I have had so many dreams with house fires. Last night I had one involving one of my ex's and through out the dream I saw 3 house fires up close and also two massive structure fires/giant plumes of smoke in the distance. (Huge fires that were turning the night sky orange) We had kissed again and it seemed like we were going to get back together (despite my family still hating her).
What do house fires symbolize in dreams?
- Thread starter Pearce
- Start date
unclesirbobbyrobson
Member
What sort of fire was it? Was the house on fire or was it an old fashioned open fire? A homely house fire could symbolise a warm and homely atmosphere and a wish to get back together. A house on fire could symbolise the family hating her. Fire is a destructive symbol and so it could symbolize a relationship which is destructive
MistressLex
Member
House fire can symbolizes a destruction of a part of yourself, the home in dreams or rooms even can translate over into the self. So if the house burns down it can be seen a destroying a part of youself that is no longer a part of you... starting over or even, that your angry with whatever you view the house symbolizes
Lyn Holley
Active member
Fire is a huge transformational symbol. Think about, "the house of the Soul." Something is being transformed in you and it relates to your relationship with the feminine. Male and female together equals wholeness, and this is what the journey is about.
I agree with Lym fire is about transformation, and in alchemy transmutation is referred to as Calcination, it is the initial phase of spiritual alchemy, it refers to as the black stage. This dark hue signifies chaos and the hidden aspects of our lives buried deep within our unconscious. The very essence of Calcination involves the burning until only ashes remain. I would do some inner work asking what parts of the self do I need to cleanse and purify, once we go inwards our subconscious will show us what we need to see, sometimes we don’t want to but it is always there until we bring the shadow aspect into the light, which is why we can have the same reoccurring dreams. You may have either gone through or going through a similar stage in your life, so fire is not always negative as it leads to purification and transmutation for the soul.
I see people commenting on interpretations of fire, which could be positive but you specifically mention house fires, which strike me as clearly destructive. Examine what they mean to you and see what your gut says. You also mention situations with your ex and family so it seems pretty clear that is the focus of the dream. Is/was there a possible reconciliation with the ex in real life, or just in the dream? Its pretty normal to wonder how you can recover a love you lost, even when it went horrifically. I'd think this is about the catastrophic destruction of core relationships both with the ex and with your family that you say haven't forgiven her. My guess is that you're hurt, wish things could be good again but see the destruction in your relationship with both the ex and with the family. Even if you somehow managed to work things out with the ex. those other relationships were destroyed as well and would have to be rebuilt too. My guess is you're still trying to work your way through the loss and the dream was a vivid reflection of that.
Yeah, ignoring one symbol to hyperfocus on another will not welcome a valid interpretation or understanding of any psychological process, and anyone who has ever been involved in house-building would never take that destruction of intense focus/dedication so lightly.
"Home is where the heart is" can also be shown to imply that many people put their hearts *into* their homes, their safe space and dreams and efforts to those better futures--houses often represent those things in addition to all the massive work and skill and focus required to make them. It takes quite a blind eye to the process or a complete taking-for-granted to miss this. In 99% of the case, house fires are harrowing/traumatic, even if they aren't (physically) fatal. And ask anyone who has burned to death if they felt it transformative...
In all the dreams I remember involving fire, it has always been a warning/worrying symbol, of destruction (as uncle and Lex said), even *if* that were to become prepared for something new. It's still a highly painful process that should be properly prepared for, not skipped into blindly. In your context (of which we know way too little to be of much help), the fire might represent your seeing families burn/come to ruin--but what we really need to know is how these images were loaded into your emotions to have context to even begin; ie, the *impressions* you got of those details are more a part of the details than anything you describe. It you felt horror or regret or even an echo of sadness, then I think you are relating to how you have seen so many families go from seemingly happy bonds to tortured, shredding things. Analyzing how to work through and overcome and not have your relationships *be* like that burning house might be the true positive you get from the dream. Then again, if you felt happy watching the houses burn down, then it might simply mean you are a pyromaniac, heh.
