Dreams, Messages from your subconscious

  Contents     Part  1  –  Understanding  Dreams   Introduction  to  dreams   Remembering  dreams   Dreams  are  cryptic   Let  go  of  guilt  relating  to  your  dream  stories   Nightmares  and  recurring  dreams   Recovery  after  waking  from  frightening  dreams   What  prompts  dreams  to  occur?   The  “shadow  side”  concept   Don’t  take  it  literally   Precognitive  dreams   Use  dreams  to  help  you  fall  asleep   Asking  for  guidance  from  your  subconscious  mind     Part  2  –  Symbols  and  Dream  Components     What  does  this  mean  to  me?   Dream  perspective   Buildings  and  structures   Landscapes  and  scenery   Elements,  weather  and  natural  disasters   Vehicles  and  motion   People   Animals   Objects   Bodily  sensations  and  changes   Emotions   Colours  and  moods   Other  common  dream  events     Part  3  –  Dream  Analysis     Record  your  dream   Putting  it  all  together   Using  your  Dream  Analysis  Worksheet   Troubleshooting     Afterword  

   

 

 

Foreword     I  have  been  interested  in  my  dreams  as  long  as  I  can  remember  and  I  began   doing  some  serious  dream  journaling,  analysis  and  research  in  2006.  I  was   working  as  a  spiritual  therapist  and  I  found  that  dream  analysis  naturally   became  a  modality  that  I  offered  with  my  clients.       In  2010  I  started  writing  a  dream  “guidebook”  which  I  intended  to  use  as  my   own  reference  guide  for  my  professional  work  with  clients,  but  the  more  I   wrote,  the  more  I  felt  compelled  to  keep  writing.  I  wanted  to  share  the  results   of  my  research  and  observations  of  how  dream  themes  linked  to  everyday   life.       Thank-­‐you  for  reading.  May  you  have  great  sleep  and  wild  dreams!  

    How  to  use  this  book  

  This  book  explains  how  your  subconscious  mind  uses  dreams  to  offer  advice,   warnings  and  messages  to  you  while  you  are  asleep.  This  is  not  a  traditional   dream  dictionary  or  encyclopaedia  listing  dream  images  alphabetically.  Dreams,   Messages  From  Your  Subconscious  is  designed  to  initially  be  read  in  entirety   and  then  to  act  as  a  reference  book  to  assist  with  interpreting  specific  dream   scenarios.  I  have  also  created  a  Dream  Journal  and  a  Dream  Analysis  Worksheet   for  you  to  download  for  free  by  visiting  www.naomigoodlet.com/dreams.     The  book  is  divided  into  three  parts:     Part  1)  Understanding  Dreams       This  section  will  give  you  a  thorough  overview  of  why  we  dream  and  the  role  of   the  subconscious  mind.       Part  2)  Symbols  and  Dream  Components       This  section  describes  many  of  the  common,  and  some  of  the  not  so  common   dream  images,  scenery  and  events.     Part  3)  Dream  Analysis     This  section  outlines  the  process  for  accurately  analysing  your  dreams  and   uncovering  their  hidden  messages.  

Part 1 - Understanding Dreams    

Introduction  to  dreams  

  The  mystery  of  dreaming  has  been  both  fascinating  and  alluring  to  humans  for   centuries.  It  is  not  yet  fully  understood  why  we  dream,  however  it  is  widely   accepted  that  the  main  purpose  for  dreaming  is  to  sort,  compound  and  embed   memories  from  the  day,  a  function  vital  to  learning  new  skills,  letting  go  of   unnecessary  data  and  overcoming  future  challenges.       But  what  about  the  dreams  that  haunt  us,  the  dreams  that  have  us  wake  in  fear,   and  the  dreams  that  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  images  of  the  day  that  we   otherwise  cannot  explain?     These  are  the  dreams  that  this  book  will  help  you  to  explore  and  decipher.  Our   subconscious  mind  uses  these  vivid  and  thrilling  dreams  to  send  us  powerful  and   sometimes  life-­‐changing  advice,  messages  and  warnings.  Once  we  learn  to   translate  these  messages  from  within,  we  are  able  to  apply  them  to  our  waking   life  and  in  doing  so  we  may  be  able  to  heal  old  wounds,  repair  or  let  go  of  toxic   relationships,  awaken  our  passion  and  make  significant  advances  in  our  personal   development.       Dreams  do  not  always  tell  us  what  we  want  to  hear!  Many  dreams  come  in  the   form  of  a  caution  and  warn  us  of  the  need  to  change  in  some  area  of  our  lives  or   psyche  in  order  to  avoid  an  undesirable  outcome  or  to  stop  perpetuating   unhelpful  habits.  This  sort  of  information  is  not  always  easy  to  accept.  When  we   don’t  take  on  the  advice  being  delivered  from  our  subconscious,  it  can  cause   themes,  people,  feelings,  scenarios  or  even  entire  dreams  to  recur  over  and  over   again.  Intense  dreams,  often  referred  to  as  nightmares,  also  act  as  a  strong   warning  of  the  need  to  look  inward.       I  believe  that  your  dreams  are  directly  about  you,  your  life  and  your  internal   workings.  They  are  a  reflection  of  you  that  you  might  not  otherwise  see.     Throughout  this  book  I  ask  you  to  be  objective  about  your  dreams  and  honest   with  yourself  about  how  they  may  apply  to  your  life.  Remember,  your  inner  self   is  using  your  dream  stories  to  communicate  vital  advice  to  you.  This  is  a  gift!       The  best  advice  I  can  offer  you  when  exploring  your  dreams  is  to  remain  open.     Be  open  to  the  possibility  that  you  may  need  to  revisit  the  past  in  order  to  heal,   even  if  you  believe  you’re  ‘over  it’.  Consider  the  potential  of  truth  in  the   messages  you  receive,  even  if  this  information  is  difficult  to  accept.  We  need  to   trust  that  our  subconscious  is  offering  us  these  dreams  with  valid  reasons  and   for  our  highest  good.        

Remembering  Dreams  

  Many  people  say  that  they’re  not  able  to  remember  their  dreams  or  even  that   they  don’t  dream  at  all.  Research  suggests  that  almost  all  of  us  do,  in  fact,  dream,   even  if  we  have  no  recollection  whatsoever  of  a  dream  ever  occurring.       Our  most  vivid  dreams  occur  during  REM  sleep.  We  are  more  likely  to  remember   a  dream  if  we  are  awoken  in  the  middle  of  it  and  record  its  details  right  away.   The  dreams  we  remember  the  most  not  surprisingly  then,  are  the  dreams  we  are   experience  just  before  waking  in  the  morning,  even  more  so  if  you  are  sleeping   later  than  usual.  Many  people  also  report  more  memorable  dream  activity  after   drinking  alcohol  or  eating  certain  foods.     Quite  often,  dreams  are  simply  a  jumbled  ‘rerun’  of  the  past  few  days  of  our  lives   that  hold  little  meaning.  These  dreams  are  simply  filing-­‐the-­‐data,  so  to  speak.  It   makes  sense  then,  that  the  majority  of  these  dreams  are  not  remembered.       In  my  dream  interpretation  experience,  I’ve  discovered  that  we  tend  to  remember   the  dreams  that  we’re  meant  to  remember.    The  vivid,  scary,  emotional  or   puzzling  dreams,  the  ones  that  stick  in  our  memory  are  the  ones  that  our   subconscious  is  using  as  a  message  or  warning  to  our  conscious  mind.       So  take  it  easy  on  yourself  if  you  don’t  consistently  remember  your  dreams.   When  you  do  have  one  that’s  memorable,  be  sure  to  document  it  so  that  you  can   investigate  its  meaning.       I  keep  a  journal  near  my  bed  and  use  Evernote  on  my  computer  and  phone  for   remembering  dream  details  that  come  back  to  me  throughout  the  day.  I   encourage  you  to  make  it  easy  to  record  your  dreams.     Dreams  have  a  strong  link  to  our  creative  side.  Therefore,  those  of  us  who   dedicate  ample  time  and  energy  to  expressing  our  creativity  –  along  with  those   who  meditate  regularly  and  have  a  good  memory  –  are  more  likely  to  remember   dreams.  If  you  genuinely  have  no  memory  of  dreams  whatsoever,  perhaps  try   meditation  or  find  a  creative  outlet  and  see  if  your  dream  recall  improves.     If  you  remember  your  dreams  fairly  often,  you  will  probably  notice  that  some  of   your  dreams  are  pretty  neutral  and  unemotional  (unless  your  subconscious  is   hard  at  work  trying  to  get  a  message  to  you).  In  these  ‘regular’  dreams  that  don’t   contain  a  strong  message,  you’re  more  likely  to  see  things  and  people  as  they  are   in  everyday  life.  The  symbolism  and  interpretation  methods  within  this  book  are   for  the  powerful  and  vivid  dreams  that  you  have.  There’s  no  need  to  dive  into   analysis  for  every  single  dream  that  you  have  unless  you  intuitively  feel  that  it   was  offering  a  message.      

Dreams  are  cryptic!  

  Our  brain  has  evolved  to  use  dreams  in  order  to  learn  new  skills,  discard   unnecessary  information  and  form  new  memories.  While  we  are  sleeping,  the  

creative  storyteller  inside  switches  to  overdrive  and  the  parts  of  our  brain   responsible  for  rational  thought  are  switched  off.       This  is  the  reason  that  we  can  be  in  a  basement  filling  with  water  one  minute  and   being  chased  by  monsters  along  a  busy  city  street  the  next.  The  part  of  us  that   would  usually  object  and  insist  that  this  is  impossible  is  fast  asleep,  along  with   our  paralysed  body,  while  our  mind  spins  images  from  its  vast  memory  bank  and   attempts  to  create  a  flowing  storyline.     So,  before  you  condemn  your  partner  after  you  dreamt  that  he  or  she  had  been   cheating  on  you,  remember  that  most  dreams  are  symbolic  rather  than  literal.  On   occasion,  a  dream  will  have  a  straightforward  meaning,  particularly  if  it  involves   strong  emotions  that  are  present  in  the  dream  as  well  as  in  your  waking  life,  such   as  fear,  despair,  grief  or  frustration.       I  am  often  asked,  “Why  are  my  dreams  symbolic?  Why  can’t  they  simply  show  me   the  real  meaning  rather  then  a  cryptic  one?”     If  only  it  was  that  easy.  Without  going  into  neuroscience  101  and  the  history  of   years  of  sleep  studies,  let  me  give  you  a  brief  explanation:     Dreams  can  provide  us  with  a  useful  insight  into  our  emotions  and  our  psyche.   Considering,  however,  that  the  primary  function  of  dreaming  is  to  convert  new   information  to  memory  and  that  dreams  which  provide  messages  for  personal   growth  are  fewer  in  number  than  regular  dreams,  my  belief  is  that  our   subconscious  has  evolved  to  access  dreams  as  a  medium  to  convey  its  message.       This  means  that  the  message  the  subconscious  wants  to  share  is  bound  by  the  rules   that  the  brain  has  dictated  for  dreaming.       Think  about  it  this  way.  The  subconscious  has  access  to  masses  of  data  relating   to  our  mental  and  physical  wellbeing  and  its  objective  is  to  keep  us  safe  and  in   good  shape.  The  problem  is  that  the  subconscious  has  no  voice.  So  the   subconscious,  in  its  quest  for  ultimate  health  and  wellbeing,  uses  whatever   means  possible  to  convey  its  message,  the  main  avenues  being  physical   manifestations  of  symptoms  or  illness  and  cryptic,  symbolic  messages  in  dreams.       I  have  no  doubt  that,  if  the  subconscious  mind  had  a  choice,  it  would  convey  its   lessons  in  a  literal  and  easy  to  comprehend  fashion  because  it  ultimately  wants   nothing  more  that  to  assist  you  to  heal.  So  we  are  stuck  within  the  bounds  of   dreams  as  prescribed  by  the  brain  and  our  job  is  to  teach  our  conscious  mind   how  to  decipher  the  obscurities  that  our  dreams  present.  This  book  will  teach   you  to  do  exactly  that!        

Let  go  of  guilt  relating  to  your  dream  stories    

It  is  common  for  people  who  have  dreamt  of  doing  things  outside  their  normal   bounds  to  wake  with  a  sense  of  guilt  or  shame,  believing  that  something  must  be   wrong  with  them  in  order  for  them  to  have  dreams  like  this.   Typical  dream  occurrences  relating  to  feelings  of  guilt  and  shame  include:     • Emotional  outbursts   • Anger,  violence  or  rage   • Sexual  or  perverted  encounters   • Murder  or  violent  attack   • Disrespect   • Disregard  for  property   • Illegal  acts   • The  desire  to  harm  someone  or  something     First  and  foremost,  it  is  important  not  to  worry!  Dreaming  of  things  that  are   outside  your  comfort  zone  is  completely  normal.  We  are  twice  as  likely  to  dream   about  something  negative  or  unpleasant  than  something  positive  or  neutral.  In   fact,  sometimes  it  seems  that  this  is  the  only  way  that  your  subconscious  can  get   your  attention.  Remember,  each  dream  is  a  unique  gift;  treat  it  as  such  and   replace  your  guilt  with  gratitude.     Once  you  adopt  the  theory  that  everything  in  your  dream  is  a  reflection  of  you   then  you  will  be  able  to  release  the  embarrassment  and  shame  that  can  be   caused  from  graphic  dream  content.     If  you  are  having  difficulty  shaking  your  feelings  of  discomfort  after  waking  then   try  these  reassuring  steps  below:     • Write  down  the  dream  and  your  feelings  about  it   • Thank  your  subconscious  for  the  message     • Ask  your  subconscious  for  some  intuitive  guidance  or  a  follow  up  dream   to  assist  you  interpret  the  message   • Remind  yourself  that  dreams  are  the  brain’s  data  storage  function  and   that  your  subconscious  uses  them  to  communicate  with  you   • Remind  yourself  that  dreams  are  symbolic  and  rarely  literal   • Accept  your  discomfort.  Recognise  that  it  is  caused  because  your  self-­‐ image  has  been  challenged.    This  may  well  be  part  of  the  lesson  your   subconscious  is  offering  you   • Use  this  affirmation:  I  am  not  my  dreams!      

Nightmares  and  recurring  dreams  

  A  nightmare  is  simply  a  dream  that  involves  intense  feelings  such  as  fear,  terror,   pain,  anxiety  or  rage.  We  usually  have  no  trouble  remembering  nightmares   because  they  are  vivid  and  the  images  are  often  difficult  to  shake.  Some   nightmares  seem  so  real  that  it  may  take  some  time  after  waking  to  realise  that  it   was  only  a  dream.    

