Dreaming of a House, a Basement and Hell

I am living in a house that is not mine in real life. Two men come to look at it to buy. As I show them around, I realize that I haven't been in the living room for a year because last year's Christmas tree is still there, dead pine needles and all. I also realize that there is major water damage, it is all soggy along the carpet and walls. "You're going to have to get this fixed," the man said. As I continued to lead him through the house I saw corridors and rooms I had never seen before. I was surprised but also delighted by so many cute rooms! One hallway led to the basement which was a huge underground cave, there was a dark beach area with water. Hundreds of people were in the water. I knew immediately that this was hell. I had been living in a house where hell was in the basement...I wasn't that disturbed by it, the people in the water seemed like lost souls but not scary at all. I was concerned, however, when my daughter ventured into the water. I was afraid the people would pull her in so I called her back.

Most dreams feature a combination of images, that when put together, lead to a richer interpretation of a dream. When you dream of a house, it symbolizes your inner psyche and the different rooms represent different areas of your life. 

 Living Room Symbol

A living room is generally a room where families and friends gather to socialize and celebrate. Since, in the dream, I hadn't used the living room in a year, points to the fact that in waking life, I have been neglecting that social side of my life. The damage to the carpet could suggest that my social standing is unstable and needs to be fixed.

Hallways and Corridors

These represent a transition in life, going somewhere, or a journey into self-awareness.

Basement Symbol

The basement is a symbol of your unconscious - things you have kept buried inside you and might not want to acknowledge in waking life.

Hell

Most people would view the image of Hell to be a symbol of suffering, guilt of sin but in my dream, it was more of a neutral waiting place. Water as a symbol can mean a cleansing of sins, which is what these people might have been undergoing. I don't think that I had to take part in this cleansing, in fact, I felt it was dangerous and pulled my daughter out. My daughter, who by the way is very religious, so maybe that represented saving her from religious ideologies such as the belief in hell? There is an idea (as seen in mythology) that once you have confronted hell you have confronted the dark side of your personality. I find the dichotomy between the "living" room and basement of the dead very interesting. This is a dream I will definitely ponder for years to come.

Dreaming Of A Sink Filled With Water

 I dreamt I was in a house that was supposed to belong to me but my ex-husband was there. I was about to go on a trip but I noticed that there were three sinks in the bathroom and they were all filled with water. My ex said that is what you were supposed to do before you went on a trip as a precaution.  It was a way to prepare the house for my departure and my return.

Dreaming of a Bathroom

As I've talked about in a previous post (Dreaming of a House Surrounded by Water), dreaming of a house represents your inner self and soul. The specific rooms of a house relate to specific areas of your life. A bathroom relates to your emotional psyche, the need to cleanse yourself or eliminate.

The Sink Symbol

The sink is usually where you wash your hands, which can be symbolic of getting rid of a situation. (think Lady Macbeth). Water as a symbol, (Dreaming of a Lake) can also represent cleansing.

In my dream, the basins reminded me of the baptism basins in a church where they keep the holy water. This is interesting because there were three sinks, unusual in a bathroom. The number three (see Numbers in Dreams) can represent the Trinity (three in one).

I'm not sure why my ex would tell me to leave the water in the sinks.  I don't usually see him in my dreams as a helpful guide...but it could be a suggestion to keep something filled and prepared for something in the future.

Dreaming of a Wheelchair, Airport and Golf Club

I dreamt that I was in a wheelchair going through airport customs holding a golf club in my hand. There was nothing wrong with me so I don't know why I was in the wheelchair. The customs agent told me I would have to check both the wheel-chair and the golf club so she took them away. I was concerned because they didn't have any tags or packaging so I didn't know if they would be okay or get lost.

There are a few images in this dream - an airport, customs, golf club and wheelchair. To put the dream into context, I have been learning to play golf and have been contemplating taking a trip. The wheelchair image, however, completely baffled me. I don't think I have ever dreamt about that symbol before.


The Wheelchair 

Being in a wheelchair in your dream can mean that you are feeling helpless. Interestingly, chairs traditionally represent female sexuality. The image of a wheel represents the need to move forward.

In my dream, this aid was taken away from me and I was concerned, even though I didn't really need it. This suggests that I have been relying on something that I don't really need to. I need to, literally, "stand on my own two feet" in order to make changes.

An Airport

This image represents a place of transition. Being in departures means new beginnings on a journey. The area of Customs in an airport is a place where you are told what you are allowed to do. Things can be taken from you that you don't want to give up. In this sense in my dream, the customs agent can be seen as a sort of spiritual guide.

The Golf Club

As I said, I have been learning to play golf. In golf, you are basically competing against yourself, so it suggests self-sufficiency. A golf club can be used as a weapon (think Tiger Wood's ex-wife smashing his car...) and in my dream, I was kind of holding it like that. Specifically, the club that I held was a driver, which could represent my own "drive" to move forward.

Putting It All Together

It is so interesting to see how these symbols relate to each other and overlap in meaning. As well, seemingly random images, that I thought were just remnants of my waking life,  actually have meaning too. My takeaway from my dream then is that I am on a spiritual journey or in a transition to something new, but I have to let go of both my drive and feelings of helplessness in order to continue.

Dreaming of Rats

Every night I have the same dream - I am in my house. It is full of giant rats! They don't seem to bother me though. But I am bothered that I keep having this dream...
(image by Kapa65)

Recurring Dreams

Recurring dreams can be frustrating or even scary (see Checking on My Car) Generally, a dream like this has a message that you definitely should pay attention to, like an unresolved issue, feeling or even something that you are not consciously aware of. Once you have dealt with that, in waking life, the dreams should subside.

Rat Symbol in Dreams

Rats can evoke different feelings in people, but generally, rats are seen as undesirable animals that are sneaky or disease-ridden (think black-plague). They travel in packs, live in unsanitary conditions and can bite. Rats are also regarded as clever problem solvers (finding their way out of a maze). 

In Asian cultures, the rat is seen as good fortune in business. Those born in the year of the rat, are said to be clever, easily adaptable, organized and family oriented with a tendency to hoard or be stingy.

Rats in Dream Interpretations

A rat in your dream could represent someone in your life that is being disloyal. 

Seeing a rat in your dream could mean that you are repulsed by something about yourself or in your life. 

Rats can represent your fears about a situation.

Specific Dream Interpretation

In the dream above, in her waking life, the dreamer was struggling with a decision to get an elective surgery done. The fact that it was a reoccurring dream, means that the decision weighed heavily on her mind. In this case, the rats could represent both her fear of the situation and the disease. I wonder if she made the decision to have the surgery if the dream would go away?