The Dream Dictionary

I was looking up a book on dream interpretation tonight at http://www.psychics.co.uk/dreams/homepage_dream_meanings.html. The book is called ‘The Hidden Meaning of Dreams’ written by Craig Hamilton-Parker. The website description goes on to say :-

“The book shows you how to remember your dreams and how to find out the psychological and mystical meanings that apply to specific symbols. The simple, alphabetical entries offer insights from different schools of psychology and references to ancient myths and superstitions from around the world, as well as psychic tips to help predict the future.”

To tempt potential buyers of the book some samples are given. A reader ask the question “I keep dreaming of car crashes. Do you think that my dream is a forecast for the future? I’m beginning fear driving.”.

The response to this situation given in the book is explained as follows :-

“Your dream is not necessarily a premonition of the future. Nightmares of this type reveal deep anxieties and fears. The car crash may symbolise your emotional state. Are you driving yourself too hard? Perhaps you should slow your life down a bit. If your life feels like it’s set on a course for disaster, examine your mistakes and resolve to set a new and better course.”

Full web page for this if you think you may be interested in learning more about this book is http://www.psychics.co.uk/dreams/nightmares.html.

You wouldn’t be on this site unless you thought the answer to this question was ‘yes’. Many people oppose this view of course and as I read an article on AskMen.com today, this question was briefly visited at http://uk.askmen.com/fashion/how_to_150/193_how_to.html. Here’s part of what I was reading :-

“Still, many academic psychologists are of the opinion that there’s no deep meaning to be found in dreams. For instance, Carl Jung believed that dreams do have meaning, but they’re so subjective and different for everyone that making sense of it all would be impossible. As you can see, there are many schools of thought on the subject.

Some are of the opinion that the reason we dream is to purge certain thoughts, emotions and memories from the unconscious mind, or to eliminate superfluous data that could upset the brain’s perfect chemical balance.”

If our dreams ARE significant (and I’m sure they are) then consider the following also posted in this article :-

“It’s believed that 64% of dreams are associated with anxiety, anger or gloom, 18% are exhilarating and joyful, and only 1% are of a sexual nature.”

I think many would certainly wonder why we only dream about sex 1% of the time !

Some good advice on the New Age Directory site. I was looking at their section entitled Dream Analysis & Interpretation (http://www.newagedirectory.com/dream/dreamanalysis.htm). One of their pieces of advice was as follows as regards eating and dreaming :-

“Food: Did you ever notice that when you take a nap after you’ve eaten lunch that you can have some crazy images go through your mind. The same thing happens at night too, because food can trigger some wild and wacky dreams. If you enjoy these psychedelic excursions, then take note of what you had to eat before hand and repeat the process. On the other hand, if you’re not interested, then take note of what you ate and make certain to avoid eating whatever it was. Food is one of the generators of dreams, which are not worth interpreting.”

Wikipedia should need no introduction as a huge on-line encyclopedia. Included on this vast resource is the following page which should interest you; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Interpretation_of_Dreams. This isn’t a general overview of dream interpretation but more specifically a look at Freud’s 1899 book on the subject. As Wikipedia states on it’s site :-

At the beginning of Chapter One, Freud describes his work thus:

“In the following pages, I shall demonstrate that there is a psychological technique which makes it possible to interpret dreams, and that on the application of this technique, every dream will reveal itself as a psychological structure, full of significance, and one which may be assigned to a specific place in the psychic activities of the waking state. Further, I shall endeavour to elucidate the processes which underlie the strangeness and obscurity of dreams, and to deduce from these processes the nature of the psychic forces whose conflict or co-operation is responsible for our dreams.”

Whichever way you look at it, undeniably http://www.dreammoods.com/ is a website that offers you plenty if you want to know more about your dreams. Many dream topics are covered such as “Types of Dreams”, “Common Dreams”, “Flying Dreams”, “Falling Dreams” etc.

Even more valuable to most of you though is the array of dream forums on offer through the website; General Dream Discussion, Lucid Dreams, Nightmares & Terrors, Dreams About Cheating, Mystic Dreams, Dreams About Celebrities, Rant And Rave, Fun And Games, Art And Literature and Spirituality.

Whatever you’re looking for, there’s a fair chance you’ll find it here !

Having read some absorbing material on http://www.webmd.com/content/article/79/96212.htm?=1836_81000_0000_fl_09 I arrived at the last paragraph and found what is most definitely a truism. When trying to seek an answer to a problem, sleep on it and revisit it in the morning. Amazing how the brain can work stuff out even when you’re asleep but it does !

Here’s what Leanna Skarnulis had to say on the subject (see heading ‘Dream Incubation’) :-

“You’ve probably had the experience of waking up in the morning with a creative idea or a solution to a problem. It’s an exhilarating feeling. Instead of waiting for it to happen, you can harness that power by incubating dreams. Pose a problem or question before you fall asleep, and the answer may be revealed when you awaken (Be patient. It takes practice). Freeman describes how to do it. “Start by writing down thoughts. What do I really want an answer to? If you’re troubled about a relationship, ask ‘How do I want my relationship with so-and-so to evolve?’ As you fall asleep, repeat the question over and over. In the morning write down the answer.”

“The question comes up, how are we smarter in our dreams?” asks Delaney. “I don’t know. But all cultures have expressions for it, such as ‘night brings good counsel’ and ’sleep on it.’”

Thought I would kick off by sharing a recurring dream of my own with you which is witnessing air crashes every so often. I checked this out at http://www.sleeps.com/dictionary/dictionary.html (check out the big letter index) and got a rude awakening :-

Airplane Crash

To dream of being in this event is a feeling of not only a dramatic negative change in your life, but also to everyone around you as well as your envorment. A very negative symbol and should be meditated upon. To dream of witnessing this event is symbolic of feelings of helplessness in the face of a great tragedy. In prohetic dreams this heralds a great change in the distant future (planes are associated with great distance). This change may not be negative.

What a fascinating subject ! This is something that really intrigues me and so I’ve decided to share some of my own observations from the internet with you.