Secret passages and odd experiences

A lot of the time my dreams tend to have a sort of current theme. It's not consistent or persistent. For example, one night I might dream about something in particular, then for a few nights I'll have random, meaningless or unconnected dreams...then the theme from the first dream will return for a night or two, then it'll pass, and return...these themes can last for periods of months or years. This has been true all of my life. There always tends to be a particular theme at any given period that may last for a long time, with breaks in between.

Some themes are recurring, it'll come, stick around for a few months then go, then perhaps return at a later point in my life. One theme in particular is about buildings - I don't know why, but just thinking about it right now is making me uneasy and sending shivers up and down my spine. The reason I'm writing this now as this theme apparently has returned, but has taken a slightly more vivid and somewhat ominous form.

I'm not good at analysing my dreams, or other peoples dreams, which is why I sometimes post about them here on ATS.

Buildings...weird buildings that I don't know in real life but know all too well in my dreams. I've had these types of dreams since childhood and normally I don't think much of them. I noted it as a "theme" a long time ago but never gave it much though as they were always sort of benign. But the last night I'd a really odd building themed dream about my place of work. I'd been having occasional dreams about the place for a while, but they were unremarkable until a few weeks ago when they became somewhat more sinister...but last night was a trip.

The reason I'm worried is because it sort of connects to something that happened in real life a few weeks ago - this ties in around the time these dreams changed. We have a basement in work where we keep some stock, it's not a scary place to be. I never feel uncomfortable down there even when I'm alone, in fact I quite like it, it's peaceful.

A few weeks ago I was down there stacking some stuff onto shelves as we'd had a slight leak and I wanted to get stuff off the floor. I finished what I was doing, switched the lights off and headed up the stairs and left through the exit and locked the door behind me, as I was ready to leave I heard a crashing sound from down in the basement, it sounded like a heavy steel or metal plate had fallen flat on the floor, a rather distinctive sound.

So I opened the door and went back down, I wasn't scared - I just thought something precariously placed had lost its battle with gravity. I'd a look around for the cause of the sound but found nothing. I gave up and left, heard no more noises so forgot about it.

A few days later I'd a dream I was down there and could hear a sound from the opposite side of a brick wall - for some reason I knew how to get behind that wall. There was a small niche in a dark corner where you could climb up and crawl through a narrow space which took you to a secret room/compartment behind the wall. This room/compartment doesn't actually exist, but in the dream it did. I climbed through and emerged at the other side of the wall and was trying to find the source of the sound, but found nothing - I got scared and woke up.

A few days ago the same thing happened - in the real world I mean. I left the basement, locked the door behind me and hear more of a dull thud that sounded closer to the door. I opened the door and switched the light on. Now I've never seen anything "paranormal" before, had some odd experiences but never saw anything obvious...nothing immediately odd or unusual - and I' kinda convinced myself it was my eyes playing ticks or adjusting to the light - but for a brief second I thought I saw something small, round-ish and black glide smoothly away from me and down the stairs in to the dark basement below...I didn't investigate, just locked the door and left. It wasn't huge, man-sized, nor was it a discernible shape or figure. it was small, but about eye level. I saw it in my peripheral as I scanned the room atop the stairs leading down to the basement. I'm a grown man and admit I was a little scared, but played it cool and convinced myself it was my fertile imagination combined with my eyes adjusting to the contrasting light above and the darkness below.

The building themed dreams persisted but now more focused on the place where I work having bizarre, secret areas or passages which I'm able to find and access, but with a quite creepy vibe. these started shortly after the first metallic thud I heard, in fact a day or two later. In my dream this building has some hidden areas, some of which are breathtaking. It's hard to describe these areas, but they seem to have some kind of meaning - like they've been there for centuries and had some purpose or significance.

Last night was the first time I woke up scared and unable to stop thinking about the dream I just had. I was in work. I walked from the office towards the lobby area just where the front door/reception is. As I passed between the office/lobby I noticed a crack on the threshold, some light was shining through. I was a very obvious gap...as if it were designed that way. I could see the light shining up through the crack and knew it was from the basement below - the light had a golden, warm and inviting feel to it, I went down to switch the light off.

In the basement again I could hear noises from behind the wall. I headed for the narrow passage and climbed through - for some bizarre reason, while I was doing this I was calmly explaining what I was doing, as if to instruct others on how to get to the other side of the wall - but nobody else was there.

