Dreams and Dream Dictionary
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The artwork is something all vivid dreamers will appreciate – in fact it looks like something right out of a lucid dream. The 16 month calendar is 12″ x 12″ and is ready and willing to take your breath away.
Click through the link or the picture for a closer look.
I always, always, always recommend that my readers keep a dream journal.
Dream analysis is utterly fascinating and the best way to get ALL you can from the experience is to keep a dream journal. Even if the dream seems unspectacular and commonplace, you should write down the details.
For example, in your dream journal you should include the following information:
You don’t have to go into great, lengthy details in your dream journal (unless you want to, of course!). You can simply write down a series of words and names. Just remember to include HOW you felt during and after the dream. You don’t even HAVE to have an actual dream journal, you could most definitely use an old notebook! However, don’t use random loose sheets of paper. Why? They’ll inevitably get lost and unorganized. What you’re looking for is a pattern. You need to see what dream symbols you frequently dream about and what people show up often in your dreams.
You also want to watch for situations or emotions that recur in your dreams. Do you often lose things in your dreams (a sign that you feel overwhelmed)? Are you often mistreated in your dreams (a sign that you feel like a victim)? So, as you can see, it will greatly benefit you to have your dreams chronicled in a very organized and ordered manner.
Why What’s Happening in Your Life at the Time Matters
You want to include what’s going on in your life at the time of the dream. For example, if you’re feeling stressed at work, write it down! You’ll be able to see what sort of dream symbols and situations occur when you’re dealing with stress in your life. Also… and this is pretty cool…. you’ll often find out exactly WHAT or WHO is causing you the most stress! If you have recurring “frustration” dreams and a certain co-worker consistenly shows up in them, he or she is a source of your stress and frustration. It could be one small thing they do (or fail to do) that irritates you or it could be every single thing about them! On the other hand, the stress could possibly come from the fact you don’t know how to handle or deal with them. Only you will know for sure.
The thing is, the dream journal and your entries in it will give you a great place to start looking for the root of your stress.
Emotions we feel during the day impact our dreams like nothing else. If we experience FEAR during a movie, for example, we’ll probably face it again in an upcoming dream. That’s why we always say, “I dread my dreams tonight!” after seeing horror movies. We know all too well the fear factor will rear its ugly head again!
The same is true with other emotions. If we feel angry or annoyed, something will probably happen in our dreams that angers or annoys us. It’s as though our dream tries to sort out the strong emotions by “acting out” similar scenarios. Also, if we’re feeling particularly close to someone, we may have dreams that are very pleasant, positive, and even romantic.
This is why it’s so important to jot down a few words about how you’re feeling in “the real world” at the time of the dreams.
I hope you’ll strongly consider keeping a dream journal. The benefits are amazing and, trust me, you’ll have a really fun time!
The Bedside Dream Journal: A Nighttime Memory Book
Hole in the Road Dreams: What they mean and why it matters!
A recent dreamer submitted a frustrating dream they were having for analysis. This dream involved a hole in the road that they knew they had to avoid. In fact, in the dream, they were aware of the fact that falling in the hole meant certain death.
The funny thing was, they could see into the hole and it was only about a foot deep and beautiful yellow flowers were on the bottom! The dreamer wondered why such a shallow, innocent looking hole would elicit such fear in the dream. As he/she pointed out, “… the thing that had me so frightened during the dream, and even after I first woke up, seems silly now. It looked like a flower bed that had sunk about a foot!” However, the dreamer also mentioned that this was actually one of the worst nightmares they’d had in a long time and that they woke up “frightened” and “breathing heavily.”
While it may seem that avoiding the hole would have been easy, the hole in the dream was on a very narrow road that the dreamer HAD to travel on. They simply HAD to get past the hole without falling in. Dreams are amazing like that, we just KNOW something but most dreamers have no idea where the knowledge stems from. What makes these dreams even more fascinating is the fact that the knowledge does stem from someplace… the dreamer’s subconsciousness. Which is, of course, why dream interpretation is so important and fascinating – our dreams truly do let us know what’s going on deep in our minds and hearts.
In the dream of the hole in the road, the dreamer KNEW that the innocent-looking hole was deadly. While this may be a bit extreme for what lies in their day to day world, make no mistake about it: There is something in their life that spells trouble. Whether it’s a relationship, hobbies, a goal, plans, job, etc… There is something that, while on the surface seems innocent (as lovely perhaps as a flower bed), could spell disaster. Deep in the dreamer’s subconsciousness, they know it.
