Your Dream Dictionary

You may find that certain symbols keep cropping up in your dreams. Maybe your mother always appears carrying a first-aid kit or you are always aware of clocks in your dreams. Repeated elements in your dreams are likely to be personal symbols intended to convey certain meanings that go beyond their universal meanings. A clock, for example is a universal symbol of time, but it may also suggest to you that your time is running out or that you need to keep things in order.

As always, the context of your dream will help you determine its meaning. It might help to create your own personal dream journal or dictionary to help you identify reoccurring personal dream images and their meanings. Here are some guidelines:

For one week write down as many images as you can recall for your dream. Try to use single words for each image; for example, dog, cup, spoon and so on. Do this as you first wake up when the images are still fresh in your mind. Then write down beside each symbol any associations that occur.

If a symbol crops up on more than one occasion, make a special mark by it and note whether the context was different. At the end of the week, organize your list alphabetically and see which images appear most often. You might want to repeat this for another week afterwards to add to your personal dream dictionary.

Bear in mind that dream images change as you do and may require additional meanings. You are also more likely to have dreams at turning points in your life, such as leaving school, finding a new job or getting married.

If you find yourself inundated with symbols and messages, try to