When I got there I began to feel uneasy again, the noise had stopped and nothing was there. I was in a small narrow passage and knew where to go, I followed it along a straight path and emerged in what looked like a huge cavern decorated with ornate tapestries and statues, furniture...very opulent surroundings, like a palace carved into a mountain or something. It was breathtaking - and appeared to have some religious or ceremonial significance.

There were several doors or entrances but they were high up. There was no obvious way to reach them other than to climb. I started to clamber over the rocks and work my way towards a small doorway high on my right-hand side. Suddenly, from behind me I heard the most horrible sounds, I looked back over my shoulder and saw a beast of some sort emerge from the high-up door behind me, it made its was down the rocks, swinging like a pro - panic set in.

I started to head back down, stumbling and falling, this thing bellowing towards me at an incredible speed - scaling the rocks with ease. I found the narrow passage that leads back to that area behind the wall, it was completely dark and I was petrified. I got to the area behind the wall and was trying to jump and reach the small opening...I never heard my pursuer arrive, it just appeared behind me in that small room, I gave up and sat on the floor - I couldn't see it but I knew it was there.

It didn't do anything, just made a hideous roaring noise and I woke up...the scary thing is I could still hear the noise when I woke. I know this can happen, it's happened before...but it was right there in my room, it sort of echoed for a second or two and my eyes opened as wide as saucers, I felt my hair stand on end and my heart felt like it would pop right out o

I had a dream the other night that I was in in abandoned gloomy dark place with many secret doors and passages. I swallowed a hole melon just before opening a door to a beautiful sunny white sand beach in a 'secret' place in england with different weather. It was so hot and magical. Your dream sucks though :/

reply to post by samerulesapply


Sorry, didn't realise it'd go on so long, lost a bit there:

It didn't do anything, just made a hideous roaring noise and I woke up...the scary thing is I could still hear the noise when I woke. I know this can happen, it's happened before...but it was right there in my room, it sort of echoed for a second or two and my eyes opened as wide as saucers, I felt my hair stand on end and my heart felt like it would pop right out of my chest. I lay there, frozen, for like 20 minutes...desperate to pee and sweating.

These dreams are getting worse, scary dreams never bothered me but this is, I don't want to go down the basement any more and don't really want to go to sleep either. Does it mean anything? Any ideas? Do you think my experiences in the basement could be the inspiration behind these dreams...or could the experiences in the basement be the actual cause? I'm a bit freaked out by it.

If anyone can even interpret this dream, what it means...or the dreams about unusual buildings in general I'd be grateful.

reply to post by samerulesapply


Whew what a dream, it makes a book!
Is the building you work in old? Is it in an old area?
is there another building up against it (could the sounds come from another basement)?

Maybe your mind is perceiving something you can't consciously or will not let yourself. Maybe there are secrets and you have clues, but you don't want to know or leave your job.

reply to post by Char-Lee


It is an old building that has been completely renovated...strangely, all except the basement, which as far as I know is as it was before the renovation took place.

There is an adjoining building, the sound I heard definitely came from our basement, the building next door is a block of flats, I'm not sure if they have a basement, but if they do the entrance to it isn't visible anywhere outside or near where I was when I heard that sound. I'd my back literally to the basement door when I heard the metallic crashing sound and it definitely came from down there.

I don't know what frightens me more, now - going back down there...or having to tell my collegauses I no longer want to go down there and why, because I'll be ridiculed.

After I thought I saw the black smudgy thing I contemplated taking some photos of the area but I'm scared to if I'm honest, I worry if there's something there I might annoy it in some way, but I'd like to take some and see if anything strange appears in them.

It's a strange place, indeed - I've spent many a happy hour down there working away without even the slightest hint of worry or fear about anything, this is pretty new considering I've worked there for 6 months or so.

Char-Lee
reply to post by samerulesapply

 

Maybe your mind is perceiving something you can't consciously or will not let yourself. Maybe there are secrets and you have clues, but you don't want to know or leave your job.

edit on 7-4-2014 by Char-Lee because: (no reason given)

Although, it's funny you should say that - recently I've been contemplating leaving my job. I only started this new job about 6 months ago and feel it isn't really working out, can't quite put my finger on why, I just feel it's not really for me.

Odd...

