Daniel Needed (a revisit)

Just in case you don't follow this blog: I recently asked my readers for some help interpreting a recent dream I had.
My friend Jon McClarnon (J-Mac), who has planted True North Church in Apex, NC (near Raleigh), offered these thoughts:

T-Rev, this is truly fascinating. I rarely remember dreams myself, so when I do, I pay special attention to them.
I think this one is clear. There are 2 obvious gleanings:
1. The 1/2 assed version of yourself today is much better than the full on version of yourself 8 years ago.
2. The trip is irrelevant. It only means that if "she" had won rather than you, the prize would have been the girl. But since you won - she could only see it as having lost. She would never have ended up with you because of the male tendency to always have to be right. Thus, you got Thailand.

My roommate Chris, offered these thoughts:

I don't think this as confusing as you want to make it.
There's a contest, and there's a girl. There was at least one girl you wrote letters to. The girl in the dream may or may not be this girl, but in general, it represents "the one that got away." The contest being back at Ozark shows a deep internal desire to relive those days, in hopes that those relationships might come out differently.

I replied to Jon with this email:

That's very insightful. I would never had seen that.
The question now is what is this dream telling me. Is it a call for behavior or thought change? Or is this just my dreams mocking me about the one that got away? Why would my subconscious want to inform me that I'm a better man today than 8 years ago? And should I still go to Thailand?

I decided later that it should have read, "Why would my subconscious and/or God want to inform me...", because I do believe that God can speak to use via our dreams. Even though I haven't had those clear experiences in my life yet.

Jon then replied:

that's about all I got...try consulting a "what do my dreams mean" website - might be interesting.
It's a good sign for you to say that you've come a long ways in the last 8 years - you're twice the man you used to be. Was there a hot girl at Ozark who ended up in Thailand?

To which I responded with:

I'll google some dream sites today and see what I find.
Not sure of anyone that ended up in Thailand. I know I passed on a trip to Thailand my first summer at East Tulsa. I wasn't sure how to ask for a month off, and didn't know how I was going to manage the next years tuition if I didn't have a job.
Oh wait. Kara Kunkel (now married, so Kara Somethingelse) went on that trip. I was head over heals for her.
But then again why would God or my subconscious bring that up?
On to the googling.

Now there were plenty of other hot girls at Ozark who could be in the dream girl (ha ha), but Kara was the only one with ties to Thialand.

Well my googling turned up a website called Dream Moods (it was the first one, and I didn't really look at any others...yet). Here is some of what it had to share with me:

Competition
To dream that you are in a competition, represents your need to grow and expand. Learn the value of endurance and perseverance. Also be more assertive.

To dream that you win a competition, suggests that you possess the necessary skills to accomplish a goal or solve a problem in your waking life.

Crush
To dream about a former crush, refers to that particular period in your life and what you were feeling. The former crush represents a point in time when you first had the crush on that person.

College
To dream that you are in college, indicates that you are going through some social or cultural changes. You may be wanting to expand your knowledge and awareness. It also suggest that now is a good time for you to experiment and try new things. If you had gone to college in your past, then also consider your personal experiences and memories of your college days. However, if you are currently in college, then it may be a reflection of your current surroundings. It may also represent stress.

Paris
To dream that you are in Paris, symbolizes your need for romance and passion. It also suggests that you are a person of distinction. You own personal experiences and knowledge of Paris will supercede the suggested interpretation here.

Asia

To dream that you are in Asia, suggests that you need to adjust to some situation. If you are traveling to Asia or thinking about visiting Asia, then your dream may indicate your anticipation of such a trip.

Writing
To dream that you are writing, signifies some sort of communication with someone or with your conscious mind. It also denotes a mistake that you have made.

Eight
Eight stands for power of authority, success, karma, material gains, regeneration, and wealth. When the number eight appears in your dream, trust your instincts and intuition.

Emotionless
To dream that you are emotionless, suggests that you are closing yourself off from those around you. You may be neglecting your own feelings and should start paying more attention to them.

Emotions
Emotions expressed in dreams is a way for people to act out their feelings which they would not normally express if they were awake. This provides a "safe" outlet for these emotions instead of letting them be pent up.

Guilt
To dream that you feel guilty about something, relates to how you are handling your successes and failures or competence and incompetence. You may feel undeserving of your achievements or on the other hand, you may feel that you have let other down. Alternatively, it is also symbolic of repressed and negative feelings that you may have about yourself.

Lazy

To dream that you are feeling lazy, signifies that you will make a terrible error in a business deal resulting in bitter disappointments.

Friend

To see your friends in your dream, signifies 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.

Woman
To see 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.

Win

To dream that you win at something, signifies triumph and success. You have much confidence and belief in yourself. All your self-doubts have subsided.

Victory
To dream of victory over something, suggests that you are in need of some motivation or confidence in your abilities. Sometimes you need to imagine or visualize success before actually achieving it.

Um...I don't think I have gained anymore insights beyond what J-Mac shared. Some of Dream Moods insights seem to conflict.
Oh well.
But I suppose I should look into plane tickets to Thailand.
Does anyone have any contacts in Thailand?

Spliting Potter

They are turning the final Harry Potter novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, into two movies. 

I guess I’m fine with that; I’m just disappointed that they didn’t do it earlier with some of the other films.  They sacrificed a lot of elements that, after reading the final book, seemed more significant to me.

Also I’m worried that we are going to get two movies about 80 minutes each with an awkward break in between. 

 

Oh well.  It would be really hard to mess this stories up, so I think it will still be awesome!