I’m a servant in a large household – there are many of us.
All us servants are under the jurisdiction of the head maid, who seems to run the household. She’s old and dresses like a nun, but her clothing is a deep green color. She doesn’t like me.
My life consists of cleaning. I am clothed in a simple working dress with an apron and a white head wrap. I sleep in a barren room on a little green mat in the corner, possibly with others. At one point I get up in the morning and become aware that the “Mistress and children” are here today, so I must eat in the kitchen. Normally we would all eat in the dining room together with the Master of the household. I get that the “Mistress” is not his wife, but a woman he is having an affair with, and she likes to see the servants separate from the Master, as befits his class.
The main event is me consorting with a friend outside the household. We don’t get to see each other often, and I love her dearly. I start getting reckless in my attempts to connect with her. I stop working to open my laptop1 and chat online with her, until the Head Maid notices and commands me to close it and get back to work. I sneak outside during breaks and return late. Once I leave for an entire day.
The entire household knows about my shirking. The Head Maid scowls whenever she sees me, and the other servants look away and don’t speak much. No one talks directly about it, but there is an air of expectancy that I will be dismissed soon.
I too am anticipating this, so I wear heavy work boots2 and never take them off, even to sleep. Once a person is dismissed she is immediately escorted off the property with nothing but the clothes she is wearing. The soft shoes of a servant are not meant for the outdoors, and would quickly wear out. I would be (or remember I time when I was) a shoeless beggar huddled in the corner of a street.
One morning we’re all gathered around the dining room table at breakfast. The Head Maid is sitting at the head of the table, talking to someone, possibly the Master of the house. The subject between them comes up about my friend.
“Oh yes, I know all about her” the maid says, as if she had done a thorough investigation. She never looks at me, but she intentionally talks loud enough for me to hear, while calmly cutting up her food. “Her name is Gwen Allister3.”
This shocks me. It was not the name I knew her by. It was the sort of name a servant would have.
“…She works at the ____ household. She is a known troublemaker, disruptor, and general nuisance around the house. I imagine she’ll be dismissed soon, assuming she hasn’t already been….”
Now I’m angry and hurt. She’s insinuating that my friend is of no better standing than myself, a wretched woman who delights in deceiving me into thinking she is something she isn’t, who would only standby and watch as I was kicked out of my position for her sake. Everything I knew her not to be4.
“That is not true!” I yell across the table, interrupting her. “You are lying!”
-
Observing now, I watch from a distance as the servant who I had been crosses a busy street and up some stone steps, where a woman about the same age is waiting. This is the dear friend. With tears in “my” eyes, clutching my friend’s arms in my own, I recount everything the old maid had said. The friend looks shocked, then concerned and she tries to reassure me, shaking her head vigorously at every accusation. “No, no, she was lying, none of that is true, of course it isn’t….”
Then we embrace.
--------------------------------
1-Yes, a laptop. An old Compaq from the early 2000s or late 90s that I had used my first year of college.
2-These boots I wore throughout high school.
3-When I woke up with the name in mind, it changed to McAllister.
4-It's never clear what I thought this friend was, but it wasn't a servant. I had felt that, should I be dismissed, she would have means to support me. I had been negligent about my job, and the thought that I really would be thrown out into the street without any help was frightening.
To dream that you are a servant, suggests that you are too yielding to others or that you are too submissive in some situation. You need to stand up for yourself.
To dream that you have a servant, indicates your authoritative and commanding role in a waking situation.
To dream of a servant, is a sign that you will be fortunate, despite gloomy appearances. Anger is likely to precipitate you into useless worries and quarrels.
To discharge one, foretells regrets and losses.
To quarrel with one in your dream, indicates that you will, upon waking, have real cause for censuring some one who is derelict in duty.
To be robbed by one, shows that you have some one near you, who does not respect the laws of ownership.
In the Zohar, the ‘magic head’ stands for astral light (9); in mediaeval art
it is a symbol for the mind (46) and for the spiritual life, which explains the
frequency with which it appeared in decorative art. On the other hand, Plato in
Timaeus asserts that ‘the human head is the image of the world’. In corroboration
of this, Leblant points out that the skull, the semi-spherical crown of the human
body, signifies the heavens. Clearly, the head-symbol here coalesces with that of
the sphere as a symbol of Oneness. It had the same significance in Egyptian
hieroglyphics (19). The eagle’s head has been used as a solar symbol and an
emblem of the centre-point of emanation—that is, of the cosmic flame and the
spiritual fire of the universe (4). Two, three or four heads shown in juxtaposition
symbolize a corresponding intensification of a given aspect of head-symbolism.
