accepted definitions. Most are based on what Carl Jung
referred to as the "shadow" side of our personalities and the
archetypes of the "collective unconscious".
The "shadow" of our personalities is that portion that we
repress or refuse to acknowledge -- even the most
kind-hearted nun has emotions and urges that are not
confessed. In addition, it was Jung's belief that each of us
has access to mythological, cultural and historical symbols
that we somehow genetically inherited from our ancestors.
He referred to this knowledge as the "collective
unconscious". It is my personal belief that we have access to
this knowledge and symbolism as a result of our previous
lives -- we remember everything, but can (usually) only access
it in our dreams.
I would like to make it clear that the following are meant to be
suggestive interpretations and are by no means to be
considered the definitive definition. Each and every one of
us is unique in our experiences and this must be taken into
account when interpreting dreams. The overall feeling of the
dream, positive or negative, and the other symbols in the
dream will also affect the meaning.
Please keep in mind that it is not my intention to interpret your
dreams for you. I strongly believe that we each must do this
for ourselves. Another's interpretation may send us off in the
wrong direction altogether and can do more harm than good.
Schumann's: Traumerei
(Dreaming) performed and
© John Bell Young. It is used
with permission.
you to the correct path of your life. Psychologically, may be a messenger
from your subconscious and indicates that the message delivered is
important and should be listened to. Or, the angel may just be telling you the
good or right thing you should do (as in the angel and devil sitting on your
shoulders).
animals - generally symbolize basic, instinctual actions and emotions. These
instincts are usually repressed in the shadow side of our personalities. The
quality or feature that comes to mind when you think of this animal is
indcative of the instinct or emotion you may be repressing. For instance, cats
are thought to be be feminine or intuitive, if you dream of cats perhaps you
mau be repressing your feminine side or sexuality. Lions are ferocious,
dreaming of lions could indicate that you are harboring anger. The aninmal
and the trait that comes to mind to you about the animal are the keys to
deciphering this synbol.
arms - embracing one's desires. If tied or obstructed, one may be feeling a
loss of power, helplessness or "tied down".
black - evil; magic; sophistication; elegance (See Colors)
blood - vitality and our life force. If you dream of bleeding profusely, you may
feel like someone or something is "bleeding you dry." Violent, bloody dreams
may be an indication of an emotional upheaval. Menstrual blood may mean
fertility and "having blood on one's hands" may be a sign of guilt.
blue - baby boys and masculinity; communication; the color of the (fifth)
Throat Chakra (See Colors)
boss - may indicate the dream is referring to your job, but more than likely
the boss figure represents another authority figure in your life. I know that
whenever I dream of my boss, the "boss" is actually that part of my own
psyche that is in control the other parts -- the part of me that makes
decisions and accepts responsibility. (See my dream, Fire!)
building - usually represents the dreamer's physical body or dwelling of the
soul. (See my dream, Water, Water Everywhere.)
cars - a sense of freedom, being in control or a means of escape. (See my
dream, The Landlord Cleans Up.)
cats - Cats mean many things to many people including, femininity, intuition,
magic and sexuality. Your personal feelings about cats are the key to
deciphering their meaning in your dreams. Do you think of them as finicky, as
friends or in the context of black magic and witchcraft. And then understand
that the cat is representing that aspect of yourself (which you will probably
deny). (See my dream, Cats!)
cave - a place to hide; coming out of a cave suggests the emergence of the
true self; it may also symbolize the womb, new life, contemplation or
creativity.
Christmas tree, crucifix, menorah, Star of David - these are obvious signs
that your spirituality is at work in the dream. (See my dream, Fire!)
dance/dancing - the movement of the dance is indicative of the meaning; it
may refer to sex, marriage, romance, the experience of freedom within life or
social activities; it may also signify cooperation unless you're dancing alone.
death/dying - many people dream of a loved one dying and are afraid it is
prophetic. This is very rarely the case. If you think of death as merely one
phase of life, than dreaming of death may symbolize a phase in your life
coming to an end. Since the people in our dreams often depict different
aspects of ourselves, then the person you see dying is important to
deciphering the dream. What does this person represent to you? For
instance, a child can symbolize you're maturing in some way and leaving a
childish aspect of yourself behind. If you dream of yourself dying then you
realize (at least subconscioulsy) that you are going through a major life
change -- probably for the better.
driver - is the person in control. (See my dream, The Landlord Cleans Up.)
drowning - if water symbolizes the emotions then drowning symbolizes the
fear of being overcome by or drowning in these emotions (sometimes it's just
that simple). (See my dream, Water, Water Everywhere)
dust - a sign of neglect, which indicates that you are probably neglecting an
important aspect of your life. The objects covered by dust will be a clue as to
what needs to be paid attention to in your waking life.