  There  is  no  formal  distinction  between  a  regular  dream  and  a  nightmare.  You  can   decide  which  of  your  dreams  feel  like  nightmares  based  on  the  feelings  and   visuals  they  contain.       Recurring  dreams  can  be  caused  by  a  number  of  different  things,  the  most   common  being  an  attempt  by  your  subconscious  to  deliver  an  important   message  to  you.  The  recurrence  of  the  dreams  is  sure  to  get  your  attention,   which  is  precisely  what  your  subconscious  wants  to  do.  There  will  be  a  powerful   piece  of  advice  contained  within  this  dream  so  be  sure  to  analyse  it  thoroughly.     Both  nightmares  and  recurring  dreams  can  occur  as  a  result  of  trauma  or  loss.   You  may  ‘relive’  a  traumatic  event  or  dream  about  a  loved  one  after  they  have   passed.  As  upsetting  as  these  dreams  may  be,  it  is  vital  to  remember  that  your   subconscious  sends  you  dream  messages  with  the  best  of  intentions.  The  dreams   act  as  a  reminder  that  internal  work  needs  to  be  done.  Look  into  anything   unresolved  that  requires  healing  or  finalising  in  relation  to  these  events  so  that   you  may  free  yourself  from  the  heartache  they  can  cause.      

Recovery  after  waking  from  frightening  dreams  

  Sometimes  a  dream  rattles  us,  challenges  our  values  and  leaves  us  feeling   petrified  and  unable  to  get  back  to  sleep.  We  can  lie  there  in  bed,  trying  to  get  to   sleep,  but  are  just  unable  to  shake  the  images  and  feelings  associated  with  the   intense  dream  (or  nightmare)  that  we’ve  just  woken  from.  It  might  even  take  a   few  minutes  to  remember  that  it  was  only  a  dream,  as  some  dreams  can  appear   completely  real.     Trust  me  when  I  say  that  this  is  not  the  time  to  start  trying  to  interpret  the   message  from  your  subconscious!  You  need  your  precious  sleep,  so  try  to  avoid   the  urge  to  dive  into  analysis  mode  straight  away.     If  possible,  record  your  dream  while  it  is  fresh  in  your  mind  and  then  commit  to   revisiting  your  dream  journal  at  another  time,  so  that  you  can  do  the  analysis   once  you’ve  had  sufficient  sleep.       If  you’re  still  falling  victim  to  thoughts  about  the  dream,  remind  yourself  that  it   has  been  documented,  it  was  only  a  dream  and  that  there  is  nothing  to  fear.   Focus  on  your  breath,  bring  yourself  into  the  present  moment  and  release  any   tension  in  your  body.  If  you’re  still  unable  to  sleep  then  it  can  be  helpful  to  get   up,  read  a  book  or  engage  in  an  activity  to  bring  you  back  into  the  here  and  now   before  attempting  to  sleep  again.  If  the  images  of  the  dream  are  still  present  then   imagine  a  more  desirable  outcome  or  ending  to  the  dream.        

What  prompts  dreams  to  occur?    

Your  dreams  are  most  commonly  influenced  by  occurrences  in  the  past  week  and   plans  for  the  forthcoming  week.  Sometimes  the  distant  past  or  future  can   influence  dreams  as  well,  but  this  is  less  common.  Normally  we  have  vivid   dreams  because  one  or  more  of  the  following  occur  in  our  waking  life:     1) We  are  going  through  some  sort  of  turning  point  in  our  lives— whether  known  or  unknown,  positive  or  negative,  for  example   discovering  new  things  about  yourself  or  others,  learning  new   information,  letting  go  of  previous  patterns  and  behaviours,  acceptance  of   something  which  you  previously  struggled  with,  gaining  a  new   understanding  and  changes  in  career,  relationships,  lifestyle,  location  and   wellbeing.     2) Stress,  anger,  worry,  despair,  anxiety  and  fear.  Nervous  or  worrisome   thoughts  and  feelings  about  the  future  are  likely  to  encourage  dream   activity.  Stress  dreams  often  act  as  warnings  not  to  continue  with  your   current  way  of  thinking.     3) Disappointment,  unpleasant  memories,  regret,  embarrassment  and   grief.  Thinking  about,  discussing  or  being  reminded  of  unpleasant  events   in  our  past,  whether  recent  or  distant,  can  encourage  dream  activity,   particularly  if  you  are  attached  to  unhelpful  beliefs  or  behaviours  related   to  that  event,  which  no  longer  serve  you.     4) A  need  for  change  or  to  make  a  difficult  decision.  A  message  from  your   subconscious  to  take  action  towards  a  new  path,  make  an  important   decision  or  create  some  changes  to  your  thoughts,  relationship,  values,   beliefs,  career,  lifestyle  or  goals.     When  you’re  diving  into  the  analysis  of  your  dream,  be  sure  to  look  for  one  of   these  things  recently  occurring  or  due  to  occur  in  your  life.  Remembering  what   was  happening  for  you  around  the  time  of  the  dream  will  make  it  easier  to  find   an  accurate  dream  meaning.      

The  “shadow  side”  concept  

  As  we  grow  from  children  into  adults  we  observe  the  behaviours  of  the  people   around  us  and  decide  on  the  person  who  we  want  to  be.  In  doing  so  we  also   decide  on  what  we  do  NOT  want  to  be.  For  example,  I  may  choose  that  I  want  to   be  accepting  of  others  and  that  I  most  certainly  DON’T  want  to  be  aggressive,   unreliable  or  angry.  As  a  result,  the  part  of  me  that  is  capable  of  being  aggressive   and  angry  is  denied,  disowned  and  locked  away.       An  easy  way  to  determine  aspects  of  your  personality  that  you  have  disowned  is   to  observe  your  own  judgements  and  emotional  reactions  involving  other   people.  If  you  find  yourself  becoming  frustrated  by  the  impatience  of  others  then   it’s  likely  that  your  own  impatience  is  living  in  the  shadows.  If  you  feel  outraged   by  stories  of  injustice  then  perhaps  you  have  denied  the  part  of  you  that  is  

capable  of  injustice.  If  you  commonly  find  yourself  thinking  or  talking  about  your   dissatisfaction  with  others,  then  you  can  guarantee  that  your  shadow  side   aspects  have  been  long  denied  and  expect  this  to  be  reflected  in  your  dreams.     Shadow  side  aspects  of  yourself  will  crop  up  again  and  again  in  your  dreams  in   an  effort  to  find  acceptance  and  compassion.       To  find  out  more  about  healing  your  shadow  side,  I  recommend  the  book  The   Secret  of  the  Shadow  by  Debbie  Ford.      

Don’t  take  it  literally!  

  The  most  common  mistake  in  dream  interpretation  is  to  consider  only  the  literal   message,  which  often  leads  to  confusion  or  to  incorrectly  believing  the  dream  to   be  about  someone  or  something  other  than  you  and  your  life  directly.  Dreams   are  more  commonly  symbolic  so  it  is  always  recommended  to  investigate  how   the  dream  relates  to  you  before  involving  the  lives  of  other  people.       Remember:  Everything  in  the  dream  –  people,  places,  colours,  feelings  etc.  –  are   all  direct  reflections  of  you.     Dreaming  of  a  family  member,  friend  or  workmate  does  not  necessarily  mean   that  the  message  of  the  dream  has  anything  to  do  with  that  person.  In  fact,  in   most  cases  those  people  simply  appear  in  order  for  us  to  better  relate  to   ourselves.  Our  dream  characters  often  embody  our  shadow  side  aspects.  We   need  to  consider  what  that  person  symbolically  represents  to  you  and  how  that   information  applies  you  at  this  point  in  your  life.  Do  this  by  asking  yourself:     What  are  my  thoughts,  feelings  and  judgements  about  this  person?   How  are  those  qualities  and  traits  a  part  of  me  (owned  or  disowned)?   How  is  this  relevant  to  me  right  now?     Here’s  an  example  of  answers  to  these  questions  about  a  dreamer’s  supervisor  at   work  appearing  as  a  dream  character:     What  are  my  thoughts,  feelings  and  judgements  about  this  person?     She  has  unrealistic  expectations  about  what  can  be  achieved  in  work  time;  she   doesn’t  understand  the  pressure  I’m  under  and  tries  to  force  me  to  work   overtime.  She  has  no  compassion  for  me.     Keywords:  unrealistic,  inconsiderate,  oblivious.     How  are  those  qualities  and  traits  a  part  of  me?     Unrealistic:  I  have  unrealistic  expectations  of  what  I  ‘should’  be  able  to  achieve  at   home.  I  feel  lazy  if  I’m  not  ‘being  productive’.    

Inconsiderate:  I  try  to  be  very  considerate  of  others  but  in  doing  so  I’ve  forgotten   to  consider  my  own  wellbeing.  I’m  also  inconsiderate  to  others  at  work  by   always  complaining  about  the  pressure  I’m  under.     Oblivious:  I’ve  been  oblivious  to  the  impact  that  work  stress  is  having  on  my  life   and  health.  Also  I’ve  overlooked  how  others  at  work  might  be  feeling  by  being   absorbed  in  my  own  emotions.     How  is  this  relevant  to  me  right  now?     Until  I  had  this  dream  I  didn’t  realise  the  damage  I  was  doing  to  myself  and  my   relationships  by  striving  for  unattainable  perfection.       Asking  yourself  these  three  questions  about  each  of  your  dream  characters  will   help  you  to  identify  why  they  have  appeared  in  your  dream.      

Precognitive  dreams  

  If  your  subconscious  mind  is  sending  you  advice  and  warnings  about  your  future   decisions,  thoughts  and  behaviour,  then  is  it  possible  for  dreams  to  contain   predictions  and  precognitions  of  what  the  future  holds  for  you?     I’ll  let  you  make  that  decision  for  yourself.  I  encourage  you  to  record  your   dreams  and  waking  life  challenges  in  your  dream  journal  (available  for  free  at   www.naomigoodlet.com/dreams)  and  notice  any  changes  that  occur  in  your  life.   I  believe  that  every  dream  is  specific  to  the  dreamer  and  their  own  unique   memories,  plans,  ideas,  beliefs  and  desires.       I’ve  read  stories  about  people  who  had  dreams  predicting  tragedies  such  as  the   9/11  World  Trade  Centre  attacks  and  the  sinking  of  the  Titanic,  and  these  stories   may  well  be  true,  but  from  my  experience  it  seems  that  legitimate  precognitive   dreams  are  not  terribly  common.       If  you  have  a  dream  about  the  fate  of  someone  else  then  document  it,  analyse  the   dream  as  normal  to  see  if  you  can  uncover  a  hidden  message  for  you,  then  wait   and  see  what  happens.  If  you  feel  a  strong  urge  to  tell  someone  about  a  dream   you  had  about  them,  then  allow  yourself  to  share  your  insights  without   expectation.  If  your  dream  story  comes  true  then  perhaps  you’ve  been  blessed   (or  cursed)  with  a  precognitive  gift  that  you  can  test  out  and  learn  from.  It  is   likely,  though,  that  most  of  the  time  your  dreams  of  the  future  will  not  come  to   pass  exactly  in  the  way  your  dreamt  them.  Refer  to  the  ‘People’  section  in  part  2   of  this  book  for  more  information  about  what  it  means  to  dream  about  other   people.     The  subconscious  mind  is  capable  of  making  fairly  accurate  predictions  about   one’s  own  short-­‐term  future  based  upon  one’s  past  and  current  thoughts  and   actions,  sort  of  like  an  educated  guess.  Your  subconscious  can  harness  these   assumptions  about  what  is  likely  to  happen  and  use  (often  undesirable)  images  

of  the  future  to  act  as  a  warning  message,  informing  you  of  an  urgent  need  for   change  or  perhaps  a  neutral  or  positive  possible  outcome  for  something  that   you’ve  been  wondering  about.     When  you  dream  about  something  significant  or  scary  occurring  in  your  future,   interpret  the  dream  as  per  normal,  but  proceed  with  caution  in  the  coming  days,   as  your  dream  may  have  shared  a  vital  prediction  about  what’s  in  store  for  you.        

Use  dreams  to  help  you  fall  asleep    

  Do  you  fall  asleep  easily  or  do  you  lie  in  bed  with  a  racing  mind,  waiting  for  sleep   to  come  along  and  whisk  you  away?  If  you  don’t  have  any  problems  falling  asleep   then  I’m  very  happy  for  you  (and  a  little  envious)  but  for  many  of  us,  the  simple   act  of  getting  to  sleep  can  be  a  struggle  especially  if  we  ‘indulge’  in  thinking,   planning,  rehearsing  or  creating  in  our  mind.     As  you  lie  down  in  bed,  relax  your  body,  then  relax  your  mind.  You  might  see  a   flash  of  one  of  your  recent  dreams.  Not  only  is  this  another  opportunity  for  you   to  remember  any  details  of  the  dream  that  you  may  have  missed,  but  you  can   also  use  the  power  of  that  dream  recall  to  help  quiet  your  mind  and  lure  you  into   sleep.     If  you  have  trouble  getting  to  sleep  you  may  drift  in  and  out  of  dream  state  as  you   lie  in  bed.  You’ll  be  thinking  about  your  shopping  list  one  moment  and  the  next   your  mind  will  start  creating  strange  images  and  thoughts  as  it  prepares  to  start   dreaming.  Much  of  the  time  your  active,  creative  mind  that  is  still  awake  will  take   over  again  and  those  hazy  dream  thoughts  will  be  lost.  If  this  happens  to  you   then  you  can  learn  how  to  give  these  dream  thoughts  permission  to  pull  you  into   sleep.     Here’s  how  to  do  it:     • Relax  any  tension  or  tightness  in  your  body,  particularly  in  your  jaw.   • Take  some  slow,  conscious  breaths.   • Allow  your  thoughts  to  come  and  go  without  the  need  to  buy  into  them.     • When  dream  thoughts  pop  into  your  mind  (either  from  remembering  a   recent  dream  or  from  the  creation  of  a  new  dream)  give  all  of  your   attention  to  them.   • Resist  the  urge  to  analyse  the  thoughts  and  instead  surrender  to  them,   allowing  yourself  to  get  pulled  further  and  further  into  their  story.   • Do  this  without  force  and,  if  you  get  distracted,  go  back  to  focussing  on   your  breath  and  go  through  the  steps  again.     The  more  peacefully  you  surrender  to  the  dream  story  that  your  brain  has   activated,  the  faster  you  will  be  drawn  into  a  deep  sleep.  Give  it  a  try!      

