Dream class
Just a short note on the dream classes that were completed on Dec. 13 at the
Tudor Professional Building. It was well attended and session one was on
symbols and how to interpret dreams. What to look for and how to determine
an inside dream from an outside dream. Session two we, as a class worked
through two complete dreams. Don Schafer gave us permission to post his.
We believe it was a classic and honors God’s creativity in speaking to us in
dreams. Feel free to read and enjoy his dream. Session 3 was on colors
and numbers and we interpreted two more dreams. One was our mystery lady
and it went quite well. We probably will be doing another one in Feb. so
keep your eye on the blog.
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The Invisible Woman Dream by Don Shafer 11-29-06
Dream began with me scouting through the jungle or forest, perhaps in search
of something, I do not know for sure. There was a lot of big green jungle
prehistoric like leaves growing around. In the deepest part of the forest I
found myself looking down on a city, which was either way down in a canyon
or literally underground, but it was definitely deep and hidden. The city
was ancient, either Mayan or Egyptian.
I went into the city and made many discoveries, but when I awoke, I forgot
all that I saw there. I left the city and was aware that two men followed me
and I felt they posed a threat to my safety. There were no distinguishable
features on the men. I only saw them as dark, shadowy figures, like ninja
mummies. I hiked up the grassy sloping hillside, sometimes walking and
climbing, holding onto branches and working myself back up to get away from
the city and return to wherever I was supposed to go. There were many grassy
slopes.
The men chased me and almost were upon me when I dove into a swamp to escape
them. I stayed under water until they were gone. When I emerged, I came up
into a square room that looked like a laboratory. A woman with short
brunette hair and glasses, wearing a lab coat was lying on a bed and writing
on a pad of paper attached to a clipboard. I assumed she was a doctor or lab
technician. She seemed unaware of my entrance and I strolled over to her to
see what she was doing. The swamp was still present in the floor of the
room. There were big green jungle leaves growing out of the swamp.
I looked over her shoulder and read her pad. It read Time of Death, cause
of death, drowning. Name of deceased, Rachael. (At this point in the dream
I realized I was a woman but that did not seem odd to me, and my name was
Rachael.) I immediately shouted, “No!” and hit the clipboard out of the
clinician’s hand. It flew across the room. The lab woman was incredulous
and wondered to herself how that happened. She did not seem alarmed though
and was trying to give herself some clinically logical answer to what just
happened. She did not hear me shout in her ear.
It was at that moment I realized that I could read the note pad over the lab
woman’s shoulder, even though she was laying on her back, because my body
had passed through the mattress like an immaterial spirit. I did not want
to be dead and was desperate to get the lab woman’s attention to let her
know I was alive. I found an orange plastic bag on the floor like the ones
newspapers are delivered in and was able to move it over my face and push it
forming the outline of my face so she could see I was here. Even after the
pad getting knocked from her hand she did not consider there was a ghost in
the room or that it was me. When she saw the bag in mid air and my face
formed behind it, she freaked, but for a brief moment, paused and remarked,
“you’re beautiful.” In the dream I was able to see from her perspective and
I was stunned by how beautiful the face appeared. At that moment a peace
and contentment came over me (Rachael) that I was beautiful, and I was aware
that I never had an appreciation of just how beautiful I was before.
Then the lab woman began to really feel spooked out by the discovery that a
real ghost was haunting her. I felt how spooked she was and I woke up
feeling like I just got spooked myself. The feeling lingered for a while and
I was so disoriented that I almost forgot that I had planned to write my
dream down that night. It was during these few moments that the memory of
what I found in the ancient city left me.
Symbols
Forest or Jungle. Wild, untamed, uncivilized, raw, primitive, teaming with
life and dangers, uncharted, no pathways. Transitional phase, following
instincts. Aspects of my life may be inhibited. On a journey of discovery.
Ancient underground or deeply hidden city. Prophecy, revelation, ancient of
days, mysteries. Ancient may mean foundational, historical. City indicates
community. Forgotten city may mean forgotten neglected relationships.
Forgotten relationship with spiritual emotional side, prophetic side of me.
Have moved away from foundational roots perhaps. Desire to return to first
love or desire to discover my real past. There is a past that is important
and the truth of it needs to get out.
Mayan or Egyptian. Once great civilizations with many mysteries to reveal
about the past. They were violent and superstitious civilizations, and
although they were advanced in many areas, they were very primitive in
others. Do I have a violent and superstitious past that is haunting me?
Shadowy figures assigned to stop me. Dark forces protecting the secrets,
not wanting the truth to be known. Or undeveloped part of me, part not
understood or acknowledged. I had a sense in the dream that they were not
planning to hurt me, only follow and observe to see where I would go and
what I would do and who I would tell, and report back to the city. But since
I was not sure and felt like they were after me, I hid from them and did not
interact.
Hiked, climbed, walked up. Ascension, going to a higher plain. Attaining
goals. Getting out of the depths, moving up and away from the past.
Grassy green slope. Green grass always reliable, makes me happy. Climbing
them was not difficult. I just ran up them and grabbed a vine occasionally
or tree trunk to pull myself along if needed.
