My Favorite Dream Dictionary Websites

When I first got interested in dream language, the first place I looked was online. What is so nice about online dream dictionaries is that they are so accessible, literally at your fingertips. You can quickly find hints, concepts and ideas to help you along. Fortunately, because Jung’s and other psychologists’ extensive dream work, we understand that there is a vast reservoir of symbols that span time and culture. Well, thank goodness! That means there is quite a bit of help out there.

As I’ve gone along, I’ve found some favorite online dream dictionaries that I go back to time and time again.  The number of words is very important, the more the better.  Also, I prefer sites that suggest several possible meanings I don’t really like the ones that act as if they are fortune tellers. I believe a dream is more like a tool that allows you to understand the changes you can chose to make. 

The third helpful aspect is whether the author can communicate or suggest interpretations related to spiritual or emotional content. This can be very helpful, because sometimes I miss the forest for the trees.

Well, here goes - favorite dream sites with a sample of ‘Wind’ from each one.

The Dream Moods Dictionary

The Dream Moods Dictionary is very comprehensive. I can only imagine the work that has gone into creating it. Because it contains so many words, it will almost always give you something to work with as a starting point. Having a starting point is very helpful.

‘Wind’ definition from the Dream Moods Dictionary:

To dream that the wind is blowing symbolizes your life force, energy, and vigor. It reflects changes in your life. Alternatively, the dream suggests that you need to pick up your pace and work on achieving your goals more quickly and efficiently. To dream of strong or gusty winds represent turmoil and trouble in your life. You are experiencing much stress in some waking situation.

Inspired By Dreams

I find Inspired by Dreams to be thoughtful, sometimes bringing in eastern thought.

‘Wind’ definition from Inspired by Dreams site:

The wind has a way of stirring things up and moving what remains stationary, so that life can be renewed. Dreaming of the wind stirring the branches of trees can symbolize a type of transition that involves the family or your roots. Just as the wind removes the seeds of the future and returns them to the ground, it can be representative of the classic transformative process.

As a Tornado, the wind can portray a force that feels beyond your control that has the potential to place you in another context of interacting with the world. Dreaming of the wind is a classic symbol of impending changes.

Bella Online, the Voice of Women

I have found the Bella Online site very helpful in the areas of color, water, snow, and emotional connections in dreams.

'Wind’ definition from Bella Online:
The phrase winds of change pretty much sums up the symbolism behind dreaming of wind.

To dream of wind is to dream of change, and a way of thinking, as air is very strongly connected to the intellect. It can be gentle, like a breeze or zephyr, or it can be life changing and tumultuous as a tornado.
Think of the popular story about the butterfly that flaps its wings in China, and creates a hurricane in Japan. This is known as the butterfly effect, or sometimes the butterfly principle. Small things you do now can have a big impact on your life later on.


Dream sites, dream books, and even the regular old dictionary are all great resources.  Help is where you find it, so be open.  Check out my other blog Dream Dictionaries for the Bookish.

Other Dream Blogs:

10 Steps to Interpreting your Dreams

The Trinity of Faith, Hope and Love

People You Know - Family, Friends, Co-workers, Bosses

Strangers, Vampire, Cheerleaders and Foreign Folk

House, Home, and Words of Wisdom

I believe that seeing a Home in a dream has a different meaning from a house. Houses represent our psychological makeup but a Home concerns our feelings and movement toward integration.

Being at Home

To be at 'home' in someone's house, means that you have or will soon integrate important traits that you are learning from that person. This might be represented as being very comfortable in that home, cooking in the kitchen, or sitting on the couch.

To be in a childhood means that you are being reminded of something you already know but maybe have forgotten. It can be hard to put your finger on the meanings of these ones.

Your Mother's Home

To be in your mother's home means you are finding value in lessons your mother taught you. What would she say about a situation in your waking life? Think back to those things she said to you 100 times! One of them will probably ring with the wisdom of a lifetime.

Even if your mother is no longer with you, her words and lessons are very much alive.

Top Quotes from my Mom

• Handsome is as handsome does.
• Actions speak louder than words.
• If all your friends jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge, would you jump too?
• Kill them with kindness.
• Rise above it.

These are the actual words, but in my dreams, these lessons come across as little vignette's acted out with dream symbols. I have actually had the experience of rising up through the air to illustrate 'Rising above' a situation.

I've also had a dream character tell me something, where their actions speak a very different message. Ah, which to believe? Actions always speak louder than words.

Your Self, Your House

Much is already written on meanings for the basement, various rooms and levels of the house, but that is not what I want to break down.

Your house can be a representation of your total psyche, your whole Self, so seeing your house or a friend's house in a dream is significant. It’s important to notice the condition of any house in your dreams. Maybe the house is in fine shape, or maybe it needs repair.

Or, you may hear a message about how important it is to ‘own your house.' This has to do with taking control and possession of your life and destiny, as in, to own it outright, with no mortgage or obligation to anyone else.

You may also walk in and take possession of a house belonging to another dream figure (possibly animus), and this means you have laid hold of the essence of that dream figure. Whatever he/she represents to you, you now own that, whether strength, initiative, courage, or something else.

So, what would your Mom say?

Other Dream Blogs:

10 Steps to Interpreting your Dreams

The Trinity of Faith, Hope and Love

People You Know - Family, Friends, Co-workers, Bosses

Strangers, Vampire, Cheerleaders and Foreign Folk

Is a Kiss Just a Kiss?

Our inner Self exposes us to new ways of being and thinking so that we can grow and more successfully deal in life. When we recognize that a little change is needed and act on that, it's called Integration.

Integration symbols often closely follow the attraction, dating, and mating process - because we universally understand and relate to these symbols. Many times Integration shows in dream actions that use in waking life to show affection, love, acceptance, and friendship. They can be sweet, or they can be earthly.

