Dream Case #13

I have a dream that I thought perhaps you could interpret for me.

It begins with my sister-in-law and I standing inside this house that I did not recognize, but it felt like I was home.  When you open the doors to go outside there is only water surrounding the house.  We dove into the water and could breathe freely and talk while underwater.  We had to wear glasses that seemed to be everyday glasses like I wear.  I noticed I had "the wrong ones" so I told my sister-in-law (Janie) that we had to go back as I had the wrong glasses.  We went back and I got a different pair of the same type of eye glasses.  While back in the house, we walked into the living room where there were fountains of water shooting all over the place in a very controlled manner...like they do in the water and laser shows you see on TV.  It reminded me of Disney World and Epcot as the water was flowing from one opening into another in a very controlled manner....except for one stream of water.  The one stream came from the couch and ended at my heart.  When I moved, the water stream moved as well so that it was always aiming at my heart.  It did not hurt, but gave me a very happy feeling.  I moved back and forth showing Janie the water hitting my heart.  She just stood there in disbelief.  I said to her "I wonder if it is Steve!"  (Steve was my boyfriend of 12 years, my soulmate, who was killed in a tractor-tanker accident in January).  I said to the stream of water "Steve, is that you?" and I said "move up and down fast if it is".  Then the water started moving up and down very quickly.  My heart raced, but I still had a happy feeling inside of me.  It was an overwhelming feeling of joy that my Steve was controlling that water.  He had always said to me when he was alive (before we parted for work or to go anywhere), "I am always with you.  Just look down at your heart..I am right there".  Then he would point to my heart and touch me at that point.    I remember saying to Janie... "Look!  It IS Steve!!" in a very happy, excited tone.  She just keep staring blanking in awe as though she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

At that point I woke up and felt an overwhelming happiness and sadness at the same time.  I cried but I smiled too.   What is your interpretation of this dream?

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Let's look at some of the basics of the dream for starters. The house, which you say felt like home, denotes a certain amount of comfort with yourself. (Houses typically represent one's personal being in dreams.) The fact that the house is surrounded by water means that you are feeling surrounded by emotions. Not necessarily overwhelmed—this isn't a flood—but emotions are all around you. You don't say whether the water was clear or turbulent or muddy, but think about these things; they help you see what "feelings" you're dealing with.

The fact that you and your sister-in-law dove into the water and could talk while underwater suggests that you are comfortable sharing your feelings with one another.

Meanwhile, glasses are about perspective. In the dream, you say you have the wrong ones. Something in your subconscious is telling you you're not looking at something the right way. Perhaps you are so wrapped up in the feelings, you aren't seeing something.

Later, the controlled fountains suggest very controlled emotions within yourself (the house). Maybe you've worked hard to keep yourself together after losing Steve so tragically. You've probably had to clamp down on much of your feelings just to maintain day-to-day life. Steve, I believe, was reminding you to be happy by sending the water to your heart. (Yes, I do believe it is possible to have contact with loved ones and people far away in dreams, even those who have passed on; I've had it happen quite often myself.) Even if you don't believe it was Steve—and that's up to you—your subconscious at the very least is trying to prompt you into feeling good.

Given the glasses thing, too, it may be that Steve wants you to notice something you have not been paying attention to, something you've been looking at the wrong way. Whatever it is, when you do see it (and notice you didn't "see" Steve until you'd switched glasses), it will make you feel warm inside.

More About House Numbers

Or, really, about one particular house number. I found this site that will analyze your street address. Fun to play with, but check out the result for 221B Baker Street. Yes, that's right, home of the redoubtable Sherlock Holmes.

Your address adds to 5 

This address reflects the unconventional intelligent mind. Adventure and change are main ingredients. Inspires independence, freedom, individualism and creativity. A lack of direction and a tendency for chaos can limit financial growth. However, the rewards are a unique perspective and freedom of thought. Single adults at an address that adds to 5 tend to have an easier time to find company but a hard time making it last. Lacks responsibility and reliability. Not a good house for conventional dogmatic people and should also be avoided by those with alcohol or drug problems.

Strengthen the positive influence of this address with: Lots of color. Mix and match odd furniture. Unconventional is the key word. Open space, open windows. A bit of disarray and clutter is fine.

Spot on, if you happen to be familiar with Holmes and Watson.

