It’s like that Store, but Yet Unlike… When Dream sites Diverge from Reality

This is not uncommon to be in a building that is familiar but unfamiliar in significant ways. The differences are important to understanding the dream itself. The setting sets the stage for understanding the dream message, so it’s important to write down and parse out the things that are different from the actual or expected. By combining two different buildings or settings, your dream is pulling together different points of reference to tell you important truths.

Some examples
 … it was my mother’s house, but she has never had a house like that
 … it was a company that I worked at, but the structure was entirely different/people were different

Old Foundation / New Building

In one case I had a dream of visiting Koenig & Wilson’s meat market  store, which I visited with my parents as a child. In my dream, the store was in the same place, but the building itself was entirely different, especially on the inside.

The Store I Remember

This meat market was located on the Dixie Highway, across from Dusing Brothers Ice House, in Erlanger, Kentucky, the little town I was raised in. It had been there some time and had a German name, as did all the local businesses (Klingenberg’s Hardware, Knapmeyer’s Drug Store, Koenig & Wilson’s meat market).

When I was a kid, it was an old-fashioned, rather dark, one-story building with a meat counter in the back. My Mom liked it because she could get exactly the cut and quantity of meat that she wanted. My Dad liked it because he could buy a full case of beer at a good price. In my dream, I was at Koenig’s, right back there in Erlanger.

Same Location, Different Building

But the Koenig’s in my dream was quite a different place. First of all, it was brand new, huge, open, with high ceilings, and made of light wood. Secondly, it was like a barn, but still a store with a deli counter. There were barrels placed around it, had several interconnected rooms. One room had a nice deli counter, where I made ordered sliced turkey. The building really looked exactly like the Isabelle Farm Market, which is a gorgeous, new, spacious, natural wood barn-like store. The new market stands right next to the garden where they grow the produce. All very convenient.  The market in real life is in Lafayette, CO which has its own symbolism (See my Dream Locations blog).

Why Are They Combined by My Dream?

Dream locations set the stage for understanding the purpose of a given dream.  When you find that you are in a familiar place, that is yet unfamiliar, it’s important to dissect and understand the differences that have been interjected. Sometimes the answers are not apparent until later, but I find that if I spend some time I can parse out the similarities and differences. Then I will find some really good stuff.

What to look for? Look for unexpected rooms, activities, foods, and people that don’t fit, which surprise you. Your dream is painting you a picture, trying to catch your attention.
I believe this dream flag is both about important turning point (resolution of a significant piece of inner work), and about what is coming next. As part of this dream, I turned a corner in the dream market (Am I finally done with this? Thank God!)  and found another brand new workroom.  ‘No rest for the wicked,’ as they say.

Northern Kentucky, Erlanger, and Over the Rhine – My Foundation

Erlanger is a small town in Northern Kentucky. Dixie Highway runs through it, with Erlanger on one side and Elsmere on the other. Northern Kentucky is where my German grandmother on my Dad’s side came grew up. My Dad lived there for a time as a boy and we all lived there when Dad worked for the USGS mapping Kentucky. So, Erlanger is my home town.

My Grandmother, Anne Overmann,  grew up in Covington, Kentucky, where her father had a green grocer store. She graduated from Notre Dame Academy for girls (which I later attended), and Xavier University where she attained her law degree (in the night program because the day program did not accept women).  The local newspaper reported that she was one of the first women in the area to get her driver’s license.

This is my grandma who managed her family through the Great Depression and through my grandfather’s long, fitful, recovery from his WW I head injury. A smart, educated, determined, loyal, strong German-American lady was Anne Overmann. Oh, and tall.

My Dad, her son, was a rock in our family - a little gruff, intellectual, driven by rationality, with the perseverance and self reliance of a person raised during the depression. He also had the compassion that comes from seeing struggles close-up.

If I net all my German heritage down, it would probably be ' you must finish it.'

Tapping the Foundation

I would say the foundation is strong, stable and I should be able to draw on it. But what exactly? That is part of my work I believe. Maybe it will be several things. And why now?

• What will I need that I can find in my family photo and story album?
• Is there something forgotten that I need to bring back up to Consciousness?
• What sustaining ‘food’ and ‘drink’ is there?
• What do I need to ask for at the counter?

Off I go, to finish!

Clues from New Building

 

And what about the new building? This must mean my work, my life, my inner world even. What can I learn here? 

• The fact that the actual Isabelle Farm Market is in Lafayette, CO points to growth. What kind of creativity should I be cultivating?
• The space is large, bright, and open - Does that mean a huge undertaking, or just alot of room to grow?
• The unadorned wood points strong, organic, building materials.
• Four gray haired people, comfortably dressing, sipping their morning coffee. I believe they are taking their morning coffee, just getting the day started. Perhaps, I am I getting ready to take on the work of midlife?
• My companion in the dream has his own family roots in Kentucky…way down in the country.
• These hints are toward farms which implies work, versus a classroom that might involve learning.

Taking the Hints Seriously

I honestly believe we can be more in touch with who we are, and what we are meant to be when we listen carefully, attentively to dreams. They affect us even when we don’t remember them, but effect greater and quicker changes when we focus on bringing their messages up to a conscious level.
Dreams help us grow, work through difficulties, make important decisions. I really find them to be very helpful and interesting too.

This is a good one and I believe there will be more information coming shortly. But the best ones create more questions than answers. And that is where the ‘work’ comes in, and I do look forward to it.

Other Blogs

My Favorite Dream Dictionary Websites

Understanding Locations - Key to Getting Your Dream's Message

People You Know - Family, Friends, Co-workers, Bosses

The Trinity of Faith, Hope and Love