The thing about this dream that worries me most is how the dreamer felt during the dream and upon waking. So much about a dream’s interpretation lies in how the dreamer felt (or feels). The intensity of the feelings indicates that the potential danger that lies within the dreamer’s real life isn’t something they should play around with. When our dreams are this intense and bring about such strong emotions and feelings, make no mistake about it, our subconscious mind REALLY wants us to listen!
Of course, changes in our lives shouldn’t be made on the grounds of a dream alone. The dream should serve as a reason to look more closely at what’s going on in our lives.
If you’ve ever had a dream about a hole in the road (or along your path) that you were afraid of falling in, realize that it’s symbolic of something in your life – something that you’re afraid of “falling into” or “falling prey to.”
Some people, who have recently quit smoking, will have hole dreams. The dream symbolism is that they’re afraid of falling back into a harmful habit. Many times, realizing that their subconscious mind fears for their well-being is JUST the extra incentive they need to avoid the pitfalls while awake as surely as they do in their dream.
Have you ever personally had hole dreams. Do you realize what the hole in the dream symbolized? Share your dream and experiences in the comments!
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Hey! Where’d everybody go?!
What does it mean to dream of being left behind? If you dream that you have been left behind, it is symbolic of an inner feeling of inadequacy. Many people feel that this type of dream means they have been wronged in some way or that others don’t like them. In all actuality, however, dreaming of being left behind has absolutely nothing to do with anyone else. It’s all you, sport!
This is the perfect example of why I always say that dreams can be very helpful in self improvement and self growth. When we get tuned in to our dreams and dream symbols, we’ll realize just how much they tell us about ourselves. We can then, of course, take this information and use it constructively and proactively.
If you have a dream where you have been left behind, mark it down: There is something about you that you feel insecure or unsure about. It could be physical or it could not be physical! Below are just some of the areas in a person’s life that could cause them to have feelings of insecurity:
The list, of course, goes on and on. The point is, the insecurity could come from just about anyplace – only the dreamer knows for sure. However, there may be clues in the dream that point to the area of insecurity. Look for the following four clues:
Here’s a completely different dream about being left behind: What if YOU are the one leaving someone or something behind? This type of dream has a different meaning, all together. If you dream that you have or are leaving someone, something, or someplace behind, the symbolism is that you are “leaving behind” the past. This could be a bad habit, a feeling of guilt, anger or resentment toward someone in particular, etc. It could also symbolize leaving a job, school, home, or relationship.
If you’ve had any dreams similar to these, please tell us about them in the comments!
Snake dreams continue to be the most popular type of dream here on Dream Prophesy. The reason for this is pretty clear and totally understandable, however that’s of little comfort when someone has such an unsettling dream!
The reason snake dreams are so popular and common is this: Snakes are (deservedly or not) a universal symbol of everything evil, wrong, scary, frightening, and bad.
Thanks, Eve.
Snakes represent, to most of us anyway, great fear and uncommon anxiety. Granted, there are those who love snakes with the same type of adoration the rest of us have for our cats, dogs, birds, guinea pigs, rabbits, hamsters, and so on. As a matter of fact, when a lot of people talk about their beloved pet, they’re referring to a snake. And when these snake-lovers have dreams about snakes, they usually symbolize something entirely different. When they dream about snakes, they’re no more alarmed that I would be if I dreamed about cats. As someone with four cats, this is completely common for me and I never give it a second thought.
For most of us, however, snakes do represent BAD (fear, anxiety, frustration…). Common symbol for BAD = A common dream.
Here’s something that I find to be extremely fascinating. I’ve been a dreamologist for over 10 years. That’s a lot of dreams to be analyzed and studied! I’ve noticed something over the years that fascinates me. MANY adults who work with kids, particularly teachers, frequently have a similar dream involving snakes:
They’ll confront a snake (or another representation of evil) that they’re trying valiantly to destroy. Many will even say things like, “I know it’s going to hurt a lot of people and I want to stop it…” However, they can’t get anyone to get on board with them and help out. The frustration of the dream stays with these dreamers as much as the image of the snake or snakes do. One of the reasons I believe this is so common is that teachers, undoubtedly, often feel very much “up against it.” They love kids and sincerely want to help them. They’ve dedicated their lives to them, so they obviously feel very strongly about young people. However, they can’t do everything.
They feel very overwhelmed, at times, due to a lack of parental support and/or a lack of support from the school system, principal, school board, etc. Teachers aren’t even paid as much as they deserve – no doubt the frustration sometimes gets to them. How could it not? Although most handle it admirably and you’d never really know the lack of support they sometimes encounter, their subconscious mind ALWAYS knows. the subconscious mind realizes just how much the individual sometimes feels as though he or she is fighting for a child or children without anyone backing them up.
