Discovering Patterns within Dreams

Patterns are Found Everywhere

I’ve lived in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains for a couple of decades now, and I’ve got to tell you it’s given me an appreciation for the great outdoors. A few hours of hiking through the beauty and silent foothills has many more benefits than I can list here. I’ve come to realize one of the best benefits it allows is a perspective on life that I can’t  get anywhere else.

A piece of that perspective is to notice the small things. When I’m out in nature I tend to take a closer look at the earth, water, trees, insects and everything else I don’t normally pay attention to when I’m running around making a living. In doing so, I notice patterns everywhere; in the bark of trees, the ripples of the water, the color in the autumn trees.

Taking a few steps back to consider beaches, oceans, and the deserts of the world, it’s plain to see that natural life is filled with patterns. Within our own lives there are patterns of thinking and patterns of behavior, just to name a few. Patterns are everywhere in life. Why shouldn’t they be evident within our dreams?

What Does a Dream Pattern Looks Like?

So what exactly does a pattern look like in a dream? To be honest, a pattern can consist of anything. It can show up as consecutive numbers, symbols, even word patterns. The best way I can show you how to spot a pattern is to present a dream filled with patterns. Some of the patterns in the dream are on the surface, while others take a bit of digging to find.

Dream: Part One

So I got to a building lobby. The receptionist knows me by name, says hi, hands me a package I received. He calls the elevator (which is floor specific and only goes to the 3^rd and 4^th floors). We chat for a short bit (me pretending because everyone seems to know me, but I don’t know anyone) while I wait for the elevator.

The elevator arrives and I get in. I don’t know where this apartment is, so I take a shot in the dark. Before the door closes I tell the receptionist I’ve had a long day and I’m experiencing a brain fart and I ask him which floor I’m on again: 3^rd or 4^th? He gives me a strange look but does tell me its the 3^rd.

I hit the 3^rd floor button and when the doors open up its like a train station: there are tons of people walking around, multiple reception areas and signs telling which way to go for specific blocks of apartments.

I go up to one of the reception areas and the first thing I ask is if the woman knows me. She tells me no so I explain to her that I am new to the building and forgot my apartment number. She tries to look me up but can’t find me. She asks the lady next to her. I guess this lady knows me but she is really busy and just rattles off “352C” without thinking anything of it or without looking up. I’m relieved she isn’t paying attention and quickly scurry off to find the sign for the block my apartment is in.

The whole dream is becoming very much like the movie and show Snowpiercer. I have to make my way to the apartment like I’m making my way to the front of the train. I get to the end of the corridor and there’s a sign that says Apartments 350-365, but there is a gate and a station that requires a finger print to access. It, of course, isn’t recognizing my print, so another receptionist guy comes over to assist me and after several more attempts he tells me to hold tight while he gets his supervisor.

I notice the gate has a lock on it and I discover 3 keys in my pocket. I put two and two together and try to use a key on the gate. One of the keys fits and I can manually turn the lock to get the gate to swing up to get access to the doorway. In doing so, I get two receptionists running up and telling me “Sir, please wait! Don’t do that!” I walk through anyway and manually close the gate on the other side and they can’t get through.

Part 2

I walk to the end of the hall and now there is this super luxurious area  where people are playing music. There is an open bar nearby and people are dressed up. Now there are signs indicating apartments that are split up by individual number, but broken down further into A,B,C,D, and E. I’m still looking for access to the 352 sector but I can’t seem to find it (I also keep seeing a sign for #241 but it ends up not being relevant) So I ask an employee dressed in a bell hop uniform so formal that it resembles military dress uniform. I receive no inquiry or concern that clearly I’m an outsider, and he just points in the direction of the 352 corridor. It’s very secluded and hidden but I find it.

It’s like bathroom doors to go through this point and it requires a key, which I have. So I open the doors and now it’s like being an elite underground club. There is a lot fewer people, but lights are low and there are all kinds of weird stuff happening. Nothing scary or fearful, but strange and really exclusive feeling.

The apartment must be huge because the letters are very spread out and I’m walking all over the place looking for “C”. I keep getting distracted with all the weird underground exclusive stuff going on and it doesn’t seem like “352C” even exists. I came across A, D, and even signs for #241 again, but no C.

I happen to run into another bell hop like guy and asked him “Where did apartment C go?” He gives me a strange look (like he knows me personally and I should know where it is) and directs me to this large regular wall area with a weird lock in the middle of it; no door, no sign.

I put two and two together again and pulled out my last key. I shove it into the lock with the anticipation of everything, I wake up before I turn it to see what happens next and what my apartment is like.

End of Dream

Surface Patterns

This dream is just the right length to contain many patterns. Some of these patterns are resting on the surface of the dream, out in the open for anyone to see. I’ll highlight these first. There are also patterns that are concealed beneath the surface. Some of these patterns are hidden so well they were difficult for me to see. We’ll discover some of these as awe explore the dream together.

First Patterns

In this first part of the dream, there are two obvious patterns in plain view. The first, of course is all those number threes. But did you see the other patterns?

I spotted two more patterns in the beginning of this dream. There is the pattern of reception areas in the lobby and on the third floor train station. There are receptionists in these areas that help the dreamer get to his destination, which is the second pattern.

Now that we’ve discovered a couple of surface patterns let’s get some meaning out of them.

The number three not only appears in the first part of the dream, but throughout the rest of the dream. The dreamer finds three keys in his pocket that unlock three areas he needs to access in order to get to his apartment. What I also find interesting is the dreamer keeps running into the numbers 241. This is not only three numbers but 2=1=3 and 4-1=3. Even these numbers subtly confirm the pattern of three.

With all the numbers in existence why would the dream repeat the number 3 in all those different ways throughout the dream? What does it mean?

The Pattern of Threes

In order to answer that question I need to again direct you to the wisdom of the ancients. The first thing that comes to mind when I think about the ancients and the number three is the latin saying Onme Trium Perfectum. The phrase can be translated as “Every set of three is complete” or “Everything that comes in threes is perfect.” The number three is also the smallest number needed to create a pattern.

Additionally, the number three is associated with the trinity in Christianity and with the number of gods in the ancient Assyrian religion as well as many others. I find this very interesting because the idea of the dreamer being led to an apartment they didn’t know they had, and having all these 3s pointing to the destination, seems to suggest a spiritual journey. It’s as if this dreamer is being helped to find their way to God.

The dreamer’s resonance can be the deciding factor if this is what the dream truly means. At the very least it’s a good place to start.

The Hidden Pattern

Some of the more hidden patterns I encountered in the second part of the dream are the appearance of bell hops, and the fact that people are appearing more dressed up. In the luxurious area the dreamer notices people are dressed up and one of the bell hops is wearing a “uniform so formal that it resembles a military dress uniform.”

Then there’s one last pattern I spotted. The fact that it’s so well hidden is intriguing because the pattern is things being hidden from the dreamer.  The way to the apartment is hidden, the keys in the dreamer’s pocket are hidden until he needs them, and just before the big reveal when the dreamer is unlocking his apartment he wakes us. The apartment itself remains hidden. This dream is as much about finding a hidden place as it is about being on a journey.

Nearly every dream has at least one pattern. It may take some looking, but if you can figure out the patterns hiding within your dreams you are well on your way to discovering what the dream is concealing.

EB