Formal Fallacy

PERCHANCE TO DREAM

I am taking a momentary break from my… break… to share a very powerful dream I had last night. First off, I want to acknowledge that the process of dreaming is not fully understood and that there are dozens if not hundreds of different theories about the purpose of dreams. Still, it is always interesting and fascinating to look at a dream as if it were a riddle posed by our unconscious. So with that in mind, I’m going to share my dream and then attempt to interpret the symbols with the help of an online dream dictionary.

The dream:

I was in a glass house full of mirrors. It was snowing lightly outside. The phone rang. I answered. I don’t remember who was on the other end of the phone call, but they warned me that the winds were going to pick up to hurricane strength. I started to close wooden blinds when the hurricane force winds hit and turned the gentle snow into a blizzard. The snowflakes became the size of baseballs that smashed through the glass walls. The glass house began to crack and implode. The blizzard grew even stronger. More glass broke. The mirrors shattered. Meanwhile, I’m in the middle, and shards of glass and mirror are slicing through me, impaling my arms and face. By the time the snow stops, the entire glass house is destroyed and I’m covered in glass shards and blood. My mouth is full of sharp fragments of glass and mirror. I limp out of the ruins and into the woods, where it is somehow spring. The snow is melting. I see a cracked but intact mirror. I look at myself, bloodied and covered in glass. I open my mouth to speak but my tongue is cut and unable to move. I knelt down in the woods and died. Then I was reborn and back in the glass house again.

That’s when I woke up. It was 1:15 am. I knew immediately that the dream was something powerful, and the proof is how vividly I remember it at 8:15 the following morning. At first glance, the dream probably seems incredibly disturbing. I mean, I DIED in my dream. That can’t be good, right? Well, before we cast hasty judgments, let’s see what the dream dictionary says about the symbols.

The Interpretation:

• Glass: Passivity and protection. An invisible emotional barrier.
• Mirror: Suggests that I am pondering thoughts about my inner self and contemplating strengthening and changing aspects of my character.
• Snow: Signifies inhibitions, repressed/unexpressed emotions. Watching the snow fall represents a clean start and a fresh, new perspective. It is indicative of spiritual peace and tranquility.
• Phone: A phone call in a dream is a message from the unconscious.
• Hurricane: Sudden or unexpected changes occurring in my life. To be caught in a hurricane represents that both my mental and emotional forces are building up inside and making themselves known.
• Blizzard: Suggests that I am feeling emotionally cold and frigid.
• Broken Glass: Change.
• Broken Mirror: Suggests that I am breaking an old image of myself. Putting an end to old habits and ways.
• Blood: Represents life, love, and passion as well as disappointments.
• Woods: Life, fertility, rejuvenation, and spring. Also symbolizes the unknown and the unconscious. Dreams of walking through the woods signifies a return to an aspect of oneself that is innocent and spiritual.
• Death: Inner changes, transformation, self-discovery, and positive development that is happening within oneself or in one’s life. Although such dreams bring about feelings of fear and anxiety, to die in one’s dream is actually considered a positive symbol. Dreams of experiencing your own death usually means that big changes are ahead. Moving on to new beginnings and leaving the past behind.
• Rebirth: Entering a new stage in life. Looking toward the future without dwelling on the past.

Wow. So a dream that initially seemed so negative and borderline nightmare was actually a massively positive message about inner growth, self-discovery, and change. I could talk more about what this dream means to me, but I think I’ve made it pretty clear.

If any of you are interested in interpreting your dreams, you can check out www.dreammoods.com, which is where I found most of my information.

Chris