A basement in a dream symbolizes the dreamers unconscious mind. You find a room in the basement, rich with treasures - and doors too high for you to reach. Behind the doors are monsters.
Are you in a dead-end job, with cut-throats at the upper level? They might be the 'monsters' in your dream.

samerulesapply

Char-Lee
reply to post by samerulesapply

 

Maybe your mind is perceiving something you can't consciously or will not let yourself. Maybe there are secrets and you have clues, but you don't want to know or leave your job.

edit on 7-4-2014 by Char-Lee because: (no reason given)

Although, it's funny you should say that - recently I've been contemplating leaving my job. I only started this new job about 6 months ago and feel it isn't really working out, can't quite put my finger on why, I just feel it's not really for me.

Odd...

I worry if there's something there I might annoy it in some way -

I think this is quite possible, it seems like when we take notice and put our mind toward these things they increase. Also when renovations take place sometimes it is the start of things in an old building.

Honestly if I could find another job I would if i were you. You see I learned that you should always listen to your inner voice and if something feels off it almost certainly is.

My curiosity might want me to ascertain if the building seems to be missing any space or do the photos down there, but it is not wise.

Someone who dream interprets made a thread I think yesterday...something about interpreting your dreams...you could look for it too.

nugget1
A basement in a dream symbolizes the dreamers unconscious mind. You find a room in the basement, rich with treasures - and doors too high for you to reach. Behind the doors are monsters.
Are you in a dead-end job, with cut-throats at the upper level? They might be the 'monsters' in your dream.

In this case though he had a couple of non dream odd things happen with the basement so I don't know.

I think you're both right...the job I'm doing now was presented as a great opportunity, and I suppose in the long run there's some potential, but I feel trapped and as though I made a mistake taking the job on.

This goes some way to explaining the dreams, I guess. As for the basement...I don't know what to make of it, part of me is curious - I'd say I'm more curious than scared, I just know curiosity is often best put to one side and forgotten. I never felt it before until recently, there definitely feels like there's some sort of presence down there now where there didn't before.

If there is it isn't or hasn't, as far as I can tell, done anything to me, yet.

I think I'll start looking for something else.

Tnanks, guys.

reply to post by samerulesapply


At first, I agreed with the other posters and their assessments of it being representative of you subconscious (though my interpretation of the content was different) but the black critter you saw has me thinking it may be more.

If you quit your job without exploring this a bit, you will always regret it. What I would suggest would be to find every opportunity to go down there and just speak to it. Greet it as you enter, say goodbye when you leave, etc. It very well could be something from the other side or even a Tulpa of some sort. For all you know, you are being called down there for a reason. Maybe you'll find something you are supposed to take. If you get no other signs of something inhabiting the basement after a week, then you'll at least know. I wouldn't leave your job until you've at least satisfied that chapter of your life's story.

You don't want to be telling this story to your grandkids someday and ending it with "and then I quit my job". There very well could be something you can help down there or perhaps that can help you. Even if it just helps you solve the mystery.

By the way, it totally reminds me of The Dixie Pig BBQ joint in The Dark Tower series. If you haven't read those books, you totally should. I think you would relate to quite a bit in them.

reply to post by Cuervo


Tulpa? I've heard the expression - not too sure what it is, though.

The idea of something trying to lead me down there for any reason is extremely creepy and makes me want to go down there even less, now. The worst thing of all is I know I'll probably have to at some point. Is there anything I can do to protect myself...aside from the obvious holy water and crucifix type stuff which I don't invest any faith in?

samerulesapply
A lot of the time my dreams tend to have a sort of current theme. It's not consistent or persistent. For example, one night I might dream about something in particular, then for a few nights I'll have random, meaningless or unconnected dreams...then the theme from the first dream will return for a night or two, then it'll pass, and return...these themes can last for periods of months or years. This has been true all of my life. There always tends to be a particular theme at any given period that may last for a long time, with breaks in between.

Huh. I got something similar there. My dreams used to be random, had a theme or sometimes the dream was that of nothingness and darkness, how I miss those dreams. However after a while there were new dreams forming in the burnt pancake I call my mind. They got more vivid and began recurring. I won't delve into details of the dreams. But the same dreams have been recurring for years.

Just to get myself from dreaming, some days I'll go and tire myself out by running through the bush. Knocks me out cold. That or I just get drunk and fall asleep that way.