Thus, the Gemini, a symbol of the duality of Nature, or of the integrating (but not
unifying) link between the two principles of creation, are represented by beings
with two heads or two faces, like the Roman Janus for example. Hecate is depicted with three heads—she is called triform for this reason—a symbolism
which may be related to the ‘three levels’ of heaven, earth and hell, as well as to
Diel’s three ‘urges of life’ (15). The juxtaposition of four heads or faces, as in the
image of Brahma the Supreme Lord, stems from the same symbolism as that of
the tetramorph (60). A factor of major importance bearing upon the symbolism of
the head is mentioned by Herbert Kühn, in his L’Ascension de l’humanité (Paris,
1958). He makes the point that the decapitation of corpses in prehistoric times
marked Man’s discovery of the independence of the spiritual principle, residing
in the head, as opposed to the vital principle represented by the body as a whole.
Kühn adds that Neolithic thought was very close to the mediaeval in its conviction that an eternal and invisible essence underlies all appearances (Plate XV).
To see a head in your dream, signifies wisdom, intellect, understanding and rationality. It may also represent your accomplishments, self-image, and perception of the world. The dream may also be metaphor to indicate that you are "ahead" in some situation or that you need to get ahead.
To dream that someone is trying to rip your head off, suggests that you are not seeing a situation or problem clearly. Perhaps you are refusing to see the truth. You have to confront the situation or the person despite the pain and discomfort you might feel in doing so.
To dream that you have two heads, indicate that you need to learn to ask for help and accept assistance. Consider the metaphor "two heads are better than one". Do not try to do everything yourself.
To see a person's head in your dream, and it is well-shaped and prominent, you will meet persons of power and vast influence who will lend you aid in enterprises of importance.
If you dream of your own head, you are threatened with nervous or brain trouble.
To see a head severed from its trunk, and bloody, you will meet sickening disappointments, and the overthrow of your dearest hopes and anticipations.
To see yourself with two or more heads, foretells phenomenal and rapid rise in life, but the probabilities are that the rise will not be stable.
To dream that your head aches, denotes that you will be oppressed with worry.
To dream of a swollen head, you will have more good than bad in your life.
To dream of a child's head, there will be much pleasure ill store for you and signal financial success.
To dream of the head of a beast, denotes that the nature of your desires will run on a low plane, and only material pleasures will concern you.
To wash your head, you will be sought after by prominent people for your judgment and good counsel.
Seeing a head in your dream means wisdom, intellect, understanding and rationality. It may also represent your accomplishments, self-image, and perception of the world. Dreaming that someone is trying to rip your head off, suggests that you are not see a situation or problem clearly. Perhaps you are refusing to see the truth. You have to confront the situation or the person despite the pain and discomfort you might feel in doing so.
A head symbolizes intelligence, logic, wisdom and making decisions. A dream of a head may mean that you are changing your mind about something or are unable to make up your mind. A dream of a headless body may be a warning that you aren't thinking clearly - you're "losing your head."
To see friends in your dream, signify aspects of your personality that you have rejected, but are ready to incorporate and acknowledge. The relationships you have with those around you are important in learning about yourself. Alternatively, dreaming of a friend, indicates positive news.
To see your childhood friend in your dream, signifies regression into your past where you had no responsibilities. Things were much simpler and carefree. You may be wanting to escape the pressures and stresses of adulthood. Consider the relationship you had with this friend and the lessons that were learned. Alternatively, the childhood friend suggests that you have been acting in a childish manner. You need to start acting like an adult.
To dream that your best friend is dying, suggests that some aspect or quality that your best friend possess is dying within your own self.
To dream of friends being well and happy, denotes pleasant tidings of them, or you will soon see them or some of their relatives.
To see your friend troubled and haggard, sickness or distress is upon them.
To see your friends dark-colored, denotes unusual sickness or trouble to you or to them. To see them take the form of animals, signifies that enemies will separate you from your closest relations.
To see your friend who dresses in somber colors in flaming red, foretells that unpleasant things will transpire, causing you anxiety if not loss, and that friends will be implicated.
To dream you see a friend standing like a statue on a hill, denotes you will advance beyond present pursuits, but will retain former impressions of justice and knowledge, seeking these through every change. If the figure below be low, you will ignore your friends of former days in your future advancement. If it is on a plane or level with you, you will fail in your ambition to reach other spheres. If you seem to be going from it, you will force yourself to seek a change in spite of friendly ties or self-admonition.
