In my dream, I was on the CMU campus, but at an open place with sculptures, which doesn't exist at CMU. My parents were there with me, and I insisted that they had to go to the Phipps Conservatory because it was an awesome place. They wanted to just walk around and didn't seem as excited as I was about it despite my mom being a plant fanatic. I kept urging them to go, but we ended just walking along, sort of in the direction of Phipps (but in reality, nothing that we passed existed in real life along the way to Phipps). We ended up near a steep hill/mound of earth that had a short stone fence along the side, and I walked on top while my parents walked on the bottom. On my way, I met a bunch of art students trying to collect dirt for their art projects, and it was difficult to get through because the fenced off part was only wide enough for one person. I got to the end of the fence and it blocked us off from going further. There was a huge hole on the other side (where my parents weren't walking), though, and I desperately tried not to fall through it by turning back, only to find more art students coming at me and getting cramped in the little fenced off area right before the hole.
-- Edited by 102intro on Saturday 3rd of September 2011 06:39:29 PM
I believe the fact that the dream takes place at CMU indicates it has to do with an aspect of college life. The journey to Phipps is symbolic of your journey toward life after college, and you are perhaps taking a path that is different from the one your parents want for you. Their reluctance to go to the conservatory could mean they do not approve of your choice of direction in life or that they are finding it difficult to let you go and choose your own way in life. That you chose to walk on top of the hill, while they walked on the bottom, could mean that you have set lofty goals for yourself that do not directly include them. The hole at the end of the path might be symbolic of the unknown future. You are headed toward it, but do not know what to expect and are frightened by the prospect. The one-person wide fence and the students blocking you from turning around could be the realization that you must stick by your own decisions and you will need to be independent in the near future.
Dorian Gray's repsonse seems to be pretty good, because the idea of your parents not wanting to go with you to Phipps seems to convey a sense of reluctance for your choices. As an art student, I'd like to say that we are kind of obnoxious and I apologize for the seemingly oblivious approach they had towards your journey. The separation you and your parents made when walking above them on the stone fence might imply that again you are reaching up for something that your parents may not want to back you on. The single-person space in the fence might have been a subconscious effort to help you break away from your parents more than the overall journey to Phipps or the stone wall. You could not fit through there easily if you wanted to hold their hands or be close to them in case anything happened, so I think you have a repressed longing to break free. I don't know if you had an overbearing childhood, but if so I think the fence hole is your first real chance for individuality.
I think a lot of this dream has to do with the cycles of life. I want to focus a little on Phipps, and your mention later of dirt. Like children growing to become adults, so too do plants go through various life cycles as well. Phipps is full of plants and at this stage in your life you too are like the infant seed about to sprout, question is which plant will you grow into? Your subconscious is no-doubt aware of this change too. Your mother was uninterested because you may have fears that she is scared about what her baby will grow into--with so many breeds of plants, some beautiful and some ugly. The dirt you mentioned earlier can be seen as a medium to grow plants in, so the art students you visualized represent the culture, a culture which will in fact foster and help your plant grow. The depiction of you walking above your parents, in my opinion is fairly straightforward. In one aspect you embrace your new-found freedom, but in another aspect you fear it. You fear being away from your parents and being on your own, you wonder if you too can trail the fence and find your own path. This dream has a lot to do with yourself, but at the same time a reflection of how others see you.
I agree with most everything that Swag pointed out. The feelings surrounding college and one's future are often greeted with both excitement and a touch of fear; this seems to be very well symbolized through the dirt, art students, stone wall, single-person pathway, and Phipps. Additionally, the statues on CMU's campus take this idea further still. Typically, a statue is erected as a testament to a noble or sacrificial effort that deserves recognition and instills inspiration in its viewers. Perhaps the statues on dream-CMU's campus represent the goals and aspirations of your future? Because there is more than one, it might make sense that there are many accomplishments and details of your future that you hope to pursue, which would explain how the subsequent journey through the dirt mountain/Phipps can be interpreted as the paths, people, emotions, and choices that will ultimately help you attain your goals (again, referring to the cycle of life). Emotions or attitudes towards the statues were not noted in the recollected dream, but that in itself might indicate the subconscious desire to repress making decisions/figuring out what goals you wish to seek out.
It seems like the author is worried about his/her future - which is common for any college student. The fact that your parents did not seem too happy about going to Phipps Conservatory implies that they do not agree with the path you have chosen for your future. Although it is implied that you have made a choice which took your parents' opinion into account, possibly your mom's (you noted that she is a plant fanatic and you chose to take your parents to Phipps knowing that she would like the place), your parents are still reluctant about fully accepting your choice. Later in the dream, you and your parents took different paths, you chose to take the top path while your parents stayed at the bottom. It shows further disagreement that exist within your family. The appearance of "fence" in your dream may indicate that you feel confined by your parents' wills. The art students coming at you and getting you cramped may indicate your worries about your encounter with competitors in the society after you graduate. The hole that you were desperately trying not to fall through possibly reflects your fear about the unknown future.
