Author

Subject: Differences

Jazzed

11:59 21/11/2001 

I dreamed of a co-worker who actually hates me, tries to get me in trouble and doesn't even talk to me. In my dream, in an unknown building, she was smiling and friendly when she asked me a question in regards to what was going on. I was friendly also, but I wanted to talk about our differences which she was dismissing. Her head was shaved, revealing brown spots on top. When I enquired about this she said she had cancer and had to shave her head, all this in a cheerful tone.

Then it seemed we had to jump from a second floor to get out of this building. From a balcony I asked men on the ground below to help us. They pulled a pick up truck under our balcony and covered the bed with cardboard to soften the jump. But when we jumped, we actually floated down gently. The dream was actually soothing.

Dream edited for easier reading - JT, 2005

2004

Jane Teresa's View

Jane Teresa Anderson

Overview Interpretation & Dream Alchemy Practice suggestion

OVERVIEW INTERPRETATION

Hi Jazzed,

In waking life this co-worker is clearly dismissive of you because she doesn’t talk to you. You describe her in your dream as dismissing your need to talk about your differences even though she was otherwise friendly. When she told you about her cancer you were obviously surprised by her cheerful tone, indicating that you knew she was dismissing her concerns or sadness. Plenty of dismissing and denial!

It’s helpful to look at people in your dreams as representing your own beliefs and attitudes, both your conscious and unconscious ones. This co-worker seems to represent dismissal and denial, so let’s look at how you handle these issues.

Do you dismiss the problem of your co-worker’s attitude towards you? Are you in denial in waking life, needing to address this situation? Is it you who is being dismissive? Are you trying to survive by maintaining a cheerful tone?

Where else in your life might you dismiss difficulties and put on a happy face?

The co-worker behaves in a friendly way in your dream, quite different from waking life, although she is still dismissive. In the dream you want to talk about your differences and that is the point: in waking life she is dismissive in an unfriendly way, whereas your dream suggests you may be dismissive in a friendly way (put on a smile and deny that anything’s wrong).

In mind-body terms cancer is said to be a disease reflecting withheld anger or resentment, a smiley-denial sort of personality. Interesting! The co-worker shaves her head, exposing the cancer, exposing her (your) smiley-denial ways of thinking. The cancer spots are on her head, the head being symbolic of thinking patterns. It seems this dream is exposing your own smiley-denial patterns of thinking for your consideration. The dream does not suppose you will develop cancer. The dream cancer is purely symbolic of an attitude, a clever dream clue.

Next you jumped from the second floor to safely land on the ground, or on the pick-up at ground level. Buildings in dreams often represent your being. The ground level often represents the physical, the second level the emotional, mental and the third level the spiritual aspects of your self. You jump from the emotional, mental level to the physical level. Your dream encourages you to make the jump, to release smiley-denial patterns of thinking to find a more soothing, gentle way of being in your physical world.

A truck is a work vehicle and this was a pick up truck. This dream opens the way for your working life to pick up in a more soothing way through facing your feelings rather than dismissing them.

DREAM ALCHEMY PRACTICE

Affirmation:

Here’s an affirmation using your dream symbols:

“I treasure my differences and embrace all my feelings. I float. I am soothed. ”

How to use your affirmation/ and how often:

Say your affirmation out loud and with feeling 30 times a day for the first week. From the second week say your affirmation out loud and with feeling once in the morning and once before you go to sleep for three more weeks.

How does this work?

This works by communicating directly with your unconscious mind using its own language, to transform the belief your dream is revealing.

More details on Affirmation as a Dream Alchemy Practice in: “Dream Alchemy”, by Jane Teresa Anderson, pages 331-333.

Jane Teresa Anderson

You can consult with Jane Teresa or her Dream Team and receive your interpretation by email within five working days.

ORIGINAL THREAD

Below is the original forum discussion on this dream, contributed before Jane Teresa's 2004 interpretation.

Star

04:53 22/11/2001 

Hi Jazzed - Cancer for me is a symptom of something that is eating away at a person emotionally and more times than not subconsciously. Cause this seems to be related to the head is there anything that is eating away at you - i.e. anything you are constantly thinking about that is bugging you?? That you need to spot???

