Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Post for Jan. 7

Hello All,

Pages 3-35 of Stevens's Ariadne's Clue introduce some of the background explanations and contexts for symbols and archetypes. One example he gives of a context in which these symbols and archetypes find expression is in dreams, and he cites a study by psychologists Hall and Nordby in which they classified verious types of dreams that transcend any particular culture or era:

"These typical dreams, as we shall call them, are experienced by virtually every dreamer [...] These typical dreams express the shared concerns, preoccupations and interests of all dreamers. They may be said to constitute the universal constants of the human psyche" (as cited in Stevens, p. 21).

On that same page, Stevens gives a list of these universal dreams.

For your post, describe one dream that you have had that would fall into one of these categories.

For example, Stevens gives the example of "being pursued by hostile strangers"; in one such dream, I was being chased through the woods by a group of villagers with pitchforks and torches. It was night, and I could see the lights from their torches through the trees as I was running. It was almost like I was in a black-and-white monster film from the 1950s and I was the monster. Luckily, I awoke before they could catch me.

31 comments:

  1. -Roy Alvarado English 310 (10542)/ January 5, 2011
    One of Steven’s dream lists that I can relate to is the dream of being pursued by hostile strangers. I am the type of guy who is into songs that relate to the Mexican Drug War and Cartels also known as “Corridos”, yet I guess I hear and know them too much that one night they lead me to a crazy dream. The dream began at the club where the most popular band was going to show up. The environment was loud music, people dancing, and darkness full of flashing lights. There I am dancing as well, when I suddenly decide to take a break and go buy myself a bottle of water and as I reach into my pockets I feel that someone has put drugs into my pockets and I am shocked because I do not use or will ever use drugs and when I least expect it I see a group of guys pointing at me and headed towards me as if I was responsible for something that I had no idea about, so as the dream continued I decided to start running to avoid getting ambushed by these men, so I ran out through the back door of the club and headed into a pitch dark alley and I turn around to see a few guys shooting their guns at me and myself ducking and running. After a while I outran them and lost them. Thereafter, I thought I was safe but I saw numerous police cars turn around the corner shouting at me to get on the ground, yet I decide to run again and head into a restaurant to flush the drugs that were not mine down the drain, but I was too late. By the time I turned around in a hurry I saw officers pointing their guns, bright flashlights, and tazers at me. Subsequently, my daily alarm goes on in the morning and I wake up panicked and worried due to my weird dream where I was being pursued by hostile strangers as Steven’s describes in his list of typical dreams.

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  2. Calie Wright

    One type of dream that I had that can be found on Hall's dream list is traveling. In my dream I was riding my horse, Merry Love, across a field. It seemed like a long distance traveling across that field. There was high grass that reached up to touch her belly as we moved through it. The flowers that were growing throughout the grass were vibrant in their red, blue, and purple colors. When we finally reached the other side of the field their was a sparkling stream that we had to cross in order to keep traveling. Before we had finished crossing the stream I woke up. To me taht dream of traveling with my horse is special because she was put to sleep when I was a teenager. My dream fits under traveling in Hall's list of dreams because I was traveling with my Merry Love across a beautiful field of dreams.

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  3. Francisco Hernandez

    The dream that I can relate to from the typical dreams' list is falling. I do not remember the dream as clearly as it happened, but I will tell what I remember. The dream started with me climbing a tall rock. This was almost like the indoor rock climbing attraction we have at the recreation center, but this was outdoors without any gear to protect from falling. Also, the background was completely black and all that had color was the brown tall rock. As follow, I reached the top of the rock. I stood up and began looking down. I remembered being scared of the height. Then, something pushed me off the rock. My first impression was I am going to die, but surprisingly I landed in my feet. The first thought that came to me was that my knees were broken. I took a look at my knees and they were broken. Furthermore, I see that part of my bone, in both knees, is out, but there is no blood anywhere. Finally, I wake up and verify that this was just a dream, thank God.

