Hi - I'm new here. Had a really disturbing dream last night and I could use some help figuring it out...

The dream started out in some Southern city at night (maybe New Orleans)...I had just come into possession of a guitar that had belonged to some semi-famous musician. I kept trying to sell the guitar but nobody wanted to buy it. At some point, I realized it had actually turned into a dangerous alligator, and I ran away from it. The alligator was now stalking the streets, and I was trying to figure out some way of getting rid of it, although I was afraid to actually approach it and go after it. At that point, my partner came running up to me and told me that our mutual friend, Joe (not his real name), had been in a DUI and was dying.

My partner and I ran to the place where Joe was. It was a cross between a morgue and a nice funeral home. He was laid out on a slab. Just as we got there, the last sparks of life left him and he went cold. It was important in the dream, that while I was told he'd been in a DUI, this wasn't what killed him in the dream although I don't remember what it was. He was physically intact. We were very upset at losing him. Our next action was to cut off some of his hair, as well as his penis. This was done with the intention of somehow protecting him (dream logic...)

A little background about Joe in real life. He is a long time friend of my partner's, and somewhat of a friend of mine. I've recently started seeing him more since we just moved into his area. He's intelligent, intense, attractive and interesting, and I feel somewhat of a kindred spirit since I share a lot of interests and preoccupations with him. I had a slight crush on him once a long time ago. A lot of people fall for him. However, I'm reserved around him and don't consider him a real friend. I don't find him trustworthy. He can run hot and cold, as well as being manipulative and self-involved, and occasionally rude and hurtful. I suspect he's bipolar and I know he has a history of mental problems. I like being around him, but I don't seek out his company and feel somewhat conflicted about him. I think many other people we know feel similarly about him.

Cut forward to the next part of the dream. My partner isn't there anymore. I'm sitting at a table at some bar or honky tonk, and Joe comes and sits down next to me. He's dead. I am afraid to look at him, I'm afraid he will be decomposing. But he's only very pale, and looks rather ghoulish. It is obvious he's dead however. He pulls his hat down low over his face to conceal himself from the other people there.

It turns out he's come back from the dead, but he only has a short time left. The reason he was able to come back might have been because we cut off his penis and his hair. Joe and I embark on a journey to the underworld (it's not called the underworld in the dream, but in retrospect I think it was) on a mission to find a girl. If we find this girl, Joe will be able to come back to the living. I go with him, since this same girl will save me too, even though I'm not physically dead - there is still something I need to overcome. We descend through the layers of the underworld, which is like a huge plantation house with many floors. On each floor there are many women, and we stop and search through all of them. On one floor, all the women are promiscuous and want to go to bed with us. We don't find the girl we're looking for there. On another floor, the women all talk about money and possessions. She isn't there either. We keep descending floor after floor, searching for the girl we need, but our time is quickly running out. The dream ends with still some time left, but we still haven't found our girl.

I woke up feeling dismayed and disturbed, with a sense of urgency. I wanted to call Joe and tell him about the dream, since I was afraid it meant something bad might happen to him. I haven't told him about it though. I've been troubled about it all day. Any insights would be extremely helpful!