When we adopt and integrate a new idea (or way of thinking, or living) the symbolic language or stories often align that with getting close to a person, sort of like dating. At the very beginning of the Integration process, you might be sitting with someone (like a date). If you are further along, you might be walking, holding hands, sitting close together (strong interest). As you get really ready to accept the trait, in your dream you may feel attraction, kiss, hug, possibly jump into bed with some person. You may even attend a wedding or get married in your dream.

All this can be pretty confusing if you don't realize its about your inner life. Hey wait - I'm already married!

Symbols and Stages of Integration

1. Starting Toward Integration
If you are meeting with someone, sitting near them, next to, or across from a known or unknown person, you are exposing yourself to new approaches to life that are owned by the other. These traits or aspects of yourself may be helpful to you in your waking life in some way.

2. Movement Forward

If you are walking, running, swimming, climbing you are probably working your way toward a new ‘place’ in terms of accepting a new idea. These actions are very common in dreams because life is an ongoing journey toward more learning. We are always going somewhere.

3. Approaching Integration

If you are talking to another, hugging or embracing them, you kiss them or they you, or they touch  or even bite you you are very close to integrating what they represent. Or maybe you are so close that you feel their breath. The dream probably reveals what you need, and you are ready to accept it. In waking life, very few people are allowed this close, at least in Western culture.

It may still take a little while to work out the exact message and decide how to implement the change. Moving closer is the opposite of running from something in a dream.

4. Complete Integration

Sometimes the final stage of Integration comes with a dramatic moment that demonstrates that you have unified your old self with your new self (i.e. added the new trait to your repertoire). It is now fully part of your psyche, ready to be called upon when needed.  In your dream, you might be under the covers with someone, attending a wedding, at your own wedding, or having sexual intercourse.

When is a Kiss Not Just a Kiss?

It’s important to understand that psychological processes are going on in your dreams, which are then represented waking symbols. So that is a symbolic kiss, a symbolic man, and a symbolic wedding in your dream. Whew! That's a relief!

 

Just a Little Love Story

It’s just like a simple little love story, "Once upon a time, a woman(you)  met this man (known or unknown) with amazing honestly and gorgeous blue eyes. He was so handsome and attractive, she wanted to kiss him. And then she did."

This is a dream that would make an impression and you would remember it – especially the blue eyes!

And that is the point of our dreams, to be memorable, so we can act on them. Then waking, we can say, "Wow, what a handsome man that was, how beautiful his eyes, so honest. Where should I be more honest and straightforward?”

End of story, beginning of change.

Other Dream Blogs:

10 Steps to Interpreting your Dreams

The Trinity of Faith, Hope and Love

People You Know - Family, Friends, Co-workers, Bosses

Strangers, Vampire, Cheerleaders and Foreign Folk

My Misspent Youth – Confessions of a Business Major

Yes, it is true. When my friends were taking Eastern Religion, History and Pottery, I was drudging away in the B-School and the Computer Lab. I realize now that this might have been something of a mistake.

Here’s how I saw it – who needs language, literature, poetry, and art? I had double entry accounting, macro economics, and debugging Pascal programs! I will also confess that at 19, I found psychology and sociology deadly dull and seriously lacking in practical usefulness. Ah me!

So, where does that leave me now? Well, I’ll tell you - my inner Self would probably complain that the dream symbols available are poor indeed. But still my inner Self trudges on, doing its best, with the few meager symbols. But… what else will I understand except meetings, reports, and brochures?

Business-Speak

Business imagery has confused my dream interpretation at times, because early on, I assumed that if my dream location was work, populated with work friend, it must be about work, right? Not true -  business symbolism do not always refer to work situations. Maybe the business world just supplies a useful phrase. Maybe that work friend demonstrate the character trait that needs illustration. So, I had to learn to be careful in interpretting ‘business-speak’ in dreams. Below are some interesting phrases and images that have popped up for me - they will demonstrate the terrible dearth of images that I suffer with.

• Investor relations – advising that I invest more in personal relationships
• Value Added Reseller – advising that I look for situations that reflect my values
• Swivel chair – advising that I turn and look at a situation from all angles, 360 degrees
• PR interviews – advising that I get out and speak to more people
• Cell phone – advising that messages are coming in over the air

What About You?

Maybe you ‘re in the same boat. You could be, especially if you’ve been doing time in technology, science, IT, accounting, or some such 'brass tacks' occupation. And ‘double especially’ if you just started trying to understand your dreams.

Is God Gone or Just Hidden?

What does all this mean for our inner and spiritual lives? Are we then all just soulless products of a modern  technologically advanced culture? Not necessarily - but again, it’s easy to assume that work-a-day symbols refer to our jobs or companies, missing the point and leaving us confused. I’ve found something different entirely. It’s just that corporate life is my point of reference and so my dreams often speak in those terms.

The kind of imagery that we might expect – lots of crosses, Jesus, God the Father, Angels, halos, blood, and sacrifice are entirely missing from my dream life. It’s a fact. But I also recognize that I don't control my dream images, and neither do you. So, there is no use being embarrased by the images that do appear or the ones that don's apper. Its best to just deal with the imperical facts, as Jung taught us, and carry on.

After identifying what was missing, I have begun to look at what is present. And I find messages of a spiritual nature coming through mundane dream situations, without alot of fanfare.  I don’t think that God and the Spirit have left us, and I believe we often are reminded to hold on to faith and hope. These are very helpful and supportive dreams.

Let’s look a bit closer at some of the dream symbols from work situations. Anything can be a symbol. Any phrase, or action can give us a hint.