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  4. Thalia Rios

    The type of dream that I had and is found on Hall's dream list is falling. In my dream I was being chased by a dog through the mountains. I remember running and trying to get away form the dog as soon as possible. Then suddenly, I reached a cliff and turned back to see the dog getting near so I jumped of the cliff and that's when the eternal fall happen. I say eternal because I remember that most of the dream I was falling down that cliff. That morning I woke up tiered and panicked.

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  5. Chika Nwanonenyi

    Hall's typical dream that I have experienced is falling. The details of my dream is not so clear. I was at a fair but it was deserted. I was the only one the ride. The mini coaster took me up and down non-stop. I yelled for someone to turn it off and get me down. All of a sudden the the harness unlocked and the sit tilted forward. I began to fall, as well as scream, which felt like forever. The next day as I awoke I could feel my heart drop.It was beating so fast. That was a horrible feeling.

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  6. Ashley Corvera
    English 310
    One of the “typical” dreams on Hall’s list that I have experienced would be a dream that I have at least a few times a year and it involves swimming or being in the water. I love to swim but I do not like swimming in water that is not a swimming pool. I guess a have a fear of the “unknown” in water that is not a pool. Back to a reoccurring dream that I have had involves me being in the middle of the ocean. In my dream I can feel massive fear of the water. However, in my dream I soon cope with the fact that the only way to get out of the water is that I have to swim or walk on the water to get out. But the whole time I am swimming or walking to get out of the water I still fear the water but I have accepted the fact that there is no way out and I must go on. Sometimes the dream feels like it goes on and on and on and there is no way out of the water until I wake up.

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  7. Marco Aguiniga

    The type of dream that I've had that is one Hall's list is being pursude by hostile strangers. The dream involved me walking around my house and suddenly I would realize that someone was after me with intentions to kill me. When I would run into that person, I would hurt them and thought I was done with them. A few seconds later, I would run into that person and I would hurt them again. This would repeat over and over again until I would wake.

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  8. Diala Nimri
    A universal dream from Hall’s list that I can relate to would have to be everything on that list. I have crazy dreams very often. But if I had to choose one, it would be falling. I am always dreaming of falling off of things, may it be buildings, beds, into holes, stepping of the ledge and falling for a long time, being pushed, and even falling off of boats in the water. One dream I particularly remember is one where I was trying to save my daughter. I remember this dream very well because I do not have any children yet. I was walking with my daughter and we were on the tip of a mountain, the very top, the peak. She slipped and started to fall but my arm stretched far enough to stop her from falling any further. My arm stretched to about a mile long; I was like Elastigirl from “The Incredibles”. I lost my balance and we both started to fall. As soon as my feet left the ground, I woke up! And that was the end of my dream. The worst thing about “falling” dreams is you always wake up as you’re about to fall! I can never finish the dream to see what happens to me. Did I get crushed, did I land a perfect 10, or was there a waterbed that caught my fall? I will never know!

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  9. I have always been intrigued about what dreams symbolize, and find this book very fascinating. I have had many dreams, most I don’t remember with much detail, but there are two that have stuck with me. One of them is having the feeling of a free fall, like being on a ledge of the tallest building in the world and suddenly losing my step and falling. Of course I do wake up immediately after, but I still get that tickle in my stomach. Another dream I used to have, involved flying, not on an air plane, but like Superman. What’s funny about this particular dream is that I had it in sections (like taking baby steps) so the first few dreams I would have trouble taking off, then after mastering the taking off I would have problems maneuvering (crash in to buildings, etc.). Once I learned how to fly in the air, I had trouble landing, but eventually got to do it correctly. This dream has been my favorite one because I actually got to fly and obviously never gave up until I was able to do everything right. Unfortunately, and I’m not sure why, I haven’t had any more flying dreams since then. The only connection I can think from this dream is that I tend to work very hard for what I want and rarely give up on any challenge. I do miss having that dream, because it gave me a sense of freedom, happiness and self-power.- Zully

