Thanks for recommending this book, Occipitalred. I have been enjoying it, but I am not done. So far, I like the ideas that he presents with dreams having a deeper meaning (distraction, control, attachment, and judgement).
I don't have a lot of dreams of distraction / fear of solitude. I am very introverted, and I love solitude.
However, I do have dreams about being abducted and kidnapped, about feeling helpless, etc. So I do have those dreams of control and dreams of judgement. I like his ideas. I'm trying to look at my dreams from new angles - what am I really running from? What fear is at the core of this issue? Once I think I've got it, the new goal is to look for an even deeper fear.
 Originally Posted by Occipitalred
I'm generally not a fan of symbolic interpretation of dreams. For one, I completely disagree with dream dictionaries. Alligator = treachery. I'm more likely to say an alligator is an alligator. And this stems from my adherence to the Continuity Theory of dreaming. Yet, especially in the art of story and narratives, I do enjoy the use of symbols and themes.
I remember when reading this book many years ago, I did get stuck on this part. If I remember, his approach is that the dream characters represent aspects of you. Is that right? Like someone chasing you is actually a part of yourself you are repressing? Well, I don't agree with this completely. It might be true sometimes. But in my case, chase dreams were not about me running away from parts of myself. They were really just about running from others. They were social anxiety. Mistrust. Sensitivity to danger and ill will. Sensitivity to judgement. So, for me others are often... others. Not parts of me. The thing is sometimes, I will have a thought, and a dream character will address it in my place. But I think that's more because I expect others to see things like myself more than because they represent me.
You know, I do believe in symbolism, but I think it's not black and white. I think sometimes dream books can absolutely help. They can also be totally wrong. Sometimes it's more of a personal meaning. Most of the time, I think, there's more than one meaning for a symbol. A lot depends on the feel of the dream: positive or negative? And of course, the big thing is that symbols are relative and based on context. The symbols only make sense in relativity to the rest of the dream, and to your life situations. That's why, when you do understand a dream, it feels like an "aha moment". All the pieces suddenly fit together all at once. A lot of times I will ruminate on a dream, not understanding it until days later.
I also think you're not wrong. Some dreams are really more superficial than others. Some dreams are simply replaying a life scenario we went through, or even just a "sum-up" of our current life adventures so far. But. I do believe an alligator is never just an alligator (unless you saw one in real life recently!). In my dreams, reptiles and alligators, can often represent "cold-blooded" people we know (or aspect of ourselves).
 Originally Posted by Occipitalred
I remember David Gordon talking about the Divine voice dreams. Maybe the higher self? Then, I did not have this kind of dream. And I still don't have these types of dreams.
I haven't read this far in the book, but I know I've had dreams like this.
In one, I was riding in a car across a very long and perilous bridge. I eventually made it to the other side. Over there? A beautiful temple with an old woman. Now lucid, I talked to her. She explained she was my Higher Self. I thanked her for coming to me. She said "No. Thank you for letting me in." Since that dream, I often hear her voice in my sleep offering wisdom, and sometimes she appears, always as an old woman. She is a persistent dream guide now. I feel lucky (in fact, in another lucid dream, when I asked her name, they said "Luck").
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