Is it perhaps time to look at whatever that may be with/in a different frame of mind?? i.e. the unknown building??? The shaved head - removing old ideas, thoughts about the issue.

First you dismiss the dream as nonsense and in the dream the co-worker whilst friendly is dismissing what you want to discuss.

What would happen if you treat this co-worker that you feel hates you, tries to get you into trouble etc. purely as an aspect of Self, just as you would a dream - what do you see being reflected to you about yourself??? Does she remind you of any other people in your life where this has occurred?? Often if we haven't resolved an issue with another and made the necessary changes to ourselves a similar scenario will occur further down the track.

Don't know if this helps any but I once had an issue with another. This person had expectations of me that I did not meet and was a tad annoyed I didn't do what they wanted and whilst I tried to discuss it with them they didn't want to. For me the matter was unresolved as I did not feel I had been heard.

One day we were standing next to each other at a function, yet neither of us spoke which to me seemed rather stupid and childish. Although for the life of me I could not bring myself to make the first move again.

That night she appeared in a dream and we both laughed heaps about the incident, both of us saying how on Earth did that happen and how ridiculous it all was. We discussed the issue in my dream, resolved it and I never physically saw her again.

Not the first time this has occurred for me in dreams. Seems to me that we don't always need to sort things out with others on a physical level - as nine times out of ten once we work out what a person is showing us about ourselves either via a dream or "waking reality" when we treat them as a symbolic aspect of Self we get the ah ha, make the changes we need to to ourselves and we either, like that incident don't ever see them again, or when we do the interaction we have with them is entirely different.

For me that woman was showing me that I too had expectations of people in my life and that when they didn't live up to my expectations I did indeed get a tad annoyed. Her issue was all about giving and not feeling supported as she was working her butt off and expected others to be doing the same. Again I too subconsciously was very similar - she showed me the other side of the coin so to speak in relation to what I was doing at that time in my life and how that might make others feel - bless her cotton socks.

Re the jumping - is it time perhaps once you have worked out what this woman is showing you about yourself to make a move - take the plunge - soften the blows - where she is concerned???

guest

13:54 25/11/2001 

Thank you, Star, for the insights. I now think the coworker is the critical, complaing side of ME! The enphasis on the head, perhaps shows me some faulty thinking on my part. The jump is harder to interpret...

Star

18:35 25/11/2001 

Hmm... just love dreams..... always show me the truth about myself especially when I least want to see it! Feels to me like they are part of a grand cosmic fool proof plan to me.

Perhaps faulty thinking is a bit harsh - conditioned/patterned (spots are a pattern, no?) thinking maybe??

Seems to me whatever you work out the jump is symbolising it will be a soft landing once you get it or should that be once you take it.

If she does represent your critical complaining Self (know that part of me extremely well :) - could the jump mean that once you see this aspect of Self clearly and integrate it some more maybe - (from memory did you not join hands with her???) you will then leap forward in relation to your growth and Self awareness, or that you will possibly become more gentler and soothing in your approach to others??? Who knows you may even have more feelings of acceptance towards her??

guest

23:01 25/11/2001 

That's very good, Star!!!! Yes, yes, "patterned" The spots were arranged in a row from one ear to the other. It WAS a pattern! Was the jump a leap of faith? Or relating to awake life? Just 2 days ago I made a tandem skydive jump with my kids. After watching them skydive for the past 10 years, I finally found the courage to jump out of a perfectly good airplane and fall at 120 mpg. When the jump master opened the chute, we floated gently to the ground. I might have already integrated the fearful part of me! Much more work to do...! Thanks

Star

04:41 26/11/2001 

Big smile here, my pleasure Jazzed - was watching some sky divers the other day and whilst I'm not fond of heights I reckon it would be awesome to do it. Hmmm... one day.

I gather you enjoyed the experience?? Sounds to me like you have indeed broken a patterned way of thinking!

Ha,... always work to do - Don't know about anyone else but I always find that at least by understanding a dream's message the work is easier and once I get the ah ha of it it's like an adrenalin rush that propels me rather quickly into new ways of being.

Enjoy.