Most of us have at least 4-5 different dreams every night, so it’s no wonder that dreaming plays a big part in our lives. Apart from being just another state of reality, dreams act as our internal therapist, giving us signposts and warnings to things we overlook during our waking hours.
Getting Started
The first thing you will need is a dream diary or journal. Keep it next to your bed and record everything you remember the moment you wake up. It’s important to record everything, even if it doesn’t make sense, otherwise you could miss out on some important details. How many of us have remembered our dreams upon waking, only to forget them entirely an hour or so later.
Analysing Dreams
The subconscious mind communicates to us through symbols. That’s why it can often be difficult to interpret what your mind is trying to tell you. It will pluck out all sorts of strange and wonderful symbols in the hope that you will be able to make a connection. Remember, our dreams are our own so what makes sense to you, may not make any sense to someone else.
The first thing I would recommend at this point is to put your dream dictionary away. While there are some symbols that share the same general meaning, the most important thing about dream intrepretation is the context of the dream and how it made you feel. To make things even more difficult, some symbols have multiple meanings. For example, a snake can mean hidden fears and worries or it can represent healing and transformation. Ultimately, interpretation comes down to the context of the dream.
Because dreams are coming from your subconscious mind they are generally issues that have been suppressed. To successfully analyse your dreams, you will need to be completely honest with yourself and be prepared for critical self enquiry.
The following are some guidelines to work with when interpreting your dreams:
Dream Symbols
When working with dream symbols, try not to take the dream too literal or allow logic to get in the way. Look for metaphors and what the dream symbolizes. Remember, some symbols have different meanings so it's important to consider the context of the dream. The following are some common dreams and what they generally symbolise:
Flying – freedom
Falling – insecurity, lack of control
Water – emotion
Stuck – lack of confidence, fear of moving ahead
Moving upwards – moving forward in life, pursuing goals
Moving downwards – suppressing thoughts into the subconcious
House – represents self. Different rooms in a house represent different aspects of self.
Finally, we all have the answers to our problems. Our dreams are a way in which we can access those hidden parts of ourselves and bring the answers to light. Learning to analyse your dreams can give you a wonderful opportunity for personal insight and spiritual growth.