I'm in need of a little Jungian dream interpretation help, so I'm going to share my dream with you to see how you interpret it. Here goes:
I was riding in a boat on a freshwater lake when I came upon a small round island of land with a very simple but beautiful garden on it. I was surprised to find a garden in the center of a lake. I got out of the boat to walk through the garden which was broken into 3 separate parts (see photo below). Toward the back and in the center of the island were 3 red Knock-out roses, these roses were surrounded by a partial ring of grass, and the outer ring was a border of a variety of colorful flowering plants.
A person or voice (unknown to and unseen by me) on the island said, "I could take care of the garden." I was so happy that I quickly returned home...gathered my garden tools and some plants...and returned to the island. As I walked onto the island with my tools and plants, the person or voice said, "You can't plant any plants, you can only take care of the garden." End of dream.
I woke up because I was so stunned that I wasn't allowed to plant any plants. And, for some reason the phrase, "You can't plant any plants, you can only take care of the garden" has stuck in my mind, and I keep asking myself what does it mean, especially the part about not being able to plant any plants...you know for a gardener, that's a nightmare! ;-)
Go ahead...give it your best shot. What deeper meaning do you draw from my dream?
8 comments:
Well, I'm not a dream interpretter or anything remotely close. So I checked some online dream interpretation sights. It seems most everything in your dream symbolizes peace, tranquility, nurturing and a well-lived life...garden, rose, island. Again, being proclaimed the care taker seems to portray nurturing vs. planting or beginning. That's my best guess. A bit lame. I'll check back to see what others think.
Oh my, you can't plant any more? That WAS a nightmare. But what could it mean? Hmmm.... If this were MY dream, I do think I'd know how to interpret it. For I often feel completely overwhelmed with this half acre and the endless, endless weeding that goes along with it. A simple little garden in the middle of a lake, far, far from any other weedy plants might just be the easiest little thing to take care of. And knockouts are pretty easy as roses go, so I think that fits in with the simplicity theme. And one tiny, perfect lawn would be easy to care for as well. What a nightmare to keep a lawn alive in Florida! Yep, simple sounds nice to me sometimes, on a subconscious, dreamscape level, but I could never do it. I want more land, actually.
I'm going with the peace and nurturing vibe too. :)
You've got some great photos in your posts. I love some of those bird photos.
I only know a couple of general principles about dream interpretation, which I read about in 'The Way of The Dream'.
Firstly, your dream is probably not about plants or gardens, as you know them.
There is a sense of not adding to something, perhaps you might have been thinking of starting a new blog, or something. But, generally, dreams try to tell us more important things. A blog is a bit mundane. Or it could mean something like no more children.
Dream images are all symbols, each representing something else. What matters are the personal associations for you. In a recent post you talked about grass, and the associations grass has for you - 'lazy days of summer, adults mowing in the heat, and kids running barefoot through the cool damp grass'.
It's good that you've drawn a picture. Jung was very keen on collecting dream pictures. Unlike us, he could work out what they mean. Interesting that things are in threes, that's very Jungian.
Marie-Louise von Franz says it's good to try a hunch, even if it doesn't mean anything, it may release other meanings.
What your picture suggested to me was 'The Little Prince' by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. The circle/island is like his little asteroid, on which had a rose, which he had to look after. In that sense, the rose is a metaphor for a person.
Here's another way-out suggestion - I've just posted some lily photos on my own blog - you might have seen them. The name of one of the varieties was Forever Susan. The word word Susan actually means lily.
I view your dream from a Christian point of view, and believe God was telling you that you have three very important things in your garden ( your life ), and He put them there, you are simply here to take care of them. Adam and Eve were supposed to be caretakers of the garden , not creators of the garden. Another possibility is there are three important people or areas of your life that you like to be in control of, and in this dream...God is telling you that you cannot be in control ( shape them up , direct their paths, etc. ) , only to take care of them. To love them, and relinquish control to Him. Bless you, Gina
Wow, Susan, some of these comments really have had some serious thought put into them. I would just like to look at the obvious. This is your personal escape island which will take little to no maintainance to take care of, if necessary at all. If you need company next time you retreat to this island, take me please....
Very interesting dream and answers you've gotten from others. I certainly don't know, but there is a lot of food for thought here.
Thanks to everyone for your very insightful thoughts.
Kimberly...I agree with you that everything represented symbolizes peace, tranquility and nurturing.
Floridagirl...I'm with you on always wanting more land to plant more plants.
Dani...ditto!
Robur...Your comments made me realize I was stuck on the "garden issue" and that the garden in my dream was a representation of my life, and not the garden after all.
Gina...I agree with you that the roses represent 3 important things in my life that I need to take care of...my husband, daughter & me.
Maxine...I'll keep your offer in mind next time I visit the island. :-)
Kay...Yes, people have given me some great insight.
This dream that has stuck in my mind has given me a very powerful message thanks to all of you.
I couldn't get past the "not being able to plant plants," when all the time it wasn't about gardening. Thanks to all of you for your very thoughtful input I was able to realize that the island garden represents my life...which contains 3 important people that I need to take care of, nurture and enjoy! In other words, quit trying to add more to the picture (I have everything I NEED)...slow down...focus on the most important things in my life, and in the process enjoy the life we are creating. Thank you!
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