It's been a long time since I last posted here and thought I'd chime in with a dream I had last night.

I'm in an abandoned shopping center with a young woman I don't know in reality. We are looking into the windows of the shops in which there are sparse furnishing and shelves where merchandise once was sold. In one store, hundreds of rats and mice are scurrying about. I find this remarkable and tell the woman that I wish I had remembered to bring my camera.
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Hi Sweet Slumber, "Scurrying about" makes me think of industriousness. Considering the venue of an abandoned shopping center, maybe the dream is pushing you to be more productive in some way.

You could be right. Most of my adult life was spent working in the manufacturing sector. Until a few years ago, I was working in education. But both opportunities are drying up with globalization and cuts in spending. So once I get back on my feet, I'll have to find another means of making a living.

The shopping centre, because it generally consists of many stores, can represent a situation in which shopping around is the main focus. As this shopping centre has been abandoned, the idea of shopping around now represents a mental attitude that seems to no longer serve any purpose. [Could this be referring to having to find another means of making a living?] When seeing this you are using a feeling that you may not give any recognition to in reality, (with a woman I don't know in reality) Looking into the shop windows can imply "window shopping", i.e. looking but not buying the ideas you might be presented with.

The one store can represent a situation in which formerly you might have put "a lot of store". i.e. seen a lot of value in it. The rats and mice both represent aspects of your own emotional nature that can incline you or motivate you to hold particular feelings. You may feel urged to feel or act disloyal. (rats) But you might also add a feeling of timidity. (mice) As there are hundreds of rats and mice, these feeling have become quite intense. It may be very "telling" or revealing that you would want to "keep these feelings in the picture", i.e. want to be kept fully informed about a changing situation, (wish I had remembered to bring my camera) [The only thing that will change is that the rats and mice will go on procreating and can cause other serious problems unless dealt with.]

[Could this dream possibly also relate to not having participated for some time on this dream board?]

That scene is really unique.

Thank you for this. As to your question, it's certainly been a while and sorry for not having seen this sooner. I see the rats and mice as replacements for once booming commerce (economy). Rats and mice are consumers of trash, which this current economy is on its way to the trash heap of history.