House Numbers

Maria Shaw Lawson featured this in her latest newsletter and I found it interesting. In order to figure out your house number, you must take the digits of your street address and add them together until you get to a single number. For example, if you live at 8668 Somewhere Lane: 8 + 6 + 6 + 8 = 28 and then 2 + 8 = 10 and finally 1 + 0 = 1. Your house number would be 1.

#1

This house is usually one of new beginnings. When you move into a home with this number, you are usually embarking on a new life, a new idea, a new path or something big. It inspires independence.  There is likely to be someone living in this house that is a go-getter. This house may stand out on the street in some way. Living here supports growth, advancement and usually a person will find themselves in a position of authority or can be famous in some way. If you are not doing well in life and then you move into a Number One House, your life will improve.

#2

A number 2 house is sure to be a comfortable and attractive home, with nice people who are willing to share with other people. This home supports a marriage, a union, a partnership and will offer a couple lots of growth. Relationships can flourish and often the couple will work together toward common goals in this home. 

The number 2 house is often decorated with tasteful furnishings, and has a loving energy. It also is probably filled with lots of goodies, knick knacks, good food and love! Folks will be drawn to your home if you live here and feel welcomed here. It supports a healthy marriage and is a good place to move to start a new relationship.

#3 

The Number 3 house is fueled with lot of communication and creativity. The neighbors are like family and the doors are open for people to visit. Three Houses are great for writers, artists and people who work in sales and communication. It can be a place where people come to party and hang out. People who live here will at times feel a little restless and probably have a lot of electronic equipment, phones, TVs, stereos, etc. Children are welcome here! Folks who live here like to be a part of their community and often like the local gossip!

#4 

A number 4 House is likely to be traditional and a solid home. It could have been built years ago and housed many generations of the same family. Or if new, it will provide the same for many family members. It will seem like Home Sweet Home to many and this is where the holidays will be celebrated! It provides a strong foundation for families and marriages. However there can be some differences between the two people living there.....they may have completely different points of view so it is best for everyone to have their own areas of the home they control. For example; A teenager and a strict parent. Folks who live here will work very hard. People who live in a number 4 house will have to work very hard and try to be a stable force in their family's lives. This house doesn't change much and many owners stay for many years.

#5

A number 5 house is a very busy place There's lots going on and often people living here have too much on their plate. It can be cluttered or a little messy because there is so much happening. But it can also be a fun house where people throw parties, and get together to hang out. There are always people coming and going Number 5 can be an exciting address to live at, especially for single folks. People who work in communication, news, sales, journalism, broadcasting, etc. are at home in a number 5 house. The telephone and computer are very important in this house and are apt to be the most used items! It's hard to sit still in this house and there will be lots of changes in décor over time.

#6

This is certain to be an attractive place.  People who live here are ambitious and driven but also traditional. They want nice things.... quality before quantity. This is a house of balance so a good place to get your life in order and create work and play. Living here can attain many memorable moments. It is also a good place to have a home office. Kids, pets, older folks are all part of the family. Photos of ancestors hang on the walls. Things are saved for years and recycled. This for the most part, can be a peaceful home. If there is discord, it won't last long.

#7 

The 7 address inspires spirituality, psychic ability and such. It can be a place where people come to heal and grow spiritually. Changes in the way people look at life happen while living here. They look to a higher influence. Gemstones, religious symbols, new age artifacts and books probably fill the house. Soul mates buy this type of house together. However a problem with a number 7 house is dampness, or with drainage. Check the basement of for leaks. Most 7 homes will have a special room for mediation or reading.

#8 

A great address for everyone who wants to make money! Very good for people who own their own company and this house will likely go up in value and prove to be a good investment down the road. People can attain wealth by moving into this house.

#9 

The 9 house is a very karmic house. You will have vivid dreams here. It also is a place where people feel drawn to and so do stray animals. People will want to come over and stay on your couch for weeks! They feel safe here. It is a safe haven for many. Older kids do not want to leave or they will return time and time again. This house may also be haunted. People usually move into this type of a house when they need comfort, they are ending something in their life, they are in transition or they are humanitarians and want to take care of others.