Swamp. Swamped by the circumstances of my life. The word SWAM is in swamp.
Swamp is murky water and unclean. Cannot see under this water very well. May
symbolize aspects of myself that are repressed and dark. I think it means I
do not understand myself very well and fearful that I will never understand
myself. The swamp came up in the floor of the Lab and while in the lab, I
could see it. It was like a pool in the lab. The floor had a square cut out
for the swamp and it was a stark contrast to the white, sterile and
organized laboratory. Out of this swamp came a big green leaf and the top of
the swamp covered with green algae. I could have stepped right into it from
the lab floor. Swamps tend to link to moments when you feel lacking in
motivation. They show you are maybe stuck in a routine.
Big Green leaf. Growth, health, fertility, wealth, peace, strive to gain
recognition, vitality, positive change. Since the jungle leaves are always
green and big, I would say the presence of the jungle leaf symbolizes health
and something primal and eternal, to me.
Green 1) I need to establish myself, my self-esteem, my independence. 2) I
want recognition. 3) I need to increase the certainty of my own value and
status, through acknowledgment by others of my achievements or my
possessions. 4) Hard work and drive will gain me recognition and self
esteem.
Immersed in swamp. Going deeper into my self. Hiding. Hidden place of the
heart. In over my head, swamped, overcome by emotions, in need of control.
Laboratory. A place of research and discovery where only scientific
evidence is considered. Experiments are conducted in the lab and discoveries
made by trial and error.
Lab woman. A clinically minded part of me that looks at things logically.
Unfeeling and not in touch with emotions or spiritual things or hidden man
of the heart.
Coroner’s report. Assumed factual statement of my death by the unfeeling
clinician. Clinical, rational thinking part of me attempting to write off
the spiritual and emotional part.
I am dead. Transitional phase. However, I do not believe I am dead, only
part of me is thought to be dead by another part of me.
Cause of death drowning. Inner part has been submerged so long that
considered dead.
Woman’s name Rachael. Means beautiful of form. Spiritual part of me and
the Holy Spirit. I was a woman because women are sensitive.
Invisible. Unseen, devalued,
Hitting the clipboard. Realization that clinical part of me has pronounced
the emotional and prophetic part of me as dead. Act of the emotional part’s
refusal to accept the report and desperate desire to be acknowledged as
alive. I won’t give up.
Lab woman’s response. Part of me that does not even consider the
possibility of Rachael still existing on some plain. Too analytical and not
open to the supernatural. Later lab woman is spooked by the revelation that
Rachael exists as a ghost and is in the room with her. In real life, do I
find myself skeptical of many reports of miracles I hear? I want to believe
but find it difficult because of my lack of experience. I judge everything
by what I know and see based on personal experience and reasoning.
Orange bag. Warning, caution, pay attention. Personally, oranges represent
goodness, richness, health, vitamin C, maybe even Christ?
Orange. I want more contact with others. 5) I feel enthusiastic, outgoing
and adventurous. 6) I am driven by desires and hopes toward the new,
undiscovered and satisfying. 7) I feel driven but need to overcome my doubts
or fear of failure.
Newspaper. News, announcement, spotlight on an event, discovery. There was
no newspaper apparent in the dream, but the orange bag was the kind
newspapers are delivered in. My invisible face became wrapped in the same
bag the news is delivered in. Delivering news to the clinical side of me,
that I am alive.
Beautiful. Invisible part of me need not be hidden but must be appreciated
and is greatly valued when revealed. I never saw myself as beautiful before
and in the dream it felt wonderful.
Emotions in the dream.
Panic by Rachael over being dead and invisible.
Peaceful, tranquil, deeply satisfied to see myself beautiful.
Fear, the spooky kind experienced by the lab clinician when faced with
unexplainable phenomenon.
Purpose of the dream.
To show me that the beautiful, emotional and spiritual part of me that is
very prophetic is not dead, and needs to be valued, acknowledged, recognized
as beautiful and given expression. To tell me not trust the clinical part
of me who is not always sensitive to the hidden man of the heart. Make the
clinical part of me believe.
Lesson
I have been afraid to acknowledge this part of me as beautiful and
pronounced it dead.
I have been afraid of the supernatural and spooked by it.
There are undiscovered or unexplored parts of me still.
Notes:
Recurring themes from symbols.
Green leaves & orange for health. The invisible part of me is very much
alive and healthy and eternal.
Discovery & revelation. Discovery of hidden things from the past and of my
inner beautiful self that needs attention and acknowledgment. The two may be
related. The inner part has information about the past, or is prophetic.
Symbols – other possible interpretations
Forest or Jungle.
Ancient underground or deeply hidden city.
Mayan or Egyptian.
Shadowy figures assigned to stop me
Climbed up.
Grassy green slope.
Swamp.
Big Green leaf
Immersed in swamp.
Laboratory.
Lab woman.
Coroner’s report.
I am dead.
Cause of death drowning.
Woman’s name Rachael.
Invisible.
Hitting the clipboard.
Lab woman’s response.
Orange bag.
Newspaper.
Beautiful.