I've been having recurring nightmares. I dream that I am laying on my side (always on my side, always facing right), and I feel a small dog sitting on my hip. I never react with fear immediately, as I have two small dogs of my own and my dream self seems to know this. In fact, I lay in the same position and try to fall back asleep. Then I roll onto my stomach, and the dog sits directly on top of my stomach. I open my eyes and the dog is not mine, but seems to be wearing a wide, grinning mask -- some sort of distorted wolf face. The dog bites my left hand until I wake up. Any ideas?
Perhaps the left and right have significance here - the fact that it always occurs like this leads me to think so. Do you put a lot of stock in being logical? You are being supported on your right side, in the beginning. The dog in you dream reminds me of the dog in Atu 0, The Fool of the Tarot. Biting your left hand could mean you should place more trust in your intuitive side. The fact that the dog is wearing a scary mask could indicate that you fear doing so (since the dog is a product of your deep conscious).
that is one fucked up dream my friend. maybe its a premonition of you, or somebody else getting attacked by a dog. Or perhaps, the dog isnt really a dog at all, but represents something else. It could be something that has been bothering you lately, and everytime you try and fix it, it just gets worse. (symbolized by the dog being at your feet, then once you turn and the dog is on your stomach, then bites you)
bringing this back. it happened again recently, but this time I kind of ... half woke up in the middle of it. it still played out the same way but I was awake and couldn't move. when it started biting my hand, I began to scream but it didn't really make any noise -- a little while later it was like I snapped into fully being awake and then I was actually screaming. any thoughts?
the sleep paralysis... where you're fully conscious and yet unable to move or make sounds, is generally an "in between world" or another dimension of reality, in my experience. recurring dreams often are very much another aspect of reality for me, because i always notice that they're the same dream i've had before, and i already know how it's going to play out. i know what to expect, and i can change things about the dream. sometimes anyway. but it's a gateway into another dimension for me, the astral plane if you will. it's a place where your higher self can communicate with the unconscious, intuitive self that so many of us ignore on a regular basis. moon's interpretation feels really right on in this...
The coyote archetype is a sly prankster. The archetype of the fool...that sounds like what you're dreaming of. And the left hand absorbs energy, while your right hand projects it so bitten in the left hand would seem like you would be wanting or maybe just receiving the fool.. I know it sounds crazy but archetypes are amazing. You could just have this dream locked in your psyche and think that it's recurring.. maybe if you let go of it you won't dream it, but it's still symbolic.
next time this happens maybe I'll try to experiment with control over the dream. I never seem to know what's going to happen while it's happening, but maybe that's because I've never really thought about it. where might I read more about these archetypes?
carl jung's insane psychology on dreams and archetypes is a good, and menacing, place to start. those books will drive you mad...I know they do me. Archetypes are everywhere and everything. Once you understand the concept you will see them all over the place.
it's a fun read.. (his book "dreams" and "archetypes and the collective unconscious") Your dream intrigues me...
it's strange because other recurring dreams I've had in the past often have slight variances in detail. this one absolutely never does. and it recurs more often than any of the others ever did.
I used to have a recurring dream, but it went away.. what are you afraid of? does the dream reflect any of your fears?
I'm afraid of bugs but not of spiders. drowning. but I've been a competitive swimmer for a long time now. being misunderstood. and misunderstanding things. those last two I guess aren't really the same type of fear, but a fear just the same. maybe there is a tie between the dream and the last one. what was your dream? if it isn't too nosy or strange to ask.
hmmm... well when I was a child I had this dream of "gangsters" taking over the Earth... I remember being very afraid in my house, as they were everywhere. when I was about 10 they went away and never had it again...it was always the same. Now...I can see how relevant the dream was. My sister once dreamt that she was bouncing on the nose of a coyote...it was bouncing her butt and she was bouncing in the air... she used to cry because she saw ghosts. the dream world is a trip...I love studying it..
how long did you have the dream before it left? coyotes. they hang out in a woody place around a creek I live near. or maybe they're wolves. I like to walk barefoot in the creek and sometimes they're watching.
are you afraid of them? maybe you should try and connect with them. I had the dream about a dozen times as a child.
no. when I'm afraid of something .. I get this really sickish stomach feeling. they never give me that. maybe I'll give it a try next time. my brother used to have this dream when he was young(er). he was in a chair talking to the devil. he couldn't always remember what about, but it was him answering lots of questions. eventually the devil would get mad and press a button that would make the chair spring him into the air. he'd fly around for a while and land in his bed or on the couch at the end. we used to talk about our dreams all the time. sometimes still do.