To dream you see a friend with a white cloth tied over his face, denotes that you will be injured by some person who will endeavor to keep up friendly relations with you.
To dream that you are shaking hands with a person who has wronged you, and he is taking his departure and looks sad, foretells you will have differences with a close friend and alienation will perhaps follow. You are most assuredly nearing loss of some character.
Seeing your friends in your dream means aspects of your personality that you have rejected, but are ready to integrate these rejected part of yourself. The relationships you have with those around you are important in learning about yourself. Additionally, this symbol foretells of happy tidings from them and the arrival of good news. Seeing your childhood friend in your dream means regression into your past where you had no responsibilities and things were much simpler and carefree. You may be wanting to escape the the pressures and stresses of adulthood. Consider the relationship you had with this friend and the lessons that were learned. Alternatively, the childhood friend may be suggesting that you have been acting in a childish manner and you need to start acting like an adult. Dreaming that your best friend is dying, suggests that some aspect or quality that your best friend possess is dying within your own self.
To see or have a maid in your dream, suggests that you are depending too much on others for their help. You need to be more independent and look after your own self.
To dream that you are a maid, indicates that you need to clear up the clutter in your life. Metaphorically, the dream suggests that you need to nurture yourself and cleanse your emotions.
Seeing or have a maid in your dream, suggests that you are depending too much on others for their help. You need to be more independent and look after your own self. Dreaming that you are a maid indicates that you need to clear up the clutter in your life. You may also need to nurture yourself and cleanse your emotions.
To dream that you have a master, denotes feelings of inadequacy and a lack of discipline in your life. You need a strong-willed leader to guide you.
To dream that you are a master, suggests that there is some situation or problem that you need to "master" and get a handle on. Alternatively, it means you need to take on a leadership role.
To dream that you have a master, is a sign of incompetency on your part to command others, and you will do better work under the leadership of some strong-willed person.
If you are a master, and command many people under you, you will excel in judgment in the fine points of life, and will hold high positions and possess much wealth.
Dreaming that you are a master means that you will hold high positions and gain much wealth. Dreaming that you have a master indicates your feelings of inadequacy and that you need a strong-willed leader to guide you.
To dream of setting a table preparatory to a meal, foretells happy unions and prosperous circumstances.
To see empty tables, signifies poverty or disagreements.
To clear away the table, denotes that pleasure will soon assume the form of trouble and indifference.
To eat from a table without a cloth, foretells that you will be possessed of an independent disposition, and the prosperity or conduct of others will give you no concern.
To see a table walking or moving in some mysterious way, foretells that dissatisfaction will soon enter your life, and you will seek relief in change.
To dream of a soiled cloth on a table, denotes disobedience from servants or children, and quarreling will invariably follow pleasure.
To see a broken table, is ominous of decaying fortune.
To see one standing or sitting on a table, foretells that to obtain their desires they will be guilty of indiscretions.
To see or hear table-rapping or writing, denotes that you will undergo change of feelings towards your friends, and your fortune will be threatened. A loss from the depreciation of relatives or friends is indicated.
To see a table in your dream, represents social unity and family connections. If the table is broken, wobbly or not functional, then it suggests some dissension in a group. It may also refer to a sense of insecurity. Perhaps there is something you cannot hold inside any longer and need to bring it out in the open.
To dream that you are setting the table, suggests that you laying the groundwork for a plan or personal endeavor. It also implies confidence.
To see a round table in your dream, indicates evenness, sharing, cooperation, equal rights and opportunities for all. It also symbolizes honesty, loyalty, and chivalry.
To dream that you are lying on a table, indicates your need for nourishment and relaxation. It relates to health concerns and anxieties about your well-being.
To dream that a table is walking or moving by itself, signifies that you will undergo some changes in your life which will relieve you of some dissatisfaction.
Seeing a table in your dream, represents social unity and the potential for a meeting or gathering. It refers to your social and family connections. If the table is broken or not functional, then it suggests some dissension in a group. Perhaps there is something you cannot hold inside any longer and need to bring it out in the open. Dreaming that you are setting the table, suggests that you laying the groundwork for a plan or personal matter. It also implies confidence. Seeing a round table in your dream indicates evenness, sharing, cooperation and equal rights and opportunities for all. It may also symbolize honesty, loyalty, and chivalry. Dreaming that you are lying on a table indicates your need for nourishment and relaxation. It relates to health concerns and anxieties about your well-being. Dreaming that a table is walking or moving by itself means that you will go through a series of new changes in your life as a way to relieve yourself from some dissatisfaction.
