Tuesday, March 22, 2005

In your dreams

-The house manifest in the dream life as the picture of your psychological framework. Look closely at the details of the house for the real meaning. Find here a dream's analysis presented by Ms Tuula Haukioja, a jungian analyst, for The Globe and Mail.

A strange house

I have frequent dreams, many times a month, of homes. The homes are often in a state of disrepair, but not always. They are always older homes with many rooms, but often one level, more often the top level, is ruined. There is a house on a uphill sloping road that is in good shape with a gravel driveway, but I only ever see the mud room and a dinning-room table, another with a roof I sit on, a little-used road running beside a busy road. Another seems to be on the Mediterranean Sea with whales below the balcony. One of the most vivid was a total wreck of a house with the top floor in an absolute mess, but that one is very confusing in my mind. There are no feelings that I can remember with any house. There are also few colours that I can remember other than dark browns and greys, but the house in the Mediterranean I see is definitely yellow.
(Male, age 53)
When you dream about houses, often you're getting a picture of your own psychological framework. Look closely at the details of the house for the real meaning. An old house or one with antiques may speak to the dreamer's relationship to tradition, stability or the status quo, which may be in conflict with other aspects of the personality which require renewal (renovations/repairs). This dreamer only sees parts of his own inner house, which is off on a side road, yet he has a good perch from which to observe outer life passing by on the main road.
The mud room, a threshold space, could suggest his being stuck, engaged fully in neither his inner or outer life. Feeling (which gives colour and vitality to life) is largely absent. The dreamer could connect to the roots (and probably painful emotions inherent in this situation) by carefully associating to the dream's images and symbols. A fruitful area to explore could be the dining-room table-that suggests issues around nourishment and relationships with family and friends. A central issue for the dreamer lies in the upper levels, the rational and intuitive processes where there is confusion and disarray.
The yellow house overlooking whales in the Mediterranean is a striking contrast to the other images and holds important clues to the nature of the problem as well as its solution. The colour yellow suggests both the sun (associated with consciousness and life-giving energy) and gold, (symbolizing great value). In the inner world, this suggests the spiritual or intuitive parts of our nature. The whales bring to mind the biblical story of Jonah, who in running away from his God-given task brings misfortune upon himself and others. He must pass through the painful darkness (whale's belly) of his nature to learn the lesson of a greater compassion and wisdom at work, which enables him to humbly fulfill his destiny in the world despite his fears, flaws and misgivings.

-found in The Globe and Mail, 03/05/05. Tuula Haukioja is a Jungian analyst. You can send her your dreams for analysis at focus@globeandmail.ca.