Symbols for God and Higher Power  – Biblically think of the burning bush, transfiguration

• Energy or  Electricity (abbreviated GE, also a gigantic worldwide company)
• Higher Power (abbreviated HP, also a gigantic worldwide company)
• Engine/turbine (power beyond ourselves)
• Connecting to batteries (connecting up to the power)
• Laying underground electrical cables (connecting to the fundamental source of power)

Faith, Hope and Love

• Recovering an almost lost diamond (Don't lose that diamond, as in the Hope Diamond)
• Embracing a Christian friend (hold on to Faith)
• Tranparency (inner blood showing through to outside, not hiding our love)

For more, there is a blog on this topic, Faith, Hope and Love - Uncovering Christian Symbols in Dreams


I hope you don’t suffer from my terrible lack of interesting symbols. I hope you dream of wonderful talking animals, auras and light, and other truly remarkable things.

Me? I better work on broadening my perspective.

Other Dream Blogs:

10 Steps to Interpreting your Dreams

The Trinity of Faith, Hope and Love

People You Know - Family, Friends, Co-workers, Bosses

Strangers, Vampire, Cheerleaders and Foreign Folk

The Dream On Dictionary

Breaking Down the Symbols to Get to Your Story

Our inner dream creator uses symbols to weave powerful stories for us. Each person, word, color,  number, location, object or emotion contributes to the story. Every day heros and movies empower and inspire us, giving us the hope, peace, and faith we need to transform our lives. Well, our dreams are just the same if we only will learn their language.

Learning and Working

If you are here on this page, you are learning the language, a skill that will surely help you to be a more successful human being, create more joy, and bring more love in our lives. And it all starts with a meaningful dialogue with ourselves!

Section A-C - Animus figures (Men/Women), Antenna, Cactus, Computer

Section D-J - Eating, Feet, Garden, Initiative

Section L-R - Las Vegas, New Places, People, Retreat

Section S-Z - Selfishness, Sitting, Walking

The Dream On Dictionary is a work in progress. Dream meanings unfold over time, but only if we work hard. If we just say ‘That was really weird,’ and go on with our lives, we will miss so much.

I find that the short dreams that seem the simplest at first sometimes really pack a punch. If the dream is short and simple, it is often very dense, with words and symbols with 2 or 3 layers of meaning. These can be really interesting and fun to work with.

By accessing dream dictionaries, exploring our own associations, and using traditional dictionaries, we can begin to understand symbolic language – it opens our eyes a new kind of communication.

Let's Ring Some Bells

Every person has their own unique dream language and symbols – maybe The Dream On Dictionary will suggest some new ideas, or ring some bells, ultimately opening a door to understanding.

I hope you find this Dictionary helpful. Please feel free to leave a comment.

Other Dream Blogs:

10 Steps to Interpreting your Dreams

The Trinity of Faith, Hope and Love

People You Know - Family, Friends, Co-workers, Bosses

Strangers, Vampire, Cheerleaders and Foreign Folk

Tables – Coming to the Table, Negotiation

‘Coming to the table’ in a dream can mean that we are working toward a changes in our lives. When we are invited to come to the table we are opening up to new information. Usually we have to think through changes before we accept them. Over time, we assess the benefits and risks, and consider how and when to move forward. This is sort of a negotiation with ourselves.

If you are sitting at the table with others, you are probably there to learn something from them in a comfortable environment. Just as you might meet a friend for lunch, you might meet your dream friends, family or acquaintances. The others will mostly do the talking. We can listen to what they tell us and consider their questions.

When we wake and consider the conversation and symbols, we might find we are being urged to learn a higher way, find creative outlets, leave something behind, or consider new attitudes. You can pick up clues from the setting, food, and company. But just like a friend, there will often be a frank message in the conversation. The worded message is the most important part!

Table Shapes

Square tables might mean that we need more balanced approach to a situation or that we have achieved a balanced approach.

Round tables may point to an area where we are achieving wholeness or need to achieve that wholeness. But it may also point to turning our thinking or situation around, or that we should turn around and not pursue the course we are on.

Eating at the Table

Also consider the food you are eating. A wide variety of food might indicate you need to open up to more sources of sustenance. Eating dessert (end of the meal) might mean you are coming to the end of a chapter or learning experience, and will soon move on to another phase.

Other Dream Blogs:

10 Steps to Interpreting your Dreams

The Trinity of Faith, Hope and Love

People You Know - Family, Friends, Co-workers, Bosses

Strangers, Vampire, Cheerleaders and Foreign Folk

Understanding Locations - Key to Getting Your Dream's Message

Any realtor will tell that location is everything – and that is true in our dreams also. Our outward environment, including cities and countries, can provide a lot of helpful guidance. I would say that the location lays the groundwork for really understanding the dream message.

I know that I don’t have dream places all figured out but I want to share some places I often visit in my dreams – maybe they will remind you of places that show up in yours. Dream locations are often places I have visited on work, errands, or vacation. If I find myself in a given place more than once, it is worth understanding.

New Places – New England, New York, Newport Beach

New England, New York, and Newport Beach all seem to point to going to a new place in my state of consciousness. I am allowing myself to realize new things, think new and different thoughts, and question old assumptions. The ‘New’ places in my dreams seem to be by the water, which seems to point to new information arising from the Unconscious mind.

L.A. or Los Angeles, the City of the Angels

When Los Angeles has turned up in my dreams, at first it was very mysterious to me. In my actual life, I have some family, work contacts, and conferences that are in Southern California and sometimes L.A. itself. But L.A. is an abbreviation is it not for the City of the Angels? When looked at the literal full name, the City of the Angels might point to deeper spiritual meaning or message since Angels bring messages from God. So, then I need to look at who else is in the dream, what the major messages or storyline is, and consider on a deeper level.

Take a Chance in Las Vegas

I seem to find myself working my way through the casino or coming down an escalator to the casino, but it can also be in a conference center or near a wedding chapel. I might be waiting, shopping, attending a class. So… why is that? Las Vegas is about risk, taking a chance, rolling the dice. The escalators can refer to rising or falling fortune, winning or losing. So, when my larger Self suggests taking a risk and see what happens, my dream will be in Las Vegas. If I'm shopping, I should be evaluating options. Attending a class means I have something to learn from the dream. If I'm looking for or waiting outside the wedding chapel, the dream may mean that I'm almost to the desired result - balance of male or female energy, the end of a learning cycle, or an awaited successful result.

