Meaning

I had a very vivid and strange dream last night....

I dreamt that I was walking towards a strip mall with a former co-worker so that she could run errands during lunch break.  The scenery was normal - bright city streets, the sun shining, people walking around - nothing out of the ordinary.  As we rounded a corner the landscape completely changed into something that looked post-apocalyptic. Everything around us had just burned to the ground. There were no active fires, but it was obvious that at some point, fire had torn through the city. The buildings were smoldering and ash and debris littered the street.

The only thing that was still standing was this strip mall.

"Are you sure they are open?" I asked.
"Yes," she replied, "I just need to grab a few things."
"I don't think we're supposed to be here," I mumbled as my gaze scanned the sky examining the shells of buildings that were burnt to a crisp and producing plumes of black smoke. 

When my gaze returned to street level, my friend had vanished.  I ran towards the strip mall desperately looking for my friend but unsure of which store she was shopping in.  My choices were a dollar store, a bridal boutique, and a liquor store.  I ran into the liquor store first because it seemed like the obvious choice of where she might be.  Upon entering I was met with lifeless creepy stares from soot covered men standing motionless among the aisles of alcohol.

"Have you seen a girl?" I asked.

Their faces slowly turned toward me to expose blood shot eyes. Their bodies began to slowly shuffle in my direction.  I turned and flew out the door in a petrified panic.

Once outside I found my friend sitting on the curb outside of the dollar store with her head in her hands.

"I'm in the wrong place," she said.

At this point the black smoke was sinking from sky level and filling the street.  I looked around to see frantic brides running in and out of the bridal boutique rescuing dresses from potential fire or smoke damage.  I could feel the smoke around my face getting heavier and darker. The smoke started to blur my vision and fill my lungs to the point where I pulled my sleeve up to my face and started breathing into it.

I grabbed my friend forcefully by the arm and said, "Let's go, we're not supposed to be here."

She reluctantly got up and I dragged her across the parking lot to safety. The brides continued to drive into the lot, rush from their parked cars, and sprint towards the bridal boutique. 

"Poor girls," my friend mumbled, "I'm sorry. We never should have come here."

After that statement, I woke up to Brian's alarm.

I was so MESMERIZED by the details of this dream, and how much I remembered when I woke up.  The crumbling buildings, the intense feeling of urgency to get the heck out of there, and most importantly the feel and the weight of the smoke that clouded my lungs.  I poured myself some coffee and grabbed my copy of The Dreamer's Dictionary - a book that originally belonged to one of my college roommates that somehow found it's way into my collection.

The first aspect of the dream I decided to research were the buildings.

Building: The meaning of this dream is in line with its aspect. The building(s) represent your life achievement; therefore if the structures were imposing, well kept, beautiful and/or impressive, you can expect eventual luxury; if they were modest or pleasant in appearance you can expect comfort but not wealth. And if they were old and/or dilapidated, you'd better start saving for the rainy days ahead.

Sooooo if I'm understanding this correctly, buildings that have just succumbed to a fiery apocalyptic douching mean that my financial situation is about to be ROYALLY screwed. 

Awesome.

I then flipped a few pages to find what fire represented - although there were no active fires burning in my dream - I figured the smoke had to have come from somewhere....

Fire: The portent of this dream varies greatly according to its details and action, so all aspects should be carefully correlated but as a general guide:
A fire is an omen of impending trouble if it burned you: good news if it didn't

Ok, so good news. Not only was I NOT burned by any fire, but I also missed the whole fire burning part all together.  Good sign right?   Maybe despite the burned and crumbling buildings prophesizing that I'm about to encounter mucho money problems, the lack of actually getting burned by the fire means that I'm about to dodge or have just dodged a huge financial bullet.

Interesting......

I then decided to move on to the smoke since that seemed to be the most predominant thing about the dream that I remember.

Smoke: If your dream featured smoke from a known source (i.e. a fire or a chimney), it signifies improving financial conditions: if you saw or smelled the smoke but couldn't identify it's source, you are likely to be in for a period of annoying worries or petty disappointments. Keep your chin up: you'll soon find comfort in new experiences.

I knew in the dream that the source of the smoke came from the once burning buildings. I didn't actually witness the burning, but did know the source, so it's safe to assume that it signifies improving financial conditions. 

There are many angles of interpretation that one could examine to figure out the meaning of this dream. I'm pretty sure that I know where this dream originated from and why I dreamt what I dreamt , but unfortunately, I can't share the personal details that surround what is going on in my life right now. 

Relax. My marriage is fine, and no, I'm not expecting.

There is something currently looming on the horizon, and although I can't share it now, I will be able to share soon.

Or maybe I just need to stop watching movies like Resident Evil before I go to bed......