Dream of white buffalo 58.3.4 -> 5

[compass]

Hi, I had a very fantastical dream last night (but then again, aren't they all?) that has perplexed my ability to understand it.

I was running from one town (or area) to the next, and over my shoulder I could see a shadow ominously walking in pursuit. I have a bicycle helmet on my head which is a little loose, but I'm on foot. When I arrive at the next town, a herd of buffalo have been running with me, and some stop to sniff nuzzles with a white buffalo who lives here. I feel a presence next to me, and it is a bear who is sniffing me non-threateningly, its head next to mine. I am suddenly aware that the man in pursuit has a shotgun, so I want to warn the people of this town that he is coming. I go into a house and there is an older man (late 50s, 60s?) sitting in a yellow terrycloth bathrobe watching TV with the curtains drawn (this dream is taking place at night)--I know without asking that he doesn't care. I go into his basement and find a poorly lit, stone tunnel leading back to the town I fled from. Dream ends.

I asked the I Ching what did the dream mean and got 58.3.4 -> 5.

I'm thinking that perhaps the fleeing (the herd mentality) and the man with the shotgun are what's hinted at lines 3 & 4 (as if the bicycle helmet will protect me ), that perhaps the white buffalo (a very spiritual symbol in some Native American cultures) links to hex 58 itself of joyful communication, and the man in the yellow bathrobe with the curtains drawn relate to hex 5, waiting. However, my impression of the man watching TV is that he was hiding away, ignoring things--i.e. chosen ignorance, "If I don't see it, it doesn't exist." The tunnel, on the other hand, either speaks of a way back or subconscious communication.

Any thoughts are duly welcome. :bows:

 

[diamanda]

what did the dream mean 58.3.4 > 5
That you are in two minds about something, very careful about it, and perhaps feel stuck (5).

You run from one place to another, only to end up back to square one.
Someone with a shotgun is following you (58.3 maybe), you feel endangered.
You feel your protection is flimsy (helmet, not fitting right).

Deep down you're 50% optimistic (there's a white buffalo somewhere, the bear is friendly).
A yellow robe sounds like a Tibetan monk's clothing to me, no idea what is is for you.
The guy is old, closed-up, and doesn't care - maybe you're scared that you might become that?

Then after fleeing danger, having hope, losing hope, you go back via dubious means.

58.4 speaks clearly about a choice between two things.

So these are my thoughts, let us know if they apply in any way.

 

[compass]

Thanks, Diamanda, I think your interpretation is quite accurate.

I'm returning to America for a short trip in a few months, after living in the UK for many years. During that time I've gained a different perspective of my homeland than I would have had if I had stayed living there. The rising right-wing, extremist attitudes, the xenophobia, and the increased mass shootings have got me quite concerned--not only how to protect myself, but how to protect my family. I think that's where the man with the shotgun and the bicycle helmet come in. The buffalo are both herd mentality (getting caught up in the fear and anxiety) and also the victims of mass slaughter, as was done in the 19th century by men who couldn't care less. And I agree that the White Buffalo is hope, spiritual hope in being able to overcome.

The bear sniffs me out--is it impending danger? Again fear of something that may not turn out to be threatening. It also makes me think of that ruse of playing dead when confronted by a bear--i.e., do nothing--and it will ignore you.

The man in the yellow terrycloth bathrobe does not have a good feel to him--he's ignoring things and would rather watch TV. He waits but does not want to know what's going on outside. He is both me in my avoiding moments and those Americans that infuriate me because they choose not to address what's going on. In his basement is the dark tunnel--as you say, "the way back via dubious means": the way back through chosen ignorance.

I think 58.3.4 (and dream) speaks to my conflicting feelings of happiness and anxiousness about this trip, and the relating hex 5 to the need for me to just wait and see how things unfold while we're there.