Explosions, Bandages, and Snakes: Oh My!
A dream submitted through the Dream Prophesy Comment’s Section:
I wanted to ask you about 2 dreams that 2 different friends had. (All 3 of us are teachers and are Christians)
Dream #1: My teacher friend dreamt that she was wrapped in bandages like a mummy, but she was walking and she felt like her spirit had to make peace before she left the earth. She finds me, 3 other close teacher friends, and her daughter in steady, flowing water. She speaks to her daughter (although we cannot see her) and asks, “What happened to me?” Her daughter tells her that was an explosion on a school bus and she died trying to save students. She touches each of our hands. When she touches my hand, I faint. She then finds herself walking down a school hall (different from the school in which we teach) with one of the teacher friends who was in the water with us. The teacher doesn’t know she’s there. They then appear in the friends’ office (who is not in some type of administrative position) and appears to be pregnant. She begins typing on the computer in big, bold letters: THIS IS SANDRA. DO NOT BE AFRAID. The teacher friend isn’t afraid. The dream ends.
Dream #2: Another teacher friend of mine dreamt that she and I were looking at another colleague who had a snake crawling all over her classroom walls. The teacher doesn’t seem to mind the snake being there. The snake then crawls on her back and all around her body. The snake crawls up near her neck and jumps out at my friend. The dream ends.
If you can tell me what either of these dreams may mean, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks
DREAM #1 } Dreaming of bandages, no matter how they are being utilized is a symbol of something we want to “fix” or “mend” in our life. Usually, this problem or situation is so large, and seems so hopeless, that we push it aside in our mind. It’s easier to ignore it than to try to come up with ways to mend it. Often times, the situation we want to fix is actually out of our hands and we realize it.
As a teacher (and certainly as Christians), I’m certain that you and your fellow teachers come up against a great, great number of situations that you’d love to “mend” or take care of…. to heal. Who amongst us doesn’t want to solve all of the problems in the lives of children – especially those of us who are Christians?! The symbolization seems to indicate that your friend wishes to “heal” something in the life of someone at school. The fact that her fellow educators are in the flow of water indicates that she recognizes that you each share her concerns and hopes. The fact that she touched each one of you totally supports this.
When you fainted after the touch, I would say that it’s actually a sign of how passionately she feels about the situation. Someone had to faint and it couldn’t be her, because she had to continue the dream!
The fact that her daughter was in the dream could indicate that she is, somehow tied into the situation. However, that isn’t always the case. Very often we simply insert someone from our life (even our past) into a particular dream solely because we were thinking about them before falling asleep.
I believe that the explosion (and her having died trying to save students) is simply another strong indicator of how strongly the teacher feels about the situation. Her subconscious mind is simply getting in touch with the fact that she is giving her life to these children… each and every day – not just once in a grand, dramatic fashion… but daily in a grand, dramatic fashion – one which, unfortunately, often goes unnoticed and underappreciated.
DREAM #2 } The snake dream! This dream is a little complex and here’s why: When it comes to analyzing and interpreting a dream and finding out what it truly means, dream symbols are of the utmost importance. Dream symbols are the things, colors, places, and even people in our dreams – we call them dream symbols because they symbolize something to us. This symbolization is at the heart of the dream’s meaning. Because no two people are exactly the same, no two dream symbols are exactly the same. Take snakes for example, snakes can symbolize many things to many people. For me, personally – they’re the height of fear and panic! For many, a snake often symbolizes the devil. For others, it could represent a challenge (something to be overcome), a pet (something to be protected and cared for), or a boy (snakes, snails, and puppy dog tails).
When analyzing dream symbols, a dreamologist doesn’t look just at the symbols. We take many things into consideration: The surroundings, the “theme” of the dream, and most importantly, the dreamer’s reactions and emotions. If the teacher who dreampt this particular dream was afraid during the dream (or even upon wakening), it would indicate that she is afraid of something happening or not happening in her daily life. Something is troubling her, even if it’s on a small level.
