Mbarbed – In the beginning of last century, when psychiatrists were discovering new levels of the mind, it was realised that any close knit family shares a common unconscious mind. So it is common to share the same dream, although we often miss it because we are not telling our dreams every day.
As for the meaning of the dream, my feeling is that it was the snake that stimulated it – your inner potential of growth. You have been going through changes within you I would guess, and this has expanded your awareness to include your family’s unconscious. That was what led you to realise there were threatening elements there, but you calmed them down and turned it into a positive ending.
Your father however was frightened of finding these strange elements inside him and shot them. That was his reaction to the dream images – and remember that dreams, even when we dream vividly of another person, such as the man in our life, the dream personality is made up of our own impressions, hopes and feelings. Also because of this, dreams are a magic mirror of ourselves. They reflect not only what is happening on the surface of our lives, but also the process of our deep-down growth and change, and the shrewd insights we have into other people, work and our own behaviour.
That was why your father’s dream, although similar, ended differently.
Tony
