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Typical Dreams & Nightmares Symbols Dream Trivia Your Dreams next: dream journal |
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Typical Dreams & Nightmares Symbols Dream Trivia Your Dreams next: dream journal |
| Falling,
flying, turning up naked in public, running away from dark shadows or
monsters, hiding from danger and meeting loved ones. These are among the
popular and typical dreams that people have today. The amazing thing about
dreams is that even if two people have the exact same dream (i.e. they
dream of flying) the meaning and significance of both dreams will not
necessarily be the same. Why? Basically, it is because different people
have different perceptions, ideas and views about the world and
themselves, so the same "things" have different meanings to
different people. For example, if you and I dream of a cat tonight, I
might think of the dream as a threatening one because it (consciously or
unconsciously) reminds me of the time my mother told me that cats are the
companions of evil spirits. Similarly, if a man with an inferiority
complex dreams of flying, he may just be indulging in a pleasant dream
that is showing him what is lacking in his life and articulating that he
can do more with it. However when a proud, overbearing and self-centered
man dreams of flying, the dream may only mean to highlight the foolishness
of this man's grandiose perception of himself. This is why none of us
should blindly consult a dream manual, look up the meaning of a symbol or
a word, and deduce the meaning of our dreams independent of own careful
consideration and intelligence; no two people are exactly the same, and a
prescribed "key" to dreams does not cater to this.
According to Jung, some symbols are universal. He presents lucid and convincing arguments about the widespread use and timeless nature of our basic symbols, which he says stem from the collective unconscious. Whether this is true or not, you should probably decide yourself. And even if you do believe in this, you should probably realize that just as language is made up of symbols and can be misinterpreted or misunderstood or just create a slightly different understanding in different people, dream symbols and symbols by themselves can be misinterpreted, misunderstood or just minutely altered so as to make their true meaning to the individual unique. Jung himself advocated that all interpretations of symbols should be sensitive to subtle and differentiated elements in the individual and cultural context. He opposed giving symbols any type of "intellectually formulated, stereotyped meaning" (Freeman) because he knew it would be foolish. |
More on Symbols
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Freud, a cowboy hat can represent a male's genitals, while the act of
wearing a hat suggests intercourse. This is not incompatible with Jung's
understanding of the word symbol, although Freud's definition of symbols
is limited by comparison. To Jung, any word or image is symbolic when it
implies something more than its obvious and immediate meaning. A flag, an
animal, a totem, the concept of God and the devil, are all symbols. The
symbol is not necessarily sexual and in most cases it will not be
completely understood by humans. Jung wrote that "as the mind
explores the symbol, it is led to ideas that lie beyond the grasp of
reason. The wheel may lead our thoughts to the concept of a
"divine" sun, but at this point reason must admit its
incompetence; man is unable to define a "divine" being ...from
experience." Symbols are used in dreams to sideline the taboo (to
paraphrase Freud) or to hint at the forces that are acting on one's life
or are absent from it and lacking (to paraphrase Jung). Whatever the case,
symbols are an important component of dreams and most dreams are
completely saturated with them. Some may be personal symbols (a parakeet
may symbolize the day you realized you aren't a bad person but it will
just be an ugly bird to someone else) and some are part of the collective
unconscious. (Jung believed that animals are a universal symbol for
religion)
The process of decoding symbols in one's waking life or in dreams is a personal affair and it is very complex. In any case no one has actually been able to conclusively decipher and prove the universal meaning of symbols. Jung showed that there are many basic symbols (archetypes) that represent the shared concerns, elements and experiences of humans, and comes the closest to shedding some light on this affair. The fact that symbols haven't been and possibly can't be cracked is another good reason why nobody really understands the way dreams work, or what dreams mean when they use these symbols. All we can do is try to find a rational and unbiased interpretation of our dreams and their symbols based on our limited knowledge of ourselves. |
Starting Off
| If you feel that you want to give your dreams a chance, you might as well start doing it seriously. Start a Dream Journal. There's nothing mystical or superstitious about this, and you'll have something pretty interesting to read and share with others if nothing else. After writing down all you can remember about the dream, use the form below as a checklist and a guideline to recording your dreams. Remember to get all the details of your dream down as soon as you wake up, leave paper and a pen by your bedside for this purpose for best results. If you don't feel like writing it all the time, submit a few entries occasionally or whenever a really interesting or disturbing dream hits you. Bookmarking this website may result in significant psychological growth too (HINT). |
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1. What happened in the dream? How did you feel when you woke up? 2. Where was the dream set? 3. What was the overriding feeling (fear, hope, love, anger) you got in the dream? 4. Who else was in the dream, what significance is there in their being in this dream? 5. What else was in the dream, and what is their significance? 6. What is the obvious (ostensible, superficial) reason you dreamt this dream? (e.g. because you're in love with the main character, it superficially explains why you dream of this person) 7. What deeper significance can be drawn from the dream after closer and detailed examination of the dream symbols (if any) and any peculiarities in the dream? 8. Is this a recurring dream, and can you explain why it is, or when you are most likely to dream it? 9. Your interpretation should be emotionally satisfactory and completely rational. If you can't do that yourself get a friend to help you along, but make sure your friend doesn't persuade you to see things that aren't there. Be careful not to hide the truth from yourself and pay particular attention to the possibility that you don't want to know the truth. Even though there are many weaknesses in this method and many ways to misinterpret your dreams, only you can weed out the lies, cast aside the doubts and decode your dreams. |
Dream Trivia
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The Egyptians built temples in honour of Serapis, the god of dreams, and sometimes people slept inside the temples in the hope that they would meet Serapis and be healed or told what to do to be healed. Dreams are described at length in more than seventy passages in the Bible. In many ‘primitive’ cultures dreams are an important extension of reality. For example, people would believe that dreams foretell the future, and contain important warnings and directions dispensed by spirits or spiritual guides. Some
societies treat dreams as reality, including the Cherokee Indians who
would treat clansmen who dream of being bitten by a snake as if they had
really been bitten. |
