NMR ISSUE 17

Astrological Forecast 17
Diving Beetle
Editorial 17
Epilogue
Hymn to the God
It's the End of the World as Your Know It
Lady of Light
Letters 17
Love and Magic
Lover, the Feeling and Love, the State of Being
New Age Scapegoat
Our Constitutional Rights and Education
Qabalistic Explanation of the Parts of the Soul
Seth, Witchcraft and a New Definition of Magick
The Oldest Magick
The Sacred Wheel
The Wiccan Christ
Understanding Your Dreams
What is Quabalah?

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Book Reviews
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Understanding Your Dreams, part II

Diana Haronis

Dreams are our connecting link, to that part of us which is Divine and unlimited. While we are physically incarnated, we tend to forget our true nature, as spiritual beings, and begin to feel that we are our physical bodies. Dreams serve to keep us in touch with who we truly are. We are here to learn and grow on an inner, spiritual level, through our outer experiences. Our dream-life is where we review and integrate what we have learned and experienced in our outer, physical life. The part of us that dreams is not our physical self. It is our essential spirit, which is not limited to the confines of time and space. Dreams are the language of the soul, speaking to us through symbols, feelings, archetypal themes and images. That which, at first, seems abstract and complex may be easily understood by those who seek to know and be honest with themselves. Like any method of gaining insight, from psychology to the I Ching or Tarot, if you are not willing to face yourself honestly, it will serve as a tool of self-deception rather than guidance and wisdom. Once we begin to understand and interpret our dreams honestly, we can use this knowledge to more rapidly integrate the many aspects of our nature and accelerate our soul growth.

It is a good idea to set up a journal, in order to record your dreams and your attempts at interpreting them. Be sure to date and title all your dreams. This makes it easier to refer to them in the future, and to keep track of any re-occurring themes. Write down your dream in as much detail as possible, including emotions and intuitive feelings. If you had been asking about a certain subject, make a note of this in your journal. If there was no specific problem or question on your mind the night before the dream, then write briefly in your journal about what has lately been going on in your life, pressing on your mind, or creating inner conflicts. Most likely, your dream will relate to one of these issues. Our dream-life serves to review and integrate our outer life experiences; therefore, it is important to consider what you have been experiencing on all levels, in order to properly interpret your dreams. Lastly, when preparing your dream journal, leave some space in the back to use as your personal dream dictionary. Record here, any personal dream symbols and what they mean to you. For example, if your uncle is an alcoholic, and you dream of him as a symbol of addictive habits or loss of control, record that in your dream dictionary.

Once you have written down your dream and made a note of what may have inspired it, go through the dream and underline all characters, objects and actions. As we then go through and interpret each symbol and action, the pieces of the puzzle will come together, and the meaning will be clear. Dreams always move from the subject to the action and sometimes, the resolution. The first part of the dream sets the stage. The second part of the dream shows what is going on concerning the subject of the dream. If a dream begins at a time in the past, and then moves to the present, it suggests that the present problem or issue began in the past, at the time shown in the beginning of the dream. Look at the dream you have written down.

Often the first line will establish the subject of the dream, for instance, I was at work. This may indicate that the subject of the dream concerns work-related matters or career. Another example is I was going someplace with my boyfriend. This dream probably has to do with where your relationship with your boyfriend is going. Always watch for plays on words, old sayings or clichés. Being in business with someone may not refer to work at all, but to a sexual involvement. Turning a corner may indicate time, as in just around the corner. Going into a store may show what you are in store for. Falling into a hole may imply being in the hole financially. Often, in a dream, a word or action is portrayed in one context in order to reveal an alternative meaning. This is where a plain old Webster's dictionary can become your best interpretive tool. Dictionaries provide all possible meanings for a word, as well as slang uses. You may dream of skating, for instance. You look up skate in the dictionary and find out that it could mean to move through something easily, (to skate through it), or to avoid something, (to skate around the issue).