If her reaction was one of bewilderment (Why doesn’t this teacher mind this snake crawling all over her and her room?!?! ), she could be worried that someone she cares about is being taken for granted or doesn’t have their eyes completely open to things going on around them.
Finally, if the teacher didn’t really mind the snake coming at her and didn’t register fear, panic, or anxiety – I’d say that the snake indicates a young boy who has been on her mind lately. Perhaps the symbolization is that she simply doesn’t know what he’ll do next!
You must wonder what sort of adventure one of your friends will take you on next!!!
Dreaming About Ex-Boyfriends, Girlfriends, Husbands, or Wives
A frequent dream analysis request on Dream Prophesy goes something like this: “What does it mean to dream about an ex? Does it mean I want them back?!” Most people seem astonished to dream of their ex because, in their conscious state, the last thing they’d want is to have the ex back!
More times than not, when you dream about an ex (girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, wife), it isn’t really THEM that your dream represents. Usually (though not always, of course) it’s the period of time that your mind is revisiting – your ex just happens to be there. In the same way that our AWAKE mind revisits the past, through memories, sometimes our ASLEEP mind does the same.
If we’re going through a stressful time in our lives and seem to have more on our proverbial plate than we ever asked for – our mind will take us to a “simpler time” – if an ex happens to be there, it isn’t necessarily a compliment to them. They just happened to be in the picture at the time.
However, if it becomes a recurring dream, the analysis may be a little different. Here’s an example:
Trudie was married to a man named Carl, a wonderful man who she was crazy about. His only vice, her e-mail said, was that he was a workahaulic. He worked 12 hours a day and, when he came home, all he wanted to talk or think about was work. Other than that, they were happily married and had a comfortable life.
However, she began to dream about her ex-husband regularly. In her dreams, they were always having fun – doing things they used to do together (fishing, hiking, going to movies…). She was beginning to think that her subconcious mind wanted Mr. Wrong back instead of Mr. Right!
She was reliveved to find out that her subconcious mind was simply giving her a message – she missed doing the things she once did and a part of her wished that her second husband had as much fun with life as her first one did. After all, she said, it was the only thing he ever got right!
Without mentioning the dreams or husband #1’s name (of course), Trudie told Carl that he needed to lighten up and enjoy life more. The whole business of work-related subjects being the only words out of his mouth had gotten very old, very fast. She made arrangements for them to go fishing one weekend and Carl fell in love with it so much, she now kind of wishes he’d give her a Saturday OFF the lake!
Examine your dreams and see if there’s a hidden message, such as the one above. 9 times out of 10 there isn’t a specific message – your subconscious simply wanted to take a stroll down memory’s lane… and you-know-who just happened to be there!
When You Dream of Bad Things Happening to Someone You Love
Although this is a common type of dream, it’s one that few people really want to think about – let alone try to find the dream interpretation!
Have you ever dreamed that something bad happened, or was about to happen to someone you love, as you watched? A recent reader recently sent me a dream to analyze that involved her watching as her husband was robbed by someone dressed as Richard Nixon.
How amazing is that?!
Anyway, she said that she watched as her husband handed over all of his money to “President Nixon.” She wanted to help her husband, especially since at one point it looked as though he was about to be hit on the head with a bat, but she was frozen in place.
When analyzing dreams, I often go with my initial gut reaction and this time I felt 110 percent confident with it. After complimenting her brain on its creativity (!!!), I e-mailed her back something along these lines:
While we often dream about something happening to our loved ones as a reaction to being worried about them (even more than usual) – we often dream these types of dreams when we’re upset with them – even incredibly angry at them! This dream would be that type of dream. The fact that the husband was the only one in any sort of danger indicates that he alone is on the recieving end of negative feelings. The good news is that since he wasn’t actually harmed, the feelings weren’t terribly bad!
Something else that’s interesting is the symbolism of money. The fact that the husband had to give all of his money away, while the wife retained her own purse and possessions indicates that the negative feelings spring from a financial disagreement, difference of opinion, or even resentment.