Enter the snake.
Honestly, this is such a recurring theme for people involved in education and kids that books could be written. Needless to say, the theme is actually beautiful – the thought that people who are in charge of kids care so much about “saving” them and protecting them that it carries over to their dreams.
Snakes, for most people are dream symbols for something (anything, really) that’s evil, bad, scary, or undesired in any way. When we have things on our mind during the day that are negative, to put it simply, they show up in our dreams dressed as snakes.
Appropriate attire for evil.
Whether you work with kids or not, snakes symbolize something that you are afraid of, intimidated by, anxious about, or worried about. It may be a tiny seed of fear deep inside of you – one that you barely even know exists. The thing is, your subconscious mind knows it’s there. Dreams are its way of getting the fear out into the open, allowing you to confront it and deal with it.
If, like teachers, you find yourself trying to do something about the snake but can’t seem to find any support or help – your dream interpretation is similar to the teacher’s. You feel, in your waking life, a lack of support from the people around you. You often feel that you’re fighting a battle alone.
Snake dreams will usually subside once you realize that this fear, and possible isolation, exists. A word of caution, however: As with all unsettling dreams – try very hard not to dwell on them, especially right before going to sleep. Doing so only invites the dream to RECUR, and when it comes to snake dreams, that’s the last thing any of us want.
This is a common type of dream, but it’s one that few people really want to own up to.
Have you ever dreamed that something bad happened, or was about to happen to someone you love, as you watched? A recent reader recently sent me a dream to analyze that involved her watching as her husband was robbed by someone dressed as Richard Nixon.
How amazing is that?!
Anyway, she said that she watched as her husband handed over all of his money to “President Nixon.” She wanted to help her husband, especially since at one point it looked as though he was about to be hit on the head with a bat, but she was frozen in place.
When analyzing dreams, I often go with my initial gut reaction and this time I felt 110 percent confident with it. After complimenting her brain on its creativity (!!!), I e-mailed her back something along these lines:
While we often dream about something happening to our loved ones as a reaction to being worried about them (even more than usual) – we often dream these types of dreams when we’re upset with them – even incredibly angry at them! This dream would be that type of dream. The fact that the husband was the only one in any sort of danger indicates that he alone is on the recieving end of negative feelings. The good news is that since he wasn’t actually harmed, the feelings weren’t terribly bad!
Something else that’s interesting is the symbolism of money. The fact that the husband had to give all of his money away, while the wife retained her own purse and possessions indicates that the negative feelings spring from a financial disagreement, difference of opinion, or even resentment.
The only thing that mystified me was the Richard Nixon mask. I kept wondering why him? I went over a few things in my mind, such as what he represented:
I simply e-mailed her my thoughts, ignoring our ex-Presidentfor the time-being. I got an e-mail back within a few hours. It was filled with exclamation marks, because she thought I’d nailed it.
Apparently, her husband had recently spent a great deal of money on purchase that she felt was frivolous. She explained how they’d argued, how she had wanted a kitchen hutch, how he had stormed off to sit and sulk in McDonald’s for 3 hours (I love this guy! – I pointed out how lucky she was that he drowned his anger in milkshakes as opposed to something else!).
Then, she said the magic words that solved my Nixon mystery – she said that on the day he’d gotten his bonus check, he called and said he’d be home a few hours late, that he had to “pick something up.” She thought the something was the kitchen hutch she’d been eyeing for months. SO, when McDonald’s Mike (not his real name) showed up with a golfer’s dream set in the pick-up rather than a wife’s dream, she was floored. She said she met him outside and lit into him. She told him that it all felt like a “dirty trick” – aha! That’s where the Richard Nixon mask came in! Tricky Dicky strikes again.
It reminds me of the time my oldest two daughters had a HUGE fight when they were younger. The oldest one told me the following day that she’d had a dream that her younger sister was attacked and eaten by a crocodile. I asked, “Awww, are you upset by the dream?” (I was ready to reassure her that it was just a dream, and that nothing like that would ever happen.) My speech wasn’t necessary, though, because when asked if she was upset by the dream, she just said, “No, not really.” Then she smiled and went outside to ride her bike!