Asking  for  guidance  from  your  subconscious  mind  

  Just  as  the  subconscious  mind  can  deliver  messages  to  the  conscious  mind,  the   conscious  mind  can  also  send  intentions  and  requests  to  the  subconscious.  If   you’re  searching  for  answers  in  a  particular  area  of  your  life  then  you  can  ask   your  subconscious  to  send  the  answer  in  the  form  of  a  dream.       Many  of  us  already  unknowingly  do  this  simply  by  asking  for  help  in  the  form  of   prayer  or  requesting  guidance  from  our  own  intuition.     Try  this  when  you’re  lying  in  bed  preparing  for  sleep  or  during  a  meditation   session.       • Bring  to  mind  your  issue,  ailment  or  problem  for  a  few  moments.   • Clear  your  mind  and  send  out  the  following  request  (aloud  or  in  your   mind):   Subconscious  mind,  please  help  me  find  the  perfect  solution  to  my   (problem)  so  that  I  may  (describe  ideal  scenario).  Please  send  me  a  dream   tonight  that  holds  the  message  that  I  need  to  hear.   • Trust  that  your  subconscious  has  received  your  request  and  release  it   before  going  to  sleep.     It  is  important  to  include  the  description  of  the  desired  outcome  so  that  you  are   crystal  clear  on  what  it  is  that  you  truly  want,  your  subconscious  mind  can  then   give  you  advice  on  the  path  you  need  to  take  to  get  there.       This  technique  can  be  used  to  gain  further  clarity  on  previous  dreams  where  the   message  has  not  been  entirely  obvious  to  you.  Tell  your  subconscious  that  you’re   listening  to  what  it  has  to  say  and  ask  for  the  message  to  be  presented  in  the   easiest  way  possible.  

Symbols and Dream Components  

  What  does  this  mean  to  me?  

  Dreams  are  usually  made  up  of  hundreds  or  even  thousands  of  components.  It  is   important  to  remember  that  the  core  function  of  dreams  is  first  and  foremost  to   embed  memories  of  the  past  few  days’  experiences  and  that  your  subconscious  is   using  this  function  as  a  method  of  communicating  with  you  (when  it  needs  to).   Keeping  this  in  mind,  remember  that  it  is  highly  likely  that,  amongst  the  cryptic   and  symbolic  messages  of  your  dream,  you  will  find  something  plain  and   ordinary  from  everyday  life.       If  you  work  in  an  office  then  it  will  not  be  unusual  for  your  dream  to  be  set  in  an   office.  If  you  ride  a  motorbike  then  it  is  quite  likely  that  a  motorbike  in  your   dream  is  more  a  direct  reference  to  waking  life  than  it  is  symbolic.     You  will  identify  things  in  your  dreams  that  have  come  directly  from  your   everyday  life.  These  occurrences  are  rarely  symbolic,  however  it  is  worthwhile   investigating  what  their  appearance  could  mean.  The  dreams  that  display  events,   items  and  places  that  are  confusing  and  unknown  to  you  are  more  likely  to   convey  a  strong  message.     Dream  symbols  depend  largely  on  the  culture  that  you  grew  up  in.  This  book  lists   common  dream  objects  and  scenarios  that  might  be  expected  from  a  person  who   lives  in  a  developed  country  with  access  to  news,  media,  books  and  who  has  had   the  opportunity  to  travel.  Many  dream  symbols  are  largely  universal  in  their   meanings,  but  every  dream  that  you  have  is  unique  to  you  and  will  be  influenced   by  your  upbringing,  beliefs,  state  of  health  and  present  day  challenges.       Your  dreams  are  specifically  designed  by  you,  for  you,  so  even  though  some   dream  components  may  have  a  pre-­‐determined  ‘meaning’,  you  are  the  best   analyst  of  your  own  dreams.  If  the  meaning  in  this  book  doesn’t  feel  like  the  best   fit  for  you  then  ask  yourself,  What  does  this  mean  to  me?  Then  allow  your  own   intuitive  wisdom  to  guide  you.        

Dream  Perspective  

  The  majority  of  dreams  occur  ‘through  our  eyes’  and  appear  much  like  everyday   life.  I  call  these  dreams  ‘eye-­‐view’  dreams.  It  is  also  possible  to  watch  yourself  in   a  dream  as  if  you  were  watching  a  movie.  I  call  these  dreams  ‘movie-­‐style’   dreams.  The  third  type  of  dream  perspective  is  also  an  eye  view  type  of  dream   but  when  you  are  not  yourself.  To  dream  from  the  perspective  of  someone  else  is   called  ‘outsider-­‐view’.  Let’s  explore  each  dream  perspective  in  more  detail.     Eye-­‐view  dreams  are  reminiscent  of  our  regular  experience  of  waking  life  and   are  the  most  common  type  of  dream  perspective.  Nightmares  and  dreams  that   are  difficult  to  distinguish  from  everyday  life  are  nearly  always  in  the  eye-­‐view  

perspective.  Eye-­‐view  perspectives  remind  us  that  the  dream  is  about  us.  We   remember  the  dream  as  if  it  were  a  waking  life  experience,  which  can  help  us  to   uncover  an  accurate  meaning.     Movie-­‐style  dreams  give  us  the  opportunity  to  look  at  ourselves  in  a  different   way.  Some  movie-­‐style  dreams  will  feature  you  as  a  ‘character’  in  them,   providing  you  with  an  insight  into  your  own  behaviour,  traits  and  secrets.  You   may  also  find  that  you  have  a  movie-­‐style  dream  in  which  you  don’t  see  yourself   at  all.  In  this  case,  it’s  important  to  remember  that  the  dream  is  still  a  message   from  your  subconscious  mind  that  is  directly  related  to  you,  no  matter  how   unrelated  or  abstract  it  may  seem.     Outsider-­‐view  dreams  show  us  yet  another  perspective  of  ourselves  and  also   give  us  the  opportunity  to  experience  ‘life’  through  someone  else’s  eyes  (and   sometimes  their  body  too).  The  gender  of  the  person  through  which  you  have  an   outsider-­‐view  dream  is  significant.  The  dream  may  be  showing  you  about  the   perspective  of  your  masculine  or  feminine  side  and  you  can  interpret  the  dream   as  a  message  from  this  part  of  you.  Seeing  the  dream  through  the  eyes  of   someone  you  know  can  also  help  to  gain  some  perspective  on  a  current  situation   involving  that  person.  For  more  information  on  people  in  dreams,  see  the   ‘People’  section  in  this  chapter.        

Buildings  and  Structures  

  Buildings  and  structures  represent  your  body,  mind  and  internal  self.  A  large   majority  of  dreams  are  set  inside  some  sort  of  building.  These  dreams  are  almost   always  showing  you  something  within  yourself  that  you  can  benefit  from  being   aware  of.  Pay  close  attention  to  where  the  space  or  room  is  in  relation  to  the  rest   of  the  building—this  will  give  you  clues  about  ‘where’  the  issue  is  …  whether  it’s   deeply  hidden  in  your  childhood  or  right  up  the  top  in  your  mind  or  maybe   related  to  a  part  of  your  body,  for  example  right  at  the  ‘heart’  of  the  building  or   ‘deep  in  the  bowels’  of  it.     The  appearance  of  each  room  will  contribute  further  to  the  meaning  of  the   dream.  Use  the  dream  images  to  come  up  with  descriptive  words  and  match   these  to  the  other  dream  events.     Use  questions  like,  “What  part  of  me  could  this  building  represent?”  to  uncover   your  message.  Many  of  the  most  common  types  of  buildings,  structures  and   rooms  have  been  covered  in  the  section  below.       Houses     Houses  are  one  of  the  most  common  settings  for  dreams  to  take  place  and  they   generally  relate  to  issues,  thoughts,  feelings  or  beliefs  that  are  ‘inside’  of  you.   This  means  that  the  house  itself  will  commonly  represent  your  mind  and  body.   So  pay  close  attention  to  the  state  of  the  house,  the  lighting,  the  cleanliness  and  

the  general  feeling  you  get  about  it  as  well  as  what  you  are  doing  or  what  is   happening  in  the  dream.  A  dirty,  clogged  up  bathroom  may  be  a  sign  of  ill  health   and  a  broken  window  in  the  bedroom  may  suggest  that  you’re  feeling  exposed.     Who’s  house  is  it?     You  may  see  your  current  home,  a  house  from  your  childhood  or  one  that  you  do   not  recognise.  A  house  that  you  recognise  from  childhood  or  a  house  in  which   you  observe  events  and  people  from  the  past  suggests  that  the  issue  in  question   is  one  that  was  adopted  in  your  youth.  In  some  cases  the  dream  may  even  point   to  a  particular  age,  behaviour  or  memory.  Inner  child  healing  may  be  needed  to   clear  long-­‐standing  issues  when  your  childhood  home  shows  up  often  in  your   dreams.     Dreams  set  in  your  own  home  could  signify  a  current  issue  that  you  are  facing  or   perhaps  it’s  just  a  familiar  and  comfortable  setting  that  your  subconscious  has   selected  in  order  to  convey  an  important  message.  Use  the  state  of  the  house  and   your  feelings  about  it  to  determine  whether  it  is  of  any  significance  to  the  core   dream  message  or  whether  it  is  irrelevant.     When  dreaming  of  a  house  that  you  do  not  recognise,  simply  approach  this  in  the   same  way  as  with  the  rooms  and  other  buildings  and  structures  that  follow  in   this  chapter.         Industrial  Buildings     These  can  include  factories,  warehouses,  workshops,  mills,  refineries,  power   stations,  abattoirs,  silos  etc.  These  buildings  represent  your  body,  in  particular   linking  physical  issues  and  symptoms  to  unhelpful  thoughts,  beliefs  and  habits.   The  inner  workings  of  industrial  buildings  in  your  dreams  relate  to  the  inner   workings  of  your  body.       Just  as  machines  and  technology  manage  and  regulate  industry,  your  body  for   the  most  part  is  a  self-­‐operating  system.  Observe  the  events  and  images  inside   these  industrial  zones  and  ask  yourself,  How  is  this  dream  story  playing  out  inside   my  body  or  mind?     An  abandoned  silo  full  of  old  mouldy  wheat  could  suggest  an  old  wound  or   blockage  that  is  now  manifesting  as  an  illness.  A  boiler  threatening  to  explode   may  be  a  symbol  of  the  affects  of  stress  on  your  body.  A  processing  plant  that’s   disused  or  out  of  order  could  relate  to  a  need  for  change  to  get  things  moving   again.  A  production  line  working  at  it’s  optimum  can  demonstrate  how  your   body  is  in  good  health.     Similarly  to  dreams  set  in  houses  or  other  buildings,  the  position  inside  the   property  and  the  events  taking  place  will  give  you  a  full  picture  of  the  dream   message  being  offered  to  you.      

  Common  Buildings  &  Structures     Hospitals  are  quite  possibly  the  most  feared  of  all  public  buildings.  Hospitals   appear  as  a  metaphor  for  the  need  to  heal  and  take  care  of  yourself.  They  are  also   connected  to  emotional  and  physical  surrender—  (i.e.)  letting  go  of  something   you  have  been  struggling  with.  Hospitals  in  your  dreams  may  uncover  a  fear  of   pain,  suffering  or  loss  of  control  and  show  you  how  it’s  having  a  negative  impact   on  your  life.       Banks  represent  a  place  for  storing  things  which  are  precious  and  can  also   indicate  to  you  how  successfully  energy  flows  in  and  out  of  your  life.  Many  of  us   hold  on  to  our  money  so  tightly  that  we’re  never  able  to  enjoy  it.  Banks  are  a   visual  representation  of  aspects  of  your  personality  that  have  been  stored  away   for  a  long  time,  are  not  only  valuable  to  you  but  essential  to  your  progression.       Prisons  are  places  where  disowned  parts  of  you  can  get  locked  up  without  a   voice  for  many  years.  Being  locked  away  or  restricted  in  some  way  may  be   something  that  you  resist  or  fear.  Prisons  may  also  symbolise  guilt  or  shame   related  to  something  secret  or  illegal  that  you  did  in  your  past  that  you’re  afraid   you  might  get  ‘caught’  for.     Supermarkets  or  Shops  can  appear  for  various  reasons.  Supermarkets  are   places  to  ‘restock’  the  energy  needs  of  yourself  and  your  family  as  well  as  places   to  accumulate  creativity.  Department  stores  can  suggest  that  many  facets  of  your   personality  are  involved  in  your  current  situation.  Assess  other  speciality  stores   on  an  individual  basis  and  ask  yourself  how  the  items  and  services  on  offer  relate   to  you  in  the  context  of  this  dream.     Restaurants  or  Cafes  suggest  a  treat  or  luxury  and  the  removal  of  stress/effort   related  to  the  task  of  self-­‐nurturing  (or  the  need  for  it).  Having  someone  ‘at  your   service’  may  also  point  out  the  need  to  take  some  time  to  ‘wait  on’  and  look  after   yourself.     Courtrooms  suggest  a  ‘battle  with  authority’  within  you,  perhaps  relating  to   feeling  torn  about  an  important  decision.  Courtrooms  are  often  a  fair  and   reasonable  arena  to  justly  hear  all  sides  of  the  story.  The  judge  is  most  often  the   person  you  fear,  often  representing  your  own  harsh  judgements  towards   yourself.     Swimming  Pools  are  places  of  fun,  leisure  and  health  and  are  commonly  linked   with  body  image  issues  and  self-­‐belief.  (Also  see:  ‘Water’,  under  ‘Elements’)     Cinemas  and  Theatres  are  very  symbolic  of  the  need  to  step  outside  of  your   current  situation  and  view  things  from  another  perspective.  Cinemas  and   theatres  are  also  avenues  for  you  to  simply  observe  life  without  buying  into  what   is  happening  ‘on  the  stage’.      

