I am somehow in the inner circles around the queen, although I don’t seem to have a particular role. The queen – Elizabeth II – is upset that not everyone respects the symbols of the monarchy enough. Most others there, including me, takes that much more lightly. We know it’s all theater. As the queen leaves, an Australian soldier salutes her. She doesn’t notice he has a small toy trumpet up one of his nostrils.
This dream seems relevant in a few different ways.
WAKING LIFE
I was just in London and was reminded of the English monarchy. I saw depictions of Elizabeth II a few different places, including as a little felt figure.
The monarchy is outdated, especially in our times when we have far more important things to focus on. It’s also a kind of slavery a few are born into, and it doesn’t seem fair to them. Their property and wealth was taken from the commons and should return to the commons, to the benefit of all.
In the US, Trump is setting himself up as king – ignoring the rule of law, accumulating power in the presidency, trying to dismantle democratic institutions, and so on.
Domination culture and the monarchy
More importantly, the monarchy – and the symbols of monarchy – are an expression of domination culture. It came with agriculture and the possibility to accumulate wealth. The new inequality had to be justified, and they did so through ideologies, religion, and symbols.
They found ways to make people buy into and actively support the system that funneled resources to the wealthy and away from ordinary people and ecosystems. They found ways to make people feel good about supporting a system that didn’t really benefit them, or benefited them in limited ways and with a lot of drawbacks.
If people don’t respect the symbols of monarchy, it’s because they see through it. They know it’s theater.
They know it’s manufactured. It’s created in order to evoke something in people to make them support the monarchy. They tap into archetypes, dreams, and fantasies to evoke support. (This is like the Hollywood dream factory, which is aimed at fueling dreams and fantasies to line the pockets of the few that benefits from it – studio owners, investors, producers, a few directors and actors, and so on.)
It’s healthy that people see through this. It’s high time.
The image of the toy trumpet up the nose of the saluting soldier is an image of someone seeing through this. The idea of idealizing monarchy is absurd, just as absurd as a toy trumpet up a nostril.
Of course, the monarchy does serve a limited function even in modern society. It helps tie people together. It can draw tourism to some extent, as in London. During WW2, the royal families in many countries – including in Norway – helped boost the morale of the population. And yet, society will function well without too.
More personal
There is also something more personal here. My mother had a strong role in my family when I grew up, and even later. In a sense, she was the queen of the family. She is now sick and fading. That role is fading and disappearing. It has outplayed its relevance in her and our life.
ALL AS ME
This is also all me. All the parts and dynamics of the dream reflect are in me.
To function well, we need to use the best from domination and partnership orientations. We need someone in charge, especially in critical or urgent situations. We may not need a monarch, but we need a conductor of the orchestra, or a captain of the ship. We also need to cultivate and make use of partnerships – with the different parts of ourselves and with others, society, and nature.
From growing up and living in a domination culture, most or all of us have internalized most or all of the ideologies of domination culture. We may not consciously agree with them, and we will inevitably have them in us and parts of us still perceive and live from them.
It’s good to learn to recognize and see through these ideologies of domination culture, whether we find them in society or internalized in ourselves.
The dream seem to reflect that most or many parts of me recognizes the sham and theater of the idea of monarchy, whether in me or in society, and that there is partly a playful attitude towards it.
At the same time, there is a queen, although she doesn’t have much power or influence and people see through the ideologies of monarchy. It may be interesting to connect with and explore that queen in me.
DIALOG WITH THE QUEEN
Can I speak with the queen?
Yes, I am here. I am always here, don’t you know that?
OK, yes. What’s your function?
I am here to rule, to make sure everything goes well in my country.
How does P. see you?
He has a mixed view on me. He knows I am not needed, and also see that I sometimes have a function, although that function can be fulfilled by other parts and systems.
How does you see you?
