Old Houses

I often dream about old, dusty houses that are crumbling apart with rotten wood.

In these dreams, there is sometimes nice, new rooms to explore. I generally own these houses in my dreams (I just bought a new house four years ago). Some rooms are made-up to look like rooms out of catalogues or magazines.

But other rooms...they're dreadful! Spiderwebs in the corners, windows frosted with films of age. The floors are creaky, sometimes with huge holes in them. The wood is rotten. Sometimes, I'll be exploring my new house, and I'll walk up to a door that looks like any other. I'll open the door, and on the other side are these horror-rooms.

Sometimes I'm outside the new house, and I see a window that I've never noticed before...so I go up and take a look. It's a secret room, filthy. There are sheets over the furnishings. There's usually an old bed in one corner, an ancient desk with an inkbottle on it in another corner. The floors are riddled with mouse-droppings and plaster fallen off the ceiling.

The feeling that I get when I look into these rooms is: That's creepy! Who used to stay here? How did they get into this room? What happened to them? How did they die?

Sometimes (not often), there's someone staying in these rooms that I didn't know about. They're people that I don't know. They're usually surprised to see me when I find them, as if to say: "You're not supposed to know about us!" We talk, and I tell them they can't stay. They agree to leave, usually.

These dream houses are usually huge. Two or three stories. Once, one of these houses was as big as your average mall! I was walking past doors and doors and doors. The house was a Victorian in one dream, three stories tall. In another dream, it was an old brick dormitory.

Sometimes I find hidden basements. In one of these homes, there was something like a landfill located in the sprawling basement. There were old things stacked neatly by category - kitchen appliances, rugs, household cleaners, etc. All of these things were used.

When I'm in the "new part" of the house, I get a happy feeling. It's mine. I can decorate and invite guests over without feeling embarrassed. But when I open a door and find one of those horror-rooms, I feel sad. Even afraid. Is this going to affect the rest of the house? The foundation? How am I going to fix this? Just seal the room off?

In one dream, I was in a very large house, and there were people in just about every room. They were all trying to hide from something horrible. They all knew it was coming. They were scattering, running, screaming. It was my house, so I knew just where to hide. I found a staircase, looked under it, and saw an old well, the type my grandmother used to have on her farm, with the wooden door on top. I climbed into the water and shut the door. The water was cold and clear, green. I knew I'd be safe there from whatever everybody was running from.

Thanks - just found this forum today. I've been wanting to ask about these things for a loooooooong time.

Appreciate any response.

Just remembered...in one of these rooms, I was outside looking in. There was one of those old, antique wheelchairs in the corner.

...and oh yeah: I have these "old house dreams" as I now call them, about once a month.

I totally know that dream, I used to have the "house dream" all the time. Mine were similar, with rooms that I didn't know were there, and a fear that things were not as they seemed. My Mom and Aunt both had it too. In fact, that's how I found DreamViews--I was searching for the meaning of the dream, and stumbled on this instead. :banana:

I still dream about being in strange houses a lot, but I don't often have the "living in a huge old run-down house" dream, where that is the main theme of the dream. I can't remember the last time I had it, actually. So if you stick around here, you may get rid of the dream. :)

I think the meaning of the dream was that the house represents yourself. The attic represents hidden things in the subconscious, etc. I kind of forgot now what all the rooms represent...

:welcome: to Dreamviews.

I've had that dream too. For me it was a school that I was rebuilding.

I think that it represents a work in progress. Are you getting into a big project soon (marriage, work...)? Maybe you're worried about it, which would why there were people who were hiding from something.

Well, to take a shot at it. I would say having dreams with old houses represents your old situation or old self. With having creaky floors, webs, and dust I would guess means you've abandoned it and moved of from what ever situation, belief or thought it was. Because at the start of post you said you believe you own the house I think means that you own these thoughts or situation which I would think makes sense. You could be getting the eerry feeling when looking in the window into the house could be because it was your past self and now because you're in a different state (a different person) then you were then. So, you may not be able to realize your self or your thoughts in that time. But with you keep coming back to look in the window to view the old house and the web floors could represent that you feel still attached or maybe you feel you have left something behind from that time. When you walk in to find someone else in these room could mean that they know that you've moved on and now where you were in that time (anything to do with how you thought/beliefs or a situation that you were in.) That’s were they are now and they are surprised to find you still here. (Maybe still dwelling or revisiting it?)

