Dreams and Dream Interpretation

Without beating around the bush, dreams are images... moving images... archetypes... symbols... visual metaphors.

"Arche" means "ancient" or "old" in Greek. "Type" means a "mold" or "replica". Therefore, "archetypes" are the ancient symbols in the collective human psyche.

It should be noted (before I begin), that some archetypes will vary in meaning due to culture of a given society. For example, if I (an American) were to dream of a pig, it might mean "dirty". If a person from the U.K. were to dream of a pig, it might mean "greedy". But, if a Korean were to dream of a pig, it would mean "fortune", "eating well", "the good life".

HOWEVER, there are some archetypes that pervade all human cultures. For instance, a male figure in a dream would generally represent the role of providing sustenance for one's self and his/her family. A female figure would generally represent the role of homemaking and family relationships.

I like to think of dreams as visual metaphors. To learn more about metaphors, please click here.

Because of superstitions, many people mistake some of their dreams to be portents. This is SO UNTRUE. We humans have no more access to the future through our dreams, than we do in waking consciousness. HOWEVER, dreams DO often illustrate a POSSIBLE future, based upon current circumstances. It must be noted, however, that they are only possible futures, and we are the masters of our own destiny.

ARCHETYPE

MEANING

AGE

See "numbers"

ANGEL(s)

Angels in dreams could represent the spiritual part of our psyche; the superego; our inner sense of propriety (i.e, our morality).

OR... it could have been a real angel (or spirit guide) [by their fruits, ye shall know them].

P.S.

I have a whole page dedicated to angels (with some photos of some real angels).

Here is a sample:

ANIMALS

Aztec Crocodile

Japanese Cat

Mongol Wolf - Deer

Oriental Dragon

Fox

The significance of animals is very cultural. For example, to Koreans, a pig (in one's dream) is considered a very auspicious (lucky) dream (although dreams are not always what they seem); Whereas, in English cultures, dreams of a pig would vary in significance depending upon what the pig was doing and how it was fairing. Yet, since I cannot explain the meaning in all animals in all cultures, I'll give some examples from some cultures that I've experienced. (I can only discuss that which I'm familiar with.)

ANIMAL	AmerIndian Culture	USA/UK Culture	Chinese Culture	Korean Culture	Vietnamese Culture	Mongolian Culture
Alligator Crocodile	Power (Veneficia) Mayan Crocodile = Power over the Waters (Rain-bringer)	Deception	Good fortune (Garlock, 2013) (Alligators and Crocodiles may be the source of dragon legends)	None. See Dragons.	Power. See Dragons.	None. See Dragons.
Bear	protector courage strength leadership (source)	See "Lions, Tigers, and Bears"	Hero (source)	See Legend of Dan Gun. Also... 'Bear' is a metaphor for a slow-witted woman.	?	?
Cat	?	Black cat = wickedness, evil. Other cats = laziness, leisurely life, nine lives!	Long life (source) Also... good fortune	Koreans hate cats...they think that cats are inhabited by evil spirits.	Same as China	?
ANIMAL	Amerindian Culture	USA/UK Culture	Chinese Culture	Korean Culture	Vietnamese Culture	Mongolian Culture
Cow	?	Cow ^w/ plenty of milk = good times of plenty; Cow ^w/ no milk = bad times of leanness, famine	?	?	?	Food? (Cow's milk, Horse milk, Yak milk, and goat milk are the staple food in Mongolia)
Deer	?	Food (ancient food source)	Longevity; Promotion	?	?	Mongolians consider themselves progenitors of the Blue Wolf and the Red Deer. The Red Deer is the symbol of femininity.
Dog	?	"Man's best friend"	?	Stamina Food (dogs are eaten as a source of stamina)	Same as Korean	Protectors of humankind
ANIMAL	Amerindian Culture	USA/UK Culture	Chinese Culture	Korean Culture	Vietnamese Culture	Mongolian Culture
Dragon	No Dragons; See 'Crocodile'	Winged Dragon = Evil	Power; or Rain	Power; or Rain	Power; Rain/Water	Dragons represent natural phenomena (both good and bad)
Fox Coyote	Trickster	Cleverness	?	Cunning	?	?
Frog Toad	?	Ugliness?	Fertility (source)	Same as China	Same as China	None
ANIMAL	Amerindian Culture	USA/UK Culture	Chinese Culture	Korean Culture	Vietnamese Culture	Mongolian Culture
Horse	?	Vehicle; Work	?	?	?	Vehicle; Livelihood
Lion	Mountain Lion (Cougar) = leader, warrior. (source) Also...means: time to move! (source)	See "Lions, Tigers and Bears"	Protector from evil spirits; Also...represents: "Teacher"	Same as China	Same as China	Same as China
Pig	?	Dirtiness; Greed	Good luck; fortune	Same as China	Same as China	Same as China
ANIMAL	Amerindian Culture	USA/UK Culture	Chinese Culture	Korean Culture	Vietnamese Culture	Mongolian Culture
Snake	Good snake = Healing. Evil snake = bringer of storms and destruction. (source)	Deception	Good snake = Longevity. Evil snake = sinisterness and indifference (source)	Same as China	Same as China	?
Tiger	None.	See "Lions, Tigers, and Bears"	Protector Longevity	Same as China	Same as China	Same as China
Wolf	Many Amerindians consider themselves progenitors of the wolf. The wolf symbolizes strength, power, leadership.	Glutton; Aggressive; Voracious; Greedy	?	Aggressive	?	The Mongolians consider themselves progenitors of the Blue Wolf and the Red Deer. The Blue Wolf is the symbol of masculinity.

