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ON-LINE BOOK : Hundreds of real dreams
A BASIC INTRO to what dreams are about
BASIC TECHNIQUES to interpret dreams
DREAM DICTIONARY A to Z of symbols complete with essays on symbols in everyday real uses
BASIC SYMBOLISM - DREAM SYMBOLS : Basements - Your boss - Best friend - Babies/pregnant - Brothers - Cafes - Cars - Castles - Children - Creative dreams - Clothes - Churches and cathedrals - Deaths - Demons,witches and goblins - Dogs - Drink and drugs - Farms, gardens and plants - Factories - Fathers - Faucets/taps/pipes - Food - Earthquakes and volcanos - Foreign Countries - Grandparents - Guards - Guns and knives - Horses and animals - Hauntings - Hospitals - Hotels + huge buildings - Houses - Locks - Men(unknown) - Military - Money - Mothers - Monster - Mountains - Movies - Music - People - Police - Phone - Politics - Planes and flying - Prison - Rivers - Rapists and intruders - Railways - Roads - Schools - Sea - Sex - Shops - Sisters - Skies in dreams - Skyscrapers and tall buildings - Snakes and spiders - Space - Sports - Street - Teeth - Tidal waves - Time - Toilets in dreams - Towns and streets - Trees - Water - Weddings and engagements - Windows - Work
OTHER SUBJECTS: external causes of dreams : Music in dreams : Premonitions : Telepathy : Specific dreams : Synonyms in dreams : Children's dreams and dreams about your child : Recurring dreams CASE STUDIES : 1 2 3 4 5
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BASIC SYMBOLISM

Many people believe that to understand dreams you need to memorize hundreds of symbols and their meaning. Yet it is not so difficult. Many symbols continuously appear. You can get by understanding dreams very well with 30 to 40 dream symbols. Try reading through these symbols - they will help you understand dreams. Each of these symbols has their own chapter in this on-Line book.

These symbols have been analysed as having reliable meanings. I only use dreams which I can link to some very precise event or emotional mood. So these symbols are as accurate as they can be.

BOSS : A boss is often both a person and a symbol at the same time. The boss maybe symbolises the actual real life boss of the dreamer. He/She may also symbolise some principal that is in charge of how you see some issue. It may refer to your need to do better - a sense that you need to push yourself. The dream maybe about work but may also be about some issue that you are working on.

CAR : Cars in dreams often symbolise the real life journey we go through in our day to day world. They will symbiolise real life delays connected with our lives such as a delay at the supermarket or getting caught in some cue. They are symbols of the real world and our progress to our goals on a day to day basis. So they signify minor hiccups and problems that are getting in our way. Car dreams often signify who is in control - particularly in close relationships. If we are trying to learn something new then our car dream maybe symbolises something about our progress towards this and how comfortable we are in our behavior. A car at rest maybe symbolises lack of progress but also time to think and reflection. Cars are often just general symbols for our journey through life so they could be about general issues which actually happened the day before. They could also be premonitions of little incidents from the day to come. But generally dreams about cars are not so much about our general thoughts but more about specific delays and situations in our timetables.

CLOTHES : Clothes are symbols for how other people see us. They can therefor be symbols of our image and reputation. They can also be symbolic of how we define ourselves. Often we send out unconscious signals about how we feel and these are what other people pick up on. You can tell by body language if someone is nervous or if they are being confrontational.

DEATH : Death is not such a bad thing in dreams. It may commonly refer to the end of one situation and the start of a new one. Death of children or a loved one may simply symbolise worry about them. And often deaths of loved ones are the dreams way of telling you of the importance of that person. The dream makes you appreciate just how important thye are by temporarily taking them away. Death can also refer to itself and issues associated with death.

FARMS : Farms symbolise thoughts which you are trying to nurture. It could symbolise you trying to become a more caring person. It can signify that you are trying to encourage a certain type of thinking amongst other people.

PLANTS : Plants can symbolise relationships which are taking hold. A wilderness may symbolise the lack of any real depth to a certain relationship or set of relationships. PLants can also symbolise some ability which is taking hold and becoming entrenched into your personality. Plants therefor signify anything that is taking hold and has a real life of its own.

GARDENS : Gardens symbolise your romantic and artistic side. They symbolise your opportunities to relax and grow within yourself.

FOOD : Food symbolises the effect some incident has had on you. If you read a book it stimulates your mind. It is therefor food for thought. Certain experiences will also set our minds at work. Shallow experiences will be symbolised by shallow foods such as junk food. Good wholesome main courses maybe symbols of spiritual experiences and stimulating intellectual matters. Sweets are often symbols for experiences which are quite comforting yet not wholly good for us. Food shows that our minds are busy and active.

ANIMALS : Animals often symbolise our emotions.

DOGS are symbols of faithful and loyalty. They can symbolise trusted relationships - the trust a son shows in his father or the trust in a faithful friend. Dogs are mans best friend and therefor symbolise things we think we can always rely on. An Alsatian or angry dog may symbolise something that we thought we could rely on. In that way it may sybolise our belief we could always rely on our health or always rely on a friend(and maybe connected with an illness or argument).

