Speedboat Survivor

Dear Peregrin,

I am crowded into a large racing powerboat with a group of people, including my mother. As we speed along the surface, suddenly, a gigantic wave engulfs our craft and causes it to plunge underwater. Somehow, I manage to hold onto it, thinking that it will emerge from the depths because it feels so buoyant. As it rises to the surface, others try to hang on. Some can, but others cannot. I am worried about my mother and worried about running out of breath before we reach the surface. Finally, the boat pops out of the water, but throws us all overboard into the sea. There are dead bodies and debris around me and I look for my mother but can't find her. Then, I discover I am among other strong swimmers and we shed our clothing and swim to shore, fearing another large wave will crash over us and kill us.

Once on land, I continue searching for my mother, but discover she has drowned and I am filled with grief and start to cry. Those of us who have survived and are ashore find ourselves standing naked in a very quiet, wealthy seaside neighborhood. We wander around the empty streets for a bit before we enter a house, thinking it is unoccupied. I'm still feeling sad about my mother, when I hear that one of the swimmers has murdered the occupants of the house. It wasn't empty after all!

Through a window, I see a school bus stop outside and let off a teenaged girl and I start sobbing because she's about to find out her entire family has been wiped out by someone in our group. When the police vehicles swarm onto the scene, some of us retreat to the expansive backyard, planted with a lush lawn and tropical plants, including blooming birds of paradise and mature aloes. A man calls out to me to come to the end of the yard, which is a cliff overlooking the ocean. He dives in and I follow him, hoping to keep my hands in front of me to break the shock of hitting the water below. We survive the dive and together, we swim a short distance to a lush island that looks like Tahiti. A woman is there who doesn't care that we're still naked. Then I wake up.

Joan

Good morning, Joan.

There's a strong feeling of guilt and sorrow throughout the dream, so it seems like an attempt to deal with these emotions. The sorrow seems to come mainly from loss.

The dream seems to represent your own journey through life.

The travellers in your boat probably represents facets of yourself - ideals, values. When the boat goes under, you try very hard to hold on - perhaps clinging to behaviors that do not seem to work? Several of these ideals do not survive. Your mother, in this case, may represent a sense of security and childlike innocence - lost.

When it comes time to swim on your own, you lose more "companions," as well as a sense of safey (the clothing). Those that survive are strong, but ruthless, harming other people in an attempt to take care of themselves - yourself. Then, you flee rather than face the consequences of your actions. This incident may parallel something in your waking life for which you still feel guilty - someone was harmed (represented by the teenage girl), and you feel responsible. The girl may even be yourself.

You follow a man, through a garden filled with phallic symbols. But you cannot stay here - it seems that this kind of love does not offer safety to you.

The end of your journey may not yet be realized in waking life, but it seems to be your goal: to find the same unconditional love and sense of security that you knew as a child.

Pleasant dreams,

Peregrin