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  10. Sandra Garcia

    My dream would go under the category of both travelling and falling. In my dream, I was in an abnormally huge plane. It was maybe three times bigger than a regular plane. The whole front of the plane was glass but it was also like a window. The front could be opened up so the pilot and co-pilot could board the plane. I was on the plane with my family and many other people who I didn’t know and we were already up in the sky flying. I was very excited to arrive at our destination. While up in the sky the front opened up just as the plane was pointing downward and at the same time as I decided to get up and start walking. I fell and began sliding towards the front of the plane. I was screaming and trying to hold on to anything that was in reach but I continued falling and fell right out of the plane. The fall seemed like forever. I woke up with my heart pounding and terrified until I realized I had only been dreaming.

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  11. Rosa Mendoza

    One of the dreams that I had that falls into one of Stevens categories is the one of "being pursued by hostile strangers". This is a strange and scary dream at the same time. I had an uncle that passed away a while ago, and who I loved a lot. In my dream I was walking by myself when I felt that someone was in back of me. Then I turned back, and I saw two guys that were following me. I started walking faster and faster because I was scared. After a while I started running because the two guys were getting closer and closer every time. I then started screaming asking for help and no one helped me out. Then that’s when I decided to turn around one more time and I noticed that one of those two guys wasn't a stranger, it was my uncle that passed away and he was following me. When I saw him I got scared and I started to run faster because I didn't wanted for him to touch me. I was scare to think that he was getting near me. I also remember telling him to stop following me because I was scared of him. I used to love my uncle and I couldn't understand the fact that I was scared of him.

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  12. A typical dream from hall's list that I can relate to would have to be "being pursued by hostile strangers". My dream started in a dark alley by some train tracks. I was walking down this alley and started to feel so uneasy and nervous, as if I was being followed.I looked back and noticed a man in a black cloak, but I could not see his face. He started to walk faster towards me, so I ran. The alley felt as if it was so long and that I was being pushed back as I ran. I finally reached a street light and some bushes. On the other side of the bushes I could see my grandma. I then proceeded to scream, yet I couldn't hear myself and neither could my grandma. For some reason I couldn't get past the bushes. I just kept screaming and even in my dream, I could not hear it. The cloaked man grabbed me by my mouth and it all went black. I woke up so nervous and anxious, I had to call my grandma and tell her about it.

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  13. Ariana Branson

    One of the typical dreams that I have that fits onto the list would be a dream dealing with landscapes. In this dream I am wandering through the desert and the sky is filled with gray stormy clouds. But directly in front of me is a gorgeous sunset. However, if I try walking towards the sunset it immediately turns into storm clouds. So every time during this dream I end up walking along the side of an empty road with never ending desert all around me. The only thing I see the entire time is power lines stretching down the road.

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  14. Baleria A.

    The type of dream that I've had from Hall's list is being pursued by hostile strangers. I don’t dream as often as I used to, or remember what I dream; but I remember one dream were I arrived to my house at night and no one was home all the lights were turned off, and the house was quiet. I check the rooms and no one was in the house. The last room I checked was my mother’s room and as I am walking out of the room I hear someone trying to open the back sliding door from the living room and as I walk toward the sliding door I see someone dressed in all black trying to break in. I then rush out the front door and run toward my neighbors house screaming and yelling for help and I turn back and I see the stranger chasing after me and as I’m knocking on the door as hard as I can and see the stranger coming near me then I wake up with my heart pumping fast glad it was just a dream.

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  15. Hilda Nieblas

    The typical dream on this list that I have had is “getting married”. Some time ago now, I had a dream that I was getting married. It was a very unusual situation. It felt as though it was a gunshot wedding and that really concerned me. In the dream I can recall looking for my family members and nobody could be found. Then I searched to look for my best friend, who was supposed to be my maid of honor so she could explain what was going on but just like my family she was nowhere to be found. When I looked out at the crowd there were only three individuals dressed in Halloween costumes. When it was my turn to say “I do” I began to cry and that is when I woke up.