HORSES are symbols of passions and how we are keeping in stride with them. SNAKES are common dtreams and they often link to some issue involving danger and trouble. They symbolise extreme fear and thinsg that you should avoid. SPIDERS are similar to snakes. They can also be connected to a feeling of being trapped - just as if you were in a spiders web. In that way spiders can symbolise an overbearing mother or some other relationship involving control and dominance.

HOTELS , MANSIONS, LARGE BUILDINGS: Hotels are places where we meet with other people. In dreams they show us being the guest of someone else’s thoughts and feelings. Dreams in hotels and mansions are often about the influence that other people have on us. They can also be about the impact that we have on others and how we consider that in making decisions. Hotels then can symbolise criticism from others and anxiety caused by other people. They can also symbolise bad relationships that are affecting the way we think and behave. They may also represent our need for support and encouragement.

HOUSES are often seen simply as representing "the self". That is true in some circumstances but not always. Dreams can often be about specific issues within your life such as your health or some aspect of work. In that way houses are not about you but your approach to something. They can also be about other people.

MILITARY : The Military can symbolise lots of things. One main feature of the military is that they follow precise orders and timetables. They can therefor symbolise the need to follow insturctions precisely down to the last detail. The military also encourage certain types of emotions. They encourage team support and defence of the homeland. They can therefor symbolise the need to support and unite behind some cause. It signifies the need to act togehter. The military is also a harsh environment and can symbolise the need for discipline in the face of harsh times.

MONEY : Money often symbolises the value you place on something. It can signify how a certain type of behavior is valued by others. It can symbolise the value others place on a relationship. The dream at the end of this chapter deals with a mint - which signifies just how people come to decide on the value of one person over another.

MONSTERS : Monsters can symbolise thoughts in our mind which are out of control. They may signify an idea which is dominating someones life and seems to consume everything in its path. It therefor may symbolise a lack of rationality. Creatures can symbolise some feeling that we cannot quite define. It maybe a feeling of unease.

MOUNTAINS : Mountains can symbolise a far off time - either in the past or in the future that you are reflecting on. In that way mountains can signify our memories or our ambitions and hopes in the far distance.

Mountains which you are climbing can often symbolise a tough situation - a great hurdle to overcome.

MUSIC : Music in dreams often symbolises harmoney. It can symbolise an inner harmoney - especially if you are playing an individual instrument. In that way it can show that you have managed to concentrate on something.

Bands and orchestras show that the harmoney is of a collective nature. It can symbolise that you are getting on well with a group of people.

Music can also simply add to the general mood of a dream.

PEOPLE : People are often symbolic of emotions that we feel. They may symbolise the type of behavior that they are famed for. They may just be symbolic of their own name so look for synonyms such as Mr Pratt, Mr Butcher, or Mr Hope.

People can also symbolise themeselves. They can also symbolise a lose connection you have with someone.

For instance a dream about one workmate may well be symbolic of a work issue. A dream about one friend may well be symbolic of another friend.

If you meet someone that you don't know it may signify the absence of that person in your life. A best friend that you do not know may symbolise the absence of a friendly feeling (a situation which is not ideal). A boyfriend that you do not know may symbolise an anbsence of a boyfriend when you could really do with the support of one.

People in dreams are often not relevant at all. They are really quite interchangable. Dreams amke very loose associations.

FAMILY members in dreams can often be very symbolic. They can refer to your judgement in some way. Fathers often symbolise rationality and the need to be strict with your self. Mothers represent the need to find an emotionally safe course in life. Grandmothers can signify your own inner wisdom and intuitive gut feeling. Sisters are strong symbols of openess to new ideas and willingness to discuss issues. Borthers are symbols of how you can stick up for an idea stubbornly despite evidence to the contrary.

BOYFRIENDS can symbolise your own ideal way that a boyfriend should behave. In that way a boyfriend can be cheating on you if he is not doing all the things he maybe expected to do. An EX-BOYFRIEND may symbolise the type of behavior you expect from an ex- boyfriend so its quite possible that the EX symbolises a current boyfriend who is about to become an EX boyfriend.

POLICE : Police are complex symbols in dreams. Often they are related to a need to restore order within the dreamers mind. How they have become upset by a situation and need to slow down or to think clearly. It therefor signifies confusion and deal with that confusion. Alternatively they could symbolise some real rule that has been broken either a legal rule or some unofficial or unwritten rule such as a moral. It may simply signify a moment when someone has been caught in the act of doing something that they should not.

PREMONITIONS : Premonitions are more regular than people suppose. The vast majority of normal dreams deal with every day thoughts and circumstances from the day before. The vast majority of premonitions deal again with issues near at hand. The majority of premonitions come to pass on the very day of the dream. They will capture some emotion that you felt. They will capture a little incident and even a thought process on some situation.

Some premonitions are diffiuclt to spot as they will deal with issues which were already releveant in your life. If you argue with your partner on a regular basis then it is difficult to tell if a dream is a premonition.

