I never got into it myself since it always seemd to floaty
an erea to drift into. But lately I've been curious as to
the how and what of dream analysis.

Mainly because I've started having a dream again that I
used to have in early childhood.

First time it occored in a continous series of at least
5 times a month from age 7-8

Then it popped up again when I was 17 and I had it at
least 10 times before I was 20.

Now I've had it again the past two nights.

It's completely the same thing every single time. As if
you're watching a movie again and again. There's not a
single pixel that's different from the other dreams.

This is it:


First up I see a medium sized oval lake with pitchblack
water. The water is completely still, like a huge black
mirror.

The entire lake is ligned with beautiful tall trees that
reach right up to the shore. In fact, there is no shore,
the treas just line the water's edge all around.

The sky is slightly grey with a blue light covering all
the surroundings.

Then I look down and realise I'm on the lake in a little
rowboat. It's made of wood, painted dark green on the
outside and just normal dark wood on the inside. There
are two benches.

On the one bench there's a big silver fish, a silver ring
and an orange.

On the other bench, there's me, I look at my clothes and
appear to be wearing and old english schoolboy uniform
kind of outfit. You know, with those silly tights and all.

My outfit is also dark green with beige tights and brown
leather shoes.

Since I first had the dream up until now, I've always
been a child in it. Aproximately 8 or 9 years I guess.

The whole scene is deadstill, there's not a single bird
or animal noise to be heard and I feel uncomfortable.

There are no oars on the boat so I can't row to the
shore, although this does not panick me.

I just sit there and watch the water for a while until
all of a sudden the water ripples on my right side and
I startle.

Now the whole lake starts to gently ripple and there are
slight waves appearing everywhere.

I stand up and try to look what made the water move and
before I realise what's happened I fall off the boat
into the water.

The water's cold is strikingly realistic and feels like
1000 little needles being pierced into my body.

I come up for breath but can't catch the boat and go
under again.

This happens 3 times. The 4th time, I get near to the
boat's side and desperately try to find a hold, managing
only to briefly touch the inner part of it and grab the
silver ring from the bench.

That's when I feel something grabbing my ankles and drag
me down. My mouth fills up with murky water and it does
taste as if I'm swallowing brine. I see the waterline
retrieve above my eyes and everything gets darker and
darker.

As I look beneath me, there is no one or nothing to be
seen, and yet, something still pulls my ankles with an
enromous cold grip toward the bottom.

I actually feel my lungs about to burst and the rest of
my body go numb.

That's when I wake up



Now, if anyone could come up with an analysis for that,
it would be greatly appreciated. I wouldn't want to
know if I'd just dreamth it once or twice but since I
have this dream so often and it's always the same it
is kind of starting to scare me.

As a child I acquired hydrophobia because of this and
when they forced my head underwater at swimminglessons,
I came up again and was so affraid that I bit myself
tightly into the leg of the swimminginstructor.

I bit him so hard and hung on for so long that he had
to get 9 stitches in hospital. They said they'd never
seen anything like it. Told me I went "mad with fear"

To this day, I can't even take a shower and hold my
head under the streaming water. I can do it for about
2 seconds before my whole system shuts down and my
eyes go black.

That's why I always soak in the bath for hours. Nice
contained bit of water with my head sticking out of
it, a comfortable distance from the waterline



I'm sorry if I've bored you with this, I had nothing
better to do whilst listening to my latest Prince live
boot

I'd help you, but there was no mention of mustard anywhere in your dream, so...

Actually, try these on and see if they fit:

Seas and lakes may represent the unfathomed depths of the mind, where our anxieties and untested capacity for evil lie hidden. A secluded lake also represents some aspect of our persona we are seeking to learn more about. Dreams of deep, murky and turbulent waters may represent the unconscious unformed Self on which our conscious persona rests. Immersion may symbolize a desire for a return to the womb or for personal renewal. Forced submersion...well, you'll have to figure that one out for yourself. The trees that line up right against the lake tend to be phallic symbols and in a man's dream may reflect concerns about sexual or physical potency.

Fruit, such as apples or pears, can represent sexuality, while a fish is a highly potent symbol associated with the depths of the unconscious. A fish may reflect a man's sexual urges or a fear that he will lose his virility. Couldn't figure out the ring part, unless it has to do with marriage (??)...

Wearing a uniform tends to reveal a tendency to be influenced too much by the views of others, at the expense of one's own personality. Janfriend has the rowboat covered already.

Now...if you find yourself having that dream and there's mustard in it somewhere...watch out. :O

Byron said:

Thanks. That's a good startingpoint. I'll think it over.

More complete analysis:

At the time you first had this dream, you were already in (or about to begin) a long emotional journey (the rowboat)...even though everything seemed “calm” and serene, there were too many issues starting to make themselves known for it to last. While you most likely didn’t have issues of “potency” as an 8 year old (at least I hope you didn’t), being surrounded by nothing but trees probably means there were most likely subconscious issues dealing with sexuality/arousal going on inside you.

Being in a school uniform meant you were beginning your long emotional journey prepared to fit a societal “role”, instead of being yourself (or at least you feared that you would have to)...the items laid out in front of you were significant: a piece of fruit (which often represents female sexuality), a fish (which again speaks to issues concerning your own sexual urges and ability), and a silver ring, which I have no stinkin’ clue what it means, so I’ll go with the marriage/love angle. It’s almost as if you were looking at these three items–female sexuality, your own sexuality, and love–and trying to make sense of them within the context of the journey you were about to begin.

The ripples and waves which start to appear are your subconscious Self starting to make itself known consciously...and it scared you. Doesn’t mean it was “good” or “bad”...just scary. After falling into the “lake” (or more precisely, “falling” into your own persona that you actually wanted to know more about), you felt yourself being pulled under...which was most likely the reality inside your subconscious starting to take over, starting to force you to be yourself. And at the age of 8, you were scared by that fact, by having your true “self” start to make itself known outwardly, instead of it staying deep down within you. Trying to reach the boat to “save” yourself, you were only able to grab one of the items before succumbing to your true inner self completely. I think it’s telling that you left behind the issues of female sexuality and your insecurities of your own sexuality which were part of the “uniformed” life you were prepared to live...and took with you the symbol of love and commitment/connection. It’s as if you somehow “knew” that, by being your true Self and giving into your subconscious, you would leave the sexual insecurities behind...and could find love.

Then again, it could mean that you’d eaten a rancid Pop Tart before going to bed...so take all this with a grain of salt.

Byron said:

Wow! Actually, that all makes one hell of a lot of sense
to me. On more levels than one.

Thank you for taking out the time to write such a long
analysis for me. It's wildly appreciated!

I'm gonna print and save this now

Byron pretty much covered a whole lot here, more than I ever could. I just like reading about dream symbolism and interpretation. I am certainly no expert

IstenSzek said:

Yeah, well, we can't have you freakin' out in the shower, now, can we??...

I cant analyse it sorry, but i must say it sounds like one weird dream!! Recurring dreams are very unusual.
Fascinating stuff, thanks for sharing.