Lafayette, CO

You probably never heard of Lafayette, but I have a friend who lives there and she is one of the most creative people that I know. She teaches music in her Lafayette studio and in another mountain town. She plays in the orchestra, raises all kinds of peppers, grape vines and peaches. She goes hunting for giant elks and skis all winter. So, when my dream places me in Lafayette, I know that dream is about letting my creativity out and my light shine. After 30 years in the corporate world, apparently I need to hear this message on a regular basis. Maybe you have a town, a garden, a city center that might mean something similar to you. Our psyche uses the tools it has, so if you don’t know of such a place, don’t despair! Your psyche will make a place up for you!

 

Mexico – Get in Touch with Your Feelings Leads to Psychological Growth

Mexico shows up in my dreams a lot too - finally I realized that Mexico was an important symbol for me.  It can mean that I need to go to a place where stoicism and the ‘stiff upper lip’ are not celebrated. The Mexican culture allows showing of joy, pride, sorrow, pain, grief, and anger. Emotions can be on the surface, not hidden or unacknowledged. So, in my dream Mexico, I can get real, at least with myself. I should not be stuffing feelings or problems, hoping they will go away. A better way is to walk through them.

So, how did I get to the symbolism? It took awhile. And it came through remembering seeing some of the work of Frida Khalo - that was a few years ago when a movie about her life was releaed. If you are familiar with her paintings, you will know how raw they are. Oh, my God, so raw. Her life’s pain is on the canvas for everyone to see. How could she be so brave, so vulnerable, and so open?

Sometimes we, and our culture, demand that we cut off our hearts in order to seem ‘normal.’ But isn’t our pain, devastation and grief normal? Don’t we all suffer the same? I hope you have some people in your life that are able to share your troubles and pains. Our dream Self is such a person, who is supportive in all environments and who actively seeks to help us with trouble, dilemmas, and the work of living.

There is another thing apparent in the surroundings in Mexico – the vibrancy of the jungle and the beauty of the desert gardens speaks to tremendous inner growth. I believe the natural organic plants images are interrelated with emotional growth which is so very important to our futures and happiness. I hope to write later on plants, gardens, and old wood growth.

I would love to hear about your dream locations, and what they mean to you. Please feel free to leave a comment.

San Diego

To go to San Diego in a dream may indicate that you are in a border area. In waking life, there is a major border crossing between San Diego and the city of Tia Juana. The border is open and free and thousands of people pass back and forth across the border every day. Since Mexico symbolizes a culture where emotions and feelings are expressed more openly, being in San Diego in a dream means that I’m in a place (a good place) where I can easily communication between reason/intellect and my emotional/intuitive self. San Diego is a place of harmonious balance.

 

Texas

For me, the Texas I visit in my dreams is the Home of the Southern Baptists, strong on law, not so strong on grace or mercy. If I’m in Texas in a dream, I am in a world where the outward appearance of righteousness is very important. Your Texas connotations may be very different from mine, but perhaps you have your own dream location that represents intolerance and rigid adherence to legalistic standards.

Other Dream Blogs:

10 Steps to Interpreting your Dreams

The Trinity of Faith, Hope and Love

People You Know - Family, Friends, Co-workers, Bosses

Strangers, Vampire, Cheerleaders and Foreign Folk

Singing, Songs and Harmony

Singing in your dream can mean that your heart is speaking in its own language (music), often without any words.

What is your heart expressing? It’s joy or its sorrow? The emotions in our dreams are our own real emotions, sometimes the ones we don’t know how to express or would be inappropriate to express. Sometimes that is revealed in a song. The heart needs to be heard too and it will speak in our dreams, especially if not allowed to in our waking lives.

If you are singing with another person, is it in perfect harmony? Is this other person themselves, or possibly the other part of ourselves? If you are a woman, you might sing with a man, who is your inner anima (really part of you that is being developed and given voice). This might mean that you are more in harmony with yourself than you have been before.

Singing alongside another person in harmony can be a message about peace, living in peace with that person, enjoying God’s peace in a waking situation. Sometimes our dreams send us a message about our waking lives, but I believe it also sends messages of support. This might not be one to act on, but to just enjoy.

Other Dream Blogs:

10 Steps to Interpreting your Dreams

The Trinity of Faith, Hope and Love

People You Know - Family, Friends, Co-workers, Bosses

Strangers, Vampire, Cheerleaders and Foreign Folk

Dream Colors - White, Yellow, Gold, Red, Pink, Hot Pink, Spring Green, Moss Green, Kelly Green, Midnight Blue, and Silver

Many times a Color has added a deeper dimension to a dream message. Sometimes the dream dictionaries have been helpful but I have found that colors can also have individual meanings, or at least that the colors have some alternative meanings for me, and maybe you.

White

White can point to the spiritual nature of an object or symbol, but I have found that it is also sometimes a ‘highlight’, that a glowing, white object can be very significant, as if it has been highlighted. Pay attention to highlighted objects, they may have very special significance.

Yellow or Gold

Yellow and Gold can also be a highlight, making our eye look here and take notice. Often I find when I ask, ‘why is that thing yellow?’ the dream message opens on entirely new level.

Red, Blood Red

Red can refer to strong emotions of the heart and may refer to learning to live with your emotions, show them, and be comfortable with them. We often find ourselves uncomfortable with our emotions, thinking we should be able to regulate them in some way. But often our heads do not really understand our heart, what it needs, why it hurts, or how to express joy, sadness, grief.