I think with the new house represents your present state of mind and where you are now in your life. So you should feel happy, because I would assume you're happy with your life at the moment. And when you invite guest over you are happy to show them how far you've come or where you are now in you "new house." Though, when you open the door and see how horrible the other rooms are represents that maybe you're afraid of whatever that situation belief etc.. Will affect your new life today and the new life you've made for yourself. With yourself asking what to do to fix it up or rope it off could mean that you're in a decision to let go of whatever it is or to fix it (maybe that would be the reason to keep coming back to look in, is because you feel something is left behind or maybe needed to be fixed before you left.)

With this unknown presence coming after everyone n the dream could mean that this old belief of your old way of living is trying to get to you or maybe tell you something. So, maybe next time if you’re lucid in one of these dreams, try to find the thing that is after you and ask why it's chasing you.

You did say that you bought a new house so from what I see from this dream is that you have a new house, a new life. And the old house you re visiting is your old life, your old ways of going about things. People are surprised to see you back in the house because they know you've moved on but you keep coming back, maybe because you left something behind or something needed to be fixed before you left.

Thats just my thoughts on your dream. I hoped it helped in some way.

This is too uncanny!!!

You guys are amazing!!!

It all makes sense now!!!

I wonder how I couldn't have seen it there, I mean...it's staring me right in the face!

Thanks so much for all your replies. I feel so much better now.

I recently quit drinking and recently devoted my life back to Christ. I can see how I'm looking back on my old self now.

Much obliged!:)

well dreams to me are very much linked to new things. If you could truly interpret a dream it would relate to thoughts that you should be able to recognise and also thoughts espoeically from yesterday as we think over the previous days events. So try to sum up a dream in a quote. A quote that captures some fresh insight into your own world eg
"yesterday I felt pressured to act in a certain way. People around me are stale and tired. I feel dragged into their worlds "
Dreams can show then new feelings. Big houses tend to symbolise the wider world... pressures from other people forcing you to act in a certtain way.. or ways that the world is forcing you to act in a certain way... perhaps not natural


------------------------
If a dream features someone you know who is important to you then start
out seeing if the dream is about them. The dream maybe a clarification
of how you feel about them and your relationship with them. Dreams
represent our thoughts and thoughts that we should be able to
recognise. Try writing down some quotes that capture the current state
of your feelings about them eg "My friend is not being as supportive as
I she could be". Then try to see how the symbols could work. Negative
symbols and bad feelings in the dream may represent bad feelings in
real life or present difficulties. Many dreams about close friends,
fiances, boyfriends and close family members will be about them and
will represent new feelings. So try to spot ways in which new feelings
are developing. It could be you are reacting to some incident the day
before. Or it could be that some pattern is building up and finally you
have changed your mind on them. But as we go through life we constantly
assess and reassess how our relationships are progressing. Dreams are
part of the way the brain monitors our own emotions. They maybe hidden
in code but they truly can represent the very latest changes in your
feelings. But having said that any person can appear in a dream and
that dream may not be about that person.
These pages are especially helpful in showing you how to interpret
dreams
http://www.unclesirbobby.org.uk/dreamessayhowtopost.php
Interpreting dreams
http://www.unclesirbobby.org.uk/dreamessayhowto.php Triggers
for dreams
http://www.unclesirbobby.org.uk/dreamessay.php Dream
dictionary

UPDATE:

Last night I had the dream again...

We were having a rip-roaring good time in my new house. Everybody was visiting, and then we decided to go somewhere.

I got up and walked to the door and my hand rested on the knob.

I think I became lucid then, because I knew what there might be on the other side of the door. I thought: Oh no...here we go again!

Then another part of me said: Don't be scared! You're in control here!

So I opened the door...and nothing.

I thought to myself: See? There was nothing to be afraid of. Go and try the other door...so I did, this time without hesitating. Nothing.

I woke up with a smile on my mug!:)

Aw, that's Amazing.

And lucid at that too:D It seems that you've left it all behind