My dreams are like that...Similar places but clearly not the same...My home where I grew up and all of the towns around it occupy a certain dreamscape in my dreams. They have clear landmarks that are almost the same, and rivers, and bridges and I know all of these places intimately though my real life knows little about the real towns and places - all superficial...For instance I had a dream about a house near a bridge that crossed a river near where I grew up. I was in the house with its decorated mantels and its side and backyard garden of decorative plants and such. I went across the (covered in the dream but not in real life) bridge and it was windy, cold and snowing...it took a long walk but there were no vehicles crossing...but when I got across I recognized it as one of our major bridges to a major route...and I started walking...the strangest thing is that these dreams seem more real and relevant that life...I've had the secret passage dream too...but it's me and it's like Alice in Wonderland where I'm suddenly too big to go through a passage...usually a staircase...and not dark...the last was brightly lit from windows and white washed steps and corridor but full of spiders in spiderwebs. I couldn't go down the steps as I chose but only up and into a room with ornately green wallpapered walls and a table full of art works and a decorative mantel in the middle. I was looking at a particular picture on the mantel of a very good looking person when a very tall...like 7 foot tall thin man with long pretty hair comes from around that side and gives me a no no nod that I shouldn't be touching those things. He sits down on a couch on the other side of that mantel and gestures for me to come up and sit...but I'm little and he piles up books so I can and reaches a hand down to pull me up and I sit there on the books and stroke his hair and smell it (yeah, that's weird) and it's comforting -and then my stupid neighbor woke me up with his loud ^&*((& car.

I went down there alone yesterday, nothing happened - the only unusual thing was I noticed a plank of wood had been moved which I didn't move.

Someone else must have done it, weird...I'm the only male that works there and probably the only person who needs to access the basement for supplies, can't imagine a female heaving that large plank of wood for no obvious reason...but someone did it, most likely a person.

Still having the dreams, finding weird rooms and stuff in there but nothing particularly frightening or alarming. It's intriguing me more than anything, now. The main focus of my dreams over the last few weeks have centred around this building and various chambers that don't actually exist.

Thanks for the responses.

My own personal feeling after having read your experience (which was well told, btw!), is that you're being asked to burn through some subconscious fears, because beyond those instinctive (and completely understandable) fears are some long, lost forgotten memories. And I don't mean memories from this life. I mean soul level memories and knowledge. Remembering who you really are.

The only way to access these secret areas within us that we locked away until they were needed, was to repress or block them which is easily motivated from a place of fear. Now it's time to retrieve them, to remember again. Which means you move towards and through the middle of your fear while standing strong in yourself. I say burn through it, because your body may feel anxiety, flight or fight, etc. but as you make yourself stay conscious through the fear and don't run and don't fight . . . and remember to breathe despite your fear . . . it quite literally burns the fear away . . . then you are rewarded with returning memories and forgotten knowledge that you hid and secreted away within yourself for these times.

Old thread but I wanted to update.

I no longer work in that job - had few more dreams about the place.

The last one was about a week before I left, I was on the upper floor and the gap was there again at the threshold, golden light shining through...I went to pass over the threshold out of the office and a finger came up through the gap.

For some reason I was angry and kicked it, it was broken and in a funny angle and disappeared back down the gap and I could no longer see it. No sounds or noise, screams of pain or anything like that were heard when I did this...I distinctly remember wondering why I reacted by kicking the finger in the dream.

I then left the building and stared in through the glass door, looking inside. Nothing came and nothing happened, that's all I remember.

About a week later (in the real world, not the dream one) I went into work, I knew something wasn't right...it was colder than usual. I put the kettle on and prepped a cup to make coffee...I could hear a noise but it was distant.

I went to the back of the building where there was a door that led into a small utility room - in this room is another door that leads down to the dreaded basement, which I'd grown used to, I could hear the sound coming from there and could tell it was water.

I opened the door and the utility room was stone cold, bitter, I could see my breath - this was a month or so ago so quite warm, it was a nice day. I put the light on and went to the basement door, opened that and flicked the light on and the whole basement area was flooded.

The water was rushing quite fast and I could see the ripples coming from where there was clearly a burst pipe or something...I put the light off and left.

Called the boos and told him what had happened and that I would be finishing up, quit the job right there and went home.

I wasn't happy there, on reflection I think the dream was that nagging feeling in the back of my mind.

I waited until a co-worker arrived and handed him my keys and informed him of the developments that morning, I thought he'd be angry but he was sort of indifferent. I think he kinda knew I wasn't really happy there but he was decent enough and wished me well.

