A Dream that I had

[Ravenheart]

As a seeker, I am looking for answers and clues considering whether the god of a certain religion is calling me... so I have started paying attention in my dreams too.

I was in a desert with a friend of mine (I didn't know that guy at all but I knew he was one of my best friends). The desert had a temple which looked like the Parthenon of Acropolis (Greece), and a "museum" or another temple within a 500 meters distance in which some people would practice Necromancy (I mean I didn't see people practicing it but somehow I knew it was for that reason). There was a crowd outside of the Necromancy temple so I asked a guy what was that temple for to confirm my thoughts (by the way I was wearing normal cloths but -as if I was a viking- I also wore heavy -VERY heavy- animal hides which I considered VERY precious to just dump them there). And suddenly, that guy I was talking to started chasing me as if he wanted to slaughter me. With the hides still on me (who were exceptionally heavy but still to precious to leave behind) I ran to the Parthenon temple and saw a huge golden Buddha in the middle of the temple and I felt peaceful, like that demon would never harm me again (yes, a demon as that guys face turned twisted when we approached the temple). I felt safe.

Now, I never had any desire to even explore Buddhism in my life. What would that dream mean? Please help

*EDIT* I see I have copied a title, my apologies...

 

[Willamena]

Dream interpretation is not my forte, but if Buddhism is something that peaks your curiosity by means of this dream, I can recommend that it's an interesting exploration of ideas.

 

[Ravenheart]

I mostly tend to paganism, thats why I said I have never considered Buddhism as an option... plus I feel that in spite the fact that I felt safe near him (Buddha) I also feel like I do not belong there, I mean, I'm greek and I hold absolutely no Asian heritage thus their philosophies are much different culturally and as a way of life.

 

[YasserKhalil]

This dream means that you arenot happy , and not satisfied about yourself.
please, read about Islam.

 

[Ravenheart]

In the past 2 days i have received many pm telling me to follow Islam. Proselitism is something that offends me and will not be tolerated. Thus i consider islam a fanatic religion with nothing to offer than this: FOndamentalism

 

[Father Heathen]

I mostly tend to paganism, thats why I said I have never considered Buddhism as an option... plus I feel that in spite the fact that I felt safe near him (Buddha) I also feel like I do not belong there, I mean, I'm greek and I hold absolutely no Asian heritage thus their philosophies are much different culturally and as a way of life.

Why would you allow race and nationality to limit your philosophical options?

 

[Ravenheart]

That is actually a good question. Well. I think because it would be very difficult to me to adapt to a way of life perfectly strange to my own and the philisophy would come to a clash with the one i grew up with. But these two reasons i presented you with are quite poor and i will think more about your questions. Thank you

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Don't know if I'm right here, but I recommend keeping a journal of dreams if you seek your spiritual paths through dreams... Write down all dreams that you can remember, or if you can only remember small bits of it, write them down (I call them Scatter Dreams).

That really helped me find my spiritual path.



Now for that dream, I'm just guessing, but it seems to me that the dream was trying to tell you that you will try Norse Religion and it would not do for you, and Necromancy wouldn't either, but Necromancy would give you some kind of fear, maybe paranoia, that will soon become a mystical experience to find the path that is destined for you, and that is Buddhism.

That's just my guess. I believe we all have different paths that we are supposed to follow, and I'm also sure that mystical experiences can be made from fear.

But that's how I interpret it, though I'd test out all of the religions in order, just as the dream showed, because the dream may be telling you something.

 

[horizon_mj1]

As a seeker who is leaning toward Paganism, maybe fundamental beliefs within Buddhism will help you to solidify your faith. I do not know if you found the answer to this dream or not, I apologize for not seeing your thread earlier.

 

[YmirGF]

Now, I never had any desire to even explore Buddhism in my life. What would that dream mean? Please help

*EDIT* I see I have copied a title, my apologies...

I just noticed this thread, but the first thing I would ask is are you still looking for ideas about what this dream means? The first comment I have is that the dream symbols should never be taken literally. They are metaphorical and figurative. For example, those precious skins you are trotting about in are not literal skins, but represent your belief structures or "the baggage you are carrying around". That is why they seem so precious, simply because of the investment you have made in them.

I'd also be curious if you have been attacked of late by a formerly friendly person, who attacked your ideas or your lifestyle.

Chew on that a bit and if you like I'll go a bit more deeply into this dream and its possible meanings.