Stations  or  Ports  e.g.  Train  Stations,  Bus  Stops,  Airports,  Subways,  Docks   etc.  These  are  the  gateway  to  new  destinations  or  a  change  within  you.  Your   feelings  in  the  dream  relating  to  the  departure/arrival  will  give  you  more   information  about  your  subconscious  beliefs  about  the  change  symbolised  by  the   dream.     Towers  are  channels  to  your  mind  and  the  connection  to  your  intuition  and   universal  guidance.  Towers,  more  specifically,  will  give  you  a  clear  picture  of   your  waking  life  ability  to  trust  your  instincts  as  well  as  what  exactly  is  going  on   ‘up  there’  in  your  mind.     Tunnels,  Bunkers  or  Caves  are  likely  to  contain  lost,  dark  or  hidden  parts  of   yourself,  particularly  when  you  discover  the  entrance  to  them  in  a  familiar   setting.  Deeply  rooted  fears  will  be  hiding  in  the  darkness.       Drains,  Sewers  or  Tanks  represent  how  your  emotions  are  impacting  on  your   physical  body.  They  are  dark,  unseen  places  that  are  designed  to  store  or  direct   water,  both  clean  and  dirty.  You  will  learn,  in  the  elements  section,  that  water  is   the  symbol  for  your  emotions.  The  specific  details  about  the  water  in  your   dreams  are  required  in  order  to  interpret  their  meaning  correctly.  Places  that  are   used  for  moving  or  retaining  water  are  usually  buried  or  out  of  view  and,  as  such,   they  can  be  linked  to  physical  organs  and  systems  that  are  difficult  to  observe.   The  water  in  these  places,  as  well  as  the  events  that  take  place  in  them,  will  give   you  a  picture  of  how  your  emotions  are  impacting  on  your  body.     Stairs,  Elevators,  Escalators  or  Ladders  etc.  are  always  for  you  to  travel  either   up  (progress)  or  down  (stagnation/back  step/self-­‐exploration).  The  state  of   these  structures  will  tell  you  about  how  easily  you  are  travelling  along  your   journey  upward  or  downward.     Bridges  appear  when  you  may  be  going  through  a  transitional  period  or  need  to   make  an  important  decision  in  your  life.  The  surrounding  dream  story  that   incorporates  the  bridge  will  be  essential  to  understanding  the  message,  for   example,  a  fear  of  crossing  the  bridge  or  something  preventing  you  getting   across  suggests  that  unhelpful  thoughts  and  beliefs  may  be  sabotaging  your   progress.   An  unfinished  bridge  symbolises  that  you  are  not  yet  ready  to  make  a  major   decision.  An  old,  rickety  bridge  may  intimate  that  the  transition  you  are   embarking  on  involves  letting  go  of  long  standing  opinions  and  habits.   Also  see  the  ‘Vehicles’  section  for  more  information  about  what  travelling  across   a  bridge  could  mean  for  you.     The  scenery  surrounding  your  dream  bridge  will  offer  you  even  further  insight  into   the  interpretation.     What’s  the  bridge  connecting?   Are  you  travelling  across  the  bridge  to  a  better  place  or  perhaps  into  the   unknown?  Maybe  you  are  heading  over  a  bridge  to  an  undesirable  place  and   your  dream  has  been  offered  to  you  as  a  warning…  

  What’s  under  the  bridge?   Are  you  trying  to  cross  the  bridge  but  afraid  of  the  killer  crocodiles  that  might   get  you?  Are  you  crossing  a  canyon  and  afraid  you  might  fall?  Maybe  you’re   crossing  a  busy  road  or  a  railway.  Be  sure  to  look  into  the  meaning  of  the   symbols  that  appear  under  bridges  so  that  you  may  fully  understand  your  dream   messages.  Also  see  ‘Water’,  under  ‘Elements’  to  further  interpret  the  common   occurrence  of  water  underneath  bridges.     Rooms       When  your  dream  takes  place  in  a  particular  room  of  a  house  or  building,  take   note  of  how  it  appears  and  also  how  you  feel  about  that  room  both  in  the  dream   and  in  your  everyday  life.  Use  the  dream  images  and  storyline  to  find  out  what   that  room  represents  about  your  body  and  mind.       Kitchens  are  the  place  where  you  give  yourself  nourishment  and  also  where   your  creativity  and  your  rational  mind  come  together.     Toilets  and  drainage  symbolise  letting  go,  releasing  emotion  and  old  habits  (or   the  need  to  do  so).       Bathrooms  and  Laundries  are  a  place  for  cleansing,  self-­‐care  and  healing.     Bedrooms  are  a  place  for  rest,  relaxation,  intimacy,  solitude,  creating  the  image   of  yourself  that  you  show  to  the  world  and  also  the  place  where  you  hide  your   secrets.     Lounge  rooms  are  related  to  your  leisure  time  and  how  you  connect  with   others.     Basements  are  linked  to  the  shadow  side  and  are  a  place  for  storing  parts  of  you   that  are  long  forgotten  or  that  have  been  ‘pushed  down.       House  components     Windows  are  your  eyes  to  the  world  and  part  of  your  main  physical  ‘structure’.     Plumbing  allows  fresh,  cleansing  energy  into  your  life  and  clears  out  waste  and   unwanted  energy.     Doorways  allow  you  to  venture  into  new  areas,  explore  opportunities  or  to   regress  and  connect  with  your  innermost  secrets.     Rooves  are  your  protector,  keeping  you  sheltered,  warm,  dry  and  comfortable.  If   you  are  on  the  roof  you  may  feel  exposed  or  as  though  you  are  being  blocked   from  getting  to  the  next  level  in  your  life.  (Also  see  ‘Towers’,  under  ‘Buildings   and  Structures’)  

  Furniture  and  other  items  in  your  house  relate  the  inner  components  of  your   body  and  mind,  your  organs,  your  systems  and  your  cells.       Room  position  within  the  house  or  building  will  determine  whether  the  dream   message  is  related  to  a  specific  part  of  your  body  or  mind  i.e.  at  the  front  of  the   house  in  a  prominent  position,  at  the  back  of  the  house  hidden  and  reclusive,  at   the  top  of  the  house  with  an  expansive  view  or  deep  in  the  bottom  of  the  house   underneath  all  others.     When  interpreting  a  dream  inside  a  building,  ask  the  question,  “What  part  of  my   body  or  mind  is  being  represented  here?”  and  then  trust  the  answers  that  come   to  you.      

Landscapes  and  Scenery  

  Sometimes  the  place  that  a  dream  is  set  in  does  not  hold  its  own  specific  meaning   or  message,  particularly  if  the  core  message  of  the  dream  is  already  quite  strong   and  easy  to  interpret.  Often  the  ‘background’  is  simply  that,  just  a  convenient   place  for  the  dream  story  to  take  place  without  any  deeper  meaning.  Your   dreams  need  to  take  place  somewhere,  right?       But  sometimes  the  locations  that  play  host  to  our  dreams  have  their  own   mystery  and  are  memorable  in  their  own  right.  As  with  dreams  that  take  place  in   buildings,  it  is  worth  investigating  further  if  you  feel  that  there  is  something   significant  about  the  place.  Trust  your  intuition  on  this.  If  a  place  seems  special,   memorable  or  interesting  then  it’s  probably  worth  taking  a  closer  look.       The  landscape  that  your  dream  takes  place  in  will  give  you  an  indication  of  the   underlying  feelings  and  beliefs  that  exist  in  relation  to  the  main  message  of  the   dream.  Your  personal  thoughts  about  the  scenery  will  also  be  important  to  the   analysis.  If  your  dream  is  set  inside  a  building,  refer  to  the  section  on  buildings   and  structures;  if  it  is  outdoors  then  this  fits  into  the  landscape  and  scenery   group.  Here’s  a  breakdown  of  some  of  the  most  common  dream  landscapes  and   scenery:     Cemeteries  are  still,  quiet  and  sometimes  scary.  They  are  places  where  we   express  our  sadness,  make  time  for  grief  and  also  let  things  go.  If  you  have  a   fearful  association  with  cemeteries,  perhaps  from  childhood  or  an  influence  from   movies,  books  or  TV,  then  cemeteries  may  represent  fear  in  your  dreams.     Roads  allow  us  to  travel  from  one  place  to  the  next.  They  offer  us  freedom  and   create  a  space  for  things/energy/people/money  to  flow  in  and  out  of  our  lives.     Suburban  areas  are  where  people  make  their  homes  and  communities.  They’re   about  safety,  security,  warmth,  family  and  connection  with  other  people.    

Cities  are  busy,  cold,  dark,  and  can  be  overwhelming.  Depending  on  the  time  of   day,  they  can  be  crowded  and  congested  or  desolate  and  empty.     Cliffs  have  a  sense  of  danger  about  them.  Whether  you’re  at  the  top  or  the   bottom  of  a  cliff  there’s  a  risk  that  something  could  go  wrong  (but  it  often   doesn’t).     Waterfalls  and  Rivers  are  about  flow,  movement,  cleansing  and  progress.  See   ‘Water’  under  ‘Elements,  Weather  and  Natural  Disasters’  for  more  information.     Lakes  and  Pools  are  containment  systems  for  water,  which  represent  our   emotions.  They  store  the  water  for  a  practical  use  meaning  that  you  can  draw  on   it  as  a  resource  whenever  you  need  it.  Lakes,  dams,  ponds,  public  pools  and  even   fountains  can  give  us  a  glimpse  into  the  state  of  our  emotional  wellbeing  and   paint  a  picture  of  the  internal  resources  we  have  on  hand  that  nurture  our  own   emotional  health.  Also  see  “Swimming  pools”  under  “Common  buildings  and   structures”.     Deserts  are  hot,  dry,  barren  and  often  hostile.  They  suggest  a  fate  that  is  difficult   to  escape  from  without  significant  struggle  or  suffering.       Fields  and  Plains  are  often  associated  with  freedom,  abundance,  openness  and   boundless  opportunity.     Crops  can  give  you  an  insight  into  how  well  you’ve  been  nourishing  yourself.   They  are  fragile,  open  to  threats  and  can  be  linked  to  your  physical  health  and   immune  system.       Hills  and  Mountains  are  secluded  and  peaceful  but  can  be  isolating  and   dangerous.     Forests  represent  aspects  of  yourself  that  are  hidden  but  that  have  a  strong   influence  over  your  being.  They  are  dark  and  mysterious  and  are  home  to  both   pristine  natural  beauty  and  deadly  wild  animals.     Parks  are  places  for  recreation,  leisure  and  rest.       Beaches  and  shorelines  are  right  on  the  edge  of  the  earth.  They  are  the  defining   line  between  what  is  stable,  safe  and  secure  and  what  is  unknown,  mysterious,   exciting  or  potentially  dangerous.     Volcanoes  have  the  constant  threat  of  harmful  eruptions  even  if  they  appear   calm  and  inactive.  They  represent  a  sense  of  uncertainty  and  trepidation  as  well   as  showing  us  what  is  bubbling  just  under  the  surface.     Walls  and  fences  create  barriers  between  one  place  and  another.  They  can  have   portals  through  doors  and  gates  or  they  can  be  solid  and  impenetrable.       Sports  grounds  are  places  for  discipline,  strength  and  being  in  the  public  eye.  

  Ruins  imply  that  your  dream  is  related  to  something  that  has  occurred  in  the   past  (usually  distant  past).     Unearthly  places  could  be  other  planets/moons,  clouds,  outer  space,  alien   realms,  heaven/hell  etc.  These  have  been  conjured  up  by  your  crafty   subconscious  to  set  the  scene  of  your  dream.  Images  from  TV  and  movies   normally  have  some  influence  over  where  these  images  have  originated  but   don’t  discount  them,  as  they  may  well  have  an  important  message  for  you.  Pay   attention  to  the  colours,  people  and  feelings  in  these  places  to  help  you  put  it  all   together.  Think  about  the  place  symbolically  i.e.  an  alien  planet  could  simply   represent  something  that  is  completely  unfamiliar  to  you  or  perhaps  it  could  be   linked  to  a  fear  of  the  unknown.  Remember  that  your  dreams  have  been  created   by  your  subconscious  to  give  you  an  important  message  so  be  sure  to  consider   both  the  symbolism  and  your  personal  beliefs  and  feelings  about  the  place.     Dream  landscapes  can  show  us  our  deep,  core  beliefs  that  are  influencing  our   waking  life  situation.  Use  the  symbolic  meanings  to  uncover  your  underlying   feelings  and  weave  them  into  your  interpretation.      

Elements,  Weather  and  Natural  Disasters  

  These  dream  components  represent  your  emotions  and  warn  of  the  need  for   change  to  prevent  illness,  stress  or  undesirable  circumstances.     Water  is  one  of  the  most  common  dream  symbols.  You  can  find  it  in  so  many   different  places  and  contexts,  so  it  can  show  up  in  just  about  any  context,  which   is  useful  because  it  represents  our  emotions.  The  two  things  that  you  need  to  ask   yourself  when  water  appears  in  your  dream  are,  “How  is  the  water  behaving?”   and  “What  feeling  is  behind  this?”     Water  can  be  angry,  forceful,  still,  flowing,  stagnant,  murky,  bubbling,   pressurised  or  completely  calm.  The  many  facets  of  water  reflect  our  vast  array   of  emotions  whether  known  or  disowned.  Use  the  context  that  the  water  appears   in  to  discover  what  the  dream  is  telling  you  about  your  feelings.  The  weather  and   natural  disasters  that  can  be  linked  to  water  are  rain,  snow,  mist,  storms,  tidal   waves,  cyclones,  blizzards,  droughts  and  floods.     Fire  is  a  very  serious  and  urgent  threat  and  almost  always  appears  in  dreams  to   warn  you  of  potential  harm  that  you  may  cause  yourself  if  you  don’t  change  your   current  way  of  being.  Explosions  are  grouped  together  with  fire  as  they  both   have  the  potential  to  destroy  everything  around  them.  Take  particular  note   about  the  feelings  in  relation  to  the  fire  that  you  experience  in  the  dream.  You   can  use  fire  as  a  gateway  to  uncover  your  deepest  fears.  Are  you  afraid  of  losing   it  all?     Air  and  Wind  symbolise  unsettled  energy  and  times  of  change.  Strong  wind  can   also  tell  us  that  there  is  something  outside  of  our  control  that  is  changing.  Notice  

whether  you  embrace  it  or  fight  against  it.  Natural  disasters  and  weather  that   can  be  linked  to  air  include  mist,  storms,  hurricanes,  cyclones,  blizzards  and  the   spreading  of  fires.     Earth  is  the  foundation  that  holds  us  safe.  It  is  the  place  from  which  we  build   upward  and  grow  strong.  When  the  earth  or  floor  underneath  you  in  a  dream  is   damaged  or  altered,  your  subconscious  is  sending  a  message  of  instability  or   fear.  Natural  disasters  and  weather  that  can  be  linked  to  earth  include   earthquakes,  drought  and  famine.     Storms  and  natural  disasters  almost  always  suggest  a  potential  threat  and  tap   into  our  fears,  acting  as  a  warning  for  our  waking  life  circumstances.  The   elements  give  us  a  clear  insight  into  our  emotions  and  needs  so  that  we  can   better  understand  our  inner  world.      