 

Light Pink, Medium Pink

Several objects, organs, and even animals have been pink in my dreams. After a dream in which the words ‘pinking sheers’ came to me, I realized the pink is what I was seeing as through sheers, or thin draperies. It is the way that our blood looks through our skin, pink, alive, living, translucent, the inside showing out, revealing our emotional states. Sometimes an image like this can make us consider what we love to do, where our hearts and energy want to go, what makes us tick? If we can answer those questions, what changes should we make in our lives?

 

Hot Pink, Bright Purple

These colors can refer to daring sexuality. Where did it show up in your dream? Was it hidden? Was it in the open? In clothing? Or in the decor? Can be either appropriate or inappropriate depending on what else was happening in the dream. Perhaps your dream is telling you are headed in the right direction, need to live this part of your self more, or it is more of a warning.

Midnight Blue, Dark Blue, Blue/Black

A sky blue can reflect joy, spirituality and freedom - but what if it is tinted toward black? That could mean that there is much sorrow mixed in, the blues in fact. What objects in your dream are dark blue? 

Is there any resolution shown in the dream? Are there other symbols that might refer to death and rebirth, such as water, children, light?

Light Green, Spring Green

Light green means that very new things coming about, as in the very first leaves in spring. This can be a sign that you are beginning a new phase in your growth, weaving a new pattern, or a new opportunity is presenting itself to you. If there is light green clothing, who is wearing it? What can you learn from that person?

Kelly Green, Moss Green, or Intense Green

Intense Green can refer to the robust health or strong growth of your inner self, or spirit. Intense green shoots indicate new growth. You are on the right path. Kelly green can possibly refer to your Irish heritage or the Emerald Isle.

Mossy green can refer to ancient growth, such as might grow on a rock, or in a streambed. Do the other images seem to refer back to something very old, perhaps in mankind’s ancient past? Did you see a dwarf, the Green Man, a jar? These symbols that seem to come from a life our ancestors might have lived thousands of years ago are difficult to understand – what I do is record them and try to live with them a while. If there is something very important here, the message will be clarified.

 

Silver

The color silver can represent what is beautiful, true and enduring, often our spirit, or the Spirit of God.  The silver spiritual object shows us we have guidance and are not alone. Perhaps we need to look behind us, above us to see spiritual supports in our lives.

 

Gray

For Gray, please read my blog on the Wearin’ of the Gray.

Other Dream Blogs:

10 Steps to Interpreting your Dreams

The Trinity of Faith, Hope and Love

People You Know - Family, Friends, Co-workers, Bosses

Strangers, Vampire, Cheerleaders and Foreign Folk

Spiders, Spider Webs, and Weaving Dream Meanings

Cell Phone Dream Symbols, Antennas, Computers

In our daily lives, we constantly interact with technology so it seems natural that technology would also enter into our dreams. The cell phone, antenna and computer are three dream symbols that show up in my dream life, aimed directly at increasing communication with our spiritual selves and helping us to accomplish our inner work.

The Cell Phone Dream Symbol

The cell phone is similar to an antenna in that it uses a non-physical communication link. Communicating with energy or waves through the air can represent our communication with the spiritual world - the Spirit, God, Jesus, our own Self or spirit.

So, what is happening with your cell phone? Is it lost? Have you possibly lost connection with someone important in your life, God, or even yourself? Is there a message you can’t receive because your phone is lost?  Could there be some significance to how or where it was lost? Was it at the mall, a restaurant, a lake? Was it stolen? Usually losing your cell phone is a pretty big problem.

Or, has you cell phone been found? Where was it found? Who found it? How was it restored to you? These questions can help you understand the meaning and purpose of the cell phone in your dream.

Antenna Dream Symbol 

An antenna will literally pluck the information out of ‘thin air.’ Seeing an antenna  can signal communication with someone not physical, such as the Spirit, God, you own Self.  What color is it in your dream?  If it’s white, it’s likely a spiritual antenna. If you had a spiritual antenna, how might you use it to be more spiritually attuned?



An Office Image from a Dream

Computer Dream Symbol 

A computer is an all-purpose work tool and can signify that you have unlimited resources available for the work you need to do. ‘Work’ does not always refer to your job. Your ‘work’ may be inner work, spiritual work, work in understanding where you are, or where you need to go next. There will probably be other clues in your dream to point you in the right direction.


Communication and Work Dreams

Dreams where there is a symbol around cell phones, antennas, or a computer can signal that there is more information to come. Hopefully soon! But surely, when we are ready and receptive. So, we should be alert and attentive. Maybe in your next dream, or three dreams from now, the phone could ring, the email or letter may arrive, a person may speak important words to you.

It’s often the case that our Self  works over time to reveals what we need to change or growth opportunities. So, don’t expect all the answers in one dream. There may be just one or two things for you to think about or take action on, with more coming later.

I try not to be frustrated, but to trust the process, and know that the clues, words, direction will come when I am ready. But I think it’s also OK if I’m angry or frustrated to ask for more information, or even express that anger to inner Self, my spirit, or God (whoever I think is the problem).

Other Dream Blogs:

10 Steps to Interpreting your Dreams

The Trinity of Faith, Hope and Love

People You Know - Family, Friends, Co-workers, Bosses

Strangers, Vampire, Cheerleaders and Foreign Folk

Spiders, Spider Webs, and Weaving Dream Meanings

Spiders, Spider webs, and Weaving Dream Meanings

I am no big fan of spiders, but they seem to be fond of me – in my dreams they show up regularly with stories about weaving, mobilizing, and cleaning up my house. Here are some of the meanings that have come to me through my spider friends.

Spider weaving a web

This can be an image of how we are weaving our destinies or our lives. What color is the spider in your dream? He was spring green in my dream and was weaving his web in the same way that women weave lace, with a tatting motion. This can be a reference to how we are weaving, or perhaps that we need to start weaving.

