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The Abyss About a week ago, I had an extraordinary dream. I was in a Victorian building, walking along beneath some arches that led me to a long, subterranean corridor. It felt like part of a familiar routine. Then I went down some steps. As I turned a corner, I saw to my horror that the steps ended in mid-air. Yet I found it impossible to retrace my steps. I therefore had to go forward, but the nearest foothold was a ledge that I couldn’t reach. I called for help. A middle-aged office clerk arrived, but he just offered me a stepladder that was too short to span the gap. With the abyss before me, I woke up. Michael R, Solihull
Dear Michael
The abyss is an ancient feminine symbol signifying the underworld. In today’s language we refer to this subterranean realm as our unconscious - the mysterious, hidden side of our psyche that we are largely unaware of. The dream therefore suggests a need to connect with a deeper - and hitherto unexplored - side of your nature.
Nothing in your previous experience – which is symbolised by the office clerk - can help you to avoid making this necessary transition. Now the old, familiar routines have gone, how will you structure your life so that it has meaning? Now you no longer have to conform to certain rules, how will you decide your priorities? As the dream indicates, the answers lie deep within. For the side of your personality that is represented by the solid Victorian building, though, the prospect of finding a new perspective feels terrifying. Yet the dream makes it clear that you cannot go back and carry on as before. You have no choice but to be open to new ways of experiencing life.
The part of you that has always conformed to society’s expectations fears that, in doing so, it will fall into the abyss and be annihilated. But your dream is urging you to muster up the courage to step into the unknown. Although you no longer have a job, your dream is inviting you to undertake some important inner work.
It’s time to explore what it means to be a unique individual, answerable only to your own inner authority.
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