that dreams hold much importance and opportunity for our self growth,
improvement and self discovery. But many mystics of both Eastern and
Western origins are aware of the fact that dreams hold a wealth of
untapped knowledge. Because of its inherently vague nature, dreams and
the art of interpreting them never entered mainstream sciences. Jungian
psychology is the closest mainstream science that took dreams seriously.
This article is a concise description of the method of dream
interpretation that I use. There are several points/guidelines to take
note.
1. The dreams are often symbolic representations of what we are
experiencing or are about to experience in the near future. I have
found that my dreams often convey messages of occurrences that will
most likely happen within a month or so.
2. Usually the people that we encounter in the dream symbolize the
different aspects/characteristics of ourselves. For example: a woman
may represent a feminine aspect of oneself even when one is male in the
waking hours. Much of our repressed tendencies also tend to manifest
themselves as characters in dreams as well. Have you ever wondered why
we sometimes appear and behave so differently in our dreams. Well, my
take is that dreaming offers an outlet for us to be 'somebody else'
that we never had the opportunity to be during our waking hours.
3. Often how we feel and the emotion we felt during the dream reveals
and conveys much about the meaning of the symbols. Intuition and the
willingness to examine ourselves with brutal honesty are two very
important factors for successful analysis. Below is a list of commonly
encountered symbols. In my opinion, we should always take into
consideration the fact that symbols hold certain semantics and meanings
that are specific to individuals. Thus the interpretations of symbols
are not generic and therefore there can be no hard and fast rules with
regards to dream analysis.
Common dream symbolism
Water- associated with emotion.
Ocean or any large body of water - often represents the subconscious
mind. The state of the sea often is an indication of the emotional
state as well
Eating/digesting- Trying to understand an issue/situation
Walking- associated with learning and assimilating.
Path, road or pavement- symbolizes life or spiritual Path/journey
House- symbolizes our self. Within the house, the various rooms could represent the various aspects of self.
Snake- symbolizes knowledge.
Tree and forest - subconscious feelings that governs our emotions
Bridge- a transitional phase or period of transformation / change
Below is an example of a dream and its interpretation. Like any other
types of skills, dream interpretation is an art in which one's
proficiency improves with experience.
Dream
Miss A was visiting a foreign country. She boarded a train that has a
stop in a shopping complex that meanders through mountains and
terrains. She remembered telling the train driver that she wanted to
alight in the shopping centre so that she can find her way home.
Instead of alighting at the intended destination, she alighted at a
strange place. She had difficulty getting to her destination. She
contacted her partner (boyfriend). Though they communicated through the
phone, she was still stuck and lost in that unfamiliar place. By this
time, she was starting to get depressed. In the moment of depression,
she woke up from the dream.
Symbolism involved
Foreign country- unknown knowledge, new experience Train- accelerated
learning and understanding Through mountains and terrains- ups and
downs Find the way home- spiritual path Train-in-charge guiding
aspect Her partner male/ mental aspect Queen shopping center station
an intermediate stage that must be attained.
Interpretation
Miss A is currently experiencing and/or learning something that is
still unknown to her. It is something that is rather difficult for her
to grasp and apply. She is/will be experiencing some feelings of ups
and downs. However, if understood, the newfound understanding and
knowledge could significantly accelerate her self-growth and discovery.
However, for the time being, it is something not within her experience
yet (as symbolized by alighting at a strange place instead of the
designated station). When she tried contacting her male partner (which
symbolizes using her mental reasoning), she was still confused and thus
became depressed.
Well, that's all for a quick lesson in dream interpretation. I hope it is informative and beneficial.
Happy Dreaming...
The author is a guy living in the Far East. He runs a self-growth resource site at http://www.dreamdatum.com.
He is also the creator of a Dream Interpretation Software called Dream Diary Assistant.
