Carnival

Ones public activity; the range of human fate – rich to poor, midgets to giants; ‘swings and roundabouts’ of life. It can suggest meeting many parts of yourself and the desire to find love. It can confront you with your own talents or destiny, and also your own lies and deceit – depending upon what you bring to it.

In some dreams there is a dropping social or moral restraints, which can lead to letting go, creativity and social connections. So there can be meetings of every sort – an expression of being seen by many people, sexual feelings, joy at the novelty and of course meeting and being seen.

Many of us have been taught that we are only a body and a mixture of hormones and that our brain is us and if injured we are also injured. That is like telling the carpenter that he is nothing but the hammer he uses!

But in many dreams there is a lot of fear or even terror, as if the carnival is a front for something threatening. It is probably a fear of being exposed in way that has so many unknown people and factors in it.

Example: I’m in some strange place, like a carnival or a party. There are lots of people. Tricks are played on me. Some of them have dangerous overtones. Some are just in bad taste. I’m in a crowd. Some man and his son are giving me an award. It’s a trick cup. The milk spills out of a hole in the bottom onto the table. The son gives me one of his favorite toys, out of 4. I am with my daughter. We are on a patio. A maroon cloth thing comes out of a hole in a wall. It’s a stuffed woman. Her face is set in fake interest. There is a feeling of danger. I sneak away from her. Barb.

Example: I am walking rapidly down a very crowded street. I am in a blue velvet suit, and I am the star of the opera which is about to be presented. All of the people are recognising me as I walk through the streets.

Now I am in line as one of the spectators waiting for the show. I have a ticket in my purse and my dog, Duffy, in a kennel box.

Now I am with Cliff, an intimate college friend of mine, in his house. Attached to his house is the building where the opera is to be presented. He is the carpenter, builder, and logistics supervisor for the production. All of his work is done backstage. I have great feelings of love for him and prepare myself for the show in the sunny spacious apartment where he lives. Quote from Sundance.

This dream is clearly about his life’s work, as the very word opera comes from the Latin opus, meaning work. Opera as an art form includes, as does life, a variety of artistic expressions: singing, dancing, high drama. It can also be seen that I experience all of the perspectives in the dream which people experience in their own lives: the spectator, the star, the producer, and director. What isn’t said clearly is that all the work of the carpenter takes place ‘backstage’, out of sight in the unconscious.

Useful Questions and Hints:

What did I experience of feeling the dream?

Did I find the dream frightening – if so what was it scared me?

Was  I more relaxed and sexual in the dream?

See Facing Fear – Dreams are Like a Computer Game – Easy Dream Understanding