To dream that you are walking in a street, foretells ill luck and worries. You will almost despair of reaching the goal you have set up in your aspirations.
To be in a familiar street in a distant city, and it appears dark, you will make a journey soon, which will not afford the profit or pleasure contemplated. If the street is brilliantly lighted, you will engage in pleasure, which will quickly pass, leaving no comfort.
To pass down a street and feel alarmed lest a thug attack you, denotes that you are venturing upon dangerous ground in advancing your pleasure or business.
To see a street in your dream, symbolizes your life's path. The condition of the street reflects how much control you have over the direction of your life. Consider also the name on the street as it may offer some significance or advice to the meaning of the dream.
To see or travel on side streets in your dream, refer to a need to explore an alternative way of life.
Seeing a street in your dream, symbolizes your life's path. The condition of the street reflects how much control you have over the direction of your life. Is there a name on the street which can offer some significance or hints to the meaning of the dream. Seeing side streets, refers to a need to explore and return to more traditional ways. It may also suggest and alternative way of life.
In anthropology, woman corresponds to the passive principle of
nature. She has three basic aspects: first, as a siren, lamia or monstrous being who
enchants, diverts and entices men away from the path of evolution; second, as the
mother, or Magna mater (the motherland, the city or mother-nature) related in
turn to the formless aspect of the waters and of the unconscious; and third, as the
unknown damsel, the beloved or the anima in Jungian psychology. In his Symbols
of Transformation, Jung maintains that the ancients saw Woman as either Eve,
Helen, Sophia or Mary (corresponding to the impulsive, the emotional, the intellectual, and the moral) (33). One of the purest and all-embracing archetypes of
Woman as anima is Beatrice in Dante’s Commedia (32). All allegories based upon
the personification of Woman invariably retain all the implications of the three
basic aspects mentioned above. Of great interest are those symbols in which the
Woman appears in association with the figure of an animal—for example, the
swan-woman in Celtic and Germanic mythology, related to the woman with the
hoof of a goat in Hispanic folklore. In both cases the woman disappears once her
maternal mission has been completed and, similarly, the virgin qua virgin ‘dies’ in order to give way to the matron (31). In iconography it is common to find parts
of the female figure combined with that of a lion. The Egyptian goddess Sekhmet,
characterized by her destructiveness, had the body of a woman and the head (and
therefore the mind) of a lion. Conversely, a figure with a lion’s body and a
woman’s head appears in the Hieroglyphica of Valeriano as an emblem of the
hetaira (39). The inclusion of feminine, morphological elements in the composition of traditional symbols such as the sphinx always alludes to a background of
nature overlaid with the projection of a concept or of an entire complex of cosmic
intuitions. In consequence, the Woman is an archetypal image of great complexity
in which the decisive factor may be the superimposed symbolic aspects—for
example, the superior aspects of Woman as Sophia or Mary determine her function as a personification of science or of supreme virtue; and when presented as
an image of the anima, she is superior to the man because she is a reflection of the
loftiest and purest qualities of the man. In her baser forms as Eve or as Helen—
the instinctive and emotional aspects—Woman is on a lower level than the man.
It is here, perhaps, that she appears at her most characteristic—a temptress, the
Ewig Weibliche, who drags everything down with her, and a symbol comparable
with the volatile principle in alchemy, signifying all that is transitory, inconsistent, unfaithful and dissembling. See also The Loved One and Sophia.
To see a woman in your dream, represents nurturance, passivity, caring nature, and love. It refers to your own female aspects or your mother. Alternatively, a woman indicates temptation and guilt. If you know the woman, then it may reflect concerns and feelings you have about her.
To see an old woman in your dream, indicates your concerns about aging and growing old. Alternatively, the old woman may be an archetypal figure to symbolize feminine power.
To see a group of women talking in your dream, refers to some gossip.
To see a pregnant women in your dream, symbolizes abundant wealth.
Seeing a woman in your dream, represents nurturance, passivity, caring nature, and love. It refers to your own female aspects or may also represent your mother. Alternatively, it may indicate temptation and guilt. If you know the woman, then it may symbolize the concerns and feelings you have about her. Seeing an old woman in your dream indicates aging and growing old. Seeing a group of women talking in your dream, refers to some gossip. Seeing a pregnant women in your dream, symbolizes abundant wealth.