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  16. Derek L.

    Stevens discusses a typical dream where the dreamer is "pursued by hostile strangers." This is a dream I have experienced with many scenarios. In the most recent example of this typical dream, I found myself being chased throughout my neighborhood by a group of individuals. It seemed that they were able to find me regardless of my hiding spot. The dream seemed to continue, even though I thought I woke up a couple of times. I was unaware of why I was being pursued in the dream.

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  17. Lauri Slocumb

    The typical dream that i relate to on the list is flying. I dream about flying almost every time I dream. It’s wonderful flying just above the tree line. Feeling the wind on my face and giving life to the leaves as I fly by. I love to fly fast and through canyons. I travel and see places that I have never seen before in this life time. Magnificent places! A point is raised in my mind, if we are predisposed to symbolism, then have I already seen these places before?

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  18. Gonzalo Heredia

    One of the "typical dreams on Hall's dreams list that i had experienced is a dream involving predatory animals. I have dream this dream several times. The dream usually starts with me inside my house. for some unknown reason, i decide to take a walk. Once i am in the porch, i notice a pack of wolves near by. Automatically i start to run to a tree with a tree house. It does not take long before the pack of wolves gives chase. Fortunately, i always get to the tree before they get to me. I start to climb the tree in order to get inside the tree house. I never get to the to the treehouse because i fall just before getting to the treehouse. I keep falling and i usually wake up, but i don't get ever to see the end of the dream.

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  19. Joanna Marcial

    The Typical dream that i have experienced from stevens list are a few, i tend to dream very often. One of them that i will never forget is being pusued by hostil strangers. I awoke because i heard my brother yelling but i didnt get up to see what happened until i heard the secind scream. As i walked down the hall to the stairs i saw a witch walking up the stairs laughing, and as soon as she saw me she started running towards me. I ran back to my bed and put the blanket over my head, and thats when i woke up

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  20. Regina Gottwald
    The Common type of dream that I have experienced my entire life is of falling. I am walking in a moss covered rock area with a stream beside it. I come to a large opening of a tunnel, and I start falling backwards down the tunnel. I just keep falling untill I wake up, and I am panic stricken.It seem a little like Alice falling down the rabbit hole but more scarry, and nothing interesting to look at on the way down.

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  21. The type of dream that I can relate to is one that involves a predator animal. I was in a house on the reefs of an ocean and the house was all glass so I felt as if I were standing on the reefs with the protection. I could see the water underneath me as if I were standing on water and the waves coming towards me. I would flinch as if they were going to hit me but the glass would block the waves. Then I noticed there was a hole in the bottom of the house, like a fishing hole about a diameter of two feet. Then I see this shark swimming up towards me from the bottom of the ocean. Justin Timberlake is coming to help me in a canoe but he can’t get to me because the glass house is in his way. We could see each other standing right next to each other through the glass. I am desperately trying to get in the canoe and trying to stay dry because now the water was coming in from the fishing hole. I see the shark swimming quicker up towards the fishing hole to get me. As the shark furiously breaks through the glass, I wake up.

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  22. Maricela Isarraras
    One of the dreams I had that is in Hall's list would be that I was pursued by hostile strangers. I did not recognize their face but one of them had a bloody face. They were chasing my dad and me down the streets from our neighborhood. Every time that night I went back to sleep I dreamed about something different that was related to it. Once in awhile I still have those scary dreams.

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  23. Javier Calderon

    One of the typical dreams that I can relate to the most is that of flying, especially because most of the times I dream of flying, I am aware that I am dreaming. It usually begins this way, by my being aware that I am dreaming, thinking of the possibilities of what I can do in the dream world, and knowing that I am all-powerful. If I am indoors in the beginning, I go outside by walking through walls, or jumping out through the roof. Once in an open space, I look down as if to pull some kind of special force, and as I look up I simultaneously start to fly.