Dream Case #8

I was staying in a tiny, tiny apartment in NYC—a long, narrow apartment—very cramped, small rooms, tiny kitchen area, not many windows.  It was also pretty messy but I didn’t really care.  Then I found out that some visitors were supposed to be coming.  I rushed around trying to straighten the place but the this woman showed up—she was maybe about late 20’s or maybe 30—five feet tall or so—brown hair pulled back in a pony tail, black rimmed glasses—she was “in charge of the keys”.  She was asking lots of questions—mostly about how things were working out with the apartment—but I just wanted to get the place cleaned up.  There was a knock on the door and a whole group of people had just gotten off the subway and were here—several of my brothers, a sister in law and an adult nephew—they all come in.  Mostly they seem happy to be there but not Matt, one of my brothers—he isn’t feeling well.  I wonder where are they going to  sleep?  and the place is still so messy.  Then there are supposed to be more people coming—people that I don’t know well at all—but no one seems to know why they are not here yet—cousins on my dad’s side.  No one seems worried about that though. Brian, one of the visiting brothers, is going to visit his friend John in San Diego the next day.  I ask if I can come too but he doesn’t answer.  He doesn’t seem to want that.

More domestic drama (referring to the previous dream, which is also about a living situation). You don't say whether you actually live in NYC, or whether you ever have done, but whenever a dream is so specific about a location it usually means something. New York is the "Big Apple" and is a place many go in hopes of realizing dreams of fame or business success. In this dream you seem to know you are in NYC though you never leave your small apartment. So think of the apartment as you and NYC as your greater environment. Do you feel small and messy in comparison to everything around you?

In the dream you don't care about being messy until you find out you're going to have visitors. Interesting. This suggests you are comfortable with yourself as a person in the internal sense but also care what others think in the external sense. In other words, you're fine with your personal mess but don't want others to see it. Do you worry they will criticize you for not being "pulled together"? In particular, I have to wonder whether you are concerned about what your family thinks of you, since they are the ones who visit.

Your other visitor is this strange woman, the keeper of the keys. She is a representation of some kind of authority. Though she is not dominant or demanding (based on your description), her gentle probing of how things are working out suggests a kind of therapist. Someone is there, genuinely wanting to know whether things are okay, and you are too busy putting on a show for coming visitors to spare her the time. Here your subconscious is suggesting you stop and take a minute, do an internal check. Get in touch with yourself. Discover how you really feel and never mind what anyone else thinks.

I don't know about your real-life relationships with your family, but the fact that the majority of the crowd that comes to visit is happy to be there, in your apartment, despite the mess and the cramped conditions, points to the likelihood that many will not even notice your internal clutter. They love you, or at least like you, and accept you just as you are. But you do have one brother here named Matt who is not entirely happy because he isn't feeling well. So you must ask yourself whether Matt has problems of his own, and whether those are affecting you in any way. Does he need your help? No one else is worried about Matt, so maybe he needs someone to notice that something is wrong, and that person may be you. In any event, your subconscious is singling him out for some reason, so explore that in real life if you can.

And then there is Brian, who is about to jet off to visit another friend. You don't say whether you are also a friend of John's; is there any particular reason you might want to accompany your brother on this visit? Or are you only looking to escape, looking for a distraction? Review your dream and the feelings you had about this trip to San Diego (again, oddly specific—does the real John live in San Diego? Is there even a real John?). How badly did you want to go and why? Did you crave a change from the cramped apartment and grey city? San Diego is hot and sunny; were you hoping a trip there would lift your spirits? Did you want to see John? Spend time with Brian? Or did you just want to escape all your visitors?

Brian, however, is noncommittal, and you read his lack of response as unspoken rejection. Again, I do not know what your actual relationship with him is like, but you must ask yourself ever more questions. Do you wish for Brian's approval? Do you need his permission for something? Is there a lack of communication between you in waking life? A dream like this one requires one to examine the fabric of one's life, right down to the very threads as you explore the ways in which you are tied and woven together with the others in your world. Your subconscious is pointing the way by isolating Matt and Brian in particular, and also by situating you in larger context with your extended family. It is time to inspect and investigate those connections.

Dream Case #7

In my dream I seem to come home after being gone a long time. My flat mate has let a room to a woman (we are both men, and in our actual flat we don't have any extra rooms, but in the dream the flat is bigger, may even be a house). The woman may have a son, but I wasn't clear on that. The rest of the dream is about teaching my flat mate to sort laundry properly and us going to shop for groceries, particularly ice cream. And also something about the bath being really dirty, the tub filled with a kind of black mud. I go to take a bath, and I'm looking forward to relaxing after being gone so long, but find the tub filled with this stuff. Any insights?