A woman or women generally represent intuition, creativity, nurturing, and love. At times they can also represent the negative attributes that are given to women and include physical and emotional weakness, gossip, martyrdom, passivity, moodiness, temptation, and guilt. The content of the dream is to be considered, as well as the emotional tone. If the dream is sexual in nature, look up sex. If the woman in your dream was a stranger and you are a man, she could be symbolic of your feminine side or your attitude about women. If you are a woman, this stranger may be symbolic of different parts of your character or personality. The woman is that force or current inside of you that nudges you on and inspires you. It is your intuition and the knowledge that in not necessarily attached to words.
A symbol of individuality—of private thoughts. The windows symbolize the possibility of understanding and of passing through to the external and
the beyond, and are also an illustration of any idea of communication. Hence, a
closed room lacking windows may be symbolic of virginity, according to Frazer,
and also of other kinds of non-communication. Many rites involving the
enclosureimage are performed to mark the reaching of puberty, all over the world.
The legend about Danae, shut up by her father in a bronze tower, pertains to this
particular symbolism. There is a Siberian legend concerning a ‘dark house of iron’
which is also relevant to it (21). We might also mention the ‘vase with a lid’, one
of the eight emblems of good luck in Chinese Buddhism, and a symbol of wholeness, of the idea with no ‘exit’, or, in other words, of supreme intelligence triumphant over birth and death (signified respectively by the doors and windows of
the room) (5). This explains why the hermetically sealed room may possibly be
a variant form of the ‘vase with a lid’.
To dream that you are in a room, represents a particular aspect of yourself or a specific relationship. Dreams about various rooms often relate to hidden areas of the conscious mind and different aspects of your personality. If the room is welcoming or comfortable, then it signifies opulence and satisfaction in life. If you see a dark or confined room, then it denotes that you feel trapped or repressed in a situation.
To dream that you find or discover a new room, suggests that you are developing new strengths and taking on new roles. You may be growing emotionally. Consider what you find in the discovered room as it may indicate repressed memories, fears, or rejected emotions. Alternatively, such rooms are symbolic of neglected skills or rejected potential.
To dream that you are in an empty white room, indicates a fresh start. It is like a blank canvas where you want to start life anew. Alternatively, the dream means that you are trying to isolate yourself. You do not want any outside influences.
To dream of a yellow room, suggests that you need to use your mind. You are feeling stimulated mentally.
Dreaming that you are in a room, represents a particular aspect of yourself or a particular relationship. Dreams about various rooms often relate to hidden areas of the conscious mind and different aspects of your personality. Dreaming that you find or discover new rooms, suggests that you are developing new strengths and taking on new roles. You may be growing emotionally. Seeing an appealing or comfortable room in your dream means opulence and satisfaction in life. Seeing a dark, eerie or confining room indicates that that you feel trapped or repressed in a situation.
To dream that it is morning, suggests that fortune and pleasure are within near reach. It also denotes new beginnings, renewal, an awakening or starting over. Alternatively, the dream may also be a pun on "mourning". Are you grieving over something or someone? In particular, if the morning is cloudy, then it signifies an important situation that will burden you for a while.
To see the morning dawn clear in your dreams, prognosticates a near approach of fortune and pleasure.
A cloudy morning, portends weighty affairs will overwhelm you.
Dreaming that it is morning indicates that fortune and pleasure are within near reach. It may also indicates new beginnings, renewal, an awakening or starting over. Dreaming that the morning is cloudy means that an important situation will burden you for a while.
To dream that you (or your mate) have a mistress, refers to your unconscious desire to end your current relationship. You are trying to sabotage your relationship in some way. Alternatively, the dream indicates that you are feeling neglected in the relationship. Perhaps you feel that you are not measuring up to the expectations of others, especially to your mate.
To dream that you are a mistress, indicates your desires for the finer things in life.
To see a mistress in your dream, suggests that you or someone is being lured or tempted into some negative activity.
Dreaming that you (or your mate) have a mistress, suggests your unconscious desire to end your current relationship and are finding ways to sabotage it. Alternatively, you feel neglected in the relationship. Perhaps you feel that you are not measuring up to the expectations of others, in particular to your mate. Dreaming that you are a mistress indicates your desires for the finer things in life. Seeing a mistress in your dream, suggests that you or someone is being lured or tempted into some negative activity.