Plateau

Reaching a plateau in ones life – a place where things remain the same, where there is little change; a wider and calmer viewpoint of life, where one is neither climbing ambitiously or descending and losing what one has gained.

Sometimes people dream of racing to a plateau when they are middle aged. This is a summary of the journey they have undergone so far, and how they feel about the future. But the plateau might also indicate feelings of not getting anywhere or a desire for change.

 Example: A woman dreamt she was standing alone on a plateau and she could see two worlds hanging in the sky. In talking about the dream she said her husband had died and she had met another man. This new man was very different to herself and her past husband. The world he lived in was new to her and she was cautious. This helped her to see she had the choice between two worlds, and her dream was simply illustrating her situation – she was alone, on a plateau facing choices.

Something I have met frequently in the dreams of those leaving their youthful life behind is the images of a race and the plateau. This dream from John describes this.

 Example: I recently reached my fortieth birthday and dreamt I was walking uphill. It was quite tough going. When I got to the top I saw the road on the other side was very steep. I felt frightened of going down it. I looked around and saw that the top of the hill stretched away on each side, so there was plenty of space, like a plateau. I realised that I could walk around and there is no hurry to go down the hill.

This suggests that before John had the idea that ageing led directly to a fast decline into old age and death – going down hill. The dream shows a different view of this by saying that in fact he worked hard to climb to a plateau of ability and possibilities that he can now explore. Each portion of life has its rewards, and in fact John depicts this period of his life as more relaxed than the first half.

Useful Questions and Hints:

Was I striving to reach a plateau or did I reach it?

What happened in regard to the plateau?

Am I middle aged or approaching it?

See Every 7 Years You Change – Age and your Dreams – Being the Person or Thing