Linda sent me this dream from Hollywood, California.
I have a brief encounter with some new people at my current office. Two people stood out to me. A light-skinned black woman and a white man. I’m not sure why, but I can tell they were reeking with hate for me. The black woman would call me a cunt and bitch to my face and yell, “Fuck you!” The white man would look at me in disgust and tell me I’m a piece of shit. I couldn’t think of what I did to possibly offend them, but I hated them, too. My feeling was that they were jealous. I didn’t feel that I could defend myself, and I never thought to report them to HR.
This dream is about the black-and-white aspects of life. In reality, we know that life isn’t just black and white. It’s often a mixture of both, creating gray in a dozen different shades. And, finally, life often bursts out in a glorious array of different colors. I think our Dreamer, Linda, is experiencing a strong conflict in her life at this time regarding her job. Her psyche is trying to bring to her attention that her workplace isn’t just black and white. It’s also gray in all its many shades, as well as a potential burst of dozens of brilliant colors.
For example, let’s assign “black” to the negatives of the job: Boring. Filled with political dissension. Filled with people who lie and are deceitful. Filled with people who are jealous and emotionally vindictive. Filled with incompetent co-workers. Etc.
Now, let’s assign “white” to the positives: Exciting work. Fulfilling rewards of mental energy. Filled with warm and friendly people. Great insurance. Great income.
I would suggest to Linda that she might be seeing only the black and white of her job situation. Filled with self-contempt when she sees the negatives and wants to quit. And then filled with self-loathing when she is persuaded to stay because of the positive elements.
In either event, she never thinks the conflict in herself is enough to warrant a visit to HR, i.e., resignation from her job.
Later in the dream, I was walking by a shower at work (yes, it’s weird) and noticed that my PS4 (video game console) and one of my awards was drenched in the shower. Water was pouring all over it and people were laughing and pointing. I grabbed my PS4 and my award and tried to dry them off. I was shocked that no one helped me. I knew I had to call the police and report it, because my PS4 is worth $1000 and totally ruined. I knew it was the black woman and white man that did it.
Showering is suggestive of cleansing. Apparently Linda often reaches a point where she wants to start with a “fresh and clean” attitude about her job. She has great equipment/tools of her trade, which she appreciates. But the positive value of her equipment and award-winning skills is washed away by the fact that she feels her co-workers don’t appreciate her valuable work. In fact, when the company itself doesn’t seem to “value” her ruined reputation, her co-workers don’t feel the need to reassure her and support her disappointment. Deep inside, she even knows that it’s her own internal conflict which is adding to this dilemma. Police in dreams often represent one’s conscience. Linda feels guilty about her conflicted thoughts and feelings about her job. Deep inside, she knows she has to come to terms with herself.
For some reason, I didn’t want to use my cell phone to call the police. I wanted to call from a company phone. The problem was that the reception was bad and it was hard to get an outside line. The only room with a working phone was a dark, closed room, with a white cat that slept on the shelves. The room was very creepy to me, so I didn’t call the police. I felt unsafe at work, and someone was doing a press conference when I tried to leave the building, so they were blocking me from leaving. I decided that everyone was an attention whore of no substance, and I felt disappointed and sad.
Calling the police is, of course, admitting to her feelings of guilt, and she knows it’s not a personal-life dilemma (cell phone). It’s a career/job dilemma (company phone). Linda probably feels that the reception at her company is bad… that she can’t really turn to a supervisory authority for help. In addition, going to an outside line (someone not in the company) is not an option either. An alternative might be complaining to a “closed” room, perhaps an internet “chat” room where she can be as “catty” as she wants, except she feels creepy about that outlet.
Ultimately, because Linda has no one to turn to, she feels unsafe at work, and her company itself is sharing an image of itself to the public which she doesn’t necessarily agree with. This makes her whole work situation disappointing and sad.
I think Linda’s psyche is asking her to re-examine her beliefs and attitudes about her job. She needs to ask herself the following questions:
1) Is she just seeing the black and white of her job?
2) Why feel “guilty” about staying in a situation with so many negative aspects?
3) And then feel “guilty” at not wanting to leave a good income even if the job isn’t perfect?
4) Whose job is ever truly perfect? Aren’t there good and bad things in every situation?
5) Even if an award for good work is not backed up by the company, isn’t that better than getting no award at all?
6) If you know your value, does it really matter if your co-workers see that value or not?
7) Don’t all companies want to present a positive image to the public? Why call such a choice as “attention-whoring” when it’s only good business?
8) Finally… is it possible for you to focus on the moments of color… the good times, the funny times, the happy times… even if the only happy time is sharing a good joke with a co-worker.
Our world is founded on the basic elements of black-and-white. Words aren’t seen as clearly as they are in black ink on white paper. But it doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy other colors. Allow yourself a palette of hundreds of colors… of hundreds of gradations between happy and sad, good and bad, positive and negative. I suggest that’s what life is all about.
Have great dreams, snoozlers! Pay attention to what your inner self is always trying to communicate with you.
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