eating - may refer to partaking of physical, emotional or intellectual
nourishment; metaphorically may symbolize "something eating at you" or
being "eaten alive". As always the context of the dream will indicate the
interpretation. (See my dream, A Day at Work.)
eggs - wholeness, fertility, birth, re-birth and resurrection. Broken eggs may
signify being broken in faith or soul; or breaking out of your shell.
falling - a feeling of failure, being overwhelmed or feeling out of control.
fire - it destroys, it cleanses, it purifies. It often signifies arousing passion
and sexuality. Jung believed fire represents transformation. (See my dream,
Fire!)
fog - being lost or confused; may symbolize the unconscious itself, where
you are exploring a deeper part of yourself yet undiscovered -- if the fog lifts
in the dream, pay attention to where you are and what you see.
food - see eating above; (see my dream A Day at Work).
friends - (see people); sometimes "friends" are just there to remind us that
we are not alone. (See my dream, Fire!)
garden - a garden in full bloom is thought to represent the psyche and
growth of the soul; a sparse or weed infested garden may be an indication
that the dreamer's spiritual needs should be tended.
gate - an entrance (or exit -- which way are you going?) to another place,
new circumstance or alternate state of consciousness.
gold - a high state of illumination; wealth; first place -- gold medal (See
Colors)
green - healing and prosperity; an approval -- getting the "green light"; the
color of the (fourth) Heart Chakra (See Colors)
hands - on the positive side hands signify building, creating, healing and
praying or "giving a helping hand" to soothe or aid. Clasped hands can
symbolize unity or agreement. Negative connotations include someone being
"heavy handed" in a situation or relationship, theft or deceit. Wringing and/or
washing hands can mean the dreamer is working on a worrisome issue or
feels a need to "wash his hands of" a situation.
head - the head is symbolic of knowledge and wisdom; it may also indicate
an accomplishment -- "the head of the class".
hotel - a temporary dwelling place (see building, above).
illness - dreaming of illness may be the subconscious advising you of a
physical ailment of the body, the dreamer should pay close attention to the
part of the body involved; it may also be an indication of an emotional or
spiritual condition which may need attention.
indigo - purification and illumination; the color of the (sixth) Brow Chakra
(The Third Eye) (See Colors)
instructor - see teacher below; (see my dream A Day at Work)
intern -- see student below; (see my dream A Day at Work)
interviews - if the interviewee, the dreamer may feel that he/she is being
judged by himself or others. If the dreamer is the interviewer you may be
judging someone or perhaps you need to reconsider your judgement of
someone or something. The emotional feeling of the dream is an indication
as to whether you feel you "passed" or "failed" the test.
jewels or jewelry - spiritual or inner value/wealth or healing energies.
job - being at work in your dreams may mean that you feel overworked or is
a sign that you need to be more productive on the job; it may also be your
subconscious feels you need to do some work on your psyche or soul.
keys - keeping a secret or "locking away" one's feelings. The key holder has
the power to unlock the dreamers needs.
knot - a constraint or restriction of freedom of thought , feelings or actions,
indicating a situation that must be untied. Conversely, it may symbolize being
in control or having things "all tied (or wrapped) up".
lightning - sudden awareness -- what was seen in the flash of light?
lock - may represent an inability to get what one needs or wants; may
indicate you have something "locked up" inside of you -- emotions,
memories, undeveloped talent. Locks also represent security.
missing - a missing article (such as keys) suggests being out of control or a
lack of an important piece of knowledge. Missing a train or plane can
symbolize a missed opportunity in life; it may also indicate the need to get
more organized in daily life.
mountain - climbing a mountain, achieving a goal; descending a mountain,
letting go of insurmountable odds; looking at a mountain, evaluating a major
decision.
naked - being naked in dreams is suggestive of being vulnerable or a fear of
you or your actions being exposed to others. It may also be symbolic of
freedom and feeling uninhibited. The real question here is -- how being
naked made you feel -- guilty or confident.
nurse - a need to be taken care of or healed. Healing may also be in
progress.
ocean - l arge bodies of water such an ocean often represent the
subconscious itself. The calmness or turbulence of the water is an
indication of one's emotions. (See my dream -- Water, Water Everywhere.)
orange - physical health and sexual vitality -- the color of the (second) Sacral
(Abdominal) Chakra (See Colors)
owl - symbolizes wisdom and knowledge and is often thought to represent
the subconscious. This wise owl may be the bearer of a message that the
dreamer should heed.
paralysis - dreaming of being paralyzed may indicate the dreamer feels
helpless in controlling a situation at hand. The dreamer should note what
else is taking place in the dream at the time of the paralysis for further
interpretation. It could also be that you suddenly became more conscious
and your body was still paralyzed by sleep (this is a natural occurence -- or
we would all be sleepwalking every night).
people - people in our dreams are usually projections of aspects of
ourselves. The key to deciphering what the person represents is to ask
yourself what one character flaw or strength would you use to describe this
person. This person represents that trait in yourself. Of course, there are
exceptions to this and only you would know for sure.
