Dreaming of war

[Zonk01]

So last night, I had a dream that I was a knight living in the era of the crusades, when my castle was under attack. The villagers and the castle guard ran out and began defending the castle from the ramparts and walls, but the commander sent me and another group of knights outside the walls. We lined up behind a barricade of wooden spikes and aimed our pikes at the oncoming attackers. I remember stabbing knight after knight with relative ease, taking down at least ten or so. What really caught my attention is that all the knights I was stabbing were female. I felt terrible because they were just running into my pike for no apparent reason at all, dying by my hands.

I feel like this dream had a lot more going on in it than I can see or sense. What does everyone think?

Thanks! - Zonk

[Chrysopaelian]

This is really interesting!

I think a lot of interpretation here would depend on you and your present situation, and since I don't know you, I really can only speculate.

If I were the one having this dream, I would see it as something to bring to my attention how my life might be considered an "easy mode" compared to the lives of others of various groups. It's quite interesting that the ones attacking your castle were all women. This sort of thing would bring me to re-examine the power structure in my relationships with women.

As for the fact that you were a knight, it shows some level of security with yourself and your position, even in the face of an attack. One theme that could be present here is security: Your enemies may be making a show of an attack, but they don't pose any real threat to you.

You felt bad about harming others, who seemed to be just throwing themselves at you to die. Perhaps this means that you have the opportunity to take yourself from that place of security and offer some of your resources to assist those who are on a path to self destruction. Perhaps you're participating in a habit that harms people, and you don't even realize that this is the case.

Or, who knows, I could be way off--but this is at least a place you can start with your own examination of what this could mean to you.

[Zonk01]

This is really interesting!

I think a lot of interpretation here would depend on you and your present situation, and since I don't know you, I really can only speculate.

If I were the one having this dream, I would see it as something to bring to my attention how my life might be considered an "easy mode" compared to the lives of others of various groups. It's quite interesting that the ones attacking your castle were all women. This sort of thing would bring me to re-examine the power structure in my relationships with women.

As for the fact that you were a knight, it shows some level of security with yourself and your position, even in the face of an attack. One theme that could be present here is security: Your enemies may be making a show of an attack, but they don't pose any real threat to you.

You felt bad about harming others, who seemed to be just throwing themselves at you to die. Perhaps this means that you have the opportunity to take yourself from that place of security and offer some of your resources to assist those who are on a path to self destruction. Perhaps you're participating in a habit that harms people, and you don't even realize that this is the case.

Or, who knows, I could be way off--but this is at least a place you can start with your own examination of what this could mean to you.

Thanks!

It is strange because one of my spirit companions gave me the dream, but when I ask them about it, they just replay the events and told me to figure it out haha. It is weird because I treat men and women in my life exactly the same, or how they would like to be treated.

Now, what might possibly be the answer is, a fear of the astral plane. I’ve always been really afraid of harming my spirit companions either physically or mentally. I’m still pretty new to spiritual workings, and I have confidence issues with working on the astral plane. This might be one answer.

The second might have to do with my past. Grew up in a predominantly Christian background. I went to a Christian private school and was generally well liked by my teachers and peers. The majority of students that were in my class were women, so I did (and still do) have a lot of female friends from that school. The unique thing about the situation was, I was not Christian and they were. I had to camouflage a lot by pretending to pray and say the buzz words like “it’s all god’s plan” etc. anyway, I see a lot of them struggling now in life emotionally and their blind faith is causing them grief. One of the main things about my dream was, I felt horrible because I could do nothing to stop them from willingly dying and I had a part in it.

But seriously, hats off to my mermaid companion friend. I’m going to be dissecting this for quite a while.

[Chrysopaelian]

The second might have to do with my past. Grew up in a predominantly Christian background. I went to a Christian private school and was generally well liked by my teachers and peers. The majority of students that were in my class were women, so I did (and still do) have a lot of female friends from that school. The unique thing about the situation was, I was not Christian and they were. I had to camouflage a lot by pretending to pray and say the buzz words like “it’s all god’s plan” etc. anyway, I see a lot of them struggling now in life emotionally and their blind faith is causing them grief. One of the main things about my dream was, I felt horrible because I could do nothing to stop them from willingly dying and I had a part in it.

It can be tough when dogmatism and brainwashing ruin the life of otherwise good people. I still haven't found a great answer about what to do in cases like this, but sometimes I just want to pick someone up and shake some critical thinking into them. If only it worked like that!

[Passchendaele]

Please bear in mind that I am not “interpreting” your dream for you. All symbolism in a dream is related to the dreamer. You created those symbols. You placed them where they were to help you understand a thing or situation that your “conscience” mind is having a hard time with. What I am pointing out are some of the more “usual” interpretations of these symbols.

“So last night, I had a dream that I was a knight living in the era of the crusades, when my castle was under attack”

Structures in a dream, a castle, a house, an office, can be viewed as the dreamers “person” Not just the body, but the personality as well. In this instance, you are viewing yourself as a “castle” that is under attack. What is a castle to you? Castles served many purposes, but were primarily a defensive military instllation.

“The villagers and the castle guard ran out and began defending the castle from the ramparts and walls,”

You begin your defense by drawing on internal resources, these resources do not go beyond the castle walls. This is, perhaps, something you need to justify to yourself before going any further in your defense.

“but the commander sent me and another group of knights outside the walls.”

If the castle is your body/persona, the “commander” is you, your “waking” self. Or a part of yourself that feels threatened and is compelling you to defend itself.

“We lined up behind a barricade of wooden spikes and aimed our pikes at the oncoming attackers.”

You are compelled to go out into “the world” to continue your defense once you have made certain that this “defense” is justified to yourself. But....you only go so far. Your “outer defenses” are well established and you do not go beyond these, that is, you remain on the defensive, rather than eschewing these to counter-attack the threat and “conquer it on it's own ground”

“I remember stabbing knight after knight with relative ease, taking down at least ten or so.”

You find defending yourself in your chosen manner to be very effective. Numerous attempts to breach your defenses are turned away with relative ease.

“What really caught my attention is that all the knights I was stabbing were female.”

Interpreting this is pretty much dependent on how you perceive “female” This is NOT limited to gender identification in the manner that our culture “dictates” to us. You the dreamer have made the “attackers” female. This could reflect an inner conflict just as readily as a conflict you may have with persons in The World that you perceive as “female” that is, holding a subordinate position in relation to yourself, irregardless of their biological gender. The “fact” that these females are also warriors is a telling clue.

“I felt terrible because they were just running into my pike for no apparent reason at all, dying by my hands.”

But they aren't dying by your hands, are they. You are doing nothing but defending yourself, and your attackers are destroying themselves on your defenses. Or so you perceive them to be. You feel bad about it nonetheless.

I don't know if you saw my sign “Psychiatric Help, Five cents” Just drop a nickle in the coffee can on my desk.

[simara]

Maybe you feel guilty you got out and they didn't?  You pretended to go along with it when you were liberated, but they weren't and now they are suffering. They are willingly moving to their own slaughter.