you haven't, because it's too complex.

It seems, from your description, that you have complex feellings about your boss. He told you what you should do and you looked at your feet. How does he make you feel? I wonder if you want to hide your feelings about your job from your boss...

Green hands are weird. Have you meditated on them? was the paint wet or dry?

[sleeper]

I forgot to add...

I think ego is the number one barrier in dream interpretation.

[CFTraveler]

Which is why I suck at it. :D

[sleeper]

dream symbols really never worked for me, though i did have a lot of fun with them, and they did work for some other people around me.

I was telling this to a friend of mine, some years ago, and he gave me a meditation, which i still do, though differently.

Basically, I had to
remember my dream
do a meditation to get rid of my bad energy
meditate on the dream


the meditation was simple, i sat in a circle of stones and felt the energy swirling around me, the energy of the stones. once i was grounded, i would reach inside myself and pull out my negative energy. I tried to visualize it as black. i released my bad energy into the swirling energy of the rocks, then the rocks would absorb it.


i did that meditation for a few weeks before i started to understand it. I thought I was supposed to suppress my thoughts, make my mind quiet. but this meditation silences the mind by releasing thoughts, rather than suppressing them. it was this realization that allowed me to go deep into my own dream interpretation.

[blacktiger057]

Yes! My ego gets in the way of a lot of things.

I'd say I have a medium-sized ego. I usually am not one to brag about things, partly because I'm a little shy. But I set very high goals for myself and get very disappointed if I do not complete them.

It's good to here an interpretation of your dream from someone else's perspective because it gives you a different view than from what you might think it is about. They might even change your perspective on the dream.