THE DREAM My dream begins in an unknown house, I'm following and unknown man (gray headed, older man) around this house. He appears to be leaving, maybe going on a trip, or completely leaving the house forever. He is packing, putting his suitcases next to the door, preparing to leave. I keep thinking I have to watch him and make sure he doesn't leave the house without me knowing it, because I won't be able to get out of the house. He goes to the door (back door) picks up his things and heads out, only to fast for me to keep up. I see glimpse of him as I am following behind him. Even though he left out the back door, he is still inside the house ( if that makes sense). I see him climbing up some old boxes and junk and head through an opening in the ceiling, and with him all the while is his suitcase, bags, etc. Even with all of his stuff he is moving faster than me, I can barely keep sight of him. He slips through the opening with so much ease, I however have much difficulty fitting myself through the opening. As I come out of the opening, I see that I have reached what appears to be a parking lot, with lots of cars. I have lost sight of him completely, and remember seeing a red, older, sports car; thinking some how it was connected with the man, I hesitate at the car thinking I will see him around it, but I never do. I get this awful feeling of being lost, fearful, confused as to what to do. I know that I have lost him and he is gone for forever.

THE REALITY The dreamer was in the process of an adoption. The mother had just come back into the child's life, and seems to be trying to reconnect with him. The dreamer recognises that this is good for him but bad for herself. She feels a part of him is been stolen from her. She has dedicated much of her life to him. She does not want to share this child's love. Obviously she feels like the biological mother moving in on her territory.

DREAM ANALYSIS Often its best to just concentrate on the emotions of a dream and here the dreamer feels a sense that she is confused and fearful. Emotions pretty much symbolise themselves. All she has to do is locate where she feels identical emotions. In this case its not too difficult as the main emotions she was feeling then surround the adoption of her child.

The dream also features the man moving. That represents change in life circumstances. Life is moving and changing and that quite clearly links to the dreamers issue. She is fearful of the change in her life with her adopted son starting to meet his biological mother. She cannot keep up with the man and maybe that shows that the situation is moving a little too quickly for her. She feels uneasy and not in control.

Above all this is all unknown territory. The man is unknown and the house she is exploring is unknown. That's easy to spot in reality. All you have to do is look for feelings in your life which seem unfamiliar and make you feel uneasy.

Perhaps the old man stands for the passage of time. Old people often symbolise the one thing they have lots of - experience of life. So they are a dream way of saying "what will happen in the future as time passes". The old man is also a man. Men tend to symbolise male emotions and things associated with that. Perhaps the man in this dream symbolises the disruption the dreamer fears and the possibility of change been imposed on her(the child choosing in future years to move closer to his biological mother).

The dream ends up with the parking lot. There are lots of cars there. That signifies how the child has lots of choices. Here is where the dreamer loses track of the man.

Overall the dream captures the dreamers current feelings - "I feel as if I am on unfamiliar ground. What will the future bring. My adopted son will maybe seek to go with his biological mother. It would be his choice and there would be nothing I could do about it. I just feel a little uneasy and confused."

Symbolic Meanings
FOLLOWING : "The dreamer is interested and wants to know what will happen"
OLD MAN : "the passage of time"
SUITCASES : "change and movement - the possibility that the biological mother will become increasingly important"
UNKNOWN HOUSE : "The dreamer feeling she is in unknown unfamiliar territory"

DREAM MEANING The dream captures the following feeling within the dreamer - "I have an adopted son. Now his birth mother has come back into his life I worry that he may choose her over me. I recognise that meeting her is important for him. But I just find it all very difficult. I fear that I may lose him in years to come."