A Recently Submitted Dream for Analysis:
I always dream about not being able to find my way somewhere, or not being able to find something that I knew was there before. I either can’t find my way home, or can’t find my way out of a house, or can’t find the proper road, etc. Last night’s dream – I put my bag in a post office box (that was on the outside of the post office for some reason), and then when I went to find it, I couldn’t. I went up and down streets looking for the box I put my bag in, but couldn’t find it. One other time, I was trying to find my way home and kept walking on different roads that kind of looked familiar, but were not the roads I needed to get home. One other was I was in a house with many rooms, and could not find my way out of it. All my dreams are like this, and I wake up before I find my way. What does this type of dream mean?
Fascinatingly enough, your dreams are actually covering several areas. They’re taking you by the hand and pulling you in several directions. It’s a wonder you aren’t completely frazzled!
Dreams of Being Lost
The key symbolism for dreams in which we lose our way (or can’t find it in the first place) is frustration. It’s a pretty common dream theme, simply because all of us are familiar with being frustrated. Whether it’s in school, at home, at work, or in a relationship – we all know the feeling of wanting something to go THIS way as we sit and watch it defiantly go THAT way instead!
Many Christians will experience dreams such as this when they feel that they’re “losing their way,” or that they aren’t reading their Bible often enough, praying enough, etc. I interpreted a dream for a lady,once, who had gone to her Catholic church for over 20 years. An injury at work left her unable to leave her house for a couple of months. She had dreams just about every night of losing either her teeth, her hair, her clothes, etc. Her church was such a huge part of her life that she felt like she was actually “losing herself.” I suggested that she call up members of her church and invite them over for coffee. When they found out how much she missed them, a few ladies began automatically coming by after each service – bringing her cookies, drinking coffee with her, and telling her what had gone on at the service. Is that sweet or what?! The dreams ended because she didn’t feel the loss so much any longer.
Dreams of Losing Objects
When we dream of losing something, it’s an indication that we feel we have, indeed, lost something. Parents who have young children suddenly enrolled in school (whether it’s first grade or college) will have frequent dreams like this because they subconsciously feel that they’ve lost something. Soon, however, they realize they haven’t lost the child at all and the dreams fade away.
On an even deeper level, many people who have made compromises in relationships (personal or professional) will have these dreams because they feel that they’ve lost a piece of themself.
I’d say that your dreams are definitely trying to tell you something. Any time dreams recur like this, there’s an underlying issue or emotion. I like to think of these hidden emotions as unopened e-mail. You know when you log in to your e-mail, it’ll tell you when you have unopened mail? Recurring dreams serve the same basic function – alerting us that we have undealt with emotions.
When we click on the unopened mail, the message goes away. We’ve dealt with it and there’s no need for it to bring anything to our attention any longer.
Think of your dreams along these lines. Spend a little time with yourself (no distractions) and ask yourself what losses you feel – whether they are literal, physical losses or emotional. More likely than not, you’ll get in touch with feelings you didn’t even fully realize you were having.
Good luck and sweet dreams!
From I Hate Snakes in Virginia!
I had a dream three nights ago that I can’t shake. I was in the yard, at a picnic or something like that. I looked down and saw a snake coming toward me in the grass. No matter where I tried to run, there he was following me. I felt so scared and helpless because no matter where I went, he came.
I ran into a circus type tent and thought I was safe. But then the ring leader, who looked more like a talk show host, held the snake up in the air and started walking toward me with it. The snake still had grass on it and was, at first, playing dead. Then he reared up and looked really angry. I knew he was mad that I had tried to get away from him. Thankfully I woke up before the ringleader and the snake got to me.
I can’t get this dream out of my head and keep expecting a snake to be everywhere. I hate snakes anyway, so this is a really horrible deal for me. Any help would be greatly appreciated. It may sound silly, but I don’t even want to go outside.
I can totally relate to you – snakes are one of my own biggest fears, so I don’t think it sounds silly. You will get over this feeling in a few days, though, so don’t worry about it too much.
A few things strike me about your dream.
This dream seems to indicate that you are feeling more helpless lately than you have ever felt before. Because of the impact this dream is having on you, I’d say that feeling helpless is a feeling you aren’t at all familiar with. The fact that your subconscious mind chose something you hate so passionately (snakes) is a clear indication of the inner turmoil you’re feeling. You probably aren’t even fully aware of just how much stress you’ve been under or how helpless you’ve been made to feel.
Once you realize that the snake in the grass was merely symbolic for this emotion, you’ll realize that you don’t have anything to fear around the next corner – not even outside! This snake in your dream only symbolizes whatever it is in your day to day life that you feel helpless against.
When you find a way to deal with this particular problem, you will have won the battle!