Without the meaning-to-you feelings, there is no depth or value to go on. We are not automatons in a vacuum, and so dreams would never communicate this way with us, yet why do so many leave out those details if they truly want to discuss it? And as an example of missing context: an older person who was a house builder would could have your dream and it mean *far* more/differently than say someone who has never been a home owner/caretaker. Someone who has suffered a burn in their lives would also have a different message from it than someone who hasn't. These background understandings and emotional details are intertwined with any illumination you might seek.
If you are truly curious about how this process *can* be done, check out my novel, Dream Knights, to see how a group of students handle and learn to detail their more intense dreams (and then where that leads them, which is the fictionalize part of the novel, not the dream details). In any case, I wish you productive dreaming.
Lyn Holley
Active member
Way to go, Alice.
Lyn Holley
Active member
I wouldn't take the dream literally. This is about the feminine qualities within. What qualities does your ex have that you need/want?
Lyn Holley
Active member
Symbols have both positive and negative connotations. But a house fire does not have to be negative. The house is the soul and fire is transformation. Taking dreams literally leads to confusion.
Hello and well met, Lyn; I agree with you at least 50%.
Symbols are most versatile, which is why I keep hint-hinting for more dreamer-personalized context. The all-important emotional and intellectual impressions of the dream-receiver help shape those symbols--*no one* can properly shape in a vacuum, because any moderately aware dream-walker knows that as soon as you put any particular element in a box, it will prove to you it doesn't (fully) belong there. It will always whisper to you: "keep searching."And while it's true that dreams won't readily spell out what lessons or insights or other help it wants to impart (at last not very often), understanding this glorious process should open your mind to many other possibilities other than the one you gave (as if that were *the* answer to this particular dream). I merely point out that you will be most fortunate if your shot in the dark hits any target worth hitting, nothing more. (And not saying your read is wrong, but that it's at the very least incomplete and without support, reminding you again how incredibly *versatile* symbols are!)
So I encourage you to widen-grow-nurture your perspective based on this truth, rather than doing the opposite: in the dream realm, certainty *disables* your flexibility, and the mind will inevitably narrow rather than open. As you surely know, this is not a productive direction to grow in.
Also note that taking dreams literally is very much *not* the same as being informed and considerate of real world elements displayed as symbols within a dream; not the same method nor intent nor consequence. Please take this lesson to heart: some of the most powerful dreams are those that find a way to communicate *directly* to us, through whatever medium they've had to travel; they can *press* a meaning into us as supported by symbols or sequences, and communicating/understanding these things is how we gain clarity, not confusion.
And with cheek, I will point out that to the explorer, confusion is simply motivation to search further/deeper, not an excuse to stop and rely on what someone else tells you as if it were a safety blanket for the mind and you the child needing to be tucked in at night. Blankets smother as readily as they can comfort (speaking to symbolic flexibility), and context makes all the difference between those extremes.
Happy delving to you.
Lyn Holley
Active member
Paul, do you have a response to the various ideas offered? Do some ring true to you, or not?
Hi, Lyn. I'm reluctant to get specific for fear of someone taking it the wrong way and ruining the message (no one can see much of my earnest warmth through text, no matter how careful the wording). But since you pointedly asked: no, none of what's listed here rings true. That isn't the same as saying something is false, just that the resonance of it doesn't move through me the way music might resonate through our mind-body (as dream symbols can resonate through our mind-spirit).
A quick side consideration (since it's related, I promise): If you are at a concert watching a pianist you do not personally know (or have any history with), and they have raised their hands to keys, and perhaps even caressed the first key, how do you know what the song is going to say to you or even mean to them? Does that act or single tone "ring true" to you as a complete piece when absorbed in its full context? I make the analogy specifically to impress reality-sense upon anyone who cares to learn more about the importance of context. We are awakened into an indescribably complex existence, and as far as anyone can tell, it's all interconnected--not even the vacuum/void is really "in a vacuum". This is backed up by science as we become sophisticated enough to learn about particles and waves and their interaction with *everything* around them, their resonance in the greater weave of existence. For example, there is no box/category for the planet Earth separate from everything around it: the sun resonances, the near-"void", the magnetic particularities (heh, like our planet having a bad hair day while enjoying the solar winds).
