A Concise Guide to Dream Interpretation
Most of us dream. But only a very small percentage of us understand that dreams have a lot of importance and opportunity for our growth, improvement and self-discovery. But many mystics of Eastern and Western origin are aware of the fact that dreams contain a great deal of untapped knowledge. Due to their inherently vague nature, dreams and the art of interpreting them never entered the mainstream sciences. Jungian psychology is the closest conventional science that took dreams seriously.
This article is a concise description of the dream interpretation method I use. There are several points/guidelines to take note of.
1. Dreams are often symbolic representations of what we are experiencing or about to experience in the near future. I have found that my dreams often carry messages of events that are likely to occur in a month or so.
2. Usually, the people we meet in the dream symbolize the different aspects/characteristics of ourselves. For example: a woman can represent a feminine aspect of oneself even when one is a man in waking hours. Much of our repressed tendencies also tend to manifest as characters in dreams.
Have you ever wondered why we sometimes appear and behave so differently in our dreams? Well, my opinion is that dreaming offers an outlet for us to be ‘someone else’ that we never had the opportunity to be during our waking hours.
3. How we feel and the emotion we feel during sleep often reveals and conveys much about the meaning of symbols.
Intuition and the willingness to examine ourselves with brutal honesty are two very important factors for the success of the analysis.
Below is a list of commonly found symbols. In my opinion, we must always take into account the fact that symbols have certain semantics and meanings that are specific to individuals. Therefore, the interpretations of the symbols are not generic, and therefore there can be no hard and fast rules regarding the analysis of dreams.
Common Dream Symbolism
Water associated with emotion.
Ocean or any large body of water – often represents the subconscious mind. The state of the sea is often an indication of emotional state as well.
Eat/digest- Try to understand a problem/situation
Walking associated with learning and assimilation.
Road, path or pavement – symbolizes life or the spiritual path/journey
The house symbolizes our self. Within the house, the various rooms could represent the various aspects of the self.
Snake: symbolizes knowledge.
Tree and forest – subconscious feelings that govern our emotions
Bridge: a transition phase or a period of transformation/change
Below is an example of a dream and its interpretation.
sleep
Miss A was visiting a foreign country. She boarded a train that has a stop at a shopping complex that winds through mountains and terrain. She remembered telling the train conductor that she wanted to get off at the mall so she could find her way home.
Instead of getting off at the intended destination, he got off at a strange place. She had difficulty reaching her destination. He contacted his partner (boyfriend). Although they communicated by phone, she was still trapped and lost in that unknown place. By this time, she was starting to get depressed. At 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
Your partner – masculine/mental aspect
Queen Mall Station: An intermediate stage that needs to be reached.
Interpretation
Ms. A is currently experiencing and/or learning something that is still unknown to her. It is something that is quite difficult for her to understand and apply. She is/will be experiencing some up and down feelings. However, if she understands herself, the newfound understanding and knowledge could significantly accelerate her self-growth and discovery. However, at the moment, it is something that is not yet within her experience (as symbolized by landing at a strange place instead of the designated station). When she tried to contact her male partner (symbolizing her use of mental reasoning), she was still confused and therefore depressed.
Well, that’s all for a quick lesson on dream interpretation. I hope it is informative and beneficial.
Happy Dreaming.
