Can somebody please help me interpret this?

[Jessimyre]

Hi all Im new. I just joined because I have a dream I really feel like I have to have interpreted, I don't know why but I rarely have such vivid dreams so I guess its important somehow. DISCLAIMER - Please understand, I mean absolutely NO offence to anyone by recounting this dream. In the dream I am full of anger directed at islamic people but in real life I have friends and family-thru-marriage who are islamic and I have no issue with them AT ALL and we get along just fine. OK... last night's dream. I dreamt that my current life didn't exist, I dreamed that I (young white australian with no religion coz I don't believe in religions but just get on with life as best I can) was among an islamic group of people and this man was forcing me to get married. I was really angry, completely furious that these people were forcing me to wear their headgear and clothes, and completely furious that I was being forced to get married against my will. I have actually been to a proper Islamic wedding before in RL and they ask both bride and groom 3 times if they wish to be married but in my dream it was a case of "That man over there is your husband. You're married now." which is how it happened in a book I once read about a girl who's dad sold her to the middle east as a wife for somebody. Anyway back to my dream, I was screaming and yelling at these people I was so angry, telling them they couldn't force me, telling them I would not be a slave to any man and that I had a life, my own ideals and beliefs and they weren't going to force their ridiculous religion or this marriage on me. The man who seems to be in charge just stands there quietly saying this is how it is now and there's no point in arguing, its done, I'm married and I have to go with my new husband and look after him. My 'husband' in the dream is actually a guy I know in RL and is a very dear friend of mine who I dated in high school but it never went anywhere, we're friends now although my real life partner HATES him. So anyway there's the 'husband' (name is Jesse) who very well knows what a temper I have when wound up is just standing quietly at the other end of the room not saying a word. In real life Jesse is young, white and non religious too. The man who seems to be in charge in my dream just stands there quietly saying this is how it is now and there's no point in arguing, its done, I'm married and I have to go with Jesse and look after him and be a good wife and if I don't like it I WILL be forced. I was so full of rage and resentment. The dream changes a bit and now Jesse and I and all these people I don't know (he seems to be friendly with a couple of the younger ones) are having some sort of picnic in a big garden or park somewhere. We were just sitting there chatting as friends. I remember in my dream I was thinking to myself; "Hang on, this isn't that bad is it? I mean you really want to get married didn't you? And its Jesse, you know him, you love him as a friend and if this is how it is now it could have been worse, it could have been a stranger or some evil horrible man of theirs." (In Real Life I want to get married, my current partner who was married before but it ended badly doesn't) and then I countered that by thinking "No! This is stupid! Why am I being forced to get married at all, why do I have to do any of this? Why do I have to wear this ridiculous outfit." and pretty much my thoughts were going back and forth like this. And then the dream changed again and I dreamt I was pregnant and we were at some resturaunt that was very fancy and one whole wall was a massive window that actually was under-water so diners could see the ocean-life and while we were there (it was just myself and Jesse at our table I think) we got to see a whale swim past. Then I woke up. This is just SO bizarre! And very much worrying me, I just feel like I have to know what it all means. Can anyone help?

[Naiya]

Welcome again to DV. This is kind of a tough one, because the dream depends so much on your relationships with these two men. One is your close friend, the other your partner. When I was reading it, I did wonder at first why you were so upset about marrying a close friend (even though it was forced ect. ect.), and it's interesting that you did think of that too later in the dream. I think that you have no reason to be worried about racism in your dream--it seems like the very strict, fundamentalist version of a culture was just used as a way to put you in that situation in order for the dream to make more sense to you. So it could have been any time or place where you would be forced to marry someone--this is just one your mind was familiar with through media. (Hope that makes sense.) So the important aspects to consider are 1. your thoughts/feelings about being forced to marry; 2. your relationship with your friend; 3. your relationship with your partner. Here's the part where I get to pure speculation about the meaning of this dream. So let me warn you that I could be completely wrong, since I have no way of knowing the people involved or much about you. If you feel in your gut that it's not right, or no bells are ringing off in your head, then disregard my speculation--I won't be offended at all, I promise. You mentioned your partner isn't ready to marry just yet, but you are. I think your dream may have been your subconscious anxiety that he will be angry and resentful if he feels that he is pushed into marriage, even though you are very close to each other. I think this dream may be a warning to consider his feelings, to make sure that he is ready to marry before taking that step. Like I said, though, this is a big stretch on my part, so take it with a grain of salt. I still think that the dreamer is the best interpreter, so if you still can't figure it out, just be sure to keep the description of your dream somewhere and maybe it will come to you later. Good luck.

[Jessimyre]

Thanks Naiya for your help. Yes what you say is true. I know I have to be patient and not try to force the marriage issue with my partner already and that is something I very much understand so perhaps the dream was reinforcing this? I am still confused a bit about the whale :p And it seems like it wasn't nececessarily the marrying my good friend part that was the issue, it seems like the whole being forced to become one of them, being forced to wear certain things and behave in a certain manner that was really making me the maddest. I really love my friend - as a part of the family, we know eachother very well, we practically grew up together because his parents didn't want him so the only 'family' he had that loved and accepted him was me, my brother and my mum who knew he was a good person and felt sorry for him. He spent all his waking moments at our place since we were kids. But I haven't seen him in over a yr, just chatted on the phone. Partly coz he now lives over 5 hours away and partly coz my current partner hates his guts (due to the bad end of his own previous relationship he cant seem to get past that sometimes you CAN still be friends with your ex without it meaning something else)