 

[Ravenheart]

I just noticed this thread, but the first thing I would ask is are you still looking for ideas about what this dream means? The first comment I have is that the dream symbols should never be taken literally. They are metaphorical and figurative. For example, those precious skins you are trotting about in are not literal skins, but represent your belief structures or "the baggage you are carrying around". That is why they seem so precious, simply because of the investment you have made in them.

I'd also be curious if you have been attacked of late by a formerly friendly person, who attacked your ideas or your lifestyle.

Chew on that a bit and if you like I'll go a bit more deeply into this dream and its possible meanings.

Thanks for your consideration Ymir. To answer your first question: yes, i'm still looking for ideas and opinions as I have never explained or tried to explain a dream before, and this particular one struck a bell on my soul saying: beware, give this dream the importance it deserves, mainly because of the eyes of Buddha... they seemed so caring and powerful while stunning and mighty in the same time. As for your observation considering the skins, yes, its a fact that I have invested alot of time in thinking and structuring my belief (at this point I'd like to ask you if you know how to meditate, it would be a real help for me if you could point out how as it would make my seeking procedures alot easier).

Now, as for the attack... no I have friends who often dissapoint me with their decisions etc but I wouldn't say that they have "backstabbed" me... could you think of another explanation for this?

Again, thanks for your consideration,
Pete

 

[YmirGF]

I want to start off by stating that dream symbols are not universal. Each element of a dream may have some common aspects for many people, but they are always reflective of how the individual perceives said symbol. For example, a desert might mean one thing to a person living in the Antarctic and something quite different to someone living in the British Isles.

Here I am going out on a limb to say that the desert is indicative of a wasteland, or an area that is devoid of anything of value. Due to this, anything in such an area would tend to stand out and get ones attention.

I was in a desert with a friend of mine (I didn't know that guy at all but I knew he was one of my best friends).

This is an interesting observation. Turn the sentence around a bit and he becomes "one of my best friends was a guy that I didn't (really) know". This is a bit revealing and goes to how well you know the people you surround yourself with.

The desert had a temple which looked like the Parthenon of Acropolis (Greece), and a "museum" or another temple within a 500 meters distance in which some people would practice Necromancy (I mean I didn't see people practicing it but somehow I knew it was for that reason). There was a crowd outside of the Necromancy temple so I asked a guy what was that temple for to confirm my thoughts

Interesting. You suspect that the temple is used for a given purpose and yet you have to ask for confirmation. Is Necromancy something you are familiar with in "real" life? If not, that is peculiar, in and of itself.

(by the way I was wearing normal cloths but -as if I was a viking- I also wore heavy -VERY heavy- animal hides which I considered VERY precious to just dump them there).

As indicated previously, these hides are your tightly wrapped, precious, belief structures. Out of curiosity, were the other people you encountered dressed similarly or not? If not, that tells me that deep down inside you see yourself in a very different light than those around you.

And suddenly, that guy I was talking to started chasing me as if he wanted to slaughter me.

A bit of a surprising reaction given that a simple yes or no would have sufficed. I guess they don't like intruders there. My guess is that he recognized your "hides" and saw that you were not compatible with the group and so needed to be chased off.

With the hides still on me (who were exceptionally heavy but still to precious to leave behind) I ran to the Parthenon temple and saw a huge golden Buddha in the middle of the temple and I felt peaceful, like that demon would never harm me again

Fascinating how dream symbols change in a heartbeat. Very nice imagery, I'll give you that. Now, stop for a second and consider how ludicrous the combination is. You have just run into a temple dedicated to Necromancy and once inside you find this marvelous statue of Buddha. What does that tell you? It tells me a few things.

I let you answer that one and see where we go from there.

(yes, a demon as that guys face turned twisted when we approached the temple). I felt safe.

No doubt. From this brief glimpse into your sleeping mind, I'd suggest that it isn't what you think it is at all. This dream is NOT about the glories of Buddhism. On that, I am emphatic. Do not take the symbolism to be the reality it depicts.

Now, I never had any desire to even explore Buddhism in my life. What would that dream mean? Please help

*EDIT* I see I have copied a title, my apologies...

The dream isn't telling you to explore Buddhism, per se, tho it could be telling you to seek the Buddha within (yourself) and what that concept means. It's hard to describe but the "Buddha" within is not something that is owned by Buddhism, it is an aspect of your identity that exists underneath all those layers of your identity. This dream isn't about Buddhism, it's about you. You didn't meet a dream image of Buddha, you met a very stylized symbolic rendition of an aspect of yourself that it so alien to your current mode of thinking that it MAY AS WELL have been Buddha. Do you understand what I am meaning?

