Two Feet Deep
The Dreamer is in the backseat of a car, driving down a busy childhood road. His high school friend Ryan Shaw is in the backseat next to him. The car passes old haunts, long since closed down. The Dreamer remarks that he loved that hot dog stand. Ryan remarks that he can’t believe some of these overspecialized fast food places are still in business. Then the Dreamer is sending an insulting text message to his current-day friend Ted. Then the Dreamer is inside of a gas station with his father in law, Dal. They are waiting in line with others. Then the Dreamer comes to the front of the line. The attendant is a Native American man who reminds the Dreamer of someone from the college meditation dome. The Native American grabs the Dreamer by the arm, then invites the Dreamer to a gathering. He says the Dreamer is welcome to join, but this time the Dreamer is not going to get off so easy. “We gave you a pass when you were young,” he says, “but now this is the real deal.” The Dreamer clumsily responds that understands, “this is all about the earth.” The Native American calculates the curvature of the earth out loud, then says “ it is only two feet deep”.
Motifs: Ryan Shaw has featured in a previous dream, I could not remember his name then and it was driving me mad. He was a guy from the “other side of town”. Fast food, gas stations, are recurring — perhaps as symbolic of types of ‘cheap’ sensory impressions that are no longer feeding, or providing nutrition for, the soul. “Curvature” has also featured in a previous dream, in connection with a golden arc, a golden curve, that the dreamer traveled upon.
Associations: Native American, wisdom; my father in law Dal is wise in some ways too, but carries the shadow of a man who knows everything and can do nothing
Feelings: excitement (in the old town), jealousy (toward Ryan Shaw, who dated a girl that I liked in high school); regret toward sending an insulting message; intimidation around the Native American man; imposter (around a man who is truly wise)
Interpretation: This dream is encouraging the dreamer to change what “fuels him”. The Dreamer is used to being fueled by the bright lights of want; fast food, cheap gas, and convenience stores, but that isn’t going to cut it anymore. It’s also not going to cut it to know everything and do nothing. Or to be jealous of others for what they have. Or to live in regret for what one could have done. He has embarked on a serious journey. The Dreammaker is inviting the Dreamer to continue but suggesting that the Dreamer needs to ground himself (“two feet deep”), surround himself (“curvature”) in a new type of environment.
