WATER OF LIFE

I had a dream where I’m with my son and daughter at CSU (where I used to work) in something like the engineering building. I trying to find a way out of the building. We go down some stairs and over some metal ladder that is quite a tight squeeze to get over. I see signs for an emergency shampoo bath for those who get chemicals on them in the rooms below. We had already gone out this way once before but this time I didn’t want to have my kids go down in that area near those rooms because of the danger of chemicals. The way back over the ladder is even smaller than before and I don’t think I can get through. I talk to someone on the other side and they try to tell me how to get through.

Next thing I know I’m downstairs with my kids (we ended up going there after all). There are some people and one is a guy talking about how he was an astrophysicist but got into nuclear engineering because he took a chance and applied for a highly competitive scholarship that he thought he would never get.

I believe God is telling me through this dream that I’m already on the narrow way (that is following Jesus) and that I just have to proceed forward and release my fears (claustrophobic feeling of wanting to get out) and worries about myself and my kids. I have to go the way down, because the way up is down. The way to live in Christ is to die to self. The way to be lifted up by Christ is to humble ourselves. Here is a great sermon on being “downwardly mobile“.

Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Philippians 2:3

The LORD lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground. Psalm 147:6

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you. 1 Peter 5:6

Humility comes before honor. Proverbs 15:33, 18:12

Here are some dream dictionary symbol definitions:

Astrophysics - a branch of astronomy dealing esp. with the behavior, physical properties, and dynamic processes of celestial objects and phenomena.

Nuclear - of relating to the atomic nucleus -reaction -physics, used in or produced in a nuclear reaction -fuel -waste -energy.

Nucleus - the central and most important part of an object, movement, or group, forming the basis for its activity and growth.

Engineering - the application of science or mathematics by which the properties of matter and the sources of energy are made useful to people.

ASTROPHYSICS AND NUCLEAR ENGINEERING SEEM SIMILAR TO THE LAYMAN LIKE ME—HIGHLY SCIENTIFIC AND MATHEMATICAL, BUT AFTER LOOKING AT THE definitions I can see the difference and how it applies to my life. God, like the nucleus, is the central and most important part of everything and is the basis for all our activity and growth. Engineering is the application of God’s Word by which His power is made useful to all people. Astrophysics is the study of the behavior, properties, and processes of celestial objects. Celestial objects is a symbol for God.

I could probably spend more time unpacking all the symbols in the dream but I think I’ve gotten the general gist of what He’s trying to say to me. I believe He is telling me I will move from focusing on understanding the character of God and the processes He has gone through with man (the history in the Bible) to the application of his power here on earth in all kinds of situations (kind of like the way we can use nuclear energy for different purposes). It will require me to take chance on something I think is impossible but ultimately is possible for God (e.g. applying for a job I think I have no chance of getting).

I had a dream where I’m at a very narrow entrance to a cave hotel. Have to crawl through to get inside. I don’t want to crawl in there. Next thing I know I’m inside with my family. Its not bad or cramped inside but I have strong fear or feelings of claustrophobia. I talk to the hotel desk about getting a room that’s not in a cave. He seems to find one and I ask the price. He says $60 (or maybe $50). My family seems to want to stay in the cave hotel (maybe because it’s a unique experience) but I just can’t stay so I will have to pay for a new room at the same time I’m paying for the room my wife and kids are staying in the cave hotel. I drive and go look at the other room. Its a nice two story cottage and there is a cleaning lady finishing cleaning it. I think I talk to her.

Here are some dream dictionary symbol interpretations:

Hotel: A transition phase in your life. A temporary residence - the reason behind your stay at the hotel will provide further interpretational clues. Transitional aspect of identity

Being in a dark cave: you are overwhelmed by a current situation or present problems.

Cave: Hiding places of asylum and deliverance; wanderers; place where someone is buried; place of solitude where God speaks. (1 Sam. 22: 1-2, 24; Heb. 11: 38; 1 Kings 18: 4, 13; 19: 5 Josh. 10: 16, 27)

In the past few years I’ve had at least a dozen hotel dreams. They are confirmations that I am in a transition phase in my life or in a transition phase of an aspect of my identity—probably both. Feelings are the key to understanding a dream because they can tell me what part of my life the dream applies. Where in my life am I having the same feelings as the dream? I’ve had claustrophobic feelings of wanting to get out. In real life I want to get out of my job and get out of a high cost-of-living area.

