Three dreams - interpretations?

[StormInside]

I've had fairly vivid dreams for the past three nights, and I'd like help interpreting them.

1st:
I was staked out on the ground as punishment for something. A huge black bear came and started trying to attack me. I got loose and started spraying the bear's eyes with something, which had little effect and just made it angrier. It chased me into what I think was the living room of my childhood home. My mum and sister were in there, sitting on the sofas and did nothing to help me. They just sat and watched as the bear tried to kill me. I kept on futilely spraying the stuff into its eyes. I knew there was a gun with bullets somewhere but I couldn't get to it as the bear was attacking me.


2nd:
I dreamt that I was a university student, and I was in a class taught by Richard Dawkins. He called me up to give a presentation to the class, and I was nervous because in my dream Richard Dawkins was younger and I had a huge crush on him. There was a lot of maths in the class and I was struggling with it so I phoned my mum and asked her to send me some money so I could pay for extra maths classes to help me keep up.

Then I was outside, demonstrating to someone how I once pretended to run away as a child. Then I was in a shop and saw that they were selling Serendipity books again (a series of books I had as a child). There was one I had owned as a child as well as some new ones.

3rd:
I dreamt that I filled my bird feeder up with bird seed but the next time I looked at it it was filled with multicoloured pasta spirals. They had gotten damp in the rain and swelled up. I was so confused. I remember looking at the pasta and thinking, "I know I filled it with bird seed! Why is it full of pasta now?"

Then I was marrying the actor David Berry. I was getting ready with my family and Luke Morgan from Hollyoaks was there and congratulated me. I think I was in a car doing my hair and makeup on the way to my wedding.

 

[JackRT]

1st:
I was staked out on the ground as punishment for something. A huge black bear came and started trying to attack me. I got loose and started spraying the bear's eyes with something, which had little effect and just made it angrier. It chased me into what I think was the living room of my childhood home. My mum and sister were in there, sitting on the sofas and did nothing to help me. They just sat and watched as the bear tried to kill me. I kept on futilely spraying the stuff into its eyes. I knew there was a gun with bullets somewhere but I couldn't get to it as the bear was attacking me.

Many years ago I had a series of dreams like this one. I was being attacked by a monster. I had a rifle but the trigger was jammed or it fired but the bullet just trickled out. Then in the last dream I fired the rifle and killed the monster. I retrospect I realized that at the time I was dealing with a crisis that I was able to resolve on the day of the last dream. Do you have a "situation" in your life?

That being said, the vast majority of dreams are quite meaningless. I am 76 and that is one of the only two dreams I have ever made sense of.

 

[StormInside]

Many years ago I had a series of dreams like this one. I was being attacked by a monster. I had a rifle but the trigger was jammed or it fired but the bullet just trickled out. Then in the last dream I fired the rifle and killed the monster. I retrospect I realized that at the time I was dealing with a crisis that I was able to resolve on the day of the last dream. Do you have a "situation" in your life?

That being said, the vast majority of dreams are quite meaningless. I am 76 and that is one of the only two dreams I have ever made sense of.

Yes, I thought the bear might symbolise depression and my futile struggle against it. My mother and sister see me struggle with it and do nothing to help. Don't know what the gun or bullets are though. Or the spray.

 

[Andrewn]

Yes, I thought the bear might symbolise depression and my futile struggle against it. My mother and sister see me struggle with it and do nothing to help. Don't know what the gun or bullets are though. Or the spray.

If you're taking antidepressants, they tend to give you vivid dreams. I agree with JackRT that "the vast majority of dreams are quite meaningless."

This being said, it looks like you're either trying to deal with a current situation or that you're thinking of a past situation and wishing it had a different outcome. The black bear vs David Berry. The difficult math vs Richard Dawkins. The pepper spray didn't work. The gun and bullets you couldn't reach. You needed to hire a math tutor. You did your hair and makeup. You read serendipity books full of good morals. You stood outside demonstrating. You did everything you could. But, every time you filled the bird feeder with good seed, it converted to pasta spirals. Mum and sister did nothing to help.

The point is that, in these dreams, you're trying your best and making intelligent choices. These efforts will be rewarded. One day you'll reach the gun and bullets, you'll find the math tutor and the knight in shining armor. One day people will be more helpful and compassionate and there will be plenty of beautiful multicolored birds.