Look for homonyms as well, (words that sound the same, but have different meanings), such as dessert and desert, or thyme and time. As an example, in your dream you are cooking something and you run out of thyme. This could mean that you are running out of time to finish something that you are planning, or cooking up.

Watch also for antonyms in your dream, (words that are spelled the same, but have different meanings). Preparing a stew may indicate stewing" (worrying). Someone trying to go through your dresser drawers may show that someone is trying to get into your pants (drawers)!

Names are often quite revealing. Frank may indicate honesty, or someone being frank with you. Bill may show you where you are in debt, or what you owe. Names such as Sly or Trixy likely reveal dishonesty or tricks. Dick is probably someone you should beware of! The exception here is, if you know the person in your dream, it is more likely that they represent a quality or characteristic of that person, rather than what their name implies.

Sometimes a person in your dream will represent someone else with the same name. If your husband's name is Don, he may be portrayed in your dream as Don Johnson the actor, or as someone else you know named Don. This usually happens in order to stress a certain point about the person or their nature. An actor of the same name, representing your husband, may show where he is acting, or not being honest with you. Dreaming of an old teacher, with the same name as your brother, may reveal that your brother has something to teach you.

Sometimes the dream person will transform from one character to another, and back again. This always indicates a correlation between the two images. Seeing your friend turn into a vampire, may show that they are using or draining you. If a stranger in your dream transforms into someone you know, then the stranger represents either an aspect of the person you know, or the issue that person represents in your life. For example, if your wife turns into your mother, it is showing you a correlation between your wife and your mother. Perhaps you married because you were looking for a mother image, or you are working out issues with your wife, that began with your mother. You should first try to interpret the people in your dreams as aspects of yourself, for, usually, that is what they are. Your child may represent the immature part of yourself, or a newly developing part of the self. A parent or policeman may represent your moral or conventional values. A psychic will reveal the contents of your own intuition. If in your dream you are arguing with your husband, it is likely to be an outward show of your own inner conflicts about the relationship, rather than his true feelings. A conversation with an authority figure in your dream, may reveal where your conscience and moral judgments are guiding you.

Here is an example of a dream and it's interpretation, using some of the principles we've learned so far:

I was in a big, deep hole and I couldn't get out. I tried to climb out, but I would get a little ways up and slide right back down. I started to walk in circles around the bottom of the hole, looking for a way out. A man I didn't know walked over to the hole and looked down at me. He was dressed as a tour guide. He said, Maybe you could use this," and threw some coins down to me.

Interpretation:

(The situation) I was in the hole, (having financial problems). I can't seem to get out of debt. I make a little progress, and then slide right back down to where I was.

(The action) I am going in circles," not making any progress at all.

(The resolution) A tour guide, (my spirit guide, or higher guidance) shows me what I need. He says, `Maybe you could use a change' (some coins = change).

Here, in this very short dream, is the way out of a difficult problem. It shows that the dreamer will never get anywhere by going in circles, and some kind of change is needed to get out of his financial mess. Perhaps a change in career or lifestyle would help.

Our subconscious minds will use any knowledge we have to get a message across. If you read the Tarot, it will incorporate these images into your dreams. You may even receive an answer you seek through doing a tarot layout in your dream. A history buff may dream of historical events that symbolically represent issues within their own lives. Numbers are always important in a dream, but will hold special significance for a numerologist.

Each dream is a unique and personal experience. For that reason, you cannot simply hand your dreams to someone else for them to interpret. You are the one most qualified to decipher the messages of your own subconscious. Once you learn, you will have a constant source of invaluable guidance.

Until next time, Sweet Dreams!

The next article will discuss some of the more common dream symbols, and the meanings of people, numbers and colors in dreams.

Diana is researching her book on dream interpretation, of which these articles will be a part. She is interested in hearing about your personal experiences with dreamwork, or any unusual dream symbolism you have confronted. She is also interested in your questions about dreams, and will try to answer as many as possible. Write to her at: 226 Marna Dr., Vacaville, CA 95687