Hi guys, I am new to this forum so I will introduce myself here. I have an avid intellectual interest in the spiritual meaning of dreams, though I am not totally convinced that dreams contain any real meaningful content. But I am open to possibilities. I have studied many works by Dr. Jung and I am quite familiar (and interested) in his method of analysis though I have done little to ever share or analyze my own dreams. But check this one out: I am walking up flights of stairs in a skyscraper to meet "knowledgable people" on one of the upper floors. When I am almost to the floor that is my destination I encounter a large room that takes up almost the entire floor of the skyscraper. This room is painted white from ceiling to floor (like a hospital). This room is filled with many, many, many stinging insects like wasps and centipedes some of them very tiny. I mean this room is filled to the brim with swarms of stinging insects. There are so many swarming insects in this room that breathing is difficult and painful. So I eventually make it through this room and ascend one flight of stairs and come to a much more comfortable floor where I meet the "knowledgable people". I don't really remember too much of this part of the dream except that the "knowledgable people" were gathered around a long rectangular table, were very helpful and one of them wore priest's garb. Anyway after meeting with these people I descend the flight of stairs and come back to the insect room. Only this time the insects are very very very sparse. There are only a few insects here now... a centipede here, a wasp there. Like the entire room (which is gigantic) is now home to about six or so insects. I notice that there are four large fan-like devices in the room that are humming and I attribute the lack of insects to the fact that these devices are running. Then I realize that these devices are on every floor and that if they were not there then every floor would be overrun with insects like this particular floor was during my ascent. As soon as I realize this I become Yuna (the priestess-like heroine from the video game Final Fantasy 10) and I am with "my mother" which is not my mother in real life but actually some sort of radiant goddess. On a stone platform we ascend toward the heavens. END OF DREAM It might help to note that I am a male in real life. Also, looking up the character Yuna (on wikipedia or something) might also help to deceipher this dream's meaning. I assume that Jungian analysis would assume that me becoming Yuna would have something to do with the Anima and the goddess with whom I shared the platform may be some sort of Archetype. As far as the insects and knowledgable people-- beats me. Also "ascent" seems to be a common theme in this dream. What do you guys think? Thanks, Ghost
Hi ghostlighter. Ascent - rising to a new intellectual or spiritual level (Freud would probably say it was sexual). I would say that the insects represented many small problems that are nagging at you and together create one very large problem. Since many of the insects disappeared after you went to the room with the knowledgeable people (which reminded you of a hospital) I would have thought that the dream was sending you a message that knowledge was the "cure" for your problems. Could fan be a pun? As in a "fan" of a celebrity, a belief system, etc. Does any of this resonate with you?
An interesting side note: Yuna gets her powers from aeons, entities who willingly become entombed in statues and help summoners. Perhaps the knowledgeable people symbolize these aeons. Any yeah, I agree with the anima/animus angle. I also agree with Marcia about the insects--they could represent something that's "bugging" you.
Hey guys, Sorry it took so long to reply, I checked for replies for a few days then gave up. Nice to hear from people who are familiar with Jungian theory!!! I don't know if I exactlt "buy into" Jungian thought, however, I must admit that study of Carl Gustav has undoubtedly expanded my mind (expasion of conciousness is the only reason I read philosophy; I consider Jung to be a philosopher, more so than a psychologist). As to Macia's interpretation of ascent, I would have to agree... rising to a new spiritual level, yes, but actually it wasn't after I met with the knowledgable people that the ascent happened, but rather after I realized something about the state of the world MYSELF. The knowledgable people are connected however. I met with them, then I entered the "hospital-like" room, free from a previous delemma, then I was able to make an observation about the world and this observation "set me free". This interpretation of the symbols comes after reading your posts, and thus is a result of a latter reflection. If any of you would like to email me on the subject (twenty20visions@yahoo.com) I would love to discuss Jungian thought further with you, as well.