The entrance to the cave was very narrow so that I would have to crawl in carefully. My wife heard somewhere that ‘the narrow way’ in Hebrew literally means ‘is compacted with pressure’. All Christians know that following Jesus is the narrow way and the wide road only leads to destruction. The narrow way also leads to a life where God speaks. God spoke to Elijah in a cave. A cave is also a place before resurrection—like Jesus’ and symbolically like David in the cave before being elevated to King. It’s interesting to note the non-biblical interpretation of cave doesn’t have the message of hope encapsulated in the Biblical interpretation.

There are other layers of meaning to this dream (like the number six or sixty meaning I’m going the fleshly way) but the important message of hope for me is to not listen to my feelings because I’m in a temporary place and a place of deliverance (probably from many things past and current) and prior to a resurrection.

In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. 1 Peter 5:10

Use a thesaurus for dream symbol meanings! This is a great way to avoid all the occult dream symbol interpretation that pervades on the web.

For example here are couple of the thesaurus synonyms that seemed to resonate with a dream about a highrise: elevated, lofty.

Here is an dream dictionary definition that also seemed to resonate or ring true: To see a skyscraper in your dream, represents your high ideals, creativity and imagination. You always aim high at whatever you do.

Another example, here are some of the thesaurus synonyms that seemed to resonate with a dream about a ceiling: Covering, Maximum, Delimit means to draw the boundaries or limits of something; limit (noun) means the greatest possible degree of something or the point beyond which something cannot or may not proceed - limit (verb) means to restrict or confine. Limit marks an end to something; limitation is the extent of one’s capacity or a constraint that stops something.

Here is a dream dictionary definition that also seemed to resonate or ring true: Ceilings can symbolize a limitation as in I reached the ceiling of my ability. As they are always above your head ceilings can symbolize the mind and / or spiritual aspects of yourself.

I like to use this website to find symbol meanings: http://en.mimi.hu/dreams, but I am constantly sifting through all the occult stuff (including psychological definitions) to find ones that ring true. Frequently there are symbols that aren’t listed in the dream dictionary but the thesaurus always has it. Also, the thesaurus can be used to find similar words that might be in the dream dictionary. For example, the word ‘highrise’ wasn’t in the dream dictionary but the thesaurus listed ’skyscraper’ as a synonym and I found the word ’skyscraper’ in the dream dictionary.

I’m trying to catch a cockroach at night in our kitchen (our real life kitchen). It’s actually a crab. Its sort of on top of a grocery plastic bag on the counter. I have a bunch of paper towels in my hand and I quickly put them over the top of it and try to pull up the plastic bag around it. I don’t see it and wonder if I caught it.

Here are some symbol interpretations off the web:

KITCHEN: A place of transformation where you can change parts of your nature. It also links with how well you provide for yourself or neglect your body needs. The kitchen is a place of warmth and nourishment (emotional as well as physical).

CRAB: There may be too much dependence, clinging and forcefulness in your life. The crab may also symbolize your inability to effectively move forward and address your own difficulties. (Remember the crab often moves sideways or backwards.)

To see a crab in your dream, signifies you perseverance and tenacity. On an extreme note, you maybe be too clingy and dependent and hanging on to a hopeless endeavor.

This is what I think God is trying to tell me through this dream:
Cockroaches are something I definitely fight against having in the kitchen and it’s been a endless battle. There is something that is bugging me and is an endless battle like trying to catch the cockroaches in the kitchen. Something I’m depending on and clinging onto for emotional nourishment? Usually when I have kitchen dreams it’s not in my real kitchen so I think this one has a literal meaning in addition to a symbolic one. It’s about what I eat.

I keep moving backwards and sideways when it comes to overeating and not eating sugar. I’m not overweight but overeating is obviously the sin of gluttony and the doc says I’m pre-diabetic so too much glucose is also a no-no. I’m hanging onto a hopeless behavior and neglecting my bodies needs. I can control it (or maybe think I can) by what I put in the grocery bag (at the grocery store). Basically, I need God’s transformation in this part of my life.