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Staircase Stairs
As a baby, stairs presented a huge challenge. To deal with them we had to develop several major abilities, such as steady balance, confidence, control of fear of falling, strength of purpose. Therefore, stairs represent many feelings in connection with achievement, failure, climbing and falling. When these feelings also connect with work, relationship, social standing or sex, then we use stairs as a symbol of what we are feeling.
Running up: We sometimes use this in our dreams when we are trying to escape from urges arising from lower down in the body – so it is a movement of attention towards the abstract or mental, away from fears arising from the unconscious or sexuality. So lack of confidence, a fear of failing or not being capable is also a common feeling in connection with stairs. If you are running up with pleasure, then it suggests exuberance producing a change in your feelings and situation.
Skimming down: This is a dream often experienced by children. It is almost like flying down the stairs, the feet just touching the edge of the stairs every so often, creating an exhilarating sense of pleasure. The reason for the dream is most likely that going down stairs as a young child is a difficult and dangerous skill. Most of us have fallen at some point. As we gain greater physical control and can run down stairs, a sense of greater achievement arises. Not only stairs, but other areas of our environment that were dangerous, are now a source of pleasure. The dream translates this feeling into the image of skimming the stairs.
Comments
Hi Tony,
Hope you had a happy Thanksgiving. I had another interesting dream recently, and I’d love your insight as to what it means.
In this dream, I was part of a group of people on some sort of journey or expedition. The first part of the dream, we were rafting/boating down a river that had some sleeping crocodiles in it. A woman who’d somehow ended up out of the boat was walking through the water carefully, so as to not wake the sleeping crocs. I’m not sure if the woman was me or not, because I could see her as though I was outside of her, but I felt the tension of trying to walk carefully.
The second part of the dream, my group had made it our of the river and were walking along a path when we saw the next part of our journey – the tallest, sky-high vertical, narrow mountain we’d need to scale to get to the top, where we’d find out what was next. There were two side by side paths we could take up, one was a staircase and one was rougher less structured, but still possible to climb path. I chose the second. I was climbing slowly as I was holding onto my little dog (my dog in real life, a 7 lb chihuahua/yorkie rescue named Cinnamon) and I felt her slipping. I wanted to keep her safe. I realized that the crowd was right behind me scaling the mountain and that gave me the confidence to finish the climb with Cinnamon safely in my arms.
Once atop the mountain, there were houses, brand new, for us to stay in while we awaited further instruction.
Thoughts? Thank you!
Tigresstiff – The journey is how you are feeling about our life and its ups and downs, goals and destinations, challenges and opportunities. It shows your life and what it is achieving The journey cannot be undertaken unless you are willing to travel, to move from one experience, one attitude or way of life to another. And at first it seems slightly threatening – the crocs – and so you go carefully, feeling your way, after it is new to you. You are the woman because you are all the dream characters.
Then you are feeling more confident and see the tall mountain. This is saying that this is a journey into wider awareness. So climbing the mountain by a less structured path is the struggle with oneself, such as facing lack of confidence and forging on; meeting the difficulties of life and trying to move on. And the fact that you managed it, holding and protecting your vulnerable self, shows you opening to that power of change and growth. In other words, it indicates an influence from your core influencing your personality.
Obviously others have taken this path, even though difficult, and there are buildings there, a space to dwell before the next stage of your growth. The next stage promises to be a very new experience.
Tony
Thank you Tony! Very much appreciated.
Your’e welcome.
Tony