Recurring Dream Themes
Part Two: The House in the Woods

For those who expressed interest in my recurring dream themes, and their interpretations, I continue...

Often the representation of a house standing alone signifies home or the concept of home. In the context of my recurring death dreams, the house in the woods is a very elusive place where I am generally not welcome. There are always forces in place that either keep me from entering or try to drive me out when I am inside. There are things that bring me to the house. These reasons always revolve around a One Queen (see: Dream Log: October 6, 2002). In the original dream I was inside the house with a woman who was familiar to me. I had not yet met her in real life, but she stood in front of me and pleaded with me to find her. Since she was present in the dream I could only conclude that she wished for me to find her in real life. "Find me and I will give you the answer," was what she promised. At that point an angry and powerfully built man burst in through the front door with a shotgun claiming to be the woman's husband. What brought me back to the waking world following this dream, which occured immediately after me death, was his shotgun going off in my face. It was not a pleasant sensation.

The house is not a home and no one lives in it. The house is some kind of meeting place. It is a ranch style house with one floor and it is located in very thick and often snowy woods. There are no other houses nearby and no evidence of civilization anywhere in the vicinity. The road that leads to the house is a very rough dirt road impassable by a standard passenger car. Those who have come to the house have either been on horseback, on motorcycles or on foot. I've always come on foot. In front of the house is a large propane tank, indicating that it is not connected to standard power sources. I have only been in the living room, in front of which is a large picture window. The furniture is rustic and old. Most of the time, the sofa and chairs are covered with moth-eaten sheets and dust. When not covered, as in the original dream, the patterns are outdated and worn. Inside it feels like a hunting lodge or long abandoned summer retreat.

The elusive nature of the One Queen may relate directly to the house in the woods. There is a sense this is a dangerous place. Although that could be tied to my first experience with the house, having a shotgun fired into my face at close range, the dangers do not stop there. The red riders who pursue me will also not enter the house. Only two One Queens, myself and the man with the shotgun have been seen inside the house.

The often repeated warnings to "Go where there is no snow" came while I was in or around the house. That message stopped once I moved from Massachusetts to Orlando. Apparently this move pleased them or there was simply no point in repeating the warning once I had headed it. The house is frequently surrounded by deep snow and very high drifts. When Tina appeared in the house, the snow was very deep. When The Muse appeared in the house the snow was melting. I've been in this house before and I'll be there again. Most of the memories are of things yet to come but they are framed in the memories of the past. The past is but a frame for future events.

The elements of dreams tend to either play static or changing roles. The nature of static things is intriguing because no matter what actions occur, certain elements remain mostly unchanged. The house in the woods stays the same. The occupants change and the landscape around the house only changes in accordance with the amount of snow on the ground. As such it becomes a kind of base from which the changing elements of the dreams can be studied. Or so I like to convince myself. The house, in and of itself, represents many things. It represents a concept of home and of goals that are nearly impossible to attain. It is a summit of a kind that can be climbed only via its own rules.


Analysis Part One: The Three Queens