There are two types of dreams - the aspiration/ambition kind, and those you have during sleep.
I love daydreaming and believe it’s the doorway to creativity. Letting my mind wander, imagining myself to be in another time and space, it’s therapeutic escapism.
But I’d like to keep dreaming to just my waking life, that's why it's called DAYdream. I don’t like to NIGHTdream. I feel that dreaming is a waste of time and discounts the quality of my sleep.
Recently, I’ve been having dreams I NEVER had in my life.
Dream #1: Squeezed By A Python
(A poorly photoshopped image of me as python prey which makes zero sense because it means I have nothing below my torso. HAHAHAHA!!!)
This post was in draft mode all these while until this crazy dream I had this morning. I saw in my dream a PYTHON in the sink of my parents’ home and it RESPONDED to the name ‘Mango’. ‘Mango’ is the name of Mr Mode’s toy poodle. =_=
Maybe I am a descendent of Slytherin and can speak Parseltongue.
We have a blue basin back home, which made the sickening colors of the python even more contrasting and intimidating.
I called it, and its slit eyes on a little menacing head popped up from within the basin.
Then I dreamt that I dreamt that the snake slid toward and wrapped itself around me in a life-threatening embrace.
(That wasn’t a typo, it’s Inception.)
My mum went to get a chopper and….. *HATAAAK!!!* suddenly I awoke.
Dream #2: Exam Stress
The last time I had an exam was 5 years ago, in 2009. At the end of the paper, I took a moment to soak in the momentary liberation, in knowing I never have to take an exam again. (Of course, there are other tests in life, but you know what I mean – the school kind of exam.)
Just 2 weeks ago, I started to have exam dreams.
One time I dreamt that I was late for an exam, another time I dreamt I had completely forgotten I had an exam, and yet another time I dreamt I could not finish my paper.
My heart was pounding, I could feel my brows furrowing, and suddenly my eyes flew open in shock.
Even though it's a huge relief upon realization that it's nothing (or is it?) but a fleeting dream, horrifying was the reality of my heart racing and mind under immense stress.
I woke up feeling like I didn’t sleep at all. Spent the whole night in an exam dream and woke up to reality with a head the weight of a boulder.
Dream #3: Lost My Job
One day before my encounter with the snake, I lost my job. Both dreams.
I was in an unfamiliar environment, about to enter a meeting room, and this faceless lady who supposedly was my new boss, told me in her shrill voice “Sometimes I work until 1.30AM”. She wasn't very friendly.
Then I realized I had given up my current job with flexible hours for a public-service job with fixed office hours and ridiculous overtime - with the same pay. Grrrr!! What happened!? I used the term 'lost my job' instead of 'changed my job' coz I really do like my current job so it would be a loss if I lost it.
When I was in the snake dream, the fear wasn’t as great as the exam dream. The dreams that I could not differentiate between reality and nightmare were the exam and job loss ones - they were SO REAL.
All these dreams took place in the span of less than TWO WEEKS. It's bizarre!
Every time I awoke from one, I would try and absorb details from the dream, so that I can later Google what the hell they meant. There are many interpretations on the Internet, I’ll share those I can relate to.
Meaning Of Snake Dreams
“The snake featured in your dream is most likely a transposed image or symbol of something that's actually happening or preoccupying you in your daily life. It's important to remember and recall the presence of the snake as it was in the dream. When interpreting a snake dream, a key point is to keep in mind that the serpent in your sleep means you're symbolically receiving a wake up call from your unconscious.
Dreaming about a snake is usually an indicator that you need to pay attention to something important that you perhaps have been avoiding or that has escaped your awareness until now.”
Source: http://www.snakedreams.org/snake-dream.html Check out the snake dreams people shared in the comments. Some are really bizarre and funny!
Reflection: A wake up call. It seems like snakes are symbols of transformation, growth, change. So was it hinting that I should go get pregnant, you know, a wake up call to acknowledge that I’m no more SYT (Sweet Young Thing) and should woman up and be a mum? That will be the largest change in my life, from the way I see it.
Meaning Of Exam Dreams
Exam dreams seem to be one of the most common dreams, as gathered from Google Search results. Google is such an incredible source of information, isn’t it? 😀 Gone are the days where we were confined to the perimeters of books and library archives.
“At least 1 in every 5 people will experience a test dream in their lives.”
“To dream that you are taking an exam, indicates that you are being put to the test or being scrutinized in some way. These dreams highlight some anxiety or agitation that you are experiencing in your waking life. You tend to believe in the worst about yourself and are often overly worried that you are not making the grade and measuring up to other people's expectations of you. You may also experience the fear of not being accepted, not being prepared, or not being good enough.”
Reflection: I must admit the interpretation is pretty accurate. I am no big-shot celebrity, but I do get recognized on the streets and as much as I sometimes feel the pressure to constantly look at least decent, not do any image-degrading nonsense in public, and churn out high quality posts, I do LOVE being a blogger. I started writing about makeup because there was true passion in sharing my views and tips, and interacting with like-minded people. I don't think I will ever stop blogging, at least not in the next.... many years.
I guess it's true that I always feel not up to mark. I set high standards for myself and if I meet expectations, I hardly feel satisfied. I need to EXCEED expectations to feel good enough for myself. It's crazy, whatever is going on in my head.
I need to learn to chill~~
Meaning Of Job Loss Dream
There are far less interpretations of a job loss dream than other more common dreams like the above two. Google Search mainly produced results to how to deal with losing a dream job, literally.
I found a couple, though.
“To dream that you lose your job represents instability and insecurity in your waking life.”
"This anxiety dream is most common to people who never allow themselves to be unprepared. The people who have it are generally successful, competent professionals who excel at their work and prepare as much as humanly possible."
Reflection: Kinda similar to the interpretations for exam dreams. And yes, I never allow myself to be unprepared. I need to do preparatory work of 200% so that I can feel at least 80% prepared.
Conclusion
Some people think of dreams as random nothings, but all my recent dreams have been very vivd and I’d like to think that they are a symbolism of something deeper.
The myriad of interpretations are really just meanings from different perspectives. In the end, the dream is a coded message, and only the dreamer has the authentic decoder to unlock the true meanings. Dreams stem from our subconscious mind and mine seem to reflect anxiety, fears and instability in my waking life.
We all have our own fears and insecurities, no matter how successful one is. Success, of course, is relative. There will always be someone better than us.
I'm glad I had these bizarre dreams though. I guess it is my brain’s way of processing anxiety in the face of the potentially unpredictable. I’m FACING my fears. Also, I think the constant reminders (nightmares) are hinting me to do something.
After the wedding, I never really rested. I went back to work the next day and have been working non-stop – both for my day job as well as my blogging career.
Mr Mode and I never got to celebrate the fact that we are finally man and wife. I just moved in with him and that’s it. We didn’t even have a proper dinner. Oh man, now I feel sad.
Maybe I should take a break.
Maybe have a Baby Bun, if you know what I mean. Heh.
Have you ever had dreams with an underlying meaning? What was your most bizarre dream?
