A Very Strange Dream

~ beetleypete

I had a disturbing dream last night. It woke me up when it was still dark, and I went back to sleep thinking about it. I was unsure whether or not to post about it today, but after walking round with Ollie for a couple of hours this afternoon, I decided to go ahead.

On the 18th of this month, I read a blog post on a blog I follow. Here’s a link to that.
The Seven Sisters

It was about a trip to the Seven Sisters in Sussex, seven famous chalk cliffs that overlook the coast. It is very common for people to commit suicide there, by jumping from the cliffs. I know that area well, and have been to the same spot many times in the past. I enjoyed reading the text and admiring the photos, left a comment, and thought no more about it.

Until last night.

I was driving along in a motor caravan, with Ollie on the seat next to me at the front. I have never owned a motor caravan, so that in itself is unusual. After parking the vehicle somewhere, I walked across the wide expanse of grass with Ollie running around in front of me, until I got close to the edge of one of the cliffs.The sky was grey, the weather cold, and the sea was turbulent, with waves crashing into the rocks at the base of the cliff.

Something made me inch nearer and nearer to the edge, until I was aware that small pieces of chalky rock were being loosened by my shoes, and falling into the sea below. With the wind in my face, and an uninterrupted view, I was really basking in the full force of nature. Ollie was still standing close, and just behind me.

Then for some reason, it entered my head to jump. Well not really jump, just step off into the void. The appeal of that idea continued to grow, and I started to move one foot forward until it was no longer touching the ground. As I did that, Ollie moved closer to the edge too. I turned and told him to ‘stay’, but it was clear to me that if I stepped off the edge, there was every chance that he would follow me. So I didn’t. I stepped back a few paces, and bent down to stroke Ollie. Concern for my dog had stopped me from doing something irreversible.

And then I woke up.

In the past, I have never really had any suicidal thoughts. I am sure the dream can be explained by having read the blog post, and those dangerous cliffs being on my mind.

But whatever the reason, it seems I can thank Ollie for saving me.

87 thoughts on “A Very Strange Dream”

  1. Pingback: A Nicer Kind Of Dream: Spaniels | beetleypete

  5. I rarely or should I say remember a dream…I have always thought they are the reverse of what you dream so to speak but I am far from an expert I tend not to think too much about a dream if I ever remember one but I suppose if I was standing on a crumbling cliff edge I might…Some great comments on the meaning of your dream, Pete 🙂 x

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    1. Thanks, Carol. I have always recalled dreams. When I was young, I would tell my Mum about them in detail, and now I am older, it feels like I have been watching a short film, easily remembered. 🙂
      Best wishes, Pete. x

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  6. Personally, if a dream impacts my waking mood, or stays with me in great enough form to drive me to share, think about, etc., I always figure there’s something there I should be paying attention to – that said, I echo what others already said – remains to you to discover the symbology within it – best wishes for you & Ollie as you face your journeys ahead –

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      1. Who needs tv when we have our dreams to entertain us – give us ‘dramatic’ moments!?? LOL – I never even was aware of the term ‘lucid dreaming’ until I was in my 30s – and once I was told about it, asked the provider of ‘knowledge’ – ‘what, doesn’t everyone dream like that?” – ahh…the dream landscape – it’s like reincarnation – getting to live more lives and journeys than just one – our connection to ‘immortality’ and no fancy diet, pills or exercises required – – LOL

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  7. I won’t add to the succession of people with a ready analysis of your dream, Pete; I feel that nobody other than you can interpret them, because your internal landscape & dialogue are unique, but the answer might not be readily available! It sounds a lot more coherent than any dreams I have remembered recently! 😉 Cheers, Jon.

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  12. Dear Pete,
    don’t worry, such a dream has nothing to do with a death-wish. All dream-specialists like Freud, Jung and I 😉 see this kind of dream as a symbol for something new that has to come. You know, the language of dreams is symbolic and not like our everyday language. First of all, there is this kind of desire to fall. That means to let go, to let restrictions and fears go. It’s a strong symbol of freedom. One finds such symbolism quite often in dreams of people who have to learn to let go, to live a more easy life. Second, every dream connotating death is a sign that the dreamers have to finish something that has an unnecessary negative influence on their life. You find this structure of dream often dreamt by people who have a tendency to depressive moods.
    Dear Pete, so don’t worry be happy – actually, this is the message of your dream.
    We are just on a holiday in the English mountains in the Lake District. I hope that you’ll get my comment because the signal is worse than poor here.
    All the best
    Klausbernd 🙂
    Greetings from the rest of the gang

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  13. In my community, we are told not to talk about dreams with someone who is not adept in dream Psychology. Because inaccurate interpretations can affect the way you perceive your future. Still, I’m glad you stayed for family…Ollie is your family. 😁 Give him that extra piece of steak next time.

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  14. I can see how it can seem a somewhat odd and disturbing dream, but dreams often have ulterior meanings to what you might think the dream is about, and dreams will use imagery from experiences and things around you to try to get your subconscious’s message(s) across. I agree that your dream is likely reflecting your worries. I often have really weird, bizarre dreams and I’ll wake up thinking “where did that come from”, like a shape-shifting capybara, or running from mobsters into a crowd of zombie Michael Jacksons, or riding a reindeer with my (deceased) poodle, Cinnamon. Sometimes I have involved dreams that, after I wake up, I think would make a good book, but then I never remember enough about it to actually write it.