The only thing that mystified me was the Richard Nixon mask. I kept wondering why him? I went over a few things in my mind, such as what he represented:
- Trickiness (“Tricky Dicky”)?
- Dishonesty?
- History?
- Maligned?
I simply e-mailed her my thoughts, ignoring our ex-Presidentfor the time-being. I got an e-mail back within a few hours. It was filled with exclamation marks, because she thought I’d nailed it.
Apparently, her husband had recently spent a great deal of money on purchase that she felt was frivolous. She explained how they’d argued, how she had wanted a kitchen hutch, how he had stormed off to sit and sulk in McDonald’s for 3 hours (I love this guy! – I pointed out how lucky she was that he drowned his anger in milkshakes as opposed to something else!).
Then, she said the magic words that solved my Nixon mystery – she said that on the day he’d gotten his bonus check, he called and said he’d be home a few hours late, that he had to “pick something up.” She thought the something was the kitchen hutch she’d been eyeing for months. SO, when McDonald’s Mike (not his real name) showed up with a golfer’s dream set in the pick-up rather than a wife’s dream, she was floored. She said she met him outside and lit into him. She told him that it all felt like a “dirty trick” – aha! That’s where the Richard Nixon mask came in! Tricky Dicky strikes again.
It reminds me of the time my oldest two daughters had a HUGE fight when they were younger. The oldest one told me the following day that she’d had a dream that her younger sister was attacked and eaten by a crocodile. I asked, “Awww, are you upset by the dream?” (I was ready to reassure her that it was just a dream, and that nothing like that would ever happen.) My speech wasn’t necessary, though, because when asked if she was upset by the dream, she just said, “No, not really.” Then she smiled and went outside to ride her bike!
Have a Problem to Solve? Sleep On It!
A few days ago, one of my daughters and I were talking about we’ll often solve a problem or get a great idea while we’re lying in bed – either close to sleep or having just woke up. I’ll often get a great idea for a post or the ingredients for a killer recipe when I’m either close to sleep or just coming out of its blissful state!
Researchers actually back up our experiences
Experts say that we have the ability to solve problems in our sleep because most memory consolidation occurs while your brain is in a resting state. Studies have even shown that students who review schoolwork right before bedtime have a much better chance of remembering the information for the next day’s test or assignment.
If you are preparing for a test or a presentation at work, and you want the information to be stored as long-term memory, your best bet is to study the material right before bedtime.
By the same token, if you have a certain dilemma in your life and you’re searching for a solution, give it a great deal of thought as you fall asleep. Your chances for waking up next to the solution are outstanding!
Dream Analysis: Dreams About Losing Things
I’ve been having dreams lately about losing things. In my dreams, I lose my keys, my truck, my belt. In one dream, I lost my German Shepherd. I don’t really have a problem with losing things in my real life. Certainly not my dog and truck. What do these dreams mean? There have been about 8 of them and I always wake up feeling frustrated and annoyed.
Dreaming of losing things is often a signal that there are just too many things going on in your life. When you’re being pulled in a great number of directions and/or you have a number of people counting on you, sometimes you feel like you’re losing control.
For example, I once heard from a man who had similar dreams. Turns out he was working a full time job and raising two sons by himself. Teenagers, at that. He said that he’d recently been given more responsibilities at work as well. When his dreams caused him to step back and realize that he was losing touch with what mattered most, he cut back on the overtime he was getting and boldly went to his boss to explain the situation. When he pointed out that he felt his sons needed him more at home, he says his boss was actually very impressed and helped him out a great deal.
Without taking away his recent pay raise! Cool bosses are so rare.
Take a good look at the way you described the feeling you got from the dreams: Frustrated and annoyed. We can learn so much about our lives and mindsets from simply looking at the feelings our dreams give us. You have undealt with frustrations in your life and I’d almost be willing to bet they stem from not having enough time to do everything you want to do.
Take steps to slow your life down and I promise you the dreams will leave as quickly as they came.
Good luck!
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