    One interesting note is that my flying in the dream world has evolved throughout my lifetime: flying low as a child, floating high as a teen, and superman style as an adult.

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  24. Nicole Lackey
    The most common dream I have is probably being chased by hostile strangers. Although it often involves my daughter. We are always in danger and trying to get away from whatever or whoever is chasing us. In most of these dreams there are also other dangers involved such as guns or bombs. Another reoccurring dream I have is a horrible one. I constantly have dreams of my daughter dying. It is the worst feeling in the world and I am usually still shaken up when I wake up. Not sure if that would fit into the being chased by strangers or not even though her death is often caused by the actions of a stranger.

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  25. The dream I experience most in Steven’s dream list is the “falling” dream. I quite frequently have dreams of falling. It is not just from one location. I have had dreams of falling off cliffs as well as my parent’s house and numerous other locations. The dream I remember mostly is a dream I had where I was hiking thorough the mountains and then I reached a cliff edge and I was looking down and as I was looking down I fell over and I remember waking in a panic. I guess this dream might even be a combination of the Steven’s “falling” dream and “traveling” dream.

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  26. Cristina Elizondo
    Usually my dreams end in panic and that's due to the fact that I'm always being followed by an evil being. In my dreams I have been chased by anything one could imagine, people, animals, and even non-living objects. While I'm being chased I'm always helpless, I lose my voice so that I cannot cry for help or I lose my strenghth so that I cannot fight back and I usually wake up in panic and out of breath.

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  27. The dream that I frequently experience from this list is that of falling. There is no premise to this dream, no reason for falling. I am simply doing so. Thought it does often take place off of a rocky cliff, I start the dream descending. I end the dream just before I hit anything. That end usually results in me jerking awake with a single, yet rather violent, spasm.

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  28. (Previous post regarding falling dream by Bryce Rankins)

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  29. Unfortunately, this is one assignment that I will be unable to complete. Due to horrors in my childhood, I do not remember my dreams and most of my childhood has been blocked from my memory. I had to ask my husband if it would be okay to "borrow" one of his dreams and he agreed that it would be for the best. My husband, is one of those rare individuals that actually dreams in color. Wayne indicated to me that he often has dreams in which he is chased, but he does not know by what. Feelings of great fear and thoughts of the need to get away and hide, fill his mind during these dreams, and he has awoken quite startled on many occasions. Wayne thinks that the thing that is chasing him is not exactly a boogie man, but not quite human either. Wayne tells me that this "Thing" is always surrounded by a mist, and is always just a step behind him as he runs and even has the ability to anticipate direction changes as if mind reading is a part of it's qualities. To speak with Wayne, he is just a simple man, raised with a 1950's mentality, and he has a heart of gold and looks like a big teddy bear. To find that this wonderful person is afraid of the dark, heights and tight spaces, makes him seem all the more human and lovable. I am blessed to be his wife, and that he feels comfortable enough with who he is to share his fears with me. In analysis of this dream type, perhaps Wayne is experiencing some anxiety in his life that may manifest itself during his dream state. This is in fact a true possibility, as my husband recently changed jobs in September, 2010. The new career required him to learn computers and prepare presentations.. something that is a HUGE challenge for my quiet and private husband. For a man that barely made it out of high school and went directly into a construction job, he took the challenge and faced it head-on. The fact that he has kept going, and has made great strides in meeting the expectations of his employers, is pretty amazing. Coincidentally, the chase dreams did increase after the job change... Wayne tells me. I am hoping that as he settles into this job and begins to feel more comfortable, the fears will abate, and he can relax. Melissa L. Sherman

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  30. Ashly Anfield
    The most common dream that i have is being chased by hostile strangers. In these dreams i get chased by people who are trying to catch me. I can feel the intense feelings of not wanting to caught by them. Also a type of fear would come over my body and it felt so real. Most of the times this type of dream happens in the dark.

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