An In-depth Look at Understanding Your Dreams
Understanding your dreams can be far easier when you know how to
approach them. After interpreting dreams over that last 15
years, I've found it important to keep in mind the importance of
3 main ingredients in making dreams more understandable and
therefore, more useful to the dreamer. What the point of
interpreting a dream if you do not relate it you to, the
dreamer? That is what these three main aspects will aid you in
accomplishing.
The first aspect is the universal dream symbology. It has been
said that no one can interpret a dream except you. In many ways
this is true. No one symbol will mean a specific thing for each
and every dreamer. For example, in this universal dream
symbology, animals represent habitual thought patterns. Again,
keep in mind we are taking about dreams on a universal level.
The reason you can interpret dreams on a universal level is
because we view things in a universal way. You have probably
heard the saying, "Bob is a creature of habit." Why do we say
"creature of habit?" It is because we view creatures, or animals
as acting in habitual ways. Your pet cat, for example, likes to
eat at a certain times of day, likes to sleep at certain times
of day, and may want to go outside at certain times of day. This
is just one example. But it is a universal perception that
creatures act out their lives in an habitual way. Our inner
subconscious mind is wiser than we know. It uses this universal
symbology to communicate how we are creating our lives, through
our dreams. The universal dream language is a language of
function. Look at how we view the working of things in our
society and this will give you a clue as to the workings of this
language.
Once you have identified the meaning of the symbol, it is
important to identity what the action of the dream is in
relation to the symbol. For example, if you dream of a cat, we
know that this represents some type of habitual thought pattern
in the dreamer. But, if you are petting a cat versus killing a
cat in your dream will mean two entirely different things to the
dreamer. If you are petting a cat in your dream, this means you
are very much indentifying with this habitual thought pattern in
your waking life. It could be over eating, smoking, or how you
relate to other people on an habitual level. On the other hand,
if you kill a cat in a dream, this means you have caused a
change in yourself in regard to this habit. Death, or the act of
the killing, represents change in this universal dream
symbology. So, as you can see, it is important to recognize the
action taking place in regard to the universal dream symbology.
The dreamer will ultimately need to make the connection between
the symbol and his or her waking consciousness. Our dreams are a
reflection of our consciousness. The more aware we are of this,
the easier it will be to identify what your dream is trying to
communicate to you.
The third and last ingredient in making your dreams more
understandable is the emotion in the dream. Take note of how you
felt while your dream was happening. Were you happy or sad? Calm
or excited? The emotion you experience in your dreams will
reflect how you were expressing your emotions in your waking
state. Take note the next time you are excited or sad during
your day and whether or not this shows up in your dream as well.
To review, recognize that our subconscious mind does communicate
to us using universal dream symbology. Look at the function of
the symbol. How does it function in your waking state? This will
clue you in at to what the dream is telling you. Determine what
the action is in the dream as it relates to the symbol. As you
do this, you will come closer to accurately identifying what the
dream is saying. And thirdly, identify what your emotion is in
the dream. as it relates to the symbol and the action. As you
feel in your dreams, you feel in your waking state. There is an
intimate connection between the inner and outer self as they
will always mirror each other.
The subconscious mind really does make it simple to understand
your dreams. Use these three aspects to dream interpretation and
you'll be a dream master before you know it.