I skipped home feeling free...golden light? I dunno, week later I was desperately looking for work! Good friend starting out on a new business venture made me an offer and I took it, so all's well that ends well. Thinking about it now, I think that was meant to turn out this way, had I not left that job I'd probably still be there and would have missed a great opportunity, so maybe the dream had meaning or a message after all.

Just thought I'd complete the story and let y'all know how this turned out, thanks for reading and responding.

I had to reply to this. This is seriously creepy to me, as it seems to be somewhat related to a recurring dream of mine. I also had this dream since childhood, when I'm dreaming it everything is very familiar but when I awake I don't remember much and I even have periods of months or years where I don't remember having the dream at all, but then I dream about it again and then I can't understand how it was that I didn't recall such a frequent dream that I have had.

In my dreams, I get up from bed, I "float"/"fly" to the fireplace (I think this may actually be like an astral projection or something) and I go up, inside the chimney. Then, there's a very narrow passage way in the wall and I always forget how I should do to go through it, but I have someone by my left side who explains it to me (creepy that you said you talk as if explaining to someone how you're getting in!!!!!). I don't remember that person's face and once they explain it to me, I can't believe I forgot it, but I always forget it. This is hard to explain, I'm going to try my best: to enter, I have to put my head inside it and, as I'm floating, the rest of the body just seems to get into it too, somehow. This wouldn't make any sense if I had my real body, but the dream is so real that I sometimes wonder how I have to do to enter the passage way, just to remember that I probably couldn't because it is so narrow, so it was just probably a dream... Many times, I seem to think of the dream as if I knew it was actually something that had happened and not a dream, so I strongly believe this may be related to astral projection or that sort of stuff.

Anyway, once I get inside, I don't usually remember what happens, but I think it's always the same, so, judging by the dreams that I do remember that part (only 2 out of so many!), there are many rooms. Now, what's creepy, again, is that when I saw the rooms in one of those dreams, I thought to myself "I just don't remember this when I'm awake, but it's so obvious all of these rooms exist, and there's so many of them". Yes, I thought "when I'm awake" because in these dreams I know and understand what's going on in my life when I'm awake! I don't think of them as dreams, though! I just think in terms of "when I'm awake..." and "here, now...", I don't think "in this dream I'm having... but in real life...".

In what I think is a slightly different version of these dreams, there's a gigantic mansion with wooden stairs, but I shouldn't go to some of the rooms because "whoever goes there, will get hurt". The house is so big that I have tried to get to its top, to see if it actually had a ceiling, but I was warned that "that's very dangerous".

I also always had dreams about being chased by an evil witch or a demon. I connect this to the other dreams because the chimney is a trapezoid form and some occultists believe that's the perfect shape for the manifestation of demons. I also mentioned this because you said you saw a beast that chased you.

a reply to: samerulesapply

as I was ready to leave I heard a crashing sound from down in the basement, it sounded like a heavy steel or metal plate had fallen flat on the floor, a rather distinctive sound.

I think the dreams you've been having have to do directly with this incident. It's your subconscious trying to make sense of hearing the crashing noise with no obvious signs of where the sound was coming from.

(I used to hear dishes crashing in to the sink all the time and when I would go check it out, the sink was clean. I would hear the noise even if all the dishes were done. We found a sage smudge stick in one of the kitchen cabinets near the sink, I put it right back where I found it, that house was haunted.)

The building themed dreams persisted but now more focused on the place where I work having bizarre, secret areas or passages which I'm able to find and access, but with a quite creepy vibe.

these started shortly after the first metallic thud I heard, in fact a day or two later.

Since the dreams started shortly after hearing the metallic thud, it's got to be your subconscious trying to search for an answer. Hence your looking through secret passageways, that's representative of your search for answers.

I have a lot of secret passageway dreams too!

a reply to: Jennyfrenzy

Interesting thoughts, I appreciate the response.

I've thought a lot about it over the last few weeks. Things were unstable, a small family business that was expanding and evolving, it changed a lot and was exciting as well as worrying at times.

Uncertainty, on relfection I was well out of my comfort zone. I like things simple, you know? I was there less than a year and so many people came and went in such a short time and it was alien to me - I was relieved to leave, I've never felt so happy knowing I was no longer employed and in a rather difficult situation, but i was relieved and felt like I'd been trapped.

Don't get me wrong, the people who owned the business were nice enough and I had no problems with them, but felt like an outsider. It became more obvious as time went on, and the dreams sort of reflect that pattern in retrospect.

Hindsight's a great thing.