Recurring dream - forgotton second home

[little_dreamer]

In the dream I will have a primary home, but I am entering the second home that I have forgotton about for several months or years.

Mostly these are apartments/flats, but sometimes they are large houses with many rooms that are quite elaborate.

None of these dream homes are like any ones that I have actually lived in.

There are usually not people living in dream homes, but sometimes there are friends, relatives, or strangers living there.

Every now and then, there is a ghost as well! These are the scary ones.

Mostly I just walk around the rooms of the dream house, wondering how in the world I forgot about the place.

Some have nice views of the city, beach, or gardens, so I can be disappointed when I wake up that I don't live there.

What does this all mean?

[eight bits]

What does this all mean?

Disclaimer Only the dreamer can interpret a dream. However, there are some stock dream characters and motifs which have been dreamt by many people in different times and places. I can point those out, and write about what they have meant to many others who have dreamt them. Only you can say whether they mean the same things to you.

The basic motif here is probably the most famous of the Jungian dreams, what might be called "Familiar House." Apart from the setting being a dwelling place where the dreamer belongs in some sense, the characteristic dream action of this motif is exploring the place.

Mostly I just walk around the rooms of the dream house

And Familiar House is frequently a recurring dream, as is yours.

You have "customized" the motif with a complementary device, the false biography. That is, you "remember" that you own the house or apartment, when in fact you do not. False biographical details are common in dreams. I had one myself a few nights ago when I "remembered" playing a team sport as an adult (which I had as a child, but I was an adult in the dream).

The standard Familiar House often has several floors, or maybe a yard to go exploring in. By making this your "second house," you may have nicely accomplished the same thing, with a bit of originality .

Typically, the Familiar House dreamer sees the dreamscape as a representation of the dreamer's mind, or the dreamer's life, or both at the same time. Within that framework, exploring the house is a natural image of thinking about things, or looking for solutions to problems, or finding and recognizing opportunities.

In the single-house version, different floors seem to represent past-present-future, or waking-unconscious distinctions. I would guess that a "second" house would correspond to the attic or basement of the usual single house - something different from the waking mind, or different from your present circumstances.

As you can see, that leaves a lot of "meaning" left to be filled in. The words of the disclaimer are offered seriously. You have to figure this out. But, hopefully, you will find this hint about what the framework often represents to be helpful in your deliberations.

Edited August 31, 2008 by eight bits

[little_dreamer]

Thanks eight bits, I will be sure to research the Jungian "Familiar House".

Sometimes I think that the forgotten homes/rooms may represent hidden or forgotten talents or parts of my mind.

[Porcelain Doll]

Thanks eight bits, I will be sure to research the Jungian "Familiar House".

Sometimes I think that the forgotten homes/rooms may represent hidden or forgotten talents or parts of my mind.

I thought the same thing when I read your post - forgotton house = forgotten talents.

One of the most useful dream interpretation techniques I have found to work was used by Edgar Cayce. No matter how long or short or detailed or not detailed a dream is, sum it up in one sentence. This usually gives a strong cue to information the dream is trying to relate.

If I were you, I would also explore your own forgotten talents. Couldn't hurt.

Edited September 2, 2008 by Porcelain Doll

[HkSills]

I have dreamt of many different houses as long as I can remember. At one point I wanted to become an architect since I was receiving cool free floor plans in my sleep. Each house is always large and very elaborate, in full color. Some I only dream of once, others many times. Most are beautiful and fully furnished and decorated, others have issues like clutter or broken doors. My main problem with these dreams is that I have found, in real life, several of these houses. I don’t seek them out, I just happen to come across them. East end House in Scotland is one of them. There are videos on YouTube of walk throughs although it is now in a terrible state of disrepair. I was probably ten the first time I had this dream. I’m 44 now. In my dream it’s beautiful with yellow walls and white bead board. In one video you can see the yellow in one of the stairwells. The main staircase is the center of the dream and it’s still quite nice, all beautiful wood. The walls are rounded at corners and this convinced me it was just a silly dream, that they don’t do that to walls. I was wrong. I honestly had a full on panic attack watching the video like please don’t let that be a kitchen! And it was. I found the video after doing some ancestry research as my maiden name is Carmicheal. I’ve never been aware of this house, my father is the last of his line and I’ve never had contact with any other Carmicheal member of my family. I honestly had no knowledge of this place. But this is only one example. I don’t see how the dream interpretation fits with the fact that I dream of many many houses, I see all of the rooms as I move through it. I’m usually alone but sometimes people I know are in it. Clean or cluttered, it doesn’t match up with what’s going on in my life. My biggest problem with all of this is that my dejavu feeling literally rocks me. I go pale and sweaty, get dizzy and start to panic. The line between dream and reality blurs and it’s just about the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced. I have reoccurring dreams about being in the passenger seat or back seat of a car no one is driving. That’s simple: I don’t feel in control. So I am capable of having simple symbolic dreams. These house dreams though...

[eight bits]

Welcome aboard, HkSills

That's an interesting report. My disclaimer has evolved over the years, but the basic thought is still there, and I  include it whenever I think my post in this section might be mistaken for a "dream interpretation."

"Familiar house" is famous, because a famous person had the dream and wrote about it (Carl Jung). I've also found it pretty reliable that other dreamers relate to Jung's interpretation of his dream, when the action of their dream is centered on exploring the house or surrounding area, as his was.

But as Jung himself said, if the dreamer doesn't agree that some explanation fits their dream, then that's that. Even the most reliable and best attested motifs fall under that. As I put it back then, Only you can say whether they mean the same things to you.

Quote

I don’t see how the dream interpretation fits with the fact that I dream of many many houses,

Everybody has their own dreaming style. You seem to have taken a widely dreamt motif and adapted it to your own style. That's not so bad, I don't think.

Now, what you're saying is not just that you dream about visiting houses, but then sometimes it turns out that they are real houses and you find them in waking life (or they find you). Dreaming of something and then encountering an example of it in real life was one of Jung's most famous examples of synchronicity.

Here are two thoughts about a way forward:

- if you aren't familiar with synchronicity, it's a searchable term, and you might want to check it out and see what you think.

- you might also want to think about ways you could know about the house that was in your family without being conscious that you knew about it. We all do know more than we know we know, but it can be spooky to discover that you know something complicated (like the details of a house's architecture) and don't know how you know it, and don't even know any possible way that you could know it.

Both are worthy projects, IMO.

Anyway, it's a very nice report; thanks for posting it. This thread appeared during my first few months here at UM. Although "necroposting" is frowned upon by the management, I admit that it was fun to revisit this thread.

And here's the disclaimer as I put it now:

Disclaimer: I don't interpret other people's dreams, but some dream motifs and characters are dreamt by many people, and I sometimes recognize those motifs and characters. I might be able to tell you what several people who have dreamt dreams like yours have thought about their dreams, but only you can decide whether that has anything to do with your personal dream.

-

Edited January 18, 2018 by eight bits