A Violinist's Dream: Post #3

This week I’m examining the dream of a professional violinist who dreamed that he was to play in a graduation ceremony at Vassar College. On Wednesday we isolated the symbols and spent time thinking about each one in order to discover its metaphoric meaning. To read the dream in its entirety, scroll down to my last two posts.

Now it is time to reassemble the dream in its metaphoric reconstruction. Instead of using the original symbols, I will use the dreamer’s descriptions of each one. And all the way through, I will insert occasional reminders that every aspect of the dream is about the dreamer himself. As you read, notice how beautifully the dream tells the metaphoric story. It is quite lucid in its description.

Reassembled dream

I have gotten where I want to be inside of myself. Inside of me I have created a highly respected institution of higher learning. It’s a means to get where I want to go. It’s a lovely setting that is easy to negotiate. It’s a place to listen. I’m here to participate in a program. I am joining a part of myself that is an organized group to make beautiful sounds. It’s a new beginning for me, a celebration of a milestone. I thought I might be too late to participate. I also didn’t have the right equipment. I didn’t have anything to make music with. All these parts of me should have been on stage, but we were just with the listeners, sitting in a fixed position where we couldn’t move. I was even isolated from my group. I was handicapped with no room. I was uncomfortable. It was impossible to do what I was supposed to do. I wouldn’t even be able to read the music. The leader in me was the only part of myself who was where he was supposed to be. He was quite knowledgeable, but arrogant. This was normal for him, although many parts of me wouldn’t understand him. He was talking about books and this was in a part of myself that was highly respected.

Initial analysis

This dream is in three distinct parts. The first part refers to a celebration of growth that was taking place in a lovely setting within the dreamer; it should be recognition of a milestone. But it isn’t. Something is wrong as is clearly described in the second part of the dream. Parts of the dreamer are not where they should be within himself. He’s uncomfortable and he doesn’t feel as if he is in a “position to perform.” (Interesting imagery!) Finally, there is the part of the dream that describes the leader—meaning the leader inside of the dreamer himself. He has made himself arrogant and incomprehensible to the rest of himself.

It will be very interesting to get the dreamer’s own take on what is going on within himself. I’m traveling all this week and next, so my schedule is off, but I’ll do my best.

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