Thank you, Tony. I know you are busy right now, but this was helpful in understanding the dreams. I followed the link you provided and tried it out. Immediately it became clear that the fish tanks are about my relationship with my husband. We're trying to recover from a separation and frankly, I don't want to be in relationship with this man anymore. But my religious beliefs and kids (fishes) and my lack of resources (see the lack of resources/tanks and supplies needed to provide the fish with new, proper homes) are holding me in place. And the issues involved are so messy and intractable that I view trying to work them out as a dreadful option requiring me to delve into gross, slimy contaminated things I don't want to deal with. I suppose it says something that the fish aren't dead - the relationship isn't completely dead either. Neither are my feelings about the issues involved. At this point, I'm just trusting that time will reveal and open a way forward or a miracle will occur and my husband will remove his brains from his posterior and start dealing with his problems. But in the meantime, life must go on. Shove the fishies in their tanks so I can function and keep conflict to a minimum. It all makes sense, but doesn't do much to point a way forward, unfortunately. Maybe I'll try your technique again and see if I can't visualize a way of dealing with the fish that isn't so repressive and unnatural.
And the spider webs is right on as well. You would not believe the day-to-day petty problems we're dealing with. Everything we own has broken in the last year (2 cars, washer, dryer, dishwasher, 6 flat tires, 3 dvd players, computer, video game system, camera, water heater, 3 kitchen chairs - just to name a few). I've been sick and had to quit my part-time job as a result. My husband got a big promotion 4 months ago which we thought would ease the strain, but it's been 4 months and they still haven't given him his promised raise. He got rear-ended while driving. It was 2 days after getting out of the hospital for a variety of health problems he had been neglecting and his back's all messed up. Just on and on. Day after day after day. But all you can do is keep going and try not to be overwhelmed or let one of the spiders bite and throw us completely off track! Miraculously, my tendency towards severe clinical depression hasn't taken over, so I guess what I'm doing to cope is working.
Still, I wish I could do like in my dream and just wake myself up!