Well, it’s mixed for me too. I am part of him, so I am taking up his views. Part of me want to rule the way monarchs of old did. Other parts of me wants to be a benevolent ruler, taking the best interest of the people and the land into account. Other parts again want to be more modern and democratic. And yet other parts thinks it’s best for me to resign.
So you are a part with parts?
Yes, I guess you can say so. I am able to hold and see the value in many different perspectives. That’s part of my role as I see it. Remember that P. grew up in Norway so he internalized a modern Norwegian kind of monarchy.
What would you like from P.?
I would like for him to clarify all of this more for himself, to find an approach that includes the best of what has gone before and works well today. That would help me clarify my role.
What about the version of you in the dream?
Yes, that’s part of me too. The oblivious and old-fashioned one.
How do you see your role in the future for P.?
I will be around, although I am happy to come in and out of the stage as is needed. I’ll be around for when I am needed.
MORE INFO
After writing this, I asked ChatGPT 4o for input on this dream. See below.
The Collapse of Authority: A Dream of Power, Symbols, and Playful Rebellion
Your dream seems to revolve around themes of power, authority, and the contrast between reverence for symbols versus seeing them as mere theater. Interpreting it through the lens of domination and partnership cultures, it highlights a shift in perspectives on hierarchy, legitimacy, and playfulness.
Symbolism in the Dream
- The Queen (Elizabeth II) – As a figurehead of the British monarchy, she represents traditional hierarchical power and authority. She embodies the remnants of domination culture, where respect for symbols and traditions is central to maintaining order.
- You as an Insider Without a Role – Being part of the queen’s inner circles but lacking a clear function suggests a sense of proximity to power without deep investment in it. You are aware of the system but are not bound by its rules in the same way others might be. This reflects the transition phase between domination and partnership cultures—being inside the old system but not fully buying into it.
- The Queen’s Distress – Her concern about people not respecting monarchy’s symbols suggests the fragility of domination structures when their legitimacy is questioned. In a traditional domination culture, symbols are upheld with unquestioning reverence. The fact that most people in the dream see them as “theater” suggests a cultural shift where power is no longer absolute but performative.
- The Australian Soldier and the Toy Trumpet –
- The soldier represents duty and structure, a figure typically associated with enforcing hierarchy.
- His small toy trumpet up his nostril is an absurd, playful, almost rebellious gesture. It undermines the seriousness of authority while going unnoticed by the queen, highlighting a subtle subversion of power.
- Australia, historically a colony of the British Empire, carries a post-colonial theme—perhaps reflecting a world moving beyond strict hierarchies into a more irreverent, self-directed approach.
Interpretation in the Context of Domination vs. Partnership Cultures
- Domination Culture Perspective: The queen’s distress symbolizes the endangered status of hierarchical systems. In domination cultures, authority is reinforced through symbols (crowns, flags, ceremonies), and maintaining control requires reverence for them. The soldier should embody obedience, but instead, he plays with the system.
- Partnership Culture Perspective: The fact that most people, including yourself, see it as theater suggests the erosion of rigid hierarchies. The soldier’s playful act could be a sign of resistance through humor—a characteristic of partnership cultures where power is decentralized, and structures are less rigid.
- A Transition from One to the Other: The dream suggests a world in transition. While remnants of domination culture remain (the queen, the formality), they are no longer taken as seriously. The soldier’s act is a quiet act of reclaiming personal freedom within an old structure, signaling that the new culture emerging values humor, subversion, and personal agency over rigid adherence to tradition.
Personal Meaning
This dream might reflect your own position regarding institutional power and tradition. You are in the system but not fully engaged, recognizing the performance of power rather than buying into it. The presence of playful rebellion (the trumpet) suggests that humor and irreverence may be powerful tools in dismantling outdated structures.
It could also reflect your broader worldview—seeing hierarchies fading in relevance, questioning authority, and recognizing the performative nature of power in the modern world. The queen’s inability to see the absurdity happening around her could suggest that outdated power structures remain blind to their own decline.