See also "trap" and "run".

SILVER

See "gold".

SPRING
(water spring)

See "fountain" and "water".

SUCCUBUS

If you are male, you might be seduced by a succubus. This represents your overactive libido, nothing to be worried about.

SWIMMING

- Swimming can be good or bad...

- To swim freely and without much effort (usually in clean, clear water) signifies good fortune.

- To try and swim, but to have difficulty in doing so, signifies trouble in one's real life (barely keeping one's head above water).

(SEE ALSO: DROWNING)

TRAP / trapped

To feel or be literally trapped in a dream signifies, feeling or being figuratively trapped in some situation in real life.

TREASURE

Treasure doesn't mean real treasure or financial wealth.

It is a metaphor/symbol of the true "treasures" in life, such as: abundance of peace, love, joy, etc.

If you are truly happy with your life, you may see treasure in your dream.

TREE / trees

- The meaning depends upon the kind and condition of the tree(s).
- In ancient times, trees were universal symbols of all life (all living things).
- A SMALL/SHORT/BABY TREE = a child
- A TALL TREE = an adult
- A HEALTHY TREE = a good, healthy, and spiritual and/or moral life
- AN UNHEALTHY TREE = a bad, unhealthy, and/or immoral life

UNIVERSITY

See "school".

UP = GOOD, DOWN = BAD

Going up in a dream signifies exultation and/or exaltation (but not in the religious sense). I mean it means climbing the so-called ladder of success.

VEGETABLES

- The meaning depends heavily upon the CULTURE, the TYPE and the CONDITION of the vegetable(s).

- AMERICAN ABORIGINES : CORN = one's living
- ORIENT : RICE = one's living
- THE WEST : BREAD = one's living

WASHING

In general, washing is a good thing. It signifies cleansing one's life.

Washing clothes = repentance; penance [Note: your born-again Christians probably would never have this dream, because their conscious paradigm is that they cannot cleanse themselves of their sins; In their paradigm only Jesus can wash their clothes.]

Washing dishes = cleaning up a mess (See also: "Cleaning"). If you dirtied the dishes yourself, then you are cleaning up your own figurative mess. If other people dirtied the dishes, you are figuratively cleaning up their "mess".

Washing your face = repairing your reputation. Ex.) egg on your face means your reputation has been soiled. Face = reputation in all cultures. "To lose face" means to lose your good reputation. So, washing your face means fixing your reputation.

Washing hands = you are absolving yourself from the sins (or dirty deeds) of others. Ex.) "I wash my hands of it."

See also "Cleaning".
See also "Bathing".
See also "Dirty".

WATER

- Water can have many meanings depending upon the situation...

- CLEAN / CLEAR WATER = good (fortuitous), especially bathing in it (see also bath).
- DIRTY / MURKY WATER = bad (unfortunate), especially if one is in the water.

- REMEMBER THE RULE: UP = GOOD, DOWN = BAD
- SINKING = BAD
- FLOATING = GOOD

See also: "bath", "drowning", "swimming".

WATERFALL

A waterfall could have two meanings, depending upon the context:
1. To see a beautiful landscape containing a beautiful waterfall, may not have any meaning by itself. (Pay attention to your feelings/emotions during dreams, for they are the only thing that can be taken at face-value).
2. To be going down a waterfall (see "down") is BAD. It means you are going DOWN.
See "DOWN" for more information.

WOMAN
(or women)

See "female".

ZOO

Seeing or visiting a zoo is not an archetype, the meaning would vary depending upon all the particulars of the dream.

If your dream seemed to focus on a particular animal, see "animals" (above).

PREFACE: If you want to save us all a lot of time, I can tell you what the dream was about right now... It was about some major event of the day just preceding the dream OR whatever was preoccupying your mind just prior to sleep. "Nahhhhhhhhhhh!" you say? "Bull Caca!" you say? Well, just follow the following step-by-step process of interpreting your dream and you'll see that I'm right.

STEP 1
Take stock of your emotions during the dream, for they are the only thing that can be taken at "face value" besides yourself. Whatever emotions you experience in a dream are REAL! They are perhaps the most important part of the dream for dream interpretation!

STEP 2
Write down the major symbols of the dream and look them up on the reference table of dream archetypes above.

STEP 3
If you cannot find a symbol on the table above, you may contact me (or for faster results try other websites).

