Dream Symbols

There are two main types of dream symbols: Universal symbols (symbols that usually have the same general meaning for everyone, depending on their culture.), and personal symbols (symbols that have different meanings for different people depending on their personal relationship with the symbol).

As for personal symbols, it works like this:

You may dream of a Willow tree and your first thought might be about the willow tree that grew in your backyard growing up. To you, the symbol of the oak tree represents the time you spent in that house.
But someone else might dream of a Willow tree and their first thought might be about their Goddess, who's tree is the Willow, and so, to them, the symbol of the oak tree represents their Goddess.

If you're serious about working with your dreams, I recommend composing a dream symbol book that lists the universal symbols and in another section, you have lists of other symbols you dream about and record what they mean to you and if you dream about them more than once, you may find they hold a different meaning, perhaps a pattern.

The meanings of the symbols in your book are yours alone and work only for you.

UNIVERSAL SYMBOLS

Animals: They are symbolic of our positive and negative traits; an animal in your dream usually represents a trait in you. It is usually a negative trait because it is easier to see a negative trait in an animal, than in yourself.

Animals usually also represent yourself. An example of that would be to dream of a shark who is circling you, which might mean that you are actually going in circles with something in your life.

Children: Children in your dreams refer to something new and joyful; a new project, activity, new phase in your life, etc.

A child can also refer to the open, innocent parts of yourself, or the negative parts such as immaturity or childishness, depending on the content of the dream.

Children always refer to yourself in dreams. An example is to dream of giving birth in an office, which could mean you will soon get a new career.

Cars: Cars and vehicles in dreams refer to your body (the vehicle in which you travel through life). They can reflect the direction you are choosing in life and how you're handling it.

An example is dreaming of driving in a car down a nice peaceful road, which could mean you're going through life with ease.

Clothes: Clothing is something you change to suit your moods, needs and, different roles you play in your life and career. Clothes are a good symbol for your attitudes and moods, which also fluctuate daily according to changing circumstances. And like clothes, attitudes and moods are the masks and roles you put up to cope with various situations.

An example is to dream that you are constantly changing outfits, which could mean that you have been way too moody lately.

People: The people you see in your dreams are another way your psyche mirrors aspects or traits of yourself back to you. Generally they are traits or attitudes that you either need to develop, or, if negative, ones you need to let go.

When you dream of a person, ask yourself what two traits you like about that person and what two traits you dislike about them. See if you recognize both the pluses and minuses you noted, in yourself.

Death: Almost all dreams about funerals, death, and dying refer to change - usually a major or drastic change in either your life, or your attitudes and inner self.

Dreams about death can also be a symbolic confrontation with your own fear, whether of some change or an actual fear of death.

An example is to dream that you are going to a funeral, and instead of a hearse driving the casket to church, is a moving van: this could mean you are going to be changing residence.

Faces and Features: Parts of the body are often connected to their actual function and use.

For example, to dream that your teeth look hideous can refer to speaking in a vicious or destructive way, because words are what come out of your mouth.

Money and Jewels: Seeing money or jewels in a dream is often a way of asking you to think about what you value or to examine your attitudes toward material possessions.

An example is to dream that you are hiding the ring your boyfriend gave you, and this could mean that you are trying to hide the relationship you have with him.

Celebrities: Dreaming of those we admire symbolize just that - traits that we admire and want to integrate into our own lives.

Sometimes dreams of celebrities are indicative of something more general rather than personal, as celebrities are public figures.

Chase: Do you feel like you're being "chased" by something in your life? Something that just won't leave you alone, and you are afraid it's going to eventually catch up with you? It's time to stop and turn around to face this thing head on instead of continuing to be chased down, both in your dreams and your life.

Falling: A lot of the time, dreams of falling are symbolic of "falling" back into your physical body.

It is also symbolic of "falling" short, "falling" under pressure, "falling" behind...

It also indicates feelings of insecurity, as when you fall you lose your footing, and are no longer secure in where you stand.

Flying: Flying is symbolic of freedom, going "up," "flying" or coasting through something, being elated, elevated, brought up, rising up. Dreams of flying are also indications of astral travel.

Food: Food is what fuels us. Dreaming of being starving might mean you're "starving" yourself of something in your life.

Food is what we put into our selves. Dreaming of eating something rotten might mean you consuming too much "bad" stuff in your life.

Did you dream of being thirsty? What might you be "thirsting" for in your life?

We are what we eat. To dream that you're eating chicken might be your psyche's way of calling you a "chicken."

Lost: If you dream of being lost, or losing something, it's probably a suggestion of having a similar loss or feeling of loss in your life. Is there something missing in your life? Do you feel like you don't know what to do in a situation?

Naked: When we are naked we either feel exposed and vulnerable, or perfectly natural and content. Depending on how you feel when you're naked in your dream, you're probably feeling as equally nude in your real life.

