could someone help me interpret this?

[Johny023]

i'm a 17 year old male, if any more information is needed feel free to ask, i'll answer almost any question. this is a reoccurring dream I've had, although i don't have it too often. the dream is in 3rd person and it starts with me and a few other kids that i don't recognize in this area I've never seen before, there's a forest completely surrounding the place with only one path in or out, to the north, there's a lake in the middle of the area with a small river going to the west, the land arcs upwards to make a bridge over the river and there's a pier going out from the "land bridge" over the lake, just a little south of that is a house. we where all out near the east side of the lake and we all (me included) look to be around 8-13 years old, we where just running around having fun, it looked like we where playing tag or something like it. eventually we got tired and walked to the house, when we got there i grabbed a apple out of a crate near the door, it felt natural as if i did that every time i walked by the door. everyone else went into the house. i walked up to the pier and sat there to eat the apple while watching the lake and the house. i was thinking about how perfect everything is, and how happy i was that i made it this way. one of the kids came up behind me and said "hey we saw a carnival over in that empty lot, we're going to go see it are you coming? it will be fun." i stop for a second and thought to myself, "that's not right, how could anything get in here, maybe something small could slip in but a entire carnival?" then another kid comes up to me and pulls me to my feet and says "of course he's coming, it would be no fun without him" we just laugh and i say "yeah I'll come." so we catch up with the rest of the group who where already walking there. we walk over to the north side of the area and take the path to the carnival, the path has trees on both sides with no side paths. we eventually come to a gate, outside the gate there's a crate with candy in it, i take a piece of candy and put it in my pocket, and everyone else takes a handful. we are all talking about the carnival and how fun it's going to be, the view moves so i can't see myself or the other kids but i can see the carnival. there's a Ferris wheel and a bunch of tents around it, i check to see how it got there and the lot it's in is completely surrounded by trees with no other paths in or out. all of a sudden it starts to fade away, it disappears leaving just a empty lot with a bunch of trees around it that are now dead. the view goes back to me and I'm now at my current age (17) the trees around the path are all dead, the crate of candy is now just a bunch of rocks, and the kids i was with are gone. i stand there for a few seconds, really confused, then i look at the crate of rocks, i reach into my pocket and take out the piece of candy i had only to see that it is a rock. i start walking down the path back to the house, thinking everyone went home. when i get to the end of the path i see that all the trees surrounding this area are dead too, the grass is dead, the lake is dried up, and the house looks like it's been abandoned for many years, and looks like it could collapse any second. i just stood there in disbelief, i eventually walked to the house. when i got there i reached for a apple without really thinking about it, only to find that they where all rotten, i looked in the house but as i expected no one was there. i left the house and walked back up to the pier, the only thing that hadn't changed, and just sat at the end of the pier wondering how this happened and what i should do now. i was really upset and felt like i should leave, but when i try to memories of the place from before came back to me and i just couldn't leave them behind. eventually i pull myself together and leave. i walk off into the forest of dead trees, i walk for what feels like days, but find nothing. after a while i get too tired to walk and have to stop to rest for a while. then i wake up. does anyone know what this could mean? thanks for your time.

[DrunkenArse]

All I can say is that it seems to point to some major change in your life that has happened. It seems to be something about the carnival. You sort of got dragged into going it seems like. Is there anything you got dragged into in real life? Did you have a falling out with a group of friends or did your attitued towards them change or something?

[Johny023]

well, i get dragged into a lot of things because i'm the kind of person who can't say no when someone asks for help, but i can't think of anything that seems important or life changing that i was dragged into. i've actually never heard the term "falling out" before, so i can only guess at what it means, back in 4th-6th grade i was having a lot of problems with friends, most of my friends ended off stabbing me in the back around that time and one of them took it way too far, i still don't understand why, i never did anything to them. that was the only problem i've had with friends, and that was long before i started having this dream, although it could still be linked to the dream. thanks for the help.

[DrunkenArse]

I would focus on this dream prior to sleeping untill you dream it and focus on becoming lucid in it, summon the other kids and ask them what happened. I would say that what happened with your friends is part of it though. This strikes me strikes me as a big dream. I'd dig as deep into it as you can. The forest dying is sort of big I think. Forests can often represent deep and instinctual knowledge, of the hidden, possibly "dark" variety. The fact that the forest surrounds an area of childhood bliss with only one path leading through it amplifies this interpretation in my mind. Does that ring true with you? It could be a sort of innocence lost sort of dream which would be pretty normal. I'm not one of those people that believe that dreams are messages per se, but they do cast light on the state of the subconcious mind. It's pretty unambiguous that loss of something is the theme of this dream. Just as a long shot, what where your views of sexuality when you were at the age portrayed in the first part of the dream versus what they are now. Forests can tie into that stuff. That may well not be the answer but it is a good place to start. Also, the same question but just with your general views towards life.