 

Jumping spider

Spiders are able to do amazing acrobatic feats, just like Spiderman in the movie, jump across a room, walk on the ceiling, show incredible speed. If your spider is exhibiting Cirque de Soleil type behavior, you should consider how you can leap over obstacles in your path. Don’t just look at the conventional methods or paths, consider gravity-defying moves yielding quick success. You are not constrained by what others might do or think or the prescribed path to your destiny. Your dream is telling you there might be a shorter way.

Mobilized spiders

Due to their many legs, they are able to mobilize quickly and in any direction. Groups of spiders mobilizing in a direction or circles show immediate intense energy for getting the job done. This might be a clue on how you need to take action, on all fronts, right now.

Cobwebs in corners

You might have some old ideas, plans, business that you need to clear up. Get the broom out, look in all the corners of your life. Get rid of old, useless, dead ideas and plans. You might need to consider an entirely new direction.

Another possible meaning is Fuzzy thinking. I know I've once or twice added 1 plus 1 and got something besides 2. Could your dream be telling you that you are making too many assumptions? perhaps we need to look make sure we have the facts, and are not guilty of wishful thinking.

 

Caught in a spider’s web

This is a very serious image. Pay attention! If you are a ‘butterfly caught in a spider’s web’ you are suffering unnecessary pain and are caught in a web of someone else’s making. You need to get out. You owe that spider nothing, don’t regret it if you need to demolish that web to get out. Just get out.

Jump, weave, or scamper your way to success.


Other Blogs:
10 Steps to Interpreting your Dreams

The Trinity of Faith, Hope and Love

People You Know - Family, Friends, Co-workers, Bosses

Strangers, Vampire, Cheerleaders and Foreign Folk

10 Steps to Interpreting Your Dreams

You will know when you have a meaningful dream – it will hit you right between the eyes. It will wake you up in the middle of the night and the details will be clear.  You will remember this dream, even if you forget all the others.

So let's get to the bottom of it. Our dreams don’t use many words, the dreams use symbolic language. We all have a deep understanding of nature, people, animals, and the seasons, even us city dwellers. But often we are not aware of that, so we have to tease out the meanings with time and effort.

It becomes easier with practice.

Here are Ten Easy Steps to understanding the message of your dream.

1) Approach your dream with an attitude of thankfulness and appreciation. Be sincere about understanding it.

2) Write it down in narrative form, like a story. Do this as soon as you can, if possible without standing up or even rolling over.

3) Then pull out the keywords, symbols, things that don’t make sense. Leave a line or two between each word. Write down any words that you speak, a voice speaks, another person in the dream.

Note: This is the ‘Voice which must be heard’. It may be your soul or God speaking. It is the truth.

4) Record all the dream sequences even if they don’t seem related. They probably are related even if the settings change. Work through each one separately, and then consider how they relate to each other.

5) Relax and tell yourself, ‘I want to understand and I will.” Let your mind rest a little before starting.

6) Start working thru the symbols, one by one, write down associations, getting ideas from dream dictionaries, and regular dictionaries. Consider what the people in it might mean. They are often examples of characteristics you need to integrate into your life, or take as an example. Or perhaps they serve a useful purpose in the storyline of the dream.

7) Let your ideas sit. Walk away and come back later. Ideas may come to you in the meantime.

8) Sometimes you are really mystified. If a symbol doesn’t make any sense after a day or two, really dig in to it. How? Get out your colored pencils, pens, or markers and draw the dream, connecting related items. Often more details will come back to you. Did a character look like someone you know? Maybe the leaves were an intense green?

9) Look at the dreams you had a day, two days, or a week ago. Often your Unconscious will be stubbornly working on the problem for weeks or months, and will give you clues or important messages over a long period of time.

10) You should have a pretty good idea of the problem or issue that the dream is dealing with. You may not want to think about it, but if a dream has reached out and smacked you, then you can't ignore it any longer. Revisit your dreams searching for answers and advice on how to move forward. Where is the energy directed? What should you do with the new information?

Dreams are meant to help us to find ways through difficulties, uncover hidden truths, and reveal our strengths to ourselves. They are often comforting and supportive, and well worth understanding. As we learn to work with our dreams, if something is not making sense, it's OK to ask for more information from your dreams another night. The more we sleep, the more we find out. It's a really interesting process.

The Wearin’ of the Gray

The Color Gray, as a Dream Symbol

Many times a Color has jumped out in a dream with a deeper message for me. Sometimes the dream dictionaries have been helpful, but sometimes not. The suggestions I saw in dream books for Gray were around depression, uncertainty, or indecisiveness. Really?

Gray Dresses

For me, those meanings did not seem relevant at all and I’ll tell you why. The gray showed up in two different dreams as gray dresses both times. The first dress was a darker gray satin formal length gown with spaghetti straps.

A dream will often present more questions than answers. By thinking about and answering the question, you will bring the information from your Unconscious to you Conscious mind - and be able to act to transform your life and thinking. So why a gray formal gown – it’s so not a party color.

In the second dream, I was at a boutique, trying on different styles of clothes. I tried on a gray dress, but not just any gray dress! It was such as a very high-powered woman executive might wear, beautifully weighted cloth, conservative cut, nice movement and flow and soft, yet structures. Clearly a meaningful dress, unrelated to depression or indecision.

An Aha! Moment

I didn't have that‘aha’ moment until quite a few months later, as I was getting my hair colored, covering the gray. Aha!

Messages

Those dream dresses were about wearing my age proudly, confidently, along with whatever wisdom and insight I might now have. They were a message of elegance, faith, stature. They were a message about not being fearful that I’m not so young (I did not say old!). A message about not being afraid of middle life.

Sure, there are complications and challenges, but now I have some ways to understand and deal with the challenges, better than ever before. That comes with my gray hair.

Beyond Black and White

As with symbols, there can be more than one layer. I think these dreams had more – about Life not being black and white, it’s often gray. And our maturity, life experience, and self forgiveness help us deal with the gray – and each other – with understanding and grace.


I know I need that. So, Gray is great!

