How to Interpret Your Dreams

There are several different kinds of dreams. There are prophetic dreams, which are very rare in most people. That's when you dream of an airplane crash, or a bombing, or the unexpected death of someone. Those are straightforward. If you have one, record the details upon awakening, and check the news.

The second kind I call the "taking out the trash" dreams. These are nonsensical dreams composed of bits and pieces of things you did or saw during the day. It's your brain cataloging the day's events. These are usually very short and fairly meaningless.

The third kind are the dreams you might want to interpret. These are strange dreams, which you remember when you wake up, and have a feeling that you want to know more.

If your dreams interest you, keep a notebook or journal beside your bed and write them down as soon as you wake up. Don't get out of bed first. Keep a small flashlight handy in case you wake up in the middle of the night with a dream you want to remember.

Dreams are very personal things. Many people have written books, and put up web sites, with vast lists of symbols, supposedly telling people what their dreams mean. I have looked at many of these books, and web sites, and I don't feel they are entirely accurate. For instance, a dog means something different to everyone. As do teeth.

When I was a child, I was scared of dogs after being bitten. A dog dream would have frightened me. Now I own a dog, so a dog dream is a positive thing. Dream guides variously say that dogs in a dream are good omens, meaning you have many friends but a barking dog means your friends are unfriendly; or a barking dog means bad, depressing news; or a dog means you have a forgotten skill.

Teeth are another common item dream symbol (I thought I was the only one!). I keep forgetting to make my dentist appointment, so dreaming of teeth for me is a just a reminder. But teeth are variously said to symbolize: lying, fear of losing someone you love, or that your health or business is failing.

So basically, going to different books or web sites will give you totally different interpretations. The people who came up with these ideas don't know you. They are using generic symbols which may or may not work for you. Even your best friend or spouse can't interpret your dreams as well as you can.

Before you go to any web site or book, do a little brainstorming. Write down all the symbols and people and events in the dream. Let's say I had a dream that the pope was driving in a convertible blue Corvette Stingray with butterflies around his head. I could look all these elements up in a book and get something that has no meaning for me. Or I could look at each element.

A therapist I know says every element in the dream, especially the people, are all aspects of the dreamer. Even if you dream of your best friend, you aren't dreaming of your best friend, but of the qualities you SHARE with your best friend.

The pope is a head of a spiritual order, a very holy and religious man. But I am not Catholic, so I respect the pope, but I don't worship him. So I am dreaming of the part of me which is very spiritual, but perhaps I don't give it all the respect it demands.

A car is a very basic symbol in dreams, meaning that you are moving forward in life, or it's your ego, or it's your body (the "thing" you travel in). So my spirituality is moving forward, in a very flashy vehicle. What does a convertible blue Corvette Stingray mean to me? I've never owned one, known anyone to own one, or driven in one. But they are my father's favorite car. Blue is my favorite color. And a convertible is open to the air. That can be seen as free or exposed, depending on the point of view.

And lastly, the butterflies. Butterflies are seen as your persona (social butterfly)-a person flitting around and unserious about life; or as fleeting beauty; or as a measure of creativity. However, due to some of my spiritual training, butterflies to me are a symbol of rebirth. My subconscious/unconscious has no idea what the web sites and books claim butterflies mean. It knows what I think, and I think they mean rebirth. This is just one of the many ways in which a dream book or site can lead you astray in figuring out your dreams.

Now I can brainstorm. I'm comfortable with writing, or you may want to talk it out with a friend (or a pet). I write down everything that the pope means to me-what does he symbolize? And then the elements of the car-that it's a Corvette, the color blue, the convertible aspect. And even the scenery of the road it was driving along-was it woods, or open fields, or through a city? All of that means something. And finally the butterfly.

Really, only after all the brainstorming, would I turn to a dream book or web site to find additional meanings, and only if I couldn't come up with something.

When you start looking at dreams this way, when all the parts are aspects of your own personality, all sorts of new symbolism will open up to you. If two people are fighting in your dream, that's two pieces of yourself that aren't getting along. Once you've figured out what is in conflict in your mind, you can take steps to minimize or eliminate that conflict in your life.

It can take some time to shift gears and accept responsibility for your own dream images. But doing so can be very rewarding.