Did you dream of forgetting to put on any clothes before going somewhere, only to find yourself completely nude and wishing you could crawl up and die? You're probably feeling unprepared and/or inadequate about something going on in your life.

On the other hand, you may have had the exact same dream, except in this dream, when you realized you were naked, you felt very comfortable and relaxed just the way you were. In this case, you're feeling very confident and well prepared in your life.

Sex: Though sometimes just as complicated in dreams as it usually is in life, sex in dreams can be very easy to interpret once the other elements are analyzed: Who was the partner and what traits about him/her do you first think of, how did the sex make you feel, what was the outcome?

Dreams about sex indicate a need to get closer to something or someone. Perhaps we need to get closer to a friend, or perhaps we need to take a "closer" look at something in our life that we've ignored or pushed aside.

And sometimes sex is just sex.

Earth: stable and dependable, abundance, prosperity, and wealth, creativity in a practical, physical manner, that which sustains all life and on which the other elements rest, the body, growth, money, creativity, birth, death, material gain, fertility, healing, rocks, trees, animals, manifestation, materialization, crystals, silence, metal, empathy, grounding, employment, stability, success, strength, practical wisdom, mystery

Air: mental processes and the mind, higher consciousness and wisdom, divination, purification, Mind, mental and psychic work, intuition, knowledge, abstrat thought, wind, breath, clouds, inspiration, hearing, herbal knowledge, plant growth, purification, freedom, revealing truth, finding lost things, instruction, telepathy, memory, learning the secrets of the dead, new beginnings, illuminations

Fire: change and passion., both physical and spiritual, related to sexuality and to divinity, quick manifestation and primal energy, energy, passions, love, authority, transformation, purification, candle flames, sun, blood, healing, destruction, will, creativity, flame, heat, bonfires, hearth fires, protection, courage, strength, physical exercise, self-knowledge, loyalty, vision, illumination, power

Water: subconscious mind, intuition, and emotions, the primal substance of life, the womb, fertility, feelings, love, courage, the unconscious mind, intuition, marriage, friendship, happiness, dreams, sleep, healing, menstruation, fertility, cleansing, purification, vision quests, self-healing, sorrow, reflection, psychic ability, oceans, rivers, lakes, rain, springs, and wells

Houses, Buildings, and Rooms: These often point out the area of life that a dream is bringing to your attention. An example of this is to dream you're in a kitchen, which could mean the dream is about your physical body and eating habits.

A house is a very good symbol of your physical body, and within that house are many rooms, which symbolize the many aspects of your body and your health.

The attic and roof may symbolize your head or mind, your Higher Self, and your spiritual development & progress.

The kitchen may symbolize your heart (as it is the "heart" of the home, or it may symbolize your stomach or digestive system, as the kitchen is where the food is prepared.

A Bathroom would symbolize the need for cleansing/purging/eliminating something in your life that isn't quite working, or that has served it's purpose and it's now time to move on.

The main or living room symbolizes your daily interactions with others.

Bedrooms symbolize the unconscious mind aspect of your Self, rest, dreams, sometimes sexuality issues in your life.

A hallway could symbolize that you've reached an area that is necessary to journey through in order to get to the other side, and it may be a narrow path that has to be traversed with care and awareness. If you have that "closed in, claustrophobic feeling" than you need to expand your awareness and open your mind to more possibilities for completing this phase of your journey.

A porch symbolizes perhaps a metaphor of being undecided, such as the saying, "I'm still on the porch on that decision." It could be symbolic of being contemplative, or uncommitted or withdrawn. It could be that you're "on the outside," or the "thresh hold" about something in your life. It could be a new extension of yourself. Was it the back or Front Porch? Screened-in or open? Messy or neat? Sparse or furnished?

Revisiting old houses from childhood: This points to issues that are probably resurfacing in your current life, and need to be looked at, analyzed, and healed so you can move forward and not look back. If you find yourself repeating the same old tired mistakes, or dealing with the same old tired fears, chances are you will have this dream.

Check out what kind of shape the house or room is in, it may be a message about the kind of shape your health or life is in.

Colours: Interpreting colour in your dreams is as simple as referencing the colour correspondence chart in your book of shadows.

When particular colours stand out to you in your dream, think about what those colours mean to you personally and what they mean universally.

Red is a generally passionate and life giving colour: perhaps this dream represents something you are passionate about.

Yellow speaks of intellect: if you dream of yellow, perhaps you are craving higher learning.

Orange is very active, and to dream of this colour might mean you need to be active in a situation.

Blue is the colour of communication: something you could be lacking in a present relationship.

Purple is spiritual, pink symbolizes love and friendship, white speaks of purity and innocence, gray could speak of "gray" areas in your life, or a "gray" way of thinking.

Green symbolizes growth, but could also indicate that you're "green" with envy.


-M