Premonitions can contain a touch more real life than normal dreams. However, they can be hidden in deep symbolism too. But such symbolism is interpreted in exactly the same way as normal dreams.

Dreams can forsee events deep into the future - but the events would have to be deeply personal. Such events would be the deaths of loved ones. Major changes in your life can be foreseen. However, these can be short on detail. You may just get a sense of meaning. People often just know that a dream is a premonition.

On the other hand - when people first become aware of premonitions they may have false premonitions. If for instance you had a premonition of the the terror attacks on September 11, 2001 then once you had realsied the significance of this you may be prone to have another premonition. It is quite common. Actually it maybe a matter of misinterpreting a dream. The dream maybe just dealing with the subject of premonitions and recognising their power. The fact is that we dream about the thoughts that dominate our daily lives. If we are thinking about premonitions then we will dream false premonitions.

RIVERS : Rivers symbolise flows of energy and motivation towards some goal. They signify the effort you put in on a project. They can also symbolise the flow of your general emotions. Crossing a river can suggest that you are trying to get to a new emotional state. It may signify an emotional transition.

ROADS : Roads symbolise your movement through life on a day to day basis. Quite often these will refer to the emotions you felt from specific incidents the previous day.

BIKES often symbolise an intensely personal course that you wish to travel.

BRIDGES are junctions in your life - they signify emotional transitions.

SCHOOLS : Schools often symbolise a lesson of life. They show that you have come into some new situation which is totally unfamiliar. It therefor signifies a situation where you are unsure how to respond.

COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES : Colleges can often symbolise how you are learning just a little more about a situation which you already had some knowledge of. In this way it could symbolise how you are learning that you are becoming marginalised at work and therefor feel confident.

SHOPS : We go into shops to get the things we want from the choices available - therefor shops symbolise the choices available and the things that you think of as essential at that moment. A shop with few choices may symbolise a lack of opportunities - such as during an illness when your options are reduced.

SPACE : Space often refers to thinsg that we have trouble comprehending. No-one goes there so its a vast unexplored territory. It can symbolise a difficulty in trying to understand how someone can possibly feel. In a similar way it can symbolise a new idea or thought which is beyond something that we have ever witnessed before.

SPECIFIC DREAMS : Often we get dreams about specific situations. These are easy to spot - thinsg which stick in our minds. Often these will have symbolic associations with the situations involved. The symbols will therefor have a personal meaning. In suc circumstances it is best to ignore the symbolic meaning from books and instead seek the personal meaning of some symbol.

TOWNS, STREETS, HOUSES, SUBURBS, COUNTRYSIDE : Where we are in dreams is often a good clue to the dreams meaning.

STREETS often are significant because of their name - they are synonyms so look for a double meaning in the streetname such as Prospect Street, Hope Street or Weaponess Park.

The COUNTRYSIDE often signifies decisions which are made without consideration for others. These signify how you would act if you had complete freedom. They signify your best choice.

TOWNS and particularly TOWN and CITY CENTRES symbolise choices and situations where we should show more consideration for others. Such dreams maybe about a need to turn down the volume for the neighbours.

SUBURBS symbolise situations where everyones viewpoint and feelings is taken into account. All the houses have space for their owners to express themselves.

SEMI-DETACHED houses maybe symbolise a wish to be partially detached from some situation. TOWNS and CITIES all symbolise your involvement in the world and thought processes which are busy.

VILLAGES could symbolise the viewpoints of others which are made without consideration. These are perhaps selfish or odd viewpoints.

ALLEYS are often routes which you have taken which are quite narrow in their way of thinking. They may also symbolise restricted choice

TRAFFIC is also important - it may symbolise some situation where you are perhaps in collkision with the opinions of others or that you are in collision with your own nature.

SYNONYMS : Double meanings are the stuff of dreams. Dreams revolve around symbolic associations. Some people will be in dreams simply for their names. Look for classic double meanings in any language. Phrases which are common in your culture will also feature.

TOILETS : Toilets in dreams represent the way that we deal with bad emotions. Often a public toilet shows that those bad emotions are been dealt with in a public way and may expose the dreamer to a level of vulnerablity. If the toilet is clean then the process of purging bad emotions is very good and healthy. However, the toilet maybe dirty and water may gush up from the toilet. That shows that the whole process has not been healthy - in some way bad emotions have been repressed. You are maybe not telling someone of those bad feelings and so they will inevitably spill pout in an uncontrolled way .

WATER : Water is an extremely complex symbol. It is quite foten associated with the unconscious mind and the changable emotions and intellectual ideas that we have. It therefor signifies something that is fluid and likely to change at any moment.

Water often symbolises an emotional connection we have with a person(good or bad). It symbolises flows of energy and motivation in your mind. It can symbolise creative concentration.

Clear water is extremely good and signifies clear thinking.

Waves in dreams can symbolise changable opinions. They signify thoughts which are not really based on any reliable knowledge. They are likely to be swept away at any moment. Man made and wierd water symbols can often refer to man made type energies. Taps may refer to the energies that we devote to some work task.

SWIMMING often refers to the wish to move to a new emotional state.