Given our limited views of the vast interaction of relatively simple things, it seems inconceivable that someone would treat dreams with such simplicity, as if they can simplify and get a ring of truth from the on-purpose mysterious! I will not make assumptions about your motivations other than to state it is deeply unsettling to me that you feel free to make such simple assertions about a song (to tie in the analogy) before the pianist has even played it. Does anyone like a reviewer who writes a review about something before experiencing it?
No offense to the OP, but that wasn't a detailed song more than a "come onto the stage, hit a note, and leave" performance. If I had bought a ticket to this show, I'd be asking for a refund. There simply isn't enough of the song there to know *what* rings true; does that make sense? You must avoid feeling emotionally vested in "being right" to the point of ignoring the realities, unless I misread how serious you seem to be about dreaming and its affects and reasons-for-being. This is indeed a very serious and meaningful activity, but you have to treat it as such! Again, I am reluctant to make an example of this post lest Pearce get upset (for the wrong reasons), but I truly want to help. Some of the details/context missing in this original post are the timings and impressions and emotions and personal take-aways--there is really nothing for us to truthfully address without that context. That's why it's supremely important to practice recalling all those little details and feelings rather than dismissing them as you wake up--because they are vital clues if you want to actually discuss the dreams (even just to have fun with them because they can be so whacky!).
There's tons of great examples in my novel as the students work at it and gain in skill of recall/sharing. To urge/instruct them, my counselor says something to the effect of, "Make up words if you have to. Anything to help us understand all the aspects of your dream--the more we have, the more we can play around with." And just as it does in real life, this constant practice unlocks deeper and more meaningful dreams for the students until they stumble into some amazing-surprising things! When I get more time, I will put out another example of a dream that I have been dwelling on as an example for you to sink your teeth into, so to speak, heh. Until then, please take this in the encouraging spirit in which it is offered.
A quick side consideration (since it's related, I promise): If you are at a concert watching a pianist you do not personally know (or have any history with), and they have raised their hands to keys, and perhaps even caressed the first key, how do you know what the song is going to say to you or even mean to them? Does that act or single tone "ring true" to you as a complete piece when absorbed in its full context? I make the analogy specifically to impress reality-sense upon anyone who cares to learn more about the importance of context. We are awakened into an indescribably complex existence, and as far as anyone can tell, it's all interconnected--not even the vacuum/void is really "in a vacuum". This is backed up by science as we become sophisticated enough to learn about particles and waves and their interaction with *everything* around them, their resonance in the greater weave of existence. For example, there is no box/category for the planet Earth separate from everything around it: the sun resonances, the near-"void", the magnetic particularities (heh, like our planet having a bad hair day while enjoying the solar winds).
Given our limited views of the vast interaction of relatively simple things, it seems inconceivable that someone would treat dreams with such simplicity, as if they can simplify and get a ring of truth from the on-purpose mysterious! I will not make assumptions about your motivations other than to state it is deeply unsettling to me that you feel free to make such simple assertions about a song (to tie in the analogy) before the pianist has even played it. Does anyone like a reviewer who writes a review about something before experiencing it?
No offense to the OP, but that wasn't a detailed song more than a "come onto the stage, hit a note, and leave" performance. If I had bought a ticket to this show, I'd be asking for a refund.