STEP 4
Put it all together. You will see a thread or theme of the dream. That is what your dream is about. Look back to what happened just prior to sleep and you will see a correlation.

Example of Dream Interpretation:

On June 8, 2004, I had a dream just before getting up. I'll tell you the dream, then I'll interpret it for you.

I was back at home in the states and all the family was there, but it seemed to be long ago, not present day. For instance, I was younger, and my siblings were younger than they are now.

We were having a big feast, much like we used to on Christmas Eve. Suddenly, one of my younger brothers started choking on something. I was first to see, and called attention to my father, saying, "Dad, Dad! Look! J is choking!"

Dad and I ran over to him. Dad picked him up, but didn't know what to do. My brother was turning a dark purple in the face, signifying a lack of oxygen. I yelled, "Heimlich! Hiemlich!" But, my dad did nothing. I grabbed my brother and started administering the Heimilich maneuver. Nothing. I turned him over and pounded on his back. Nothing. My brother was starting to turn a pale blue, signifying a severe lack of oxygen. Finally, I stuck my finger in his mouth to initiate the vomiting reflex. As I did so, the pink color came back to his face and he smiled at me. I asked, "Are you okay?" and he nodded "Yes".

At first, when I awoke, I was at a loss as to the meaning of the dream, but as I began to analyze it rationally, the meaning became clear.

Saving a life means the resuscitation of a "dying" or "seemingly dead" project. My brother is male. That means it is a work-related project. He was the second closest brother to me chronologically, and the one that I mentored throughout our lives (yet the closest emotionally). I felt a great affinity for the brother in my dream. Thus the project is a very important project, one very dear to my heart.

For the past couple months I have been working on a work-related project (to find a job). It is a very desperate project, one very dear to my heart, because I need it to support my son and myself. I finally found one in a country, which shall remain nameless, but I was VERY worried that I would not get the work visa. In fact, after I sent all the necessary documents, it took a long time to get word back from my prospective employer. I was getting really worried. Yesterday, I received email that notified me that my work visa had been approved. Naturally, I was quite relieved.

I tried to find special meaning in my dreams. I hoped to communicate with God, or receive portents and omens for the future. I found none of that. All I found was a mirror. I saw myself (my life) replayed in my mind's eyes, each night. After approximately a decade of research into my own dreams, I became bored with the study. I did not need to be reminded of things I already knew. I did not find it to be a productive use of my time.

In conclusion, I'd like to say that things cannot be taken at face value in a dream, except two things: (1) yourself always represents yourself (your mind), and (2) your emotions. Everything else is symbolic. It would appear that our subconscious chooses to communicate with our conscious through imagery and not words. But, more often than not, our subconscious appears to "mirror" the experiences in our daily life.

I have made this page for you, my readers, in hopes of helping you understand your own psyche a bit better.

Does your child frequently have nightmares? Does he/she wake up screaming in the middle of the night? I hope I can help both of you. Read on...

First of all, it is probably not good to expose young children to scary stories or scary films; definitely NO horror films! They tend to believe them and are frightened by them, and will have recurring nightmares about them for many years. [I know! I have.]

Secondly, if the child is sick, the child will possibly see monsters (in his/her dreams) either trying to invade his/her home, or attacking his/her home, and this can be very scary. Tell the child that the little monsters (from the dreams) are symbolic of germs (bacteria and viruses); and the home represents one's body. Germs (such as bacteria and viruses) can be found in the air (around sick people) and in bad (spoiled) food and on the ground (especially in the soil). So, it is important to wash hands often. When those monsters (germs) get into our bodies, we have bad dreams (about them). Here, take this medicine; it will kill the little monsters (germs), so that you can sleep peacefully. [I have done this with my own child. It works very well.]

If the child is not sick, but still sees monsters, the meaning is that there is somebody in the child's life who terrorizes the child, and the child sees no way out (because he/she is too little and powerless to stop the terror). It is the duty of the parent to find out who or what it is that terrifies the child. It could be a bully at school, or worse (but I won't go into that, you know what I mean).

Our children are extremely sensitive and lack the ability to deal with terrifying things. [I have learned that what we adults call "common sense" is NOT innate, but rather a learned phenomenon; Children are NOT born with so-called 'common sense'. We have to teach them 'common sense'!] It is our duty as parents to provide terror-free environments for our children to grow up in. Sometimes that is impossible. In such cases, it is the duty of parents to help their children cope with potentially terrifying situations.

For instance, the first day of school can be a terrifying experience. The night of the first day of school can produce nightmares. Teaching the child how to make new friends can be a great stress-reliever for a child. Children are not born with the knowledge about how to make friends, you know.

Bullying is a huge problem in America's schools (and all around the world). It is terrible that children should have to be subjected to such atrocity. For more information, see my issues in education page. I have been exposed to bullying when I was in elementary school, and it was truly terrifying. I wouldn't be surprised it resulted in my recurring dreams when I tried to run, but couldn't, and tried to scream, but couldn't.

Believe you me, if I ever see a child bullying another child, I will do everything in my power to stop it.