Dream Dictionaries for the Bookish

For those who might want to do some background reading and are looking for good references to help understand their dream life better, I have a couple of suggestions.

Jung - Foundational Research on Dreams and Symbols,

A fine place to start is Man and His Symbols, by Carl Gustav Jung. This is probably available at your public library, but if it is not, it is still in print. Dr. Jung researched dream phenomena extensively and his research is very helpful in understanding the purpose and intent behind our dreams. He also researched universal symbols that occur over and over again, across time and culture. The fact that many people experience the very same symbols in their dreams makes finding their meanings a bit easier. We can actually help one another.

Dream Dictionaries

I also own two dream dictionaries that I refer to constantly, along with the good old Websters dictionary. The first one is The Dream Book, by Betty Bethards, which has many good suggestions, especially on numbers, colors, and houses. Her focus is very much on the practical application of the dreams in our daily lives.

The other dream dictionary is Cloud Nine, A Dreamer’s Dictionary, by Sandra A. Thomson. The Cloud Nine dictionary has more words, and sometimes more extensive historical research that can include Alchemy, and even ancient Egyptian symbols and meanings.

I have to admit, my symbols are mostly shockingly mundane, which points to a misspent youth. But your dream symbols may indeed hark back to a much earlier time and be very interesting!

Feel free to post a comment.

Strangers, Vampires, Cheerleaders and Foreign Folk

Learning from People you Don’t Know.

In a previous blog, I discussed the meanings that can be found within the Dream Characters that seem to be people we know. Often they don’t represent themselves, but rather aspects of ourselves that may be growing, or attitudes or characteristics that we may adopt that can be helpful in our growth or development, possibly helping us deal with new tricky situations and puzzles in our lives.
This blog will talk about some of the Unknown people that populate our dreams. I think unknown people can also help us learn about ourselves and help us grow.

Why are they there?

First of all, why have Unknown People in our dreams at all? Don’t we know enough people already? The Psyche or Unconscious mind might have any number of purposes for populating a dream with unknown persons.
• maybe we don’t know anyone who would serve as a likely illustration
• maybe using a known person would distract us too much from the main message
• maybe the kind of person/character does not exist in the waking world – like a vampire. It’s going to be hard to find a real vampire in our actual lives
• Maybe a movie character is a better fit than someone we know?

Foreign People, Personal Messages

Foreign people - these can represent new characteristics that we might want to adopt, represented by people who don’t look like us, might have a different language or culture. They may represent things as unknown spiritual ideas, practicality, and deep emotional expression. These are my own examples and may differ very much from what you dream experience.

• I attended the wedding of an Indian couple. I believe this was a way of showing integration of male and female aspects. Why would I need to attend the wedding of an unknown Indian couple? I believe I had some things to learn about balance in my life, understanding more about bringing my whole self to bear in my work.

• A Chinese woman offered me a new job in Beijing, perhaps this was to help me open up to different kinds of opportunities.

• A Vampire once tried to bite me in a dream. When he got very close, he melted into me in a wave of heat. I believe the message was about living with, accepting that emotions should be expressed. I had to get down to where I lived and breathed, or bled.

Unknown Strangers – Actions Speak Louder than Words

• Unknown woman in my way – the one I describe here, looked a little like me, same height and hair, but I only saw her from the back… because she cut right in front of me and was in my way. Unfortunately, I think she was me, and I was in my own way! I needed to get out of my own way at that point in time.

• Unknown woman shooter – In this case again, it was not important who the woman was, what her clothes looked like, or what her name was. She followed me in a car. When I got out to see what she wanted, she took out a gun and shot toward me but missed. I have since concluded that she missed because those were warning shots. She was unknown because I don’t have any friends who would shoot at me.

Dreams with Teams and Cheerleaders

Cheerleaders - Maybe we don’t have a lot of cheerleaders in our lives or we just need some more. These represent us congratulating and cheering ourselves on, or it can be our Unconscious mind showing a lot of approval and support in new steps we are taking or must take soon.

Sports Teams – These are also a very supportive symbol. These are often a ‘great cloud of witnesses’ to our progress. They show us that we have extensive resources for growth. We should call on our waking friends, family, books, and other resources to fuel our growth.

Sometimes our dreams symbols point us to important learning that can broaden our perspective and show us how to live better. Sometimes they give direct input on how to run our waking lives, sometimes they give us support in our journey. They are all good – take time to get to know the people that show up in your dreams. They are there to help you.

Also, see the blog on People You Know.

The Trinity of Faith, Hope and Love

Uncovering Christian Dream Symbols - Diamonds, Blood, Feet



Collage of Dream Images for Faith, Hope and Love

It’s Carl Jung’s contention that Christian symbolism ubiquitous in our culture, regardless of whether we are religious people, people of faith, or neither – the symbols of the Jewish and Christian faith are embedded in our ideals, social constructs, ideas fairness, sacrifice, and connection with the spiritual world. The Unconscious mind will use the symbols available to deliver the message we need.

I had to wonder a bit about my own personal symbology, because Christian symbols were largely missing – no crosses, Sistine chapel type images, angels, and other things. I had assumed that my spiritual dream symbols would be ‘traditional’ – perhaps like the great art works of older times. Not so, as it happens. So, I had to wonder about myself a bit, since nothing like that was showing up.

Over time however, I found that the Trinity of Faith, Hope and Love showed continually blended together in subtle forms.  These are some of the ways that I believe the Spirit and my spirit were communicating spiritual truths, higher calling, comfort, and hope. If the number 3 appeared, it did not seem to refer to body, mind, and spirit, but rather Faith, Hope and Love. My Big 3.

Hope  is a Diamond

Diamonds represent hope to me, as in the famous Hope Diamond. I have seen the diamond symbol in promise rings, family heirloom rings, cards like the 9 or queen of diamonds, and baseball diamonds. One ring contained a pink diamond, a blood diamond in essence, combining Love and Hope in single ring which should not be lost. Rings have the additional reference to promises made, kept, and hoped for. Once the diamonds decorated a hope chest.