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  15. Standing on a precipice and taking careful small steps indicates making decisions about some new endeavor or some new thought …perhaps the dreamer is contemplating a lifestyle change, a change in physical location, beginning something new and adventurous …the wind represents force of spirit which can be indicative of something healing itself inside during the sleep cycle ….dreaming of the dog companion equals revelations that true friends are few and far between and that there is one or two that you can depend on when the chips are down …the dog symbolism can also mean that you intend to remain faithful to a commitment, an idea ….dreaming of the sea represents a strong life force within the entity doing the dreaming … a vast array of possibilities floating through the individual life … many choices to be made …. success in endeavors. Altogether the dream is assurance that you are in control of your life situation and are fully capable of handling all challenges that come to you.

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  16. Hi Pete. This dream of yours sounds somewhat disturbing and yet strangely beautiful — almost sublime even. And I was never aware, until now, of the dark secret behind such a place as beautiful as the Seven Sisters! I am glad that you have decided to share this. Keep on sharing!
    Best regards and hoping you are well, Sam.

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    1. Thanks very much, Sam.
      I have had vivid dreams for most of my life, but they have increased in frequency since I got older. If you are interested in dreams, you might like to read about this one I had in 2017. I still have no explanation for it, and some of the comments it generated are somewhat coincidentally-spooky.
      https://beetleypete.com/2017/04/20/my-trip-to-madison/
      You are right about my dream of standing on the cliff edge. In many ways, that connection with nature was a sublime moment.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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    1. That’s interesting, Elizabeth. The post I linked to mentioned suicides from those cliffs, and jogged my memory of the area. No doubt a combination of thoughts resulted in that unusual dream.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  19. I wouldn’t be too concerned with that dream if I were you, Pete. Some of the stuff I dream about is entirely bizarre. I wake up, shaking my head, wondering why I would dream about something so crazy. Last week I dreamed about chasing after a camel. I’ve never ridden a camel or have any fears or thoughts about them. To me, it was complete nonsense. I know some people think dreams reveal certain things about us, but I view them as completely random thoughts. I would take comfort in knowing that you cared for Ollie in your dream.

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  22. I loved our visit to that part of the coast. At Beachy Head it was so windy I kept telling Cyberspouse to come away from the edge – he was probably four feet away…That visit inspired part of my latest novel – ‘ At The Seaside Nobody Hears You Scream ‘ . Another day we walked down the footpath and ended up at the coastguard cottages across from the Seven Sisters – a view loved by photographers – that inspired a short story. My photo on Facebook was copied for a painting by a Facebook friend in Australia and is now in our living room. But I have never dreamed about those cliffs….

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  27. Blimey o Reilly. Maybe if you’d stepped off you and Ollie would have flown somewhere nice. 😊 I’m so up and at’em when I get up my dreams fade before I can latch on to them these days, but I once dreamed myself into a whole episode of The Legendary Journeys of Hercules, and had a great time, I’ve never forgotten it.

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  28. Dreams are so interesting! I often have dreams in which strange things are happening and I tell myself ‘don’t worry this is only a dream’ but sometimes it’s the opposite and I tell myself, ‘this can’t be a dream, its’ real’ but then I wake up relieved that it was indeed a dream! In your case I think it did relate to what you read earlier and also your loving concern for sweet Ollie. I’m glad he saved you!

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  29. Sometimes what we eat before we go to bed determines whether we have pleasant dreams or nightmares or just a load of jumbled up chaos. Cheese is a culprit. I don’t eat cheese, but tend to have nightmares if I ever eat anything sugary late at night.

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  30. I have read many different dream interpretation theories. The bottom line is we just do not know. Disturbing dreams are the worst in my opinion. The most plausible theory to me is that dreams are the brain’s method of sorting through information in an effort to decide what is worthy of keeping and what should be discarded. In that way, I can see where things we read could collide with worries we have or with pleasant experiences. In any event, I am glad you thought better of stepping off the edge because you would have been so distressed if Ollie followed suit.

    Dreams can stick with you though. Imagine what goes on in the dreams we cannot remember. Better yet, don’t imagine that.

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    1. Thanks, Maggie. Interpretation is always hard, as the same dream can mean different things to various people. This one didn’t bother me too much, which was why I decided to write about it.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  32. I love dreaming, recording my own dreams on my site, and hearing of other people’s dreams! Sometimes we want to step forward on a different path, go somewhere else, and do something we may have never done. But, we realize that if we traveled too far away, or moved somewhere else, we have loved one’s and friends, a life we are anchored to that we would have to leave for awhile, or bring them all along!! And, some of our journeys aren’t meant for everyone, not even our pups! :)Jen

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  33. Dreams can be uninterpretable….quite some years before my mother died, I had a most disturbing dream…. we were on a walk at the coast on a steep path close to a cliff edge, and my mother tripped and fell to her death in front of me. I didn’t get back to sleep that night.

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  34. I’ve often had dreams about crumbling cliff edges – usually I’m trying not to fall over, or trying to stop a dog falling over. Sometimes in these dreams falling is inevitable, in which case I just think, ‘Oh well, go with the flow, it’ll probably be OK’, and I go over but miraculously land without injuring myself.
    I’m sure there’s some symbolic meaning to cliff dreams, but I don’t know what it is!

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      1. I once dreamed that I actually pushed my mom off a cliff. Talk about guilt! But it makes sense metaphorically when you think about our rocky history I guess.

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  35. It was not Ollie so much as your love for him which saved you. Sounds like a disturbing dream but I’d take the positives from it. Maybe there’s something in your life which is like a cliff you’ve stepped back from?
    I don’t usually remember my dreams but just in case you’re interested there’s a Dreams group on Facebook

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