Abandoned Mosque

When I woke up this morning I was talking to one of my guides. I don't remember all of the conversation just the part where I heard 37 weeks. I replied, "37 weeks?" and heard "Yes". Then I heard him say "March 17th". With this information came a knowing that this baby could decide to come a bit early. I was not upset to hear this. In fact, I was very calm. I also knew that if I were to go to a calendar and check to see if March 17th fell in my 37th week of pregnancy that it would. When I did check the calendar that was confirmed. Not only that, March 17th is St. Patrick's day. I thought about the information for a bit, trying to completely wake up and make sure that I was not actually just dreaming it. Then I asked, "Why are you telling me this?" and heard back, "So you know". lol

Abandoned Mosque

I had a very vivid dream last night. The colors and the scenery were quite bright but what was so memorable about it was that I was very obviously in a foreign country.

In the dream I was walking up to an abandoned building. I knew it was a church and was talking with one of my guides as I walked up the sidewalk. We were discussing the building. I heard that it was built by a leader of a religious group. I can't remember the name of the group now but I do remember it started with a "P" and the feeling of it was that it was similar to the Taliban in that it was a religious militant group. The leader, however, had died and the group had disbanded or been destroyed. I was not upset or even disturbed by knowing this information. In fact, I felt like I was a student learning from my mentor about a historical event by being shown the remnants of it.

We inspected the building as we walked by it. I looked up at the wooden structure and noticed that the paint was peeling. Strangely, the colors were very bright, not what one would expect of a church. I saw the color red and the color purple, but red was the most prominent. The peeling paint revealed a gray wood underneath. I looked up at a steeple-like structure but instead of a point it was square at the top and its only purpose seemed to be to indicate the entrance. I stood in front of the door. It was closed. I felt I should not enter. It was holy to someone and it would be inappropriate to go inside.

I continued on past the church walking along a paved road in what seemed to be a residential neighborhood, though it was very unfamiliar to me. I saw a sign that indicated that cars and other vehicles were not permitted. I saw several pedestrians walking along and across the road doing their daily errands. They were wearing clothes I was not use to. Most of the women were in white robe-like clothing that had a hood that covered most of their face.

Shopping and Cleaning Clothes

I continued to walk along the unfamiliar street surveying the area. The houses were different, very poor and constructed of wood similar to the mosque. I followed some women into a store. There were quite a few craftsmen and women working on different types of hand made crafts. Some were working with thread while others were working with metal and wood. The structure they were in was like a garage with a cement floor and no electricity. The back was open and a breeze came through and lifted white linen sheets that covered other openings. I noticed different objects for sale but was drawn in particular to a metal carving of a dragon. I picked it up and noted the intricate details of it and kept it, taking it with me as I left.

When I left I remember talking to a woman. She was giving me sanctuary, letting me stay with her for a short time. I don't know why, I just know that I was being shown around by her. I also recall that there was a small girl with us and I think she was my child, though I do not recall interacting with her, just seeing her out of the corner of my eye. I recall other children being around as well. In particular she was showing me where to wash clothes. We came around the back of a house and she showed me two woman who were washing clothing. They happened to be washing large, white sheets and were pounding them and scrubbing them by hand. I saw how labor intensive it was and told her I would not be doing that anytime soon.

Interpretation

I had not intended to write up this dream except that its vividness has not diminished in my mind since I awoke this morning. I also found it very odd that I was in a foreign country, specifically a Muslim one.

The mosque is similar to a church and represents one's faith and personal beliefs in the divines. Since this mosque was abandoned and very unfamiliar to me I feel I must have been inspecting my own spiritual beliefs and may have been deciding whether to delve deeper into my own beliefs. Being I felt I should not enter, I wonder if maybe there is something within me that I do not wish to open up to just yet? The peeling paint and the age of this mosque and the fact that it was related to something negative could represent my fear of the unknown.

When I picked up the sculpture of a dragon and took it with me I felt very much like I owned this dragon - it was mine. Dragons represent good fortune and good luck and can also represents one's fiery personality. I obviously did not want to lose any of that!

The white cloth is interesting to me. I see it twice. First it was covering the openings in the large garage-like workshop and then it was being cleaned by women. The white is very vivid in the dream and I can still see the white sheets blowing in the wind. White represents purity and new beginnings. When I saw it being cleaned and rejected the idea of cleaning my clothes I likely was refusing to dig deep within myself in order to clean/heal old wounds/issues. The feeling was similar to how I reacted to the mosque.