I am falling at a steady but not fast speed through an inky blackness. Nearby is a vacuum cleaner, which is illuminated by some unseen source. I grasp the vacuum—though I don’t know why, really—and straddle it like a witch on a broom. As soon as I get on it, it begins to fall much faster so I let go. There are other things nearby that are also illuminated random things: a street sign, clothes, toys. All around in every direction black with seemingly unrelated items illuminated. There were billions of items, some so far away they were just specks of light in the dark nothingness, they looked like stars, but all of it was falling ever downward, just like me. Below, I saw a model train landscape on a table. There were little mountains, a tunnel and even tiny replica power lines. Near that my husband (also illuminated) was falling along with everything else. I drifted toward the table and we both got on it but it fell faster and faster until we were forced to let go. Eventually, we came across an entire corner of a maintenance room for an industrial building in that corner, which included a little tiny bit of floor. Several people were clinging. My husband and I cling onto the side of a large industrial furnace unit we barely had enough room to put our fingers and toes on a little lip on the top and bottom of the unit to hold ourselves there. The corner of the room we were all clinging to was falling so fast that when people would lose their grip, they would go upward because they weren’t falling as quickly. Periodically people would pop in and be completely confused about what was happening to them, clinging to door frames and window frames and little bits of benches. The dream was terrifying. It was possibly the most scary dream I’ve ever had in my entire life and I remember feeling hopeless and desolate. I woke up sobbing.
Dreams can be highly subjective and open to different interpretations based on an individual's personal experiences, emotions, and beliefs. However, in this dream, the recurring theme of falling suggests a loss of control or a feeling of being overwhelmed in some aspect of your life. The vacuum cleaner, illuminated in the darkness, could symbolize a potential solution or aid that you grasp onto, but ultimately realize it is not effective in slowing down or stopping the descent. This may reflect a belief that external solutions or material possessions cannot alleviate the feelings of despair or hopelessness. The presence of random illuminated items, such as a street sign, clothes, and toys, could represent various aspects or symbols from your waking life that are also affected by this overwhelming situation. They might symbolize different aspects of your identity, relationships, or responsibilities that feel disconnected or insignificant in the face of the challenges. The model train landscape and your husband falling alongside you might signify the things that hold significance or familiarity in your life, but even these things cannot provide stability or safety. The increasing speed of the descent may indicate a feeling of being unable to slow down or escape from the overwhelming situation. The corner of the maintenance room, with people clinging onto various objects, suggests a sense of desperation and the need for support or refuge in difficult times. The industrial furnace unit symbolizes a source of heat and power, potentially representing intense emotions or stress. Clinging onto the small ledge on the furnace unit could reflect your attempt to hold on to any sense of stability or control in your life, even though it is precarious. The confusion and desperation exhibited by others in the dream could reflect your own feelings of being lost or disoriented in the face of overwhelming circumstances. Overall, this dream indicates feelings of helplessness, fear, and despair in a particular situation. It may be worth exploring the context of your waking life to further understand the possible sources of these emotions and work towards finding a sense of control and stability.