Love is our Lifeblood

Blood is the image that speaks most clearly of Love to me. Blood feeds our hearts and our whole body. Love is the very essence of what we are in this world, to each other, and to our God. There was scary vampire that laughed at me before he bit me. All my Christian incantations could not make him go away - he had a mission to get through my protective skin, to the real me, and let all of my emotion, love, and pain come out –an absolute necessity in dealing personal loss. Even a vampire can be an unorthodox helper. The Unconscious mind will find a person to do the job.

Leona Lewis singing Bleeding Love

Faith is in our Walk

I was mystified by the images of my feet in my dreams, especially my own bare feet walking on glass or gem stones, yet unharmed. I saw this image twice, months apart. It was a powerful image and I puzzled over it for some time. One day, in another context I thought, “The Apostle Paul would say that faith is in your feet.” And there was the symbol for me. And indeed it is. Not our words, our feet.

Sometimes, I think the Unconscious will swap out an image if you just don’t get it, or sometimes it will repeat it again, as if to say, “Seriously, you should get this one.”

Faith and Love messages also come into dreams through the Dream People or characters. They might be people of strong faith, or have faith names, (promises, peace, beloved). See my blog on Dream People.

When you realize the message contained in a very important dream symbol’s message, I believe you will often feel powerful emotion, gratitude, joy, even tears. I have no doubt that I will be hearing and seeing more about my three friends Faith, Hope and Love.

People You Know - Family, Friends, Co-workers, Bosses

Almost all of our dreams include ourselves and other people, many times people that we know in our conscious life. In our dreams, they can represent many things and it’s often a little tricky to figure out why they appear in a dream, or rather why your Unconscious mind has selected them for a role in the dream. My purpose in this blog article is to help you with the task of understanding the key characters that might show up in your dream.

Without being critical in any way of online dream sites, I have mostly found too general in their discussion of Dream characters. That is probably because we all know different people and how can you ever explain what they can symbolize. However, I’m tackling this subject in order to try and help other people who are fascinated with Dream life to understand their Dream people better.

People, Symbols and Meanings

Known people who epitomize a characteristic, this characteristic can be either positive or negative in actual life, but usually in a dream, the Unconscious is pointing out the person as an example of someone who has mastered something and we need to adopt some of that feature.

For the sake of this blog, and so that the innocent can be protected! the names of the actual people have been changed. However, these are all based on actual Dream People I have encountered!

Tyler - The Coach, Door Opener

I don’t actually know this person well, but he is a coach who gave my daughter a wonderful opportunity to try out a new sport. It was a wonderful new learning opportunity for her. When he pops up a dream, it’s a reminder of to appreciate the new doors that might open soon.

Zeke - The Torch Bearer, The Lover

This person, I knew something about in general terms but was not an intimate friend by any means. So, I kept thinking – what does he mean in my dream? responsible, mature? But I finally saw a dream in which the lighting came from a torchiere lamp and I knew! He is a man who carries a torch, loves from afar.

Christian friends, Church friends

I have many Christian friends who pop up in dreams and sometimes they represent themselves and sometimes they represent or reflect faith, hope or honesty, or peace, back to me.  If I hug or kiss them, then it’s a message about ‘hold to your Faith” or “keep the faith”.

James - It's all about Me.

This person was a sometime friend who was smart, charming and good looking. He probably still is. However, after knowing him for a while I discovered that his personal belief system was about one thing – doing exactly what he wanted and only considering himself. He would really admit and preach this. As a result he only looked after himself and his interest. It was puzzleing that he showed up years later in my dream. I had to wonder"Why would James show up now? He was always all about himself." And there was the answer. Yeah, he was about himself and if he is here in my dream, (golfing with me!) maybe that is a hint that a situation in my waking life requires me to take a page out of his book, the All About Me book.

Brian - the Fearless One

This friend is likely to start a new business, tour the world on a motorcycle, walk away from one occupation and create a new plan from scratch. He does not worry – he is The Fearless One.  When he is in a dream, he is chides me for being afraid to make changes, shows me how to live in the moment, to follow my dreams and passions. He is both a delightful friend and also a helpful dream symbol.

Compatible people

I used to work at a company called Compatible Systems. People from that past job started popping up in my dreams. It took a little while to realize that they did not so much represent themselves as the need to seek out work that was more compatible with me, and where the culture was more compatible.

Freeman, Free Man

Sometimes people's names will give us a clue. What does their first or last name mean literally? or what does it sound like? I had a duo of Freeman sisters show up in a dream series focused on the issue of being free, and being bound.

Janet - I have My Whole Life Ahead of Me

This young woman I knew many years ago and I remember her always saying, “I’m young, I have my whole life ahead of me.” In a dream context that was helpful in recognizing that we are always choosing our path and even at midlife, we have a lot of time left to do things that make us happy and fulfilled.

Really Looking

So, if a person is in your dream, I try to look at her or him from different sides, like turning a stone in your hand. Is she herself, the person? is she really a part of me calling me to the thing she represents? Does he the represent the same characteristic in this dream as in another one? How is he changed? How the same? Our friends and relatives are so interesting and we see many sides of them over time. They provide so much interesting material for the Unconscious mind to use.

I hope these examples might be helpful to the reader in discovering the wealth of meaning that Dream people represent. Take some time thinking about the meaning of our Dream characters.

Above all, they are there to help and we should never be afraid of them, only pleasantly surprised when our Unconscious serves them up.

Other Dream Blogs:

10 Steps to Interpreting your Dreams

The Trinity of Faith, Hope and Love

People You Know - Family, Friends, Co-workers, Bosses

Strangers, Vampire, Cheerleaders and Foreign Folk

Spiders, Spider Webs, and Weaving Dream Meanings