Vehicles  and  Motion  

  All  motion  in  dreams  is  related  to  how  your  current  actions,  behaviours,   thoughts  and  beliefs  will  affect  your  future.  Pay  attention  to  how  the  movement   feels  and  if  anything  is  getting  in  the  way.       Vehicles  represent  control  and  power  over  the  direction  your  life  is  taking.  They   are  about  moving  forward  or  the  need  to  let  go  of  unhelpful  behaviours  in  order   to  progress  to  the  next  stage  of  your  life.       Who  is  driving?     If  you  are  driving  then  the  dream  is  showing  you  that  you  have  (or  are   developing)  a  strong  connection  with  where  you  are  headed  in  your  life.  The  way   you  drive  will  determine  whether  your  level  of  control  is  heading  for  destruction   or  too  modest  for  your  own  good.     When  someone  you  know  in  waking  life  is  driving  or  operating  the  vehicle,  take   note  of  who  it  is  and  how  you  feel  about  them.  You  can  investigate  the  driver   further  in  the  ‘People’  section.     If  someone  else  is  driving  and  you  are  a  front  seat  passenger  then  observe   your  feelings  about  not  being  in  control  in  that  situation.  Are  you  relieved  that   someone  else  is  rescuing  you  or  are  you  angry  about  the  way  they’re  driving  or   the  direction  they’re  taking?     If  someone  else  is  driving  and  you  are  a  back  seat  passenger  then  it’s  likely   that  the  issue  you’re  facing  relates  to  an  issue  originating  in  childhood.     If  someone  else  is  driving  and  you  are  a  public  passenger  (for  example,  on  a   bus,  plane  or  fairground  ride)  then  notice  the  other  people  travelling  with  you  as   they  will  assist  you  in  clarifying  your  dream  message.  What  is  the  general  mood?  

Is  it  crowded  or  empty?  What  else  is  happening?  See  the  specific  vehicle/motion   description  in  this  section.     Walking  in  most  cases  is  a  sign  that  you  are  in  complete  control.  If  someone  or   something  is  impacting  on  how  you  walk  then  your  control  may  be  under  threat.     Running  normally  occurs  when  you’re  being  chased,  symbolising  that  your   control  or  power  is  being  threatened  by  something  that  threatens  or  scares  you.     Flying  is  about  unrestricted  freedom.  Your  feelings  and  visuals  related  to  the   flying  will  provide  more  information  about  what  your  subconscious  wants  you  to   know.     Swimming  or  floating  on  top  of  water  will  link  directly  to  a  dominant  emotion   operating  within  you  (Also  see  ‘Water’,  under  ‘Elements’)     Bicycles  represent  freedom  that  is  reliant  on  nothing  but  your  own  energy.   Dream  stories  that  feature  bikes  (unless  bikes  are  a  large  part  of  your  life)  are   commonly  about  newfound  strength  and  liberation.     Motorbikes  are  related  to  your  adventurous  and  risk  taking  side.  They  can  also   help  you  to  celebrate  your  independence  from  something  that  was  previously   holding  you  back.     Cars  and  trucks  are  about  your  direction  in  the  near  future.  Large  or  tightly   packed  vehicles  signify  the  complexity  of  a  situation  or  excess  ‘baggage’  that   you’re  carrying.  How  you  feel,  who  you’re  with  and  what  you  see  in  the  dream   will  determine  a  more  specific  message  about  the  direction  you’re  heading  in,  as   will  your  position  within  the  vehicle.     Buses  and  other  forms  of  public  transport  are  a  place  where  the  many  aspects  of   your  personality  can  emerge  and  be  themselves.  The  people  that  observe  here   can  represent  parts  of  you  that  your  subconscious  wants  to  bring  to  your   attention.  How  you  interact  with  these  people  will  determine  your  feelings   toward  this  aspect.     Trains,  trams  and  streetcars  all  symbolise  a  sense  of  powerlessness,  defeat  or   feeling  out  of  touch  with  your  goals  and  aspirations  in  waking  life.  Vehicles  that   travel  on  a  cable  or  track  are  synonymous  with  the  age-­‐old  ‘merry-­‐go-­‐round’   symbolism,  meaning  that  they  essentially  just  go  around  and  around  on  a   predetermined  route  without  change.  They  are  also  related  to  public  transport   (Also  see  ‘Buses’  in  this  section).     Planes,  like  trains  etc.  travel  on  a  predetermined  route  yet  they  have  the  ability   to  deviate  and  explore  if  desired.  Planes  can  take  you  to  places  that  you  may  not   get  to  visit  any  other  way.  Many  people  also  have  fears  or  phobias  relating  to  the   safety  of  planes,  which  may  come  through  in  their  dreams.    

When  you  dream  of  vehicles,  remember  that  their  message  to  you  is  about  how   your  current  actions,  behaviours  and  thoughts  will  directly  impact  on  your   future.  Take  their  advice  and  ask  yourself  what  you  can  change  in  your  life  in   order  to  improve  your  future.      

People  

  People  in  dreams  predominantly  represent  aspects  of  our  personality  both   accepted  and  disowned  whether  you’re  aware  of  them  or  not.  People  who  we’ve   had  recent  encounters  with  are  the  most  likely  to  show  up  in  our  dreams.  In  rare   cases  people  can  also  ‘play’  themselves,  showing  you  something  that  you  need  to   learn  about  your  relationship  with  that  person.       People  make  dreams  seem  more  life  like  and,  as  a  result,  a  large  majority  of  your   dreams  will  involve  at  least  one  other  person.  For  this  reason  though,  as  with   buildings,  outdoor  scenery  and  objects  etc.,  much  of  the  time  they  are  not  the   main  event  of  the  dream  and  can  be  disregarded  in  the  interpretation.     For  example,  what  is  happening  is  more  important  than  who  is  there.  If  you  want   to  go  deeper,  then  exploring  the  meanings  behind  each  person  can  be  useful  but   unless  there  is  something  very  powerful  about  the  person’s  behaviour  or  their   interaction  with  you  then  you’ll  be  better  of  focusing  on  the  main  event  of  the   dream  instead.     People  you  know  showing  up  in  your  dreams  can  create  serious  confusion.  Rest   assured  that  if  you  dream  about  something  bad  happening  to  someone  you  know   it  is  highly  unlikely  to  be  a  prophecy!!  While  I  do  believe  that  some  people  are   blessed  with  the  gift  (or  burden)  of  dreaming  predictions  about  the  future,  most   of  us  thankfully  don’t  have  to  worry  about  it.     So  don’t  think  too  hard  about  how  to  translate  your  dream  message  to  deliver  to   the  other  person.  You  don’t  even  have  to  tell  them  that  they  appeared  in  your   dream  if  you  don’t  want  to.       Just  remember  that  every  single,  tiny,  little  detail  of  your  dream  is  created  by   you,  is  about  you  and  is  a  gift  for  you.  It  can  be  helpful  to  remind  yourself  also   that  your  subconscious  wants  to  deliver  an  important  message  to  you  using  a   dream  but  it  is  bound  by  the  limits  of  your  memory  and  so,  of  course,  it’s  going  to   use  people  whom  you’re  familiar  with  to  help  convey  the  message.     It  is  common  to  dream  of  people  who  you  haven’t  seen  or  heard  from  in  years.   Sometimes  it  may  be  a  sign  that  you  could  benefit  from  reconnecting  with  that   person,  but  not  always.  Instead,  ask  yourself  what  you  think  and  feel  about  the   person,  what  they  represent  to  you.  Think  about  their  strongest  qualities   (generosity,  selfishness,  supportiveness,  aggression  etc.)  and  then  consider  how   those  words  apply  to  you.  Ask  yourself,  “How  am  I  like  this  towards  myself?”  and   then,  most  importantly,  take  note  of  the  behavior,  words  and  emotions  in  the   dream.  

  You  can  also  do  this  with  people  who  are  more  active  in  your  current  daily  life.   Figure  out  what  they  represent  to  you  and  then  recall  their  actions  in  the  dream.   You  will  probably  notice  a  picture  coming  together.     You  may  also  find  that  celebrities  show  up  in  your  dreams.  Musicians,  actors,   artists,  TV  presenters,  writers  or  even  online  personalities  and  people  that  you   know  of  but  don’t  know  personally  can  be  interpreted  in  as  though  they’re   someone  you  do  know.  As  above,  consider  what  characteristics  they  represent   and  how  they  apply  to  you.     Deceased  people  can  appear  in  your  dreams  even  years  after  their  departure   from  the  physical  world.  When  this  happens,  treat  your  interpretation  as  if  they   were  alive.  As  before,  think  about  what  the  person  stands  for,  represents  and   how  they  behaved  etc.     Everyone  I’ve  ever  worked  with  who  has  lost  a  loved  one  has  reported  having  at   least  one  dream  where  they  were  visited  by  that  person  and  either  received  a   message  or  had  the  opportunity  to  say  goodbye,  I  have  even  had  this  experience   myself.  If  you  dream  of  someone  that  has  departed  from  the  physical  world  then   interpret  as  normal  but  use  your  intuition  to  decide  whether  the  dream  was  in   fact  a  direct  message  from  the  spirit  of  that  person.       People  you  don’t  know  can  become  the  ‘extras’  making  up  a  crowded  place  or   main  characters  that  your  subconscious  has  created  to  play  a  role  in  the  dream.   Unknown  people  are,  surprisingly,  the  most  common  dream  characters  and  I   believe  that  it  is  your  subconscious’  way  of  protecting  your  sacred  relationships   in  waking  life.  So  instead  of  always  relying  on  people  to  make  up  the  contingent   of  your  dreams,  which  may  result  in  you  feeling  differently  about  those  people  in   day-­‐to-­‐day  life,  your  subconscious  cleverly  makes  up  people  to  represent  the   aspect  of  you  that  is  being  highlighted  in  that  particular  dream  to  ensure  that   your  relationships  remain  sacred.       More  often  than  not,  people  in  dreams  are  simply  a  reflection  of  something   inside  of  you.  Explore  this  concept  with  curiosity  and  openness  so  that  you  may   discover  the  invaluable  messages  that  your  subconscious  is  offering  to  you.      

Animals  

  Animals  are  most  commonly  associated  with  strong  core  feelings  such  as  fear,   love,  safety,  rage  and  freedom.  The  appearance  of  animals  can  be  vital  or   insignificant  to  the  meaning  of  a  dream  depending  on  your  association  with   them.  I  don’t  believe  that  each  different  animal  has  a  specific  symbolism,  rather   that  the  interpretation  will  very  much  depend  on  your  thoughts  and  feelings   about  the  animal  both  in  the  dream  and  in  waking  life  too.     A  spider  may  be  “icky”  to  one  person,  “terrifying”  to  another  and  “cute”  to   someone  else.  So  ask  yourself  about  your  own  feelings  towards  the  animal  before  

looking  into  any  other  symbolic  meaning.  That  being  said,  animals  can  be  loosely   grouped  into  the  strong  feelings  that  they  commonly  represent  in  our  culture.     Animals  that  are  traditionally  scary  or  dangerous  are  usually  associated  with   fear.  These  can  include  spiders,  snakes,  lions,  crocodiles,  bears,  bees,  wasps,   tigers,  sharks,  leeches,  ants  (and  other  small  insects),  parasites  and  dogs/wolves.     Animals  associated  with  freedom  include  birds,  butterflies  (and  anything  else   with  wings),  dolphins,  whales,  horses,  penguins  and  monkeys.     Animals  that  are  associated  with  safety  or  self-­‐protection  might  include  turtles,   tortoises,  echidnas,  crabs  or  herding/pack  travelling  animals  like  zebras,  deer,   monkeys,  gazelles  or  even  fish.     Animals  that  are  connected  to  rage  and  anger  include  lions,  tigers  (and  other   big  cats),  rhinoceros’,  hippopotamus’,  dogs/wolves/dingoes,  bears,  seals  or   animals  in  captivity.     Animals  that  represent  love  and  sex  are  lions,  snakes,  domesticated  animals,   partnering  birds,  flamingos,  dolphins  and  horses.     As  you  can  see,  there’s  some  crossover  between  the  groups  and  there  are  lots  of   animals  that  are  not  represented.  That’s  why  it’s  so  important  to  follow  these   two  steps  when  interpreting  animal  dreams.       1) Take  note  of  the  feelings  about  the  animal  that  occur  within  the  dream.     2) Consider  your  thoughts  and  feelings  about  that  particular  animal  in  real   life.       For  example,  if  you  dream  that  you  are  feeling  terrified  while  navigating  a   precarious  pathway  covered  with  snakes,  then  the  main  feeling  you’re  dealing   with  would  be  fear.  Then,  if  your  waking  life  thoughts  about  snakes  are  also   fearful,  you  can  be  certain  that  your  subconscious  wants  to  give  you  a  message  or   a  warning  relating  to  fear.  In  cases  like  this  you  would  then  need  to  look  at  the   other  dream  components  to  determine  what  the  fear  is  related  to.  If  you  have  a   pet  snake  you  may  associate  snakes  with  a  sense  of  calm,  joy  or  even   companionship.  Your  personal  feelings  about  the  animal  are  more  relevant  than   the  symbolism.     In  another  example  you  dream  about  deliberately  killing  a  bird.  In  the  dream  you   feel  frustrated  and  aggressive  towards  the  bird  but  in  waking  life  you  quite  like   birds,  in  fact,  you  had  them  as  pets  when  you  were  a  child.  As  birds  are  a  symbol   of  freedom,  he  dream  could  be  showing  you  that  you  are  sabotaging  your  own   freedom  or  that  you’re  jealous  of  other  people’s  freedom.     Use  your  intuition  to  determine  whether  the  animal  in  the  dream  is  related  to  the   core  human  symbolism  or  your  own  specific  feelings  or  beliefs.    

Animals  can  also  represent  ‘opposites’  or  predator  vs.  prey  relationships.  The   presence  of  opposing  or  predatory  forces  in  your  waking  life  can  be  symbolised   in  your  dreams  by  many  things,  but  animals  are  one  of  the  most  common.  Dogs   vs.  cats  are  the  most  common,  but  also  look  out  for  the  relationship  between   birds  and  fish,  crocodiles  and  zebras  or  even  snakes  and  rodents.  When  these   ‘opposites’  show  up  in  your  dreams,  ask  yourself  how  opposing  forces  are   playing  out  in  your  life  or  how  you’re  under  threat  (or  even  playing  the   predator).  Use  the  other  details  of  the  dream  to  determine  what  your   subconscious  is  showing  you.     Your  pets  (alive  or  deceased)  may  be  present  in  your  dreams.  Considering  that   we  often  have  relationships  with  our  pets  that  are  similar  to  our  other  close   family  relationships,  you  may  prefer  to  interpret  dreams  that  involve  your  pet  as   if  the  animal  was,  in  fact,  a  person.       Monsters  and  other  mythical  creatures  such  as  trolls,  ghosts,  gremlins,  yowies  or   unicorns  can  actually  be  analysed  as  if  they  were  either  people  or  animals.   Follow  the  protocol  for  each  and  see  which  one  fits.  Remember  that  your   subconscious  is  largely  drawing  on  images  that  it  has  observed  and  remembered,   so  it’s  possible  that  the  type  of  creature  that  is  being  shown  in  the  dream  is  not   as  important  as  your  feelings  about  it.  Trust  your  waking  life  response  to  the   creature  as  a  piece  of  the  puzzle  when  analysing  your  dream.        