And God, not Richard Dawkins, will say to you, "Excellent! You are a good and faithful servant! You’ve been faithful over a little. I’ll put you in charge of much. Come, celebrate with me."

 

[StormInside]

If you're taking antidepressants, they tend to give you vivid dreams. I agree with JackRT that "the vast majority of dreams are quite meaningless."

This being said, it looks like you're either trying to deal with a current situation or that you're thinking of a past situation and wishing it had a different outcome. The black bear vs David Berry. The difficult math vs Richard Dawkins. The pepper spray didn't work. The gun and bullets you couldn't reach. You needed to hire a math tutor. You did your hair and makeup. You read serendipity books full of good morals. You stood outside demonstrating. You did everything you could. But, every time you filled the bird feeder with good seed, it converted to pasta spirals. Mum and sister did nothing to help.

The point is that, in these dreams, you're trying your best and making intelligent choices. These efforts will be rewarded. One day you'll reach the gun and bullets, you'll find the math tutor and the knight in shining armor. One day people will be more helpful and compassionate and there will be plenty of beautiful multicolored birds.

And God, not Richard Dawkins, will say to you, "Excellent! You are a good and faithful servant! You’ve been faithful over a little. I’ll put you in charge of much. Come, celebrate with me."

I'm actually not taking antidepressants any more because they gave me intense side effects and very little benefit. I'm on a waiting list for therapy but I've been waiting for years.
One thing though is that my faith comes and goes. Sometimes I strongly believe in Christianity and other times I don't at all. I actually feel a lot better when I don't. I wonder if the Richard Dawkins dream had anything to do with that.

 

[Andrewn]

One thing though is that my faith comes and goes. Sometimes I strongly believe in Christianity and other times I don't at all. I actually feel a lot better when I don't.

How do you explain feeling better when you don't believe. Do you find faith unhelpful, kind of like your mom and sister in the dreams?

I wonder if the Richard Dawkins dream had anything to do with that.

I did think of that. You admire logical thinking. Does faith make you feel you're betraying the logical part of your brain?

Am I completely off base? If so, I really apologize.

 

[StormInside]

How do you explain feeling better when you don't believe. Do you find faith unhelpful, kind of like your mom and sister in the dreams?


I did think of that. You admire logical thinking. Does faith make you feel you're betraying the logical part of your brain?

Am I completely off base? If so, I really apologize.

No, I just feel really distressed when I believe strongly in Christianity because I know I can't be a good enough Christian and will end up in hell, and so will most people I know. So when I don't believe in Christianity I don't have that constant fear of hell.

 

[Andrewn]

No, I just feel really distressed when I believe strongly in Christianity because I know I can't be a good enough Christian and will end up in hell, and so will most people I know. So when I don't believe in Christianity I don't have that constant fear of hell.

I used to feel the same way until few years ago when I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Now, like one pastor used to say, "I know that I know that I know that I'm going to heaven." Only the Holy Spirit gives us this kind of faith / trust.

There are a lot of people who think they're going to heaven "bec they're not very bad." You're logical and you know that one can't be good enough. Indeed, no one can be a good enough Christian to deserve eternal Life in heaven. The Lord Jesus came to heal this situation. He said:

Joh 10:10 I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Joh 10:27 My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.

Joh 11:25 I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even if he dies. 26 And whoever lives and believes in me will never perish.

All we need is to believe / trust in the Lord. This faith / trust is a gift received from the Holy Spirit. By trust, the Apostle Paul wrote:

Rom 8:1 So then, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

How about being a good enough Christian? We will never be perfect in this life, but we can slowly grow in the likeness of the Lord Jesus. This is accomplished not by our efforts but by the power of the Holy Spirit. As the Apostle Paul wrote:

Phi 1:6 I am convinced of this very thing: that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

This refers to the work of the Holy Spirit. The starting point, trust, is brought about by the Holy Spirit. The final result, completion, is brought about by the Holy Spirit. This salvation became possible through the life, crucifixion, and resurrection of Lord Jesus.

Joh 7:37 On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and called out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink! 38 As the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from deep within the person who believes in me.” 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were going to receive.

According to the Creed of Nicea and Constantinople, "We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of Life." As the song says, "He is more precious than silver, more costly than gold, and more beautiful than diamonds."