I had a dream. A really wild one. My family was in it too. We went down ladders into a cavern. I did not have a camera with me, but my dad had. I could not take pictures of it and had to ask him. In the end we came to a massive stone slab and he became obsessed with it. It contained a drawing of Ra on the side my dad was looking, but Horus was on the other end. There were also big stone slabs with these Egyptian Griffins on it.
My dad was then captured by the Ra drawing, and only me and my mother and sister continued. We went into the hall of the mothers. There were statues of goddesses and sarcophagi of queens. They housed the ghosts of ancient mothers and queens. I looked at the statues, and was drawn to Artemis of Ephesus.
There were many statues of Aphrodite too. And different goddesses. Also Hecate. My mother and sister then went to a capitalist store build into the cave. They sold kitchen things and plushies.
My sister wanted a bear plushie. The bear plushie was alive, as one of the ghosts was in it. It said that this store existing is a sacrilege. Like the bear talked to us. She still got the plushie though. Had my mom buy it, but my sister had to end up paying for it herself. Though the ghosts were not happy with this at all. They came and said that all plushies should be given for free. They wanted to keep my mother and the other woman locked up for doing sacrilege in the hall of mothers. Then only me and my sister were left. My friend was there too. In the corner. Making a plushie corner.
The Stone Slab (Ra and Horus)
The massive stone slab with the images of Ra and Horus is packed with archetypal meaning. Ra, the sun god, represents conscious awareness, divine order, and life-giving power, while Horus, often seen as the god of kingship and the sky, is a symbol of protection and the avenger of wrongs. The tension between my father being captivated by Ra (consciousness, order, tradition) and my awareness of Horus (justice, personal will) hints at a psychological split between aligning with egoic, conscious authority (Ra) and my desire to claim my own power and vision (Horus). As I don’t want to be captured by Solar Madness.
In my dream, the griffins appear on stone slabs, an important symbol of permanence, tradition, and foundational truths. The fact that the griffins are depicted in this setting emphasizes their role as guardians or protectors of sacred knowledge and power, which aligns with their mythological role of guarding treasures or holy places.
The Hall of Mothers and the Goddesses
The hall of mothers, with goddesses like Artemis, Aphrodite, and Hecate, symbolizes the Great Mother archetype in various forms. Jung believed that goddesses represent different facets of the feminine psyche.
Artemis of Ephesus is a potent symbol of independence, wildness, and female fertility, representing the untamed, autonomous aspect of the feminine. My attraction to her could indicate a desire to connect with this wild, independent force within myself, a part of me that seeks freedom and agency.
Aphrodite represents love, beauty, and desire, pointing toward the feminine power of attraction, sensuality, and relationships.
Hecate, as the goddess of crossroads and magic, represents the mysteries of the unconscious, transitions, and the liminal space between life and death.
The appearance of these goddesses could indicate that I am integrating various aspects of the feminine, both in myself and in my relationships. The fact that I went to the "hall of mothers" suggests a connection with ancestral feminine power and a need to reconcile with the maternal lineage.
The Store and the Bear Plushie
The capitalist store inside the sacred space of the hall of mothers represents a desacralization or violation of the sacred feminine, a sacrilege. The plushie, particularly the bear, is an archetypal symbol of both innocence and primal strength. That a ghost inhabits the bear suggests a deeper spiritual significance. The commodification of the sacred feminine is something the unconscious disapproves of. This tension between sacred and profane elements might reflect how modern society treats the sacred aspects of femininity and motherhood, reducing them to consumer goods.
The ghosts’ insistence that the plushies should be free points to the sacredness of nurturing and childlike innocence. Plushies, as symbols of comfort, childhood, and emotional safety, should not be commodified. Free the Plushies! 😋 By demanding that plushies be given freely, the ghosts are advocating for the return of sacred, unconditional giving, as opposed to the capitalist mindset of transactions and ownership.
Implications:
The Sacredness of Nurturing: In the context of the dream, plushies (which are often associated with care, warmth, and protection) represent a pure, nurturing energy. The ghosts’ message suggests that true nurturing and care symbolized by the plushies cannot and should not be bought. It should flow freely and unconditionally, much like the archetypal Great Mother’s nurturing, which is instinctive, protective, and freely given.
Critique of Materialism: The notion that plushies should be given for free underscores a critique of modern materialism, especially in how it exploits or trivializes what should be sacred. In Jungian terms, this reflects a distortion of sacred values through the lens of capitalism, where even the most nurturing aspects of life are turned into commodities.
Really in the end from a Jungian context, the ghosts in the dream serve as messengers from the unconscious, representing ancestral voices and sacred feminine energies that have been ignored or violated by the modern, materialistic world. Their disapproval of the capitalist intrusion into the Hall of Mothers points to a disconnect between sacred values and materialism, particularly in how feminine power, nurturing, and ancestral wisdom are commodified or disregarded in the modern world.
It was a true surprise for me to dream of the Hall of Mothers. I was glad to see my friend there too though, and Artemis. I hope that we can reclaim some of that sacredness again. Reminds me of Artemis and the ritual of adulthood. How some plushies were donated to the temple, and these would go to children. Yet we don't do that anymore. Let alone free ourselves of the yolk of societal and familial expectations. To be true to ourselves. Not hold ourselves back.