Ghost in the House

This is quite a long dream but I would appreciate any help with its interpretation

I’m not sure if the sequence of events in the dream are mixed up or if it was happening in two different ‘places’ simultaneously, but it seemed to go back-and-forth between locations, although it was the same dream.

I was in a house that belonged to mom (now deceased) and older sister. My son and daughter (ages 23 and 20) were with me. (In waking life my sister has moved out of my house and is now living with her daughter.) At first it seemed like a single house, but later in the dream it’s like an apartment house, which surprised me, and it’s not a house I recognize in waking life. I was in and out of the house during the dream. At first I was in my car driving around the neighbourhood—I think I may have been delivering something to the houses, but I’m not sure. At one point my car was parked on a side street and I saw some other cars around it. I thought someone had had an accident and hit my car, but when I reached it, it was untouched. Apparently, the people didn’t see it because it was small. They were driving a large black SUV-type vehicle and were parked in front of my car.

Next, I find myself back my mom and sister’s house with my son—my daughter had gone out. I suddenly remembered that I had forgotten to feed my cats back at my own house. I half-wondered if I had brought the cats with me—I was confused. I was panicking, thinking I had been away for a few days and could not believe that I had forgotten them. My son was getting ready to come with me. I also suddenly remembered that there was a ghost in this house (that belongs my mom and sister) and I was incredibly frightened of it. It was the ghost of a woman. I wanted to tell my son about her but I was afraid to say anything aloud in case I ‘woke’ her up and she would appear and wreak havoc. For the moment, I could just feel her presence there.

Next, my sister is in the house with me and she is walking toward a door. I hadn’t noticed the door was there until that moment. She was acting kind of zombie-like, and as if she were on a mission. I asked her what she was doing and she didn’t answer me—she just stared at me and kept walking toward the door. As she opened the door, her 2 granddaughters (ages four and eight) appeared and they were following her. When she opened the door I could see a table or some shelves set up and I realized that she had hidden things there that she did not want anyone to have or use; sort of her private stash. I also noticed that this door had opened up to other rooms or apartments—surprising to me, as I thought this was a single dwelling. She walked right past the shelves. I followed her. Her granddaughters ran past me, still following her. I instinctively knew we were not supposed to be out here where the other tenants lived—we were to keep that particular door closed and not use it.

The dream is still taking place inside the house where my son and I are getting ready to leave and check on my cats. As I put my hand on the door knob to leave I felt a hand on top of mine—it was the ghost. I was so frightened—I turned to my son and blurted out, “Someone just put their hand on top of mine as I turned the door knob,” or something to that effect. The fear elevated now that I had let the ghost know that I knew she was there. We ran out of the house. I couldn’t find my daughter.

Back to the other part of the dream—my sister and the girls disappeared around a corner and I was anxious to go back to their house before someone saw that we had been out here. I turned and headed back and my 3 dogs, came running toward me—they had followed me because the door had been left open. I scooped them up in my arms and began to run back to the door, noticing that one of the dogs had peed on the floor. I couldn’t stop to clean it up—I supposed it would just be a mystery to whoever discovered it. Just then a man appeared. He was very calm, very nice. He asked me where I had come from. I tell him as he walks back through the door with me. I intuitively know that he is some kind of healer, perhaps a therapist and he is also a priest. Next, we’re sitting on the front step and I tell him that the house is haunted by a woman. I don’t question whether or not he believes me or what he might think, as I feel he is there to help me. It was completely off-topic, but he’s not shocked or surprised. Just then two women appear. They are above us and they seem to be hovering in the air. They drop items down to me and the items seem to know that they belong in my hands—it was kind of magical how they floated directly into my hands. There was a feather, a candle, and a fancy bottle of liquid—a potion, I supposed. The women are very funny, sarcastic characters, reminding me of the witches in the movie, Practical Magic (one of my favorite movies). I was laughing and I said to them, “So you must be my witches?” One woman, who reminded me of a friend from waking life (and who is a healer) replied, “Well, we don’t really like that term.” I laughed again, “Well then, I guess you are my fairy godmothers!” Just then a third woman appeared. They laughed and asked me if I knew what to do with the items. I knew the items were to help me rid the house of the ghost and I told them that of course I knew what to do.

Next, I’m in the other part of the dream where my son and I have just come out of the house. My daughter is there now and she is coming in and out of the house, gathering things. She is going to come with us to check on the cats at home. I tell her not to lock the door behind her. In my mind our home (where the cats are) reminds me of the house where I grew up on a farm with my mom, dad and siblings.

Next thing I remember is being back with the 3 women and the man and we enter the house to face the ghost. I quickly realize that I can’t see a thing—my eyes will not open. Funny though—it’s not dark behind my eyelids, it’s very bright. I can feel the bodies of the other 4 people against me, surrounding me, and I feel safe. Just then one of them growls, their face touching mine, and I realize that it’s not them but the ghost that has me surrounded. I feel terror moving through me, but I instinctively growl back, louder than her. I immediately begin speaking aloud, calling in the light of love and protection to envelop me, empower me and keep me safe. I keep chanting over and over. Suddenly, I can see. I see a small boy playing on the floor—I also see just his head lying on the floor—I’m not sure in which order I see these two scenes. I see the ghost, a woman in a bright pink dress. I pick her up and swing her round and round above my head until all that’s left of her is swirling bright pink smoke. Then there’s a popping or snapping sound, sparks fly, and she’s gone—dissipated. I am happy, triumphant, and I feel like a spell has been broken, but I am still incredibly shaken and frightened. I wake up frozen with terror—it’s 2:00 a.m.

