The old woodwork creaks, and I can't see past the next step. I feel the hair on my arms raise and my whole body shudders. But, I can't. stop. walking.
Whew, you're awake! Thank goodness, it was just a dream. But why do I keep having the same dream?!
Recurring dreams often address an issue with which you've dealt for a time but haven't effectively handled. You keep having the issue, so you keep having the dream. Recurring symbolic dreams are not foretelling; they are dealing with issues in your life and issues of your heart. (There are symbolic dreams that do indicate foretelling, but these are highly uncommon and occur within a short time, like two in the same night, for instance. We'll address those in another post.)
Dream Breakdown
Let's break down and analyze the dream above. Your grandmother is likely symbolic for issues you're dealing with in your own life that are similar to the issues your grandmother dealt with (see What People in Your Dreams Mean).
Being in her house means you are doing something your grandmother did...you are "in her house". For example, if my neighbor bakes cookies all the time, and I spent a whole day baking so many cookies that I didn't go to work, I could easily dream of being in my neighbor's house that night.
A door symbolizes an entry, and a stairway to the basement can symbolize going down to a lower place (whether emotionally , mentally or spiritually). Meaning, you could be lowering yourself/your standards in some way.
In other words, let's say your grandmother had a problem with overeating, and that you too have battled weight most of your life. In fact, every night this week you've been binge-watching Friends with Oreo's and Breyers Vanilla Bean ice cream. You're stressed about overeating and the surely looming pounds, but just can't stop yourself.
Recurring dreams often address an issue with which you've dealt for a time but haven't effectively handled. You keep having the issue, so you keep having the dream.
The door in your dream is the entry to the food addiction your grandmother had, and the stairway to the basement symbolizes your descent into the same addiction. You see yourself losing control and it shows up in your dreams.
That place of addiction is indeed scary; not a place filled with the peace of the Lord, but instead with fear and dread. Those are the ghosts and goblins. In the dream, you are continually compelled to go down those stairs. In reality, the addiction is beckoning you to come.
This reoccurring dream shows up time and again because the dreamer is struggling with the same addiction her grandmother did, and each time she gives in to it, she has a similar dream.
What to do about these dreams? We explain dreams, the Lord's purpose for them and how to best handle the issues they address in Dream Interpretation Toolkit.
Do you have a dream topic you would like addressed? If so, please leave a comment.
Sweet Dreams!
Sylvia