A Country Road

In our dreams we travel many roads – country roads, city streets, highways, freeways, overpasses, underpasses, familiar neighborhoods, all leading us on, to somewhere. Well, if life is a journey, that makes perfect sense.

We can’t look ahead, at least not far, but our dreams can reveal about how we are journeying right now – what our choices are, or whether a given road is a good road. I think the turns and intersections, also warn us of approaching decisions and changes coming. This is not exactly seeing into the future, but maybe more like an element of foreshadowing.

A Country Road

In my waking life, I travel a country road every day. It has two lanes, with a double yellow line so you can’t pass. Nothing ever happens on this road – the traffic pattern is predictable with a couple of slow down spots, and an occasionally a slow tractor.

 

I do a lot of thinking, planning, and feeling on this road. When I lost my dad, I cried this road every day on the way home. On this road, I didn’t have to pretend like things were fine. I didn’t have to be productive. And nobody could ask me for anything. This is the road where I am what I am and I feel what I feel. After a while, it brought me peace.

 

A Country Road

In my dreams, I also travel this road, coming to it from a different direction and joining it at an intersection. In reality the intersection has fields on all four sides, and on one corner is the Grange. The two roads also do not meet cleanly in a cross, but the road takes a jog to the south.  It is an interesting spot, and meaningful in some different ways. After all, my dreams could present any intersection, so why was this on? Because it offers rich symbols of course!

Decisions and Crossroads

I think the intersections in dreams represent decision points approaching. Will I try and cross and continue on this road? Is it a good road? Is it going in the right direction? Do I really want to continue it? Maybe I should consider all my options carefully. In addition, beside the road, there are fields. Do I need to make some minor adjustment, or do I need to change my ‘field?’ Field could refer to a field of endeavor or a field of work.

The Grange

A Grange hall that resembles a Church

The Grange is interesting too. (The truth is that I’ve never been in a Grange and everything I know about them has been learned online. )I’m not much of a country girl really. However, in my dreams, the Grange Hall is something like my inner church, only it has a very different feel. The hall seems to represent an older, agriculture-based, level of spirituality with an emphasis on the earth and fertility. Where does that image take me?

According to Jung, we all hold Archetypes, sort of master symbols, part of our Collective past – giving us the benefit of the human races entire history. The Archetypes are passed to us at birth, and reinforced by our own experiences with nature and natural phenomena. To my dream life, the image of the four roads meeting at the Grange is highly significant.

 

 

 

What to do when I find myself there at the Grange? Should I just hurry past? Should I stop and celebrate the earth, my life, the life that I’m cultivating? Should I take time to reflect and explore the ideas that are presented in the dream? It is there for a reason.

Underground Road construction

For such a simple road, there is sure alot of construction on it! Life is also a work in progress isn’t it? Sometimes the bridge is out and being entirely replaced. Sometimes they are replacing all the water lines, sometimes working on underground power cables. During my commute, construction is just an inconvenience. But in a dream, it means heavy work is going on. If the construction is underground, you might not even be consciously aware of it. If the work is around water - it might be emotional work or repair. If the construction involves power, the work may be spiritual. If the bridge is out, you may be seeking a new way forward. 

I believe the construction symbol says to us – Hey, slow down. There is work going on here. You might not be able to see it or understand it, but that is OK. It will be done soon enough and you will be on your way.

If you give it some thought or your dream gives you some hints, you might be able to move along faster. Or maybe not. Some work can't really be rushed. You might just need to wait it out.

Your psyche can solve any problem or dilemma, with or without us trying. But I think it’s better if we know what our issues are and try and help out. Sometimes we know the direction, but not the steps. That is OK too. The psyche, our conscience, and our spirit together will move us along in the right direction.

Remember it is about the journey, not the destination, so let's enjoy the scenery.

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Health and Dreams

Ever been sick at heart, feeling a little queasy about something, just a little off? Those feelings can take hold in our psychological or spiritual world too.  Then our dream life starts to act as a medical advisor – you might visit a doctor or pharmacy in your dream, or you might be advised to take some preventative actions?  I’m sure you’ve gotten some wonderful medical advice in your dreams, and I have too.

 

Immunization

In one particular dream, I was giving shots to a comatose person (perhaps a dream person that reflected my own lack of awareness). They did not seem to take effect and the nurse advised me to keep trying. Now an immunization is effective because of the small dose of live or dead virus that is introduced to the body.

Perhaps the hint is to start taking some small steps to deal with my current problematic situation, start hearing some words of truth now. These small steps would lead to a better result than if the danger is ignored, which would result in a full-on flu episode, or some such.

 

Insulin

Insulin is a hormone created by the body itself in the Islets of Langerhans, a fact I had known, yet forgotten. For this reason, the introduction of this word in my dream is more associated with Islands, or isolation, or distancing from a problem. The benefit of distance is that it provides a person with greater perspective, allows different thoughts and ideas to come in from the periphery, and allows the winds to be a little less violent. Distance can be an excellent remedy for lots of infectious diseases – best to avoid them altogether if possible. Of course, life does not permit us to hide from problems, hence the need for preventive measure and actual cures.

 

Insulation also is means of protecting oneself from both cold and heat. Your dream might recommend something of this sort: bandage, coat, gloves, or hat to protect from natural, emotional, or spiritual forces. Like what? A chilly relationship, the heat of anger, the cold light of day?

 

Islands

Islands surrounded by water can represent being cut off from some aspect of life, or perhaps the need to cut yourself off, retreat to your island paradise, your castle, or your inner world.

 

Ellis Island

In one particular dream, I was viewing an island that I knew to be Ellis Island – and that was pretty interesting. This is a symbol that could mean a couple different things – and with many dream symbols – it does not always mean one thing, it might mean both (That is a double whammy of a symbol!)

 

• Way station - For instance Ellis Island was a famous gateway into the United States for millions of immigrants to America. Are you entering into a new phase in your life journey? Is some exciting prospect in front of you and you just need to clear one or two more hurdles? Maybe.

Quarantine - But Ellis Island also served as way station to verify the health of new immigrants – people with dangerous diseases were quarantined until they were healthy (if ever) at Ellis Island. If a quarantine situation shows up in your dream, you might need to remove yourself from a situation entirely as it is very dangerous and unhealthy. Or maybe I should do a little self-check  to make sure things are going well.

Distance

If you see yourself pulling away from a location or place, that might mean distance would be healthier for you. I think image has much the same message as seeing an Island, indicating a need to revise my perspective.

All these symbols can be warnings in some sense that things are a little off in my world. I suppose that they could also indicate a health problem, though I have not experienced that.

Be healthy, be happy.

 

Maybe you would like these Blogs too:

My Favorite Dream Dictionary Websites

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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