There simply isn't enough of the song there to know *what* rings true; does that make sense? You must avoid feeling emotionally vested in "being right" to the point of ignoring the realities, unless I misread how serious you seem to be about dreaming and its affects and reasons-for-being. This is indeed a very serious and meaningful activity, but you have to treat it as such! Again, I am reluctant to make an example of this post lest Pearce get upset (for the wrong reasons), but I truly want to help. Some of the details/context missing in this original post are the timings and impressions and emotions and personal take-aways--there is really nothing for us to truthfully address without that context. That's why it's supremely important to practice recalling all those little details and feelings rather than dismissing them as you wake up--because they are vital clues if you want to actually discuss the dreams (even just to have fun with them because they can be so whacky!).There's tons of great examples in my novel as the students work at it and gain in skill of recall/sharing. To urge/instruct them, my counselor says something to the effect of, "Make up words if you have to. Anything to help us understand all the aspects of your dream--the more we have, the more we can play around with." And just as it does in real life, this constant practice unlocks deeper and more meaningful dreams for the students until they stumble into some amazing-surprising things! When I get more time, I will put out another example of a dream that I have been dwelling on as an example for you to sink your teeth into, so to speak, heh. Until then, please take this in the encouraging spirit in which it is offered.
Lyn Holley
Active member
Pearce, does any of this resonate with you?
Lyn Holley
Active member
Dear Paul,Hi, Lyn. I'm reluctant to get specific for fear of someone taking it the wrong way and ruining the message (no one can see much of my earnest warmth through text, no matter how careful the wording). But since you pointedly asked: no, none of what's listed here rings true. That isn't the same as saying something is false, just that the resonance of it doesn't move through me the way music might resonate through our mind-body (as dream symbols can resonate through our mind-spirit).
A quick side consideration (since it's related, I promise): If you are at a concert watching a pianist you do not personally know (or have any history with), and they have raised their hands to keys, and perhaps even caressed the first key, how do you know what the song is going to say to you or even mean to them? Does that act or single tone "ring true" to you as a complete piece when absorbed in its full context? I make the analogy specifically to impress reality-sense upon anyone who cares to learn more about the importance of context. We are awakened into an indescribably complex existence, and as far as anyone can tell, it's all interconnected--not even the vacuum/void is really "in a vacuum". This is backed up by science as we become sophisticated enough to learn about particles and waves and their interaction with *everything* around them, their resonance in the greater weave of existence. For example, there is no box/category for the planet Earth separate from everything around it: the sun resonances, the near-"void", the magnetic particularities (heh, like our planet having a bad hair day while enjoying the solar winds).
Given our limited views of the vast interaction of relatively simple things, it seems inconceivable that someone would treat dreams with such simplicity, as if they can simplify and get a ring of truth from the on-purpose mysterious! I will not make assumptions about your motivations other than to state it is deeply unsettling to me that you feel free to make such simple assertions about a song (to tie in the analogy) before the pianist has even played it. Does anyone like a reviewer who writes a review about something before experiencing it?
No offense to the OP, but that wasn't a detailed song more than a "come onto the stage, hit a note, and leave" performance. If I had bought a ticket to this show, I'd be asking for a refund.
There's tons of great examples in my novel as the students work at it and gain in skill of recall/sharing. To urge/instruct them, my counselor says something to the effect of, "Make up words if you have to. Anything to help us understand all the aspects of your dream--the more we have, the more we can play around with." And just as it does in real life, this constant practice unlocks deeper and more meaningful dreams for the students until they stumble into some amazing-surprising things! When I get more time, I will put out another example of a dream that I have been dwelling on as an example for you to sink your teeth into, so to speak, heh. Until then, please take this in the encouraging spirit in which it is offered.
I meant to reply to Pearce, not to Paul. Pearce is the one who asked about interpretation. I agree that context is important, but in this forum we usually don't have that. The best we can do is to project upon the dream what we would feel were it our dream. This is an accepted method of dream exploration. Yes, it could be that the dreamer is reacting negatively to the house burning down. And, also, sometimes these are ego interpretations that don't get to the heart of the dream. Those the drawbacks of this type of dream work. Sincerely, Lyn Doucet, L.P.C., M.S., M.Ed.