Go back and review your feelings as the dream ends and you shift to waking. Are you "shaken and frightened ... frozen with terror" in the dream, or after waking?

I ask, because if you are frightened and terrified only after waking, you've probably misunderstood the message; and this appears to me to be a very positive (though highly stressful) dream, well justifying your in-the-dream feelings of happiness and triumph. You have won a major battle.

In a hurry right now, I'll try to get back to this later today.

Ghost in the House

Hi BobW,
It was one of those dreams that linger and stay with you so I can easily recall my feelings. I was terrified within the dream only when I thought of or felt the ghost. Near the end of the dream as the ghost dissipated and the pink smoke was swirling I was relieved and triumphant but also still frightened. After I awoke I was frozen with terror—it took about an hour for the feeling to dissipate and another good hour before I could fall asleep again. My dreams can be quite graphic, but I don't have nightmares that often.

I told this dream to a friend and she pointed out that the items given to me represented elements; fire (candle), air (feather), and water (bottle/potion), and that I represented earth element (my astrological sign). Perhaps I should point out that I am close to nature, love animals, plants, etc.

I did (and still do) feel as though I have won a major battle—now if I only knew what that battle was about—lol! Thank you for your help

Ghosts being ghosts, the metaphor that comes to mind is: What is it that's been "haunting" you?

My own experience of waking in frozen terror came at the end of a dream, probably the most important single dream of my life, that will probably never be retold on any public forum. What I learned from it was that, especially on a sudden waking, we shift at once into perspectives valid in waking reality, irrelevant in the dream reality. As the Lady I met in that dream would later tell me, "Follow the rules of the reality you are in." In other words, deal with the dream on its terms, not the waking world's.

And, as we've seen, in its terms you might have every reason to be exhausted; but you have none to feel terror. (Though it does guarantee you'll remember it; and that's important.)

Here are a few thoughts.

I suspect your sister is (in this dream and perhaps others) your "Other Self." In what ways do you see her as like you? In what ways unlike? Are you by any chance downplaying the presence of those "unlikes" in yourself? What that is in you are you projecting on to her? (Keep in mind, this may include some highly desirable qualities that you underrate in yourself. Not all projections are negative.)

Dogs and cats? Well, dogs at least are "[Wo]man's best friend", and it's facsinating how well we communicate with each other. To say that they represent our "animal nature" is a gross oversimplification; but perhaps a starting point for free association.

Those "other rooms" are actually yours and, though the tenants are there by right, they are probably just as happy that you've finally discovered them. You'll probably find that they include, among others, that Little Wise Man who was taking such great pains not to notice you a few days ago. Indeed, you may find them a rather fractious and factioned Parliament, and yourself the Prime Minister who has to help build a consensus. (Though in your case a congress of faeries, elves, dwarves, leprechauns, gnomes and goblins may be closer to the case. Guess what? You're the Queen, and may find yourself reflecting that uneasy indeed is the head that wears the crown, as you try to sort out all the conflicting demands and perspectives.

As to what you've won, time will tell. I'll speculate that you've learned that you have a greater capacity than you hitherto realized to overcome fear and gain victories; and that this will in time begin to manifest in the waking world. The victories we win in Dreamland are over that greatest enemy: ourselves.

Finally, though you're free to free-associate, speculate and what-have-you, my own ventures in Dreamland suggest to me that the experience of a dream like yours is far more important than its interpretation. Your friend has already given you some very good symbol interpretations, and in time you can make more sense of this than either of us can now; but don't exhaust yourself analyzing. Dissecting things tends to kill them - the biology lab frog doesn't work too well when it's put back together - and you want this dream to stay alive.

Ghost in the House

Thank you so much for you perspective—you’ve given me lots to ponder. I agree that my sister in the dream is an aspect of myself, as are other characters, etc. (unless it’s not a dream, but a ‘visit’ of sorts).

When you asked in what ways my sister and I are alike/not alike, I remembered the thought had occurred to me that the dream may be dealing with a familial imprint (or maternal pattern/belief) shared and followed by women in our family. I thought this because there are dominantly female family members present. The house partly belonged to my mom (now deceased), although I did not see her in the dream, and in the dream I 'followed' my sister (as did her grandchildren) before I decided to turn back. My sister appeared zombie-like, which would account for ‘blindly following’ or never questioning your own personal beliefs. I was also temporarily blinded in the dream. And the ‘ghost’, of course, representing a phantom, idea, or belief.

As you say, time will tell and I’m sure future manifestations in waking life will bring further understanding. In the meantime I shall give more thought to whether or not I'm projecting (which is a good question), and those rooms that remain unexplored. Thanks again