Objects  

  Some  dreams  are  minimalist  without  being  populated  by  unnecessary  ‘things’   while  other  dreams  are  full  of  bits  and  pieces  that  you  would  expect  to  see  in   everyday  life.  Most  of  the  time,  the  ‘stuff’  we  see  in  our  dreams  just  helps  to  set   the  scene  for  the  main  dream  actions  and  is  simply  a  collection  of  items  from   your  memory  bank  about  how  everyday  life  should  appear.       Are  you  wondering  what  I’m  even  talking  about  when  I  say  “objects”?  I’m   basically  referring  to  anything  that’s  not  a  building,  person,  vehicle,  animal,   element  or  feeling.  Yes,  any  other  ‘thing’  that  gets  your  attention  in  a  dream  is   grouped  into  objects.  Here’s  just  a  few:     Mirrors,  weapons,  food,  home-­‐wares,  clothing,  bags,  furniture,  medical   equipment,  cleaning  supplies,  toys,  sporting  gear,  plants,  electrical  goods,  or   pretty  much  anything  else!     It’s  safe  to  say  that,  unless  your  attention  is  drawn  to  a  particular  object  in  your   dream,  objects  are  likely  to  just  be  there  in  order  to  set  the  tone  and  feeling  of   the  dream.  That’s  not  to  say  that  they  are  not  important.  Here’s  how  to  make  the   distinction:  If  you  answer  “yes”  to  any  of  the  following  questions  then  you  could   benefit  from  investigating  the  symbolism  of  this  object.     • Does  the  dream  focus  attention  on  the  object?   • Do  you  interact  with  the  object?  

• • •

Is  the  object  (or  its  theme)  repeated  throughout  the  dream?   Does  the  object  appear  outside  of  its  usual  context?   Do  you  have  any  strong  feelings  about  the  object?  

  If  you  answer  “no”  to  all  of  the  above  then  it’s  probably  not  worth  investing  time   and  energy  into  analysing  the  object  deeply  or  even  at  all,  although  you  still  can  if   you  want  to.  If  a  “yes”  appears  in  response  to  one  or  more  of  the  questions  then   there  may  be  something  more  to  discover.     There  are  too  many  objects  in  the  world  to  list  them  all  here.  Instead  I’ve  given   you  a  framework  to  help  you  uncover  your  own  personal  meaning  for  each   object  that  features  in  your  dream.  This  process  is  very  similar  to  the   interpretation  of  animals  in  dreams.     Ask  yourself  these  questions:     Does  this  object  appear  commonly  in  my  everyday  life?  If  so,  it’s  possible   that  your  subconscious  has  simply  chosen  this  object  because  you  recently   observed  or  interacted  with  it  in  waking  life.  Trust  your  intuition  at  this  point  as   to  whether  the  object  is  worth  interpreting  further.     How  do  I  feel  about  this  object  in  waking  life?  Neutral,  fearful,  loving,   precious,  annoyed?  Take  note  of  this  feeling,  as  it  could  be  the  reason  why  the   object  is  present  in  the  dream.  For  example,  in  real  life  you  dislike  your  bed   because  it’s  uncomfortable  and  would  like  to  replace  it,    in  your  dream  you  see  a   bed  that  is  out  of  context,  e.g.  submerged  in  a  swimming  pool.  This  could  mean   that  your  “I  want  to  replace  it”  attitude  can  also  be  applied  to  what  the  pool   symbolises  i.e.  your  body  image,  weight  or  self-­‐belief.  Also  see  “Swimming  pools”   under  “Common  buildings  and  structures”.     How  did  I  feel  about  this  object  in  the  dream?  Does  it  match  my  waking  life   feeling?  If  so,  there’s  another  chance  to  stop  investigating  any  further.  Perhaps   this  object  just  happened  to  sneak  into  your  dream  and  isn’t  part  of  your   message  after  all.  Again,  trust  your  instincts  and  analyse  further  if  you  feel  the   need  to  do  so.  If  you  have  a  strong  feeling  about  the  object  within  the  dream  (e.g.   fear)  then  use  the  surrounding  dream  story  to  provide  you  with  more   information  about  what  the  feeling  could  mean.     Use  the  location  of  the  object  in  the  dream  to  determine  the  context  in   which  to  analyse  it  i.e.  is  the  object  inside  a  building,  attached  to  you  or  floating   on  top  of  water?  Find  the  corresponding  section  in  this  book  for  more   information  on  each  location  as  often  it  can  be  the  location,  not  the  item  that  has   the  greater  symbolic  importance.      

Bodily  sensations  and  changes  

  It  is  important  to  remember  that  bodily  sensations  and  changes  in  your  dreams   are  symbolic,  and  rarely  translate  directly  to  waking  life  experiences  i.e.  to  

dream  of  being  pregnant  or  having  an  arm  amputated  does  not  necessarily  mean   that  these  things  will  occur  in  your  life.       Sometimes  there  is  a  perfectly  rational  physiological  reason  for  the  sensations   that  you  ‘feel’  in  a  dream,  for  example  you  may  dream  of  desperately  trying  to   find  a  toilet  and  wake  to  find  that  your  bladder  is  full  or  you  could  dream  of   screaming  fiercely  and  wake  to  find  that  your  throat  is  sore  and  dry.  Try  to   eliminate  these  explanations  before  diving  into  an  analysis.  Your  dream  about   trying  to  escape  from  a  burning  building  may  simply  be  due  to  the  fact  that   you’re  over-­‐heating  in  bed!     Whatever  bodily  changes  you  experience  in  your  dreams,  find  reassurance  in  the   idea  that  your  subconscious  is  using  strong  visuals  and  sensations  to  give  you  a   valuable  message.  There  is  no  need  to  fear  that  the  dream  story  will  come  true  in   your  waking  life.     Whenever  anything  that  is  inside  you  (e.g.  bodily  fluids,  unborn  baby  etc.)   emerges  from  your  body  in  a  dream,  this  represents  an  aspect  of  your  self-­‐ expression  like  your  words,  creativity  or  your  passions.  This  could  be   represented  by  bleeding,  childbirth  or  crying.  Your  feelings  surrounding  this   scenario  will  be  the  key  to  an  accurate  interpretation,  for  example,  if  you  are   fearfully  trying  to  hold  in  your  baby  (rather  than  pushing  it  out)  during   childbirth  that  would  suggest  that  you  are  fighting  and  resisting  your  natural  and   essential  self-­‐expression,  perhaps  by  lying  to  yourself  and  others.  If  you’re   bleeding  heavily  but  feel  so  relaxed  that  you  didn’t  even  notice  the  bleeding,  your   dream  may  be  telling  you  that  you’re  expressing  too  much  or  expressing  yourself   in  a  dangerous  and  unhealthy  way.     Here  are  some  of  the  more  common  dream  sensations:       Amputation  can  be  a  graphic  and  confronting  concept  to  deal  with  in  a  dream.  It   is  hugely  symbolic  of  losing  something  precious  to  you  or  letting  go  of  something   that  you  thought  you  needed.  Your  feelings  surrounding  the  loss  of  part  of  your   body  will  determine  whether  the  dream  is  conveying  a  message  that  is  negative   or  positive  for  you.     Pregnancy  can  occur  in  both  men  and  women  in  dreams  and  symbolically   translates  to  growth  and  development,  usually  personal  but  sometimes  creative   or  academic.  The  stage  of  the  pregnancy  will  tell  you  how  ‘far  along’  you  are  with   your  growth  and  the  presence  or  lack  of  any  complications  will  also  give  an   insight  into  the  success  of  your  growth.       Childbirth  is  massively  symbolic  of  new  beginnings  and  creative  projects.  The   health  and  state  of  the  baby  will  directly  translate  to  the  health  and  state  of  your   own  waking  life  ‘births’.  If  you  are  actually  pregnant,  or  have  recently  given  birth,   then  it’s  highly  likely  that  your  dream  will  be  derived  from  your  actual  thoughts   and  memories  about  your  own  birth  experience  as  opposed  to  being  a  symbolic   message.      

Illness  relates  to  anything  that  stops  you  from  participating  in  your  normal,   everyday  routine.  Sickness  can  sometimes  signify  the  need  to  stop,  rest,   rejuvenate  and  seek  healthier  foods.     Pain  in  dreams  is  commonly  linked  to  actual  physical  pain  that  you’re  currently   experiencing  in  your  body.  Most  people,  when  in  a  deep  sleep,  are  essentially   paralysed,  so  ‘painful’  sensations  that  occur  in  the  dream  are  likely  to  be   imagined  or  linked  to  pre-­‐existing  pain  in  the  body,  however  that’s  not  to  say   there’s  not  a  message  in  the  pain  that  occurs  in  dreams—take  note  of  where  the   pain  is  occurring  and  what/who  it  is  caused  by.  Use  the  surrounding  information   to  dive  deeper  into  what  the  pain  represents.     Injuries  suggest  a  disruption  to  your  regular  schedules,  cycles  and  routines,   forcing  you  to  stop  still,  pause,  wait  and  make  plans  for  how  to  continue.     Death  represents  significant  change,  a  new  awakening  within  or  the  letting  go  of   an  aspect  of  yourself.  Dreaming  of  yourself  dying  normally  results  in  waking   from  the  dream  (often  due  to  a  loud  noise  or  other  physical  disruption)  but   sometimes  the  dream  continues  and  you  are  aware  that  you  have  died.  In  this   case,  notice  what  feelings  are  present.  Is  there  a  fear  of  the  unknown?     When  someone  else  dies  in  a  dream  then  ask  yourself  what  that  person   symbolises  to  you  (also  see,  ‘People’).       Bleeding  is  about  your  life  force  leaving  you.  Bleeding  shows  up  in  dreams  when   we  feel  as  though  something  in  waking  life  is  draining  our  energy  or  our  spirit.   The  severity  of  the  bleeding  will  indicate  how  dramatically  or  seriously  this  is   taking  place  in  our  waking  life.  The  source  of  the  bleeding  will  also  give  you  some   more  information,  i.e.  bleeding  heavily  after  being  cut  by  someone  else  on   purpose  could  suggest  that  you  feel  as  if  someone  is  taking  your  energy  from   you.     Crying  is  usually  connected  to  a  healthy  release  of  energy  related  to  sadness,   stress  or  despair.     Vomiting  is  very  symbolic  of  a  complete  loss  of  control.  It  might  be  giving  you  a   warning  about  the  need  to  stop  trying  to  influence  things  that  are  outside  of  your   control  or  perhaps  shedding  light  on  a  fear  of  losing  control.     Urination  in  dreams  is  almost  always  linked  to  the  physical  urge  to  empty  the   bladder.  If  this  is  not  the  case,  though,  then  urination  is  simply  related  to   eliminating  waste  from  your  life.  Incontinence  is  usually  linked  to  shame,   embarrassment  or  an  inability  to  contain  something  that  you  wish  to  keep  inside   of  you.     Paralysis  is  your  natural  physical  state  whilst  asleep  so  it’s  possible  that   dreaming  of  being  paralysed  could  mean  that  you’ve  tapped  into  your  body’s   normal  feelings  whilst  asleep.  Paralysis  specifically  however  has  a  deeper   meaning.  To  dream  that  a  part  of  your  body  has  lost  feeling  suggests  that  there  is   a  significant  blockage  within  you  preventing  you  from  healing,  moving  on  or  

stepping  up  to  your  next  level  of  greatness.  The  cause  of  the  paralysis  may  show   you  how  you  are  sabotaging  your  own  progress.  To  dream  of  full  body  paralysis   suggests  that  you  feel  trapped,  stuck  or  unable  to  progress  with  something  in   your  waking  life.  Perhaps  your  own  beliefs  or  opinions  are  preventing  you  from   moving.     Deformity  that  appears  in  dreams  when  it  does  not  exist  in  waking  life  can   represent  issues  relating  to  our  appearance  or  a  fear  of  showing  your  true  self  to   the  world.  Consider  though  how  you  feel  about  the  deformity  while  in  the  dream   as  this  emotion  will  be  one  to  further  explore.       Growths  are  a  sign  that  something  within  you  is  out  of  balance,  preventing  your   body  from  operating  normally.  Growths  appear  as  a  sign  from  our  body  that   urgent  change  is  required  to  restore  your  health  and  wellbeing.     Pleasure  falls  into  two  categories:  sexual  and  non-­‐sexual.  Non-­‐sexual  pleasure  is   anything  that  feels  physically  enjoyable  without  being  sexual,  such  as  soaking  in   a  bath,  experiencing  relief  from  pain  or  discomfort,  having  a  massage,  cuddling   with  a  child,  eating/drinking  something  delicious  or  getting  an  endorphin  rush   from  exercise.  Anytime  something  feels  good  in  a  dream,  your  subconscious  is   showing  you  what  is  possible  if  you  follow  its  advice.  The  ability  to  feel  good  is   within  your  grasp,  you  just  need  to  take  on  board  the  messages  delivered  in  the   other  components  of  the  dream.  Sexual  pleasure  is  covered  in  ‘Other  common   dream  events’  in  this  chapter.       It  is  fairly  uncommon  to  have  strong  physical  sensations  while  dreaming  but,   when  you  do,  pay  attention  as  there  may  be  an  invaluable  message  waiting  for   you.       Emotions     Emotions  are  one  area  of  the  dream  world  that  is  usually  more  literal  than   symbolic  or  metaphoric.  Your  waking  life  emotions  can  directly  translate  into   your  dream  stories.  This  is  true  whether  you  are  aware  of  an  emotion  or  whether   it  is  disowned  or  hidden.       Over  70%  of  vivid  and  memorable  dreams  harbour  negative  emotions,  the  most   common  being  fear,  anxiety,  embarrassment,  confusion,  disgust,  surprise,  rage   and  guilt.  Dreams  with  positive  emotions  are  less  common  but  can  also  stand  out   as  messages  from  your  subconscious,  the  most  common  being  joy,  pleasure  and   love.     Sometimes  a  feeling  experienced  in  a  dream  isn’t  normal  for  you  in  waking  life,   such  as  terror  or  lust.  Your  brain  will  work  with  what  it  knows  to  be  true  for  you,   whether  or  not  it  is  a  feeling  that  you  usually  express  or  acknowledge,  for   example,  terror  may  be  showing  you  that  you  have  a  fear  inside  of  you  that  has   been  neglected  and  ignored  for  such  a  long  time  that  it  has  now  gained  strength   in  order  to  capture  your  attention.  

