I read a post by Butterfly’s Joy about a bad dream that she had, and it made me think about a recurring dream from my childhood. I haven’t had the dream in years, but I still remember it vividly.
It’s dark, and I am sitting at the edge of the woods that are just starting to creep up a rise in the land. As I look down into an open field, I realize that I am stuck. Is my foot caught under a log? Have I injured myself and am not able to move? I’m not sure. All I understand is that I can’t go anywhere.
I can’t see myself, but I can hear feel my heartbeat. I can see the steam of my breath in the cold, damp air. I can feel the chill of the air on my skin. I can hear the sounds of the woods. The details of the dream make it seem like reality. That’s when I hear the sounds from the distance.
The sounds are faint, but I know what they are. Men are shouting, and hounds are barking. The lights of lanterns and torches break through the darkness in the distance. I can’t see the men or the hounds, but I know what they look like. The men are wearing blue jeans and flannel shirts. They are wearing hats. Some are hunting hats, some are western style and others are worn out fedoras. It’s as if I have gone back in time to the 1930s.
They ain’t gettin’ ready to hunt no coons.
I hear the men in the distance and know that they are straining to hold back their dogs. I also know that they are after me, and I can’t move. That’s when the dream comes to an end.
However, it was a recurring dream, and each time it progressed a little further. It got to the point where I could see the men’s faces, and they knew that I was close. One night, they reached the edge of the woods and got close enough that I thought I could reach out a touch them. That was the last time I had the dream.
I don’t know what dreams mean. Once, I had a therapist who translated dreams in our sessions, but I didn’t take much out of that. Maybe dreams really have meaning. Maybe they are movies that we make up from images that we see in our waking lives. Maybe they mean nothing at all.
I know that this dream came to me often as a kid, and I have never forgotten it. I guess that makes it mean something.
SBI: A Thinning Crowd 
Maybe you were afraid, subconsciously, about being “found out”.
Seriously, while I don’t generally believe in any of that malarkey, I think recurring dreams are probably worth exploring. Mine concerns being surrounded by lions and tigers. I don’t know what that means either.
Being surrounded by big cats sounds worse than being chased by medium sized dogs. I’ve often wondered what it meant. You could be right.
the recurring dream forever approaching the never-reached ending is like a horror+detective story. I have the superstition that if I ever reach the ending I would wake up to see myself murdered by someone I trust the most… lol.
I kinda feel the same way. I thought if they ever caught me I would feel the repercussions in the real world.
That’s a nice description of a dream. I used to experience a dream which had images flowing through the page of a diary. I remember seeing it many times but never really found out what it is all about. I remember some one telling me that there are people who are able to make meanings out of dreams but I’m not so sure how they can be of any help…
I’m not so sure either. I can people can make them anything they want.
Sorry cant help you with the analysis but I’ve just had a few (too many!) good reds and a day of sun on Sydney Harbour and about to sleep as sound as a hound. Maybe it’s what you do before bed that counts. Sweet dreams.
Man, I’m jealous. Sounds like you are having a great time.
Those dogs and folks chasing you are the imbeciles with whom you are surrounded. And you are stuck between where you are now and that vast expanse of field that lies ahead of you … perhaps that is a symbol of your eternal destination … you are conscious of it being there, but you can’t get there … yet! This is just what occurs to me …. IMHO.
Thanks for reading my post and taking the time to comment. The therapist I mentioned said something similar. She said I felt stuck in my life’s situation and needed to break free it. I’m just not sure what was happening as a kid to make me feel that way.
Don’t know, but then I don’t actually know you although we share some things in common, I suspect, due to some similar connections.
It’s always good to meet someone with commonalities. What are our similar connections?
I was thinking we might have attended the same college. I graduated from UT Knoxville, although I am probably ahead of you (in terms of age). I grew up in Nashville, but have lived in Florida since the mid-1980’s. I think I first came across you blog from a comment on the NorCalVol’s blog (Fred). Did you graduate from UT? Live in Tennessee?
I also enjoy reading and some traveling although I’ve not been able to do as much traveling as I would like to do. I noticed that you are a college history prof, although I don’t recall where you teach. I’ve been in real estate for more than 20 years, but a couple of years ago I decided to pursue a masters in biblical counseling, so I’ve been working on that for a couple of years. I guess that my explain my interest in your post about your recurring dream. I’m always interested in what people are thinking about and what motivates them in terms of behavior and decision making.
I didn’t graduate from UT, but my dad started taking me to football games when I was a kid. In fact, I went to the Alabama game tonight. I grew up and still live in the Nashville area. NorCalVol has a great blog and has some interesting insights. Do you have a blog?
I am terribly jealous that you went to the UT/Bama game tonight … and I did not! I hope it was more fun in person than on TV. Again … we just aren’t playing four complete quarters. I know Bama is great this year .. however, I think we are not improving as the season progresses. Therefore, even when we simply compete within our own performances, we are losing ground (again IMHO).
Where in Nashville are you living now and where did you go to high school?
I hesitate to say this because, as I said earlier, I am your senior in terms of age (which is never an easy thing for women to admit even if they are old enough to be your mother), however I graduated from Hillwood in 72 and UT in 75. Now that I’ve gotten past that ….
I do have a blog …. actually I have a couple of sites. One that I’ve used in my real estate business, NW FL Beaches (https://sites.google.com/site/northwestfloridabeaches/) and another that I began a few years ago. I have plans for a blog … more on that later.
My husband died in 1997 – we were in our early 40s – he had a family history of heart related deaths and that’s what happened to him. A few years ago, I began writing some stories that I’ve been holding on to for now. At some point, I will publish them in some manner yet to be determined. For now, they are posted on my site, The Widows Walk Ministry (https://sites.google.com/site/widowswalkministry/). You’re welcome to read any of the stories. They are pretty simplistic – by design at this point – to be reader-friendly for people who are dealing with grief issues. I do a little grief support counseling, also.
I do like Fred’s blog – and I don’t know him personally – because for so many years I’ve been stuck in the land of Gators (NW FL) and I’ve missed having friends to talk with about UT/Vols. I often miss the hills of TN. I do keep in touch with a few Nashville friends, but I just don’t get to be there as much as I would like. I still love the West End areas.
Thanks for letting me chat-on …..
I live in Lebanon and always have. Thanks for links. I can’t wait to check them out.