The Dragon and the Stairs

While reading Carl Jung's Man and his Symbols, it reminded me of recurring dreams I've been having since I childhood. I can still remember the last time I dreamt I was racing through dark corridors and stairs and ending up scrubbing myself in a dirty bathroom. Bathrooms, stairs, corridors. They're frightening and yet they tickle my curiosity. I'd rather not talk about though.

Another dream I had, although this one only happened once, was so bizarre I've puzzled over its meaning for years. Me and my sisters were on our way to a party. We were in a place that looked similar to Dinagat Island and walking up a sloping road toward a dark castle. I did not know what the party was for or who was the master of the house. I just knew it was a man and his myterious personality lured guests from all over the island. When we got inside the palace, people started dancing and feasting. Then the clock striked 12 midnight. Everyone started panicking. They seemed to be frightened that the master of the castle will finally show up. I suddenly had the feeling that he was going to harm everyone. For some reason I thought that he was a vampire. People started running. Outside the castle, there were buses parked and they were slowly filling up with frightened people. My sisters, and an aunt (I did not see her at the start of the dream) were already inside the bus when someone said they're not taking in more passengers. I was going to be left behind. Although I was frightened, I assured them that I'd be okay. They were crying and begging me to go with them. When the buses left, I heard a sound. People started running. I screamed and tried to work my legs as hard as I could. I saw myself running through a green field. Like most nightmares, I could not move so easily. I ducked for cover when I saw that what was chasing me was a huge, black dragon. I thought at first it was not going to see me, but it picked me up with its claws. While in its grasp, I no longer felt frightened. I felt that if I tried to appear calm, it would not harm me. So I talked to it (I could not remember what I said) and somehow I felt secure after that. He (for some reason I thought this was a male dragon) told me that I'd be okay. He then placed me on a green island. The last thing I remember was the wind kissing my face.

I also remember a nightmare that made me sick when I woke up. There was a pretty woman asking me to touch her face. She kept telling me "I'm pretty, so touch my face little one". But everytime I do, it turns rough and wrinkly. She becomes a old woman and she's laugh at my reaction. I could still feel that nightmarish skin as if it was real. She kept asking me to do it over and over again. I could not stop and all I wanted to do was wake up. When I finally did, most of the members of my family had woken up. They told me I have a fever. I was crying. I will never forget that.

I can still recall a lot of them. Usually the corridor-stairs-bathroom theme appears everytime I'm about to make a decision or something is going to happen in my life that will affect me greatly. I started dreaming about it when I got to college.

Sometimes I wake up because I felt so lonely. I just can't recall what made me feel so empty inside.

I have no difficulty in believing that those dreams mean something about myself. The book just reminded me that it's a scary but curious experience.