Until then, here’s something to keep in mind about snakes – so many of us are afraid of them, but we can’t name one single person we know who has ever been bit by one. Yet, most of us can name several people who’ve been bit by dogs or cats – yet we aren’t afraid of them in the least! Or cars – most of us know of people who’ve been badly hurt in car wrecks, but we get into them every day without fear. I, myself, have been in 3 car wrecks and have never been approached by a snake EVER, yet I’m terrified of one and can’t imagine life without the other.
Try to focus on solving whatever it is in your life that has made you feel helpless and overcome it. Try not to dwell too much on snake dreams. When you do think about it – be thankful! He may have helped draw attention to something in your world that you need to address before it gets the better of you.
If you’re serious about dream prophesy, dream analysis, dream interpretation, and really getting to the heart of what your dreams mean, you’ll need your dream recall to be on the absolute TOP of its game!
If you feel that your dream recall needs a little work, I have the perfect solution: A Dream Journal. While you don’t absolutely have to run out and buy a new notebook or journal to serve as your Dream Journal – it would be a cool idea. You could use any notebook you have around the house, of course, but the more “special” you make the entire experience, the better.
Even if you simply go to one of those amazing stores where everything is $1 and buy a notebook in your favorite color – you’re making a point of taking the entire enterprise seriously, and that’s what’s important. My first Dream Journal was actually a wire notebook with colorful Lisa Frank dolphins on the front. Seemed appropriate enough!
Here’s another idea that adds to the adventure. Find a pocket folder (for mere pennies) to keep with your dream journal. I’ll tell you what it’s for in just a minute!
Get Started With Your Dream Journal
Once you have your dream journal, go ahead and enter a recent dream. Include the people who were in the dream, what you were doing in the dream (what you hoped to accomplish or were trying to avoid), the symbols (knives, snakes, balloons, candles, fire, clouds – anything that stands out) in the dream, and most importantly – HOW YOU FELT DURING THE DREAM. Also, list any and all colors that you remember. List only the top 3 colors you remember – 4 at the most. Oddly enough, this is very important!
A typical journal entry might look something like this:
I was driving an old beaten up red pick up truck. My beloved basset hound, Honey, was in the passenger’s seat. We were in a huge hurry to get somewhere and Honey could talk. In fact, she talked practially the whole time. Her collar, instead of being her normal hot pink one was white. I couldn’t make sense of that in my dream – though her talking didn’t shock me. I was confused as to why the collar changed colors.
We were in a huge hurry and I was driving really fast. We were on dirt roads and passed by a lot of farm houses and brown horses. At some point, my cat Lanie joined us and could also talk. He wasn’t in a hurry and wanted us to slow down and get something to eat. Then I woke up. Hungry.
Main Colors: Red, white, brown
Emotions: Rushed, confused, anxious, hungry!
The above dream is actually one of the first ones I ever recorded in a dream journal. This is actually the VERY dream that began my study of and fascination with dreams. When I was thinking about this dream the next day at school (instead of listening to my Algebra teacher!), I realized that, underneath it all, I was feeling many of the same feelings in my real life as I did in my dream. By the time the class was over, a lifelong fascination with dreams and heartfelt belief in the importance of their interpretations had taken hold.
Be sure that you enter your “feelings” as accurately as possible. Here are a few suggestions: joyful, sad, anxious, worried, depressed, helpless, surprised, ashamed, agitated, frustrated, curious, confused, powerful, unloved, ignored, furious, hopeful, optimistic, sexy, ugly, brave, etc. Even if the emotions seem to have NOTHING to do with one another, write them down.
Remember the Folder?!
This exercise adds even more fun to your dream recall and analysis. Cut out or draw/color pictures that symbolize your dream. If you have room in your dream journal to tape (or draw) them onto the pages, do so. If not, clip the images together with a paper clip, then add a little piece of paper with the date of the dream.
Having visuals of the colors and symbols can really help put you in touch with your inner feelings and emotions.
I have many more articles and exercises planned to add to the site that deal with Dream Journals and Dream Recall – with plenty more about images and, even, collages. So, please grab an rss feed and/or sign up for e-mail updates, so you’ll know what’s been added as soon as it’s here for you. I just wish I could open up my notebooks (and brain!) and pour everything out at once. Kind of impossible, though, so I’ll just take it steady.
I’m actually working on a downloadable Dream Journal template for the site, color charts, and a visual guide to dream symbols. So much to do!
Have a glorious weekend – if you need me, I’ll be right here, typing, thinking, and tweaking away with coffee and chocolate fueling me along.
A Few of the Best Dream Journals We’ve Found:
Adventures in Wonderland Dream Journal
Dream Time Journal
The Dreams II Fabric Poster at the top of the post can be bought at
AllPosters.com!
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