  You  are  likely  to  experience  a  wide  variety  of  emotions  in  your  dreams,  but  you   need  to  pay  particular  attention  to  the  feelings  that  are  strong,  intense  or  severe,   particularly  if  the  feeling  causes  you  to  wake  up.  As  with  the  other  aspects  of   your  dream,  it’s  the  vivid  components  that  we  need  to  investigate  first  and   foremost.     Instead  of  listing  all  of  the  commonly  reported  emotions  here,  I  encourage  you  to   record  your  strong  dream  feelings  and  ask  yourself  the  following  questions:     • How  do  I  experience  this  feeling  in  waking  life?   • Is  this  feeling  known  to  me  or  hidden?   • Does  this  feeling  represent  a  part  of  me?   • What  do  I  need  to  heal  or  change  in  order  to  more  effectively  manage  this   feeling?      

Colours  and  moods  

    Colours  and  your  association  with  them  offer  clues  about  the  mood  and  depth  of   the  dream.  Exploring  the  dominant  colours  that  appear  in  your  dreams  can  offer   clarity  around  the  issues  that  have  prompted  the  dream  or  indicate  the  age  and   visibility  of  internal  issues  at  play.     You  may  be  familiar  with  traditional  beliefs  about  certain  colours  having   particular  meaning  (as  with  the  chakra  system)  but  in  the  dream  world,  colours   and  moods  are  more  likely  to  represent  your  personal  feelings  and  beliefs  about   them.  If  you  have  a  favourite  colour,  a  loathed  colour  or  your  own  associations   with  specific  colours  then  it  will  be  far  better  for  you  to  work  with  this   information  rather  than  a  generic  rule  about  which  colours  mean  what.     As  you  interpret  your  dream,  allow  your  natural  feelings  and  associations  with   the  colours  in  your  dream  to  arise  and  then  find  the  reason  for  the  colour  by   asking  yourself,  Why  has  my  subconscious  chosen  this  colour?  You  may  find  that   the  answer  is  nothing  more  than  that  you  wore  that  colour  the  day  prior,  or   perhaps  you  associate  the  colour  red  with  rage  and  you  suspect  that  your   subconscious  is  tapping  in  to  your  repressed  rage  and  aggression.  Allow  your   answers  to  intuitively  flow.     Sometimes  the  colours  or  textures  in  dreams  can  be  symbolically  analysed,  for   instance  viewing  dreams  in  sepia,  black  and  white  as  if  it  was  an  old  film  can   indicate  that  things  which  occurred  in  your  past  are  contributing  to  your  current   situation.  Viewing  a  dream  where  the  images  are  foggy,  distorted  or  out  of  focus   may  be  telling  you  that  you’re  dealing  with  something  that  it  disowned,  hidden   or  buried  deep  inside  of  you,  something  that  you’re  not  able  to  see  clearly.       The  mood  or  tone  of  your  dreams  will  give  you  a  theme  or  a  sense  about  the  core   message  that  is  being  presented.  Dreams  may  be  energetic,  dreary,  angry,  fearful,   frantic,  intense,  dark,  bright,  positive,  vibrant,  stressed,  wild,  broody  or  stuffy.  

Find  one  or  two  words  that  describe  the  mood  of  your  dream.  Imagine  that  your   dream  is  a  scene  in  a  TV  show  and  then  ask  yourself  what  kind  of  show  it  would   be.  It  is  a  romantic  comedy?  An  action-­‐packed  thriller?  Or  maybe  a  dark  drama?       The  mood  of  the  dream  can  quickly  point  you  in  the  direction  of  the  intention   and  message  of  the  dream.  Ask  yourself,  How  is  this  mood  relevant  to  my  waking   life?  Is  it  something  you  relate  to  or  is  it  foreign  to  you?     Not  all  dreams  will  contain  strong  or  obvious  colours  and  moods  so  be  sure  to   have  a  closer  look  when  they  are  dominant  components  of  your  dream.      

Other  common  dream  events  

  Some  of  the  most  prevalent  scenarios  in  reported  dreams.     Falling  is  one  of  the  most  talked  about  dream  events,  yet  studies  note  that  falling   occurs  in  less  than  10%  of  recorded  dreams.  So  if  you’re  like  me  and  you  don’t   often  dream  of  falling,  don’t  worry,  you’re  not  alone!  Dreams  that  are  about   falling  most  commonly  result  in  waking  upon  ‘impact’  which  poses  a  ‘chicken  and   egg’  scenario  about  whether  the  dream  was  in  fact  predicting  the  wake-­‐up   occurring  or  whether  the  waking  was  due  to  the  content  of  the  dream.  Either  is   possible.       Falling  has  two  remarkably  opposing  symbolic  meanings.  The  first  is  more   metaphoric  and  relates  to  falling  (or  travelling)  downwards  and,  as  such,  could   be  interpreted  that  in  waking  life  you  are  taking  a  step  backwards,  losing  your   footing,  collapsing  or  going  back  to  where  you  started.  The  second  meaning  is   about  falling  as  an  act  of  surrender  or  peace  (often  identified  by  a  neutral  or   joyful  feeling)  meaning  that  you  need  to  let  go,  have  faith  and  be  calm.     Flying  is  also  less  common  than  expected  although  most  of  us  will  have  several   flying  dreams  throughout  our  lifetime.  People  who  are  interested  in  lucid   dreaming  are  often  drawn  to  the  ability  to  practice  flying  as  a  form  of  leisure.   When  flying  occurs  in  a  regular  (non-­‐lucid)  dream,  it  is  distinctly  symbolic  of   freedom  and  opportunity,  particularly  if  you  are  flying  without  propulsion  (See:   ‘Vehicles’  for  more  information  about  flying  in  a  vehicle).  The  absence  of  roads  or   dictated  ‘paths’  to  travel  on  while  flying  through  the  air  signifies  a  release  of   restrictions,  rules  or  obligations.     War  is  about  a  battle  playing  out  in  your  life.  It  could  be  an  internal  battle  due  to   self-­‐judgement,  an  unresolved  conflict  or  the  need  to  make  a  tough  decision  or  it   might  be  an  external  battle  where  you’ve  felt  the  urge  to  attack  or  you’ve  had  to   defend  yourself  against  someone  or  something.  Either  way,  an  active  war  in  a   dream  shows  you  that  your  battles  are  not  yet  resolved.  The  dream  may  give  you   some  advice  on  how  to  improve  your  situation.     Sexual  encounters  are  about  union,  intimacy  and  your  relationship  with  your   own  feminine  and  masculine  energies.  This  is  another  type  of  dream  that  is  

popular  with  lucid  dreamers.  I  could  write  a  book  entirely  about  the  different   sexual  scenarios  that  you  might  come  across  in  a  dream,  but  the  main  point  that  I   need  to  make  here  is  that  dreaming  about  having  sex  with  someone  who  is  not   your  partner,  or  who  is  the  opposite  gender  to  your  usual  preference  (or  where   you  are  the  opposite  gender  to  normal)  is  normal  and  nothing  to  worry  about.  It   doesn’t  mean  that  you  need  to  be  concerned  about  your  true  feelings  for  your   partner  or  that  you  should  start  questioning  your  own  sexuality.       It’s  true  that  some  sex  dreams  can  simply  be  put  down  to  unexpressed  sexual   desires,  hormonal  changes  or  having  recently  viewed  pornography  or   movies/TV  with  sex  scenes.  Remember,  this  book  is  about  uncovering  messages   from  your  subconscious,  so  unless  the  dream  has  any  significantly  strong   feelings,  or  vivid  and  memorable  images,  there  may  not  be  a  need  to  search  for  a   deeper  message.       If  the  dream  is  weird,  scary  or  kooky  enough  to  make  you  want  to  investigate   further,  I  suggest  starting  by  using  the  protocol  for  people  in  your  dreams  (See:   ‘People’)  by  asking  what  the  person’s  stand-­‐out  qualities  are  and  what  they   represent  to  you.  Assume  that  the  other  person  is  a  representation  of  an  aspect   of  yourself  rather  than  something  outside  of  you.  The  other  person’s  gender  will   be  the  next  thing  to  consider,  as  it  will  directly  correlate  to  your  own  balance  of   masculine  and  feminine,  which  you  can  explore  further  by  looking  into  your   waking  life  experiences.       Being  chased  is  by  far  the  most  common  dream  theme  that  I  have  observed   throughout  my  years  as  a  dream  coach.  The  baddie  can  take  shape  in  just  about   any  form  you  can  imagine;  there’s  no  need  to  list  the  possibilities  here,  just  use   what  you’ve  learnt  in  this  book  about  people/animals  in  dreams  to  get  a  clear   picture  of  the  part  of  you  that  is  being  represented  by  the  baddie  and  is  worthy   of  hiding  from.  Ask  yourself,  “What  am  I  afraid  of?”  or  “What  terrible  thing  will   happen  to  me  if  the  baddie  catches  me?”  Is  it  death?  Rape?  Violence?  Restraint?   Or  maybe  you’ll  have  to  answer  for  something  or  return  something  that  you   stole?  Use  the  scenario  to  give  you  more  information  about  your  internal  conflict.   Sometimes  a  chase  can  represent  how  you  feel  about  external  pressures,  for   example  if  you’ve  been  avoiding  something  important  then  it  might  chase  you   down  in  your  dreams  to  show  you  that  it  requires  attention.     The  inability  to  move  or  speak  is  about  feeling  held  back,  restricted,  censored   or  trapped.  This  is  commonly  seen  in  dreams  where  you’re  unable  to  run  when   trying  to  escape  from  danger  or  unable  to  speak  when  communicating  with   someone.  I  always  find  this  to  be  interesting  because  there’s  often  nothing   physically  stopping  you  from  moving  or  speaking,  but,  all  of  a  sudden,  you  lose   your  ability  to  do  so,  like  a  magic  force  field  has  come  in  and  locked  you  in  place   or  taken  away  your  voice.  If  you’re  unable  to  run  then,  as  with  “being  chased”   (above),  it’s  important  to  take  particular  note  of  what  it  is  that  you’re  running   from.       Sometimes  you’re  able  to  move  but  only  very  slowly,  which  often  happens  with   fighting  or  defensive  actions  like  punching  or  kicking.  This  is  showing  you  that  

you  don’t  have  enough  momentum  to  achieve  your  goals.  (See  ‘Paralysis’)  If  you   can  move  but  are  being  restrained  by  someone  or  something,  your  dream  is   showing  you  that  you  are  sabotaging  your  success  or  wellbeing  by  ‘holding   yourself  back’.     If  you’re  trying  to  talk  but  your  voice  doesn’t  work,  then  your  dream  is  showing   you  that  you  have  unresolved  issues  around  being  heard  and  understood.  This  is   commonly  linked  to  childhood  situations  where  you  were  ignored  or   misunderstood.       Mouth  trauma  is  all  about  your  own  self-­‐expression.  Anything  happening  to   your  teeth,  lips,  gums,  mouth,  tongue,  throat  or  even  the  lower  half  of  your  face   can  be  related  to  speaking  your  truth.  A  blockage  or  trauma  in  this  area  suggests   that  you’re  not  expressing  yourself  the  way  that  you  need  to  for  optimum  health   and  wellbeing.  This  could  relate  to  anything  from  internalising  anger  to   stretching  the  truth  to  suit  your  needs  or  perhaps  a  fear  of  your  secrets  being   discovered.  If  your  mouth  is  blocked,  swollen  or  full  then  this  is  showing  you  that   your  inability  to  express  yourself  is  also  impacting  on  your  ability  to  receive,  heal   and  nourish  yourself.  If  your  dream  is  about  pain  or  injury  to  your  mouth  area,   such  as  teeth  being  pulled,  this  is  more  likely  to  demonstrate  that  your  inability   to  express  yourself  is  causing  you  pain  and  attracting  stress  and  drama  into  your   life.     Being  lost,  forgetful  or  confused  means  that,  in  waking  life,  there’s  something   in  the  way  of  your  progress  or  perhaps  you’ve  even  taken  a  step  in  the  wrong   direction.  If  you  have  forgotten  or  lost  something  valuable  or  special  to  you,  then   your  dream  is  showing  you  that  you  have  lost  or  forgotten  an  important  aspect  of   your  personality.     School  dreams  are  strangely  common.  This  is  most  likely  to  do  with  the  fact  that   many  of  our  beliefs  about  authority  and  interpersonal  relationships  are  formed   around  this  time.  The  school  environment  is  also  a  typical  setting  for  dreams   with  themes  of  embarrassment,  anxiety  and  fear  of  being  exposed  or  put  under   pressure.  If  you  had  a  particularly  stressful  time  at  school  then  this  may  be  a   recurring  setting  for  you.  The  message  at  the  essence  of  most  school  dreams  is   that  you’re  being  provided  with  a  ‘lesson’  or  ‘test’.  The  dream  will  tell  you   whether  or  not  you’ve  ‘passed’  or  might  even  show  you  what  you  need  to  do  in   order  to  ‘learn  the  lesson’.       Being  naked  in  dreams  relates  to  feeling  exposed,  vulnerable,  unprotected  or   losing  control  of  yourself  (in  particular  about  what  parts  of  yourself  you  show  to   the  world).  Dreams  about  being  in  public  or  even  with  only  one  or  two  other   people  without  wearing  any  clothes  are  usually  accompanied  by  feelings  of   embarrassment,  fear  or  shame.  Notice  how  you  feel  about  being  naked  and  the   reactions  of  the  people  around  you  i.e.  if  you  feel  vulnerable  but  the  other  people   in  the  dream  don’t  even  notice  that  you’re  naked,  then  the  dream  is  telling  you   that  in  waking  life  your  feelings  of  vulnerability  are  not  serving  you  or  are   unwarranted.  If  the  people  in  your  dream  are  laughing  and  pointing  at  you  and   you’re  feeling  ashamed,  then  your  dream  may  be  about  something  that  you  feel  

ashamed  about  that  you’ve  kept  secret  because  you’re  afraid  of  how  people   would  react.     When  you  have  one  of  these  more  common,  but  often  shocking,  dreams,   remember  that  it  is  perfectly  normal  to  experience  dreams  of  this  nature.  Look   for  the  symbolism  that  is  being  offered  to  you  by  your  subconscious  and  trust   that  the  message  of  the  dream  will  become  apparent  to  you.        