There are a few interesting elements here. For one, the change in your residence. I've written before about how houses often represent oneself, and here you are returning to your home only to find it changed. It has expanded at the very least, and there are more people in it as well. So the trick is to look at your life and see in what ways it has changed, grown, and what new people are in it. Have you recently gone through some kind of transformation? A "renovation" of some kind? Keep in mind the woman—and you don't say much about her aside from the fact she is there and may have a son—may be some aspect of yourself rather than another person. Your feminine side perhaps. Which would make the son something you have given birth to, such as a creative project.

Yet all this is overshadowed by your attempts to domesticate your flat mate. Is he sloppy in real life? If so, the dream may simply reflect your frustrations at his inability to manage his side of keeping up your shared living space. But if in real life he is responsible then you must have a deeper desire to communicate something to him, show him something. This is reflected in your "teaching" him to sort laundry. What do you really want to "sort out" with your flat mate?

The ice cream is interesting as well. A sweet, a dessert. In dreams it can symbolize the successful completion of something (just as dessert completes a meal). Your buying it but not eating it, so this suggests the preparation, the anticipation of that success in some aspect of your life. Possibly something you and your flat mate will work on or do together, since you shop for the ice cream together.

You mention, too, that you shop for groceries together (though the focus was on the ice cream). Shopping in dreams points to a desire for or lack of something. And yet here, again, with the ice cream being central, you are planning ahead rather than worrying about more immediate needs. Are you putting the cart before the horse? Celebrating before something is finished? In any case, the dream as a whole shows you and your flat mate collaborating in various ways. Are you doing so in waking life? Or is this dream a reflection of a deeper desire to have that kind of relationship with your flat mate? Only you can say for certain; consider all the angles and decide what rings true for you.

Finally, the mud in the tub. Ugh. Just when you feel like you're getting somewhere and making some progress, you discover this mess. Frustration. Are you frustrated with your flat mate in some way? With your domestic situation? Or even with yourself? Baths in dreams are about cleansing oneself, renewing oneself. Here you are looking forward to that but are unable to do it. I'm only assuming that your flat mate is the culprit for the dirty tub; is there some way in which he is preventing you from relaxing or "coming clean" about something? In any case, the muddy tub points to tension that cannot be released. Whoever is to blame is minor; you must clean your tub and then yourself.

Dream Case #3

I had this dream that I had to return to a house I grew up in. For some reason my parents were there (they haven't lived there for years). But I was asked to return by some officials, they were maybe insurance people or something, to look at some cracks in the house's foundation. I got the feeling the cracks were there before but were getting bigger. And when I went to check on my parents, they were asleep, but the cracks had created a big gap between them and a door to the bathroom. I needed to check the bathroom, but I had to jump to get there. I'm not sure what happened after that. I guess I woke up.

Okay, let's start with the house. Houses in dreams often represent the dreamer. Different rooms represent different parts of you: the attic is your brain, your consciousness and thoughts. The basement symbolizes your base instincts and primal urges. Here you had what? A concern about the foundation, it seems? Literally what you're built on: your belief system, for example. The cracks suggest you're questioning some of the fundamentals in your life. And since it seems that the cracks had been there a while and were starting to spread, maybe you've had questions for a long time, even subconsciously, and now they're getting too big and loud to ignore.

The officials, then, may represent any clergy or other people you typically look to for guidance regarding your beliefs. (Remember that even if you're an atheist you have some kind of fundamental belief. It doesn't have to be an organized religion.) Spirit guides or other authorities in your life are trying to draw your attention to this structural problem within yourself. It needs to be addressed before you suffer some kind of breakdown.

It's not clear to me whether the gap you mention was between you and your parents as well as them and the bathroom door? But I'm going to assume the gap, regardless of location, signifies a growing distance between you and your parents, possibly caused by these questions you have—maybe you're beginning to question some of your upbringing?

As for the bathroom and your need to check it, bathrooms provide relief and cleansing. They're also where we go to hide sometimes. The running water in bathrooms can symbolize the rush of emotions. Your need to get to the bathroom in the dream may reflect a need to cleanse yourself or simply to get in touch with how you really feel. You may even be seeking to let your feelings out.