In other words, this inner Buddha is there already. It's not something you have to study Buddhism to unravel. Just trust yourself and dare to believe that there is something within you that is far greater than you have dared imagine. That thought ought to perk you up a tad.

 

[Ravenheart]

First of all, thanks for your time! I really needed to discuss this as I felt it was of utter importance somehow... now to the explanations:

Each element of a dream may have some common aspects for many people, but they are always reflective of how the individual perceives said symbol. For example, a desert might mean one thing to a person living in the Antarctic and something quite different to someone living in the British Isles.

I strongly agree to this as a dream will only manifest an individual's experiences and lifestyle... however one can understand about what's going on as some symbols are quite clear. (ex. the desert = wasteland as you mentioned)

This is an interesting observation. Turn the sentence around a bit and he becomes "one of my best friends was a guy that I didn't (really) know". This is a bit revealing and goes to how well you know the people you surround yourself with.

Hmmm, as stated on my other post... I do have friends and close persons, but I would never trust them or explain my feelings to them, and that's because they are so shallow, they really have nothing to be discovered by me! So no real friends there (although that is a concern and I'm worried that I can hardly find caring friends in the future. Note that I'm only 16 but please don't let that turn you away, I am no troll nor I will ever be).

Interesting. You suspect that the temple is used for a given purpose and yet you have to ask for confirmation. Is Necromancy something you are familiar with in "real" life? If not, that is peculiar, in and of itself.

No I have never had any contact with necromancy before, but it has surely attracted my attention in the past! I tried to explore it but reading the Ars Falcis didn't quite help and it was so chaotic I walked away, leaving that field to explore when I get older (when I learn more from life, mysticism and the human mind. Note again that I'm planning to be an anthropologist, which is a result of my great interest in human culture, religion, thus mysticism and the occult).

As indicated previously, these hides are your tightly wrapped, precious, belief structures. Out of curiosity, were the other people you encountered dressed similarly or not? If not, that tells me that deep down inside you see yourself in a very different light than those around you.

This is a very good observation, yes, my belief structures are VERY precious to me as I have devoted alot of time thinking and structuring my beliefs. To answer your question no, the crowd gathered outisde of the necromancy temple was dressed in simple casual clothing (by the way I do consider myself a bit more "sophisticated" if you will than other's around me as I've had enough of their ignorance, the city people, those who have nothing to offer to the community than pure ignorance, so the hides might be a sign of individuality upon the others)

A bit of a surprising reaction given that a simple yes or no would have sufficed. I guess they don't like intruders there. My guess is that he recognized your "hides" and saw that you were not compatible with the group and so needed to be chased off.

Yes that might be one explanation... but in my dream I clearly remember that he wasn't looking at my hides... he was looking straight into my eyes, smiling in fact, and suddenly his face got worried! Twisted! As if he saw something in my eyes that made him furious!

Fascinating how dream symbols change in a heartbeat. Very nice imagery, I'll give you that. Now, stop for a second and consider how ludicrous the combination is. You have just run into a temple dedicated to Necromancy and once inside you find this marvelous statue of Buddha. What does that tell you? It tells me a few things.

Now, it would be a very nice coincidence if the Buddha was inside the Necromancy temple but in my dream description I say that the necromancy temple was "connected" to the parthenon temple (the Buddha temple) by a loooong dusty road (these two buildings being in the middle of the desert)

The dream isn't telling you to explore Buddhism, per se, tho it could be telling you to seek the Buddha within (yourself) and what that concept means. It's hard to describe but the "Buddha" within is not something that is owned by Buddhism, it is an aspect of your identity that exists underneath all those layers of your identity. This dream isn't about Buddhism, it's about you. You didn't meet a dream image of Buddha, you met a very stylized symbolic rendition of an aspect of yourself that it so alien to your current mode of thinking that it MAY AS WELL have been Buddha. Do you understand what I am meaning?

Yes I understand what you mean and that's indeed something I have not thought about before you told me... As you may have noticed I already said that I was never interested in Buddhism. But I am sure again that I felt safe because of Buddha himself... it didn't feel like Buddha was a manifestation of something else...

Again, thanks for everything, you gave me alot to consider