Sunday, August 24, 2003		Dream Theme

Dreaming of ditches
Vinaya K. Manhas

LIKE dreams of dark holes or dark tunnels, dreams of ditches are also harrowing. In fact, these could be even more frightening. Seeing a ditch, falling into one or trying to crawl out of one, are common dream symbols.

As per Indian thought, to see a deep ditch in your dreams signifies lots of disappointments and troubles coming your way. You shall get so deeply entrenched and trapped in troubles that for your friends and relatives to be able to help you would be very difficult. To dream of creeping out of a ditch is lucky if you succeed in getting out. You shall soon see your problems coming to an end. But should you see yourself falling in a ditch then it spells your downfall and problems in every sphere of life. To be crying out in a ditch in which you have fallen means that you will have good friends who shall help you out in times of need.

As per western thought, dreaming of falling in a ditch denotes personal loss and injury to your character. Should you jump over a ditch, it means that you shall gain victory over your enemies who are plotting and conniving against you. Should you come out of the ditch you shall be able to prove your innocence. Should it be someone helping you out, it denotes the need for you to take someone’s help to prove your innocence and solve the problem. Psychoanalytically speaking, a ditch stands for the hollowness and the emptiness which one feels when faced with uncertainty and sadness. It could also denote a deep feeling of insecurity in some people, while in a few cases it could denote depression.

A 35-year-old man would often dream of standing on the top of a ditch. The sky and the surrounding area seemed dark although not totally black. He would then slowly see himself fall into it. As he would fall, first he would feel scared, but then gradually he would give up and enjoy the sense of weightlessness. He would not be able to see anything, as it would be totally dark. He could feel air rush against him. But he would never feel himself land on the ground. The person obviously seems to be surrounded by problems and is very depressed, as darkness seems to be dominant in his dream.

With no solution in sight, he seems to have given up, thus he seems to be enjoying the fall. This more or less proclaims his submission to fate and acceptance of the consequences. Although initially the fear factor is there but it soon gets overshadowed by the sensation of falling. The fact that the person does not land on any surface shows that the individual is, in reality, not ready to give up. Thus the final thud does not come. The person still desires to fight it out. It shows that he is a survivor.