As many different people there are on this planet, that is how many ways in which a dream can be interpreted.
When I first started exploring the world of dreams I fell upon Edgar Cayce (1877 -1945). Cayce was known as the "sleeping prophet" because of his ability to decipher individuals dreams while in a trance state. He had a seventh grade eduation, was a seer, a clairvoyant and is well-known for predicting such events as the World Wars and the Great Depression. I studied and used his methods for quite some time and they were my starting point into the world of dreams. Later, I became fascinated with the complex works of Carl G. Jung (1875 - 1961) which, for me, took the meaning of dreams to entirely new and exciting levels. His ideas about how dreams are the gateway to the individuation process motivated me to look deeper into their meanings and to hold them in a special place.
If you decide to start your journey with Edgar Cayce you will find that he offered techniques for deciphering dreams. Carl Jung, on the otherhand, does not offer a set method of interpretation. Either way, once you start paying attention to your dreams you will undoubtly come upon your own unique method of deciphering them.
The first thing you should do is start writing down your dreams. It does not matter whether you remember bits and pieces or whole chunks of information, each part is important and none should be discarded. You may also want to invest in a dream interpretation book but always keep in mind that your own interpretation of an image is just as relevant.
One method I have used to interpret dreams is to first write out the dream, collect your dream interpretations and then replace each symbol with its meaning. For example, below is a dream written out and next is the replacement of each symbol and then a simple interpretation:
1. Dream - "I am driving a car down a bumpy road. Before me are two tunnels and I have to choose which one to enter. I choose the right tunnel."
2. Replacement - "I am driving a (journey) down a (challenging) (path). Before me are (choices, conflict) (paths) and I have to choose which one to enter. I choose the (consciousness) (path).
3. Interpretation - From the above you can decipher that you are being asked to make a decision which up to this point has been challenging for you to get to. But you have made it. You must choose and your choice was consciouness. This means you have chosen to become aware of a certain aspect of yourself, your life or situation, knowledge etc. The next step would be to find out what's at the other end of the tunnel. That will be revealed in the next dream :)
The more you tackle your dreams the more intuitive you will become about what they mean.
Happy Dreaming!
copyright 2005 Nicole Rivera / SpiritQuest Network. Nicole is owner of *SpiritQuest Network,* an online community for the spiritual enthusiast. To learn more about your dreams, dream symbols and to participate in fun quizzes pertaining to dreams visit http://www.spiritquestnetwork.com