[DrunkenArse]

and loss of something isn't necessarily bad. Death dreams (loss of life) are a classic example.

[Johny023]

sorry about the late reply, i thought i was going to get a email when someone responded. my general view towards life did change for the worse after 6th grade, and i believe i was either 12 or 13 at the time, but since then it's been basically the same. i used to be the kind of person who was open to anyone, and had many friends but after being stabbed in the back i kept the few friends i had left and wanted nothing to do with other people, and i still feel the same way now, but i'm much more open to people online, they are a lot nicer. as far as i can remember, at the age i was in the beginning of the dream i didn't have any views of sexuality since i still didn't know, but now of course i know but i couldn't really care less about it, i feel that i have more important things to worry about. now when you said "Forests can often represent deep and instinctual knowledge, of the hidden, possibly "dark" variety." that makes sense with the dream to me too, although i have no idea what it could be referring to. i have been trying for a while now to get more control of my mind though, to control the things your mind would normally do subconsciously. i've made a little progress, and i've used that control to block out almost all of my emotions due to some problems that came up, although i'm not sure if that could be considered "hidden dark knowledge." i don't know how to do lucid dreaming though, i can take control of most dreams but i can only normally control myself and if i stray too far from the dream or try to change anything i wake up, i'm not sure if this has anything to do with it but i'm a very light sleeper. thanks again for the help.

[DrunkenArse]

In my opinion, this dream is showing you what you are doing to yourself by repressing your emotions. It sounds like you had a healthy, vibrant emotional life as represented by the childhood richness of the forest. Then you went on the path through the forest, to the carnival but don't remember the carnival. Focus on the last moments you can remember of the dream before the carnival, while going to sleep, and see if you can extend your memory of it in that way. Now, at 17, the forest is dead. It's representing you instinctual/emotional self. You have to let that stuff breathe and exist to be healthy. It's not really dead: dreams are dramatic. But let it breath, man. I'm too intellectual myself. You cannot defeat emotions and attempting to do so will only leave you with a dead forest. You can only (and should) channel their expression. Sex is pretty paramount to a healthy life. Research testosterone and then get as much of it as you can. You make testosterone by making muscles and the more muscles you get, the more testosterone you make. I was under the impression for a long time that testosterone made meatheads. I'm only now figuring out that that's because meatheads are into testosterone building stuff but that it's good for everybody. Testosterone has recently been getting an image as the male 'fountain of youth'. I would add to that that it is male 'self actualization' in a convienient and natural chemical form. And chicks dig it (even if they deny it), which brings us back to sex. But you're not into that It improves focus and memory and modulates the amygdala, which plays a key role in decision making and emotional stability. check it out. just my thoughts. Let me know what you think.

[DrunkenArse]

There's probably more to it then that, but we've got a good start and if that's all that you take from it then you'll be doing good. I love dreams though so I'll stick it out until you get bored

[Johny023]

i'm not sure if i ever actually went into the carnival, when the view shifted to the carnival i could still see a little of the gate to the carnival, and it didn't open to let us in. i can remember after i took the piece of candy i looked over at the carnival and the view shifted so i can't see myself or the other kids only the carnival and it faded away and all the trees died, then the view snapped back to me at 17 still standing there looking where the carnival used to be with a really confused look on my face. i do know that i can't keep my emotions blocked forever though, it's more of a temporary solution to get them out of the way, until i can figure out how to fix the problem. i did a little (very little) research on testosterone and i'll have to look more into it it later, since i don't really play sports and never had a interest in building muscles, so i don't normally do anything that would create testosterone and from what i read it seemed kinda important. i'm just starting to get into dreams, a little while back i had a dream that i just couldn't explain, so i looked for a interpretation online and found forums for it, so i joined a few and had some old dreams interpreted, they all pointed to a growing problem i hadn't noticed at the time i had them, i probably could have stopped the problem if i had known about it sooner. so now i'm looking into the more recent dreams that seemed important to make sure i don't walk into another "landmine" of a problem. so i'm not likely to get bored if you see or think you see anything that's potentially hazardous in this or any of my dreams, like what you mentioned about me blocking my emotions please tell me thanks again for the help.