pink - baby girls and feminine matters of the heart; healthy -- "in the pink"
(See Colors)
purse - a closely held place for important or secretive possessions. Losing
your purse can signify (the fear of) a loss of power or possessions.
quarrel - an inner conflict over ideas and/or values; or a feeling of being
burdened by authority. Pay attention to who is quarreling and who you feel is
right.
quilt - may symbolize the many parts of the dreamer's psyche or life that
have been pieced together to provide protection for the body and/or soul.
red - vitality and energy; heart; blood; anger or rage; wickedness, raciness;
the color of the (first) Root Chakra (See Colors)
road - represent one's direction or goal in life; straight and narrow -- all
things worked out well; winding or bumpy may reflect the changes and/or
obstacles encountered along the way. A fork in the road signifies the
dreamer must make a decision.
rooms - the subconscious is often thought of as being divided into rooms
where we keep or hide different memories or aspects of ourselves. Opening
a door and entering a room signifies a willingness to enter and face these
areas that are normally hidden from us.
school - being in school or in a classroom indicates the dreamer is going
through a learning experience in life; it may also signify a spiritual lesson is
being learned; it may also be bringing the dreamer back to a childhood
memory that needs to be addressed.
student - represents learning or a lesson that needs to be learned
silver - reflections; memories; second place (silver medal) (See Colors)
smoke - "Where there's smoke there's fire" comes to mind, this sign is
usually a warning. (See my dream, Fire!)
stairs - a rise or fall (which way are you going) in finances, social stature or
the state of consciousness -- are you walking downstairs to the basement
(subconscious) or up to the attic (knowledge and spirituality)?
teacher - symbolizes a part of you that teaches others or yourself or it may
refer to a "higher self", spirit or guide
train - Freud viewed a train as a phallic symbol; missing a train may indicate
a missed opportunity in life; being the engineer on a train suggests the
dreamer's control of the train going down the tracks (of life).
tree - a symbol of knowledge and or/spirit. The size and condition may
indicate how one views one's inner strength and spiritual or intellectual
growth. (See my dream -- Trees for Two.)
umbrella - an open umbrella protects the dreamer from the subconscious
emotions pouring down onto the dreamer. A closed umbrella may indicate
the dreamer is unafraid of these waters pouring down.
underground - may represent the dreamer's subconscious issues that have
not been faced. Going underground may signify the dreamer's readiness to
bring them to the surface for examination.
vegetables - on a symbolic level vegetables suggest the need to feed one's
spirit. It may also be the subconscious' way of warning the dreamer to eat a
healthier diet for health reasons.
violet (purple) - the color of royalty and dignity; personal transformation; the
color of the (seventh) Crown Chakra (See Colors)
voices - whispering voices may be telling you to pay attention or listen more
closely to something in the inner psyche or what's going on around you in
your everyday life.
war - may represent that an issue in the dreamer's life may need a more
aggressive action or a resolution.
weather - the weather in a dream is often indicative of the overall emotional
tone of the dream; storms and wind indicate turmoil or conflict; rain suggests
depression or sadness; sunshine and rainbows imply hope, love and
happiness.
white - cleanliness; purity; dignity (See Colors)
work - a common dream scene, after all we spend a significant amount of
time at our jobs. It may actually be referring to your job or be job related or it
may be telling you that you have a job to do. (See my dream A Day at Work.)
x-ray - having an x-ray taken may indicate the dreamer's desire to show their
true (internal) emotions or is seeking a better picture of their inner psyche.
xylophone - dreaming of musical instruments can be a typical performance
anxiety dream indicating the dreamer's fear of not being able to "perform" up
to the standards of others or self.
yard - being in one's back yard can symbolize recreation and the carefree
days of youth.
yarn - can symbolize a creative pursuit or the telling of lies; if the yarn is
tangled then the dreamer's emotions or something in the dreamer's life may
be in a knot; if the dreamer is untangling the yarn, then they may be in the
process of correcting the situation. Yarn is also a synonym for a tale --
perhaps the dreamer suspects someone is telling him (or themselves) a tale
(a lie).
yellow - power; warmth (sun); vigor and enthusiasm; cowardice; the color of
the (third) Solar Plexus Chakra (See Colors)
zero - may be an alternate symbol for a circle which indicates wholeness or
infinity; it also literally means, "nothing" and may indicates the dreamer's low
self-esteem or judgment of another.
zoo - the saying, "This place is a zoo," comes to mind and may indicate the
dreamer's need to reorganize the chaos in a situation or the need to cage the
"animals" or emotions.
See My Dreams and Interpretations to see how I interpret my dreams and My
Dream Journal.
to interpret your
dreams for you. I
believe we each must
do this for ourselves. I
may do more harm than
good for you and that is
not my intention in
creating this website.