Dream Analysis      

Record  your  dream  

  There’s  no  doubt  about  it,  the  sooner  you  write  down  your  dream  after  waking   the  better  your  chances  are  of  remembering  each  and  every  detail.  I  make  it  a   habit  to  type  up  the  particulars  of  intense  dreams  shortly  after  I  wake  to  avoid   forgetting  them  and  I  keep  a  notebook  next  to  the  bed  to  record  dreams  in  the   middle  of  the  night.    First  of  all  it’s  best  to  just  allow  yourself  to  write  the  details   of  your  dream  without  trying  to  analyse  it  along  the  way.  If  you  prefer  to  type,   open  a  blank  document  and  allow  yourself  to  type  freely.  You  can  even  find  a   note-­‐taking  app  on  your  phone  or  tablet.     Come  back  to  fix  typos  and  rearrange  dream  events  once  everything  is  recorded.   If  you’d  rather  write  by  hand,  you  might  want  to  dedicate  a  notebook  to  dream   work.  Once  again,  be  sure  to  write  down  as  much  as  you  can  remember  before   attempting  to  analyse.  Even  a  few  notes  jotted  down  of  a  scrap  of  paper  is  better   that  nothing  and  will  help  you  to  recall  your  dream  for  years  to  come.    Try  to   write  the  events  of  your  dream  sequentially  and  be  as  specific  as  possible  to   ensure  that  you  don’t  miss  anything.     Now  every  time  you  reread  those  words  they  will  transport  you  back  to  the   visuals  of  your  dreams.  Without  undertaking  this  vital  step,  your  dream  and  the   message  within  it  may  be  lost  forever.  Next,  it’s  really  important  to  document  the   date  and  anything  significant  happening  in  your  life.  See  part  1  of  this  book,  ‘Why   do  dreams  occur?’     Once  your  dream  and  the  date  have  been  recorded,  then  you  can  come  back  to   the  analysis  in  your  own  time,  when  it  suits  you  best.  To  accompany  this  book   I’ve  created  2  easy-­‐to-­‐use  resources  to  help  you  with  the  process  of  recording   and  interpreting  your  dreams.  Get  your  very  own  Dream  Journal  and  Dream   Analysis  Worksheet  for  free  by  visiting  www.naomigoodlet.com/dreams.     Use  the  Dream  Journal  to  record  your  dreams  and  your  waking  life   circumstances  as  they  happen,  then,  when  you’re  ready  to  analyse  your  dream,   use  the  Dream  Analysis  Worksheet  to  break  everything  down  and  go  deeper   (you  can  go  straight  to  the  Dream  Analysis  Worksheet  if  you’re  ready  to  dive  in   right  away).     To  start  with,  document  your  dream  story  as  best  you  can,  try  to  remember   everything.  Then  provide  more  details  about  the  following  things:     • Places   • Elements  (and  natural  disasters)   • People   • Animals,  objects  and  vehicles   • Feelings  and  sensations  

• •

Colours  and  moods   Anything  else  of  interest  

  By  doing  this  you  will  ensure  that  you’ve  recorded  every  last  detail  of  the  dream   so  that  nothing  will  be  overlooked.       Many  things  that  appear  in  dreams  are  simply  replaying  events  from  the  past  few   days  so  don’t  feel  as  though  you  need  to  analyse  every  single  dream  you  have   (unless  you  want  to—I  did  it  for  years!).  Dreams  with  a  strong  message  tend  to   have  strong  feelings  about  them.  Trust  your  instincts  about  which  dreams  you   interpret  and  which  you  disregard.      

Putting  it  all  together  

  You  may  have  noticed  a  theme  arising  throughout  this  book—your  dreams  are   specifically  related  to  you!  Yes,  there  are  some  universal  concepts  and  symbols   but  for  the  most  part  your  opinion  and  feelings  about  each  dream  component  are   what  matters  most.       Dreams  have  numerous  components  that  can  be  broken  up  to  interpret   individually.  Your  subconscious  has  created  all  of  the  specific  details  of  the   dream  and,  let’s  face  it,  they  have  all  been  provided  to  assist  you.  So  it’s  best  to   view  each  element  of  the  dream  separately  to  determine  its  overall  message.     Questions  to  ask  yourself  about  each  dream  component:     Is  the  component  relevant?  If  one  or  more  particular  components  did  not  rouse   any  emotion  for  you  then  it  may  not  be  relevant  to  the  message  that  your   subconscious  is  offering  you.  Trust  your  instincts,  explore  all  facets  of  the  dream   and  focus  on  the  elements  that  that  feel  most  appropriate.  If  you  are  unsure,   share  your  dream  and  thoughts  about  it  with  someone  and  ask  for  a  second   opinion.     How  do  I  feel  about  this  component?  Many  vivid  dreams  evoke  feelings  of  fear,   stress,  ecstasy,  elation  or  despair.  In  relation  to  individual  elements  of  the  dream   e.g.  The  Kitchen,  ask  yourself  how  you  feel  about  the  visuals  and  the  energy  in   The  Kitchen  both  from  the  perspective  in  the  dream  and  in  waking  life.       What  does  it  mean  symbolically?  Read  through  the  previous  chapter  and  find   out  what  each  dream  component  represents.     How  does  this  component  fit  with  other  components  of  the  dream?  As  strange   as  your  dream  components  may  appear,  they  are  all  there  for  a  reason  and  each   one  needs  to  be  considered  both  in  isolation  and  also  in  the  context  of  the  dream   and  its  story  and  setting.        

Using  your  Dream  Analysis  Worksheet  

  If  you  have  recorded  your  dream  and  waking  life  situation  using  my  Dream   Journal,  then  make  sure  you  have  it  handy.  The  first  3  pages  of  the  worksheet   invite  you  to  record  everything  that  you  can  remember  about  the  dream.  If   you’ve  already  documented  your  dream  thoroughly  using  the  Dream  Journal   then  feel  free  to  skip  this  and  go  directly  to  page  4.     On  page  4  there  are  two  columns,  Dream  Component  and  Possible  Meaning.  Each   are  explained  in  more  detail  below.     Dream  Component  Column     As  a  basic  rule,  each  sentence  or  dot  point  that  you  have  written  to  describe  your   dream  can  be  analysed  in  its  own  right.  You  may  even  find  that  each  point  can  be   broken  down  into  multiple  components  or  that  several  points  can  be  grouped   together.  Do  whatever  feels  right  for  you  and  don’t  be  afraid  of  over  analysing.   On  your  worksheet,  use  one  dream  component  per  box  in  the  Dream  Component   column.     If  you  have  jumbled  the  order  of  the  events  in  your  dream  during  your  initial   ‘mind  dump’  then  you  can  use  this  template  to  put  them  into  order.       Possible  Meaning  Column     Here’s  your  opportunity  to  objectively  observe  the  all  the  information  relating  to   the  facets  of  your  dream  and  outline  one  or  more  possible  meanings.  The   common  dream  visuals  in  the  previous  chapter  of  this  book  will  assist  you  to   interpret  your  specific  dream  story.     When  you  are  searching  for  a  possible  meaning,  use  all  of  the  resources  that  are   available  to  you,  the  dream  symbols  in  this  book,  self-­‐questioning  and  trusting   your  hunches.     You  may  find  that  the  message  of  the  dream  component  isn’t  initially  clear  to   you.  If  this  is  the  case  then  don’t  worry!  Imagine  that  you  are  interpreting  this   dream  for  someone  who  you  don’t  know.  Objectively  write  down  the  possible   meaning  that  stands  out  to  you  based  on  the  symbols  in  this  book  and  move  on   to  the  next  component.  You  will  probably  find  that  a  picture  becomes  clear  once   you  have  finished  interpreting  all  of  the  components.     Summary  Page     The  message  of  the  dream  may  be  obvious  to  you  by  the  time  you  get  to  the   Summary  section  of  the  worksheet.  If  so,  there’s  no  need  to  fill  it  out  if  you  don’t   want  to.  For  lengthy  or  complex  dreams,  however,  the  Summary  section  will   enable  you  to  clarify  and  concisely  document  your  dream  meaning  for  future   reference.    

The  more  you’re  able  to  be  honest  with  yourself,  the  easier  the  message  from   your  subconscious  will  be  to  understand.  Take  a  look  at  what  has  been   happening  to  you  recently  and  also  what  is  coming  up  in  your  life.  Usually,  the   two  weeks  leading  up  to  the  dream  occurring  will  be  the  strongest  influence  over   your  dream  message.  Sometimes,  though,  dreams  are  influenced  by  emotions   surrounding  upcoming  events  as  well  as  events  that  happened  further  in  the  past   (particularly  if  they  were  traumatic  or  life-­‐changing).  Look  at  your  current  day   situation  first,  unless  there  is  an  obvious  connection  to  something  that  happened   in  the  past.     For  the  Summary  you  need  to  change  your  viewpoint  from  searching  for   objective  meanings  in  your  dream  and  enable  yourself  to  enter  self-­‐analysis   mode.  This  requires  you  to  take  an  honest  look  at  all  aspects  of  yourself   including  your  behaviours,  thoughts,  beliefs,  fears,  habits,  addictions,  judgements,   relationships,  childhood,  emotions,  shadow  side,  secrets,  goals,  employment,   finances,  family  dynamics,  religion,  spiritual  beliefs,  past  mistakes,  stresses,   anxieties,  resentments,  health,  body,  energy,  aspirations,  values  and  regrets.     Sometimes  it  can  be  helpful  to  categorise  the  type  of  message  that’s  being   presented  to  you.  Some  of  the  more  common  message  types  are  detailed  below.     Offering  a  warning.  The  dream  is  showing  you  that  continuing  on  with  current   thoughts/patterns/beliefs/behaviours  etc.  will  result  in  unwanted  outcomes.   (The  majority  of  negative  dreams  fit  into  this  category)     Uncovering  a  fear  or  belief.  Your  subconscious  is  making  you  aware  of  a  strong   fear  or  belief  that  you’re  operating  with  so  that  you  may  heal  it.     Uncovering  an  internalised  emotion.  Strong  feelings  that  you’ve  not  had  the   chance  to  express  can  create  internal  stress  that  your  subconscious  wants  to   communicate  with  you.     Helping  you  to  make  the  right  choice.  If  you’ve  been  unsure  which  action  to   take  or  have  pondering  over  a  decision  that  you  need  to  make  then  your   subconscious  is  offering  an  intuitive  message  so  that  the  next  step  becomes  clear.     Validating  something  you  were  uncertain  of.  If  you’ve  recently  made  a   significant  change  in  your  life  but  were  unsure  about  whether  you’d  done  the   right  thing,  then  your  subconscious  can  validate  your  decision  or  suggest   something  that  you  should  change.       Confirming  that  a  healing  has  occurred:  When  you  heal  an  issue  that  has   troubled  you  or  you  have  let  go  of  unhelpful  habits,  beliefs  or  resentments,  your   subconscious  can  confirm  that  you  are  now  free  from  what  previously  held  you   back.     If  your  dream  fits  into  one  of  these  categories  then  it  will  be  easier  to  clarify  the   message  held  within  it.      

The  Summary,  in  essence,  is  a  story  that  ties  together  everything  in  the  Possible   Meaning  column  with  the  aim  of  explaining  how  the  dream  is  connected  to  your   waking  life  situation.        

Troubleshooting  

  What  happens  when  there’s  nothing  major  or  obvious  happening  in  my   waking  life?     This  happens  to  me  all  the  time.  I’ll  have  an  intense  dream  with  a  strong  and   clear  message,  yet  my  waking  life  seems  peachy  and  uneventful.  The  trick  is  to   trust  the  message  that  has  been  delivered  rather  than  search  for  a  reason  why   this  dream  has  occurred  at  this  particular  time.     Sometimes  dreams  are  showing  us  a  part  of  ourselves  that  has  been  hidden,   forgotten  or  ignored,  so  the  timing  may  seem  strange  but,  in  fact,  your   subconscious  has  chosen  this  ‘quiet  time’  for  a  reason.       Dreams  that  seem  to  have  odd  timing  may  also  be  preparing  you  for  what’s   coming  next  in  your  life.  Be  sure  to  record  the  date  of  the  dream  as  the  reason   behind  the  timing  may  become  apparent  to  you  at  a  later  time.     What  should  I  do  if  I  don’t  understand  the  message  from  my  dream?     Don’t  give  up  on  it.  Record  and  analyse  your  dream.  Trust  that  the  message  is   correct,  even  if  you’re  unsure  about  what  it  means.  Give  yourself  a  week  to  see   what  unfolds  in  your  waking  life,  often  hindsight  will  assist  you  to  gain  a  better   understanding  of  why  the  dream  occurred  when  it  did.  If  you’re  still  struggling  to   decipher  the  message  that  your  dream  is  offering,  then  follow  the  steps  listed  in   the  “Asking  for  guidance  from  your  subconscious  mind”  section  of  this  book   (Part  1).     What  should  I  do  if  my  dream  components  are  not  listed  in  this  book?     Many  of  the  main  components  that  you  will  dream  about  are  covered  in  this   book  but,  of  course,  there  are  some  symbols  that  are  missing.  Start  by   documenting  your  dream  as  you  normally  would.  Use  this  book  to  uncover  a   possible  meaning  for  as  much  of  the  dream  as  you  can;  you  may  well  see  a  theme   emerging  through  which  you  can  be  confident  of  the  message  your  dream  is   providing  you  with.  The  next  step  is  to  ask  yourself  how  you  feel  about  that   particular  aspect  of  the  dream  and  see  if  you  receive  some  intuitive  guidance   about  the  dream  message.  If  you  are  still  looking  for  more  clarity,  I  find  that   www.dreammoods.com  is  a  thorough  resource  for  specific  (and  random)   dreams.     Can  I  use  this  book  to  interpret  dreams  for  other  people?    

Absolutely  yes.  Remember  to  involve  the  person  as  much  as  possible  in  the   analysis  and  ask  them  about  their  feelings  in  relation  to  the  dream  components   (both  in  the  dream  and  in  waking  life  too)  and  any  events  or  challenges  around   the  time  of  their  dream.  With  practice,  uncovering  the  messages  that  have  been   delivered  through  your  dreams  will  become  second  nature,  both  for  your  own   dreams,  and  those  of  other  people.      

Afterword  

  Dream  work  opens  the  door  to  a  clear  channel  of  communication  between  you   and  your  subconscious  mind,  giving  you  the  chance  to  understand  yourself   better  than  you  ever  have  before.     Developing  the  skill  of  interpreting  your  dreams  regularly  will  allow  you  to   nurture  and  deepen  your  relationship  with  your  subconscious  mind  so  that  you   may  create  a  lifelong,  unbreakable  bond  with  this  incredible  part  of  your  brain   that  wants  so  desperately  for  you  to  be  healthy,  happy  and  at  peace.       Learn  the  language  of  your  subconscious  and  you  will  access  the  precious  gifts   that  are  hiding  within  you,  waiting  to  help  you  heal,  flourish  and  shine.      

 

 

About  Naomi  

  Naomi  Goodlet  is  a  wellness  coach,  spiritual  healer  and  rebellious  writer.  She   lives  with  her  family  in  Qld,  Australia.  Naomi  offers  dream  coaching  and   interpretation  services,  more  information  is  available  at  her  website   http://naomigoodlet.com     Also  be  sure  to  download  your  free  journal  and  worksheets  from   www.naomigoodlet.com/dreams