Although in order to provide a more accurate interpretation it would usually be best to have some further general background information about you (and a description of events just before the dream), an additional approach might be to see this unpleasant nightmare as fulfilling the usual role of nightmares; that is, to emotionally awaken the dreamer to a situation or attitude etc. which is not seen or is being taken for granted etc.
The unknown grand house can be understood as a “structure” or “complex” in your mind at this time which causes you to react in a habitual way to certain situations etc.
If this isn’t the typical kind of house that you’d be hanging out in, then the image overall might contain a clue as to the “complex” that’s apparently tending to dominate you too much of the time.
For example, you may have been doing very well lately in college and/or in other activities, perhaps gaining a lot of admiration etc.
If so, this could be like the meaning behind a birthday party, e.g. where a kind of “rebirth” occurs along with feelings of encouragement which indirectly fuel confidence and the further growth of various social skills and abilities.
The latter are possibly being emphasized by the wide range of ages of the kids at the party, suggesting aspects of yourself that began to develop literally in a range of 5-11 years ago.
But something goes terribly wrong in the dream, especially given the birthday party setting, and you’re chased upstairs along with an unknown woman to a nursery/bedroom.
She urges you to go outside onto the roof where apparently there may be no way down, and then she unexpectedly unlocks the door to let in whoever was knocking.
A frightening scene emerges where the now “demonic” children appear with their eyes having been scratched out.
This could possibly suggest that somehow the cold, eerily calm woman caused this terrible mutilation to happen.
In any case, she probably symbolizes a dangerous, dark side of your personality that everyone has which is called the “shadow” by one school of psychology.
So the nightmare could be saying that you’re too unaware (e.g. don’t know the house, the children or the woman) of some kind of growing negative attitude etc. (as symbolized by the shadow-woman) which could become terribly destructive if not stopped in its tracks as soon as possible.
For example, children are of course naturally curious, loving, instinctive and they like to explore all sorts of different things.
But your inner symbolical children could be in danger of becoming seriously hampered in pursuing various new aspects of life because of some outlook or attitude etc., possibly that of being overly related to outer success and attention (e.g. the palatial house) at the expense of true relationships and natural instinctive reactions over time.
Unfortunately, these inner children could then potentially become “demonic”, meaning in a practical way that one or more of a limitless choice of unpleasant physical and/or psychological symptoms could possibly appear on the scene over time.
For example, a person could become prone to many headaches, digestive upsets or a more than usual number of illnesses in general etc. Psychological symptoms like anxiety for no apparent reason or eating disorders etc. might appear.
This could be the type of situation which the very frightening nightmare is trying to wake you up to in order that appropriate actions can be taken to prevent any such problems.
However, it’s very important not to take this nightmare as showing something in a symbolical way which is “inevitable” or “inescapable”.
Instead, it’s likely what’s called a “Prospective Dream”, saying something like “If you keep doing (such and such), then this is what could happen”.
To help find out the personal meaning of your dream, you can try focusing, for example, on the image of the interior of the house.
Then write down every spontaneous memory, thought and feeling that comes to mind.
Sifting through what emerges will hopefully provide a clue about some unhelpful way of thinking or acting etc. etc. which you might be slipping into without really knowing it.
If so, you could then make any appropriate changes to slow down a self-hurtful direction and this would help to insure that you won’t have any more alarming nightmares.
Anyway as mentioned, without knowing anything much about you, this way of looking at your very upsetting dream might not fit your personal circumstances very well, but I hope these ideas can be helpful in some way.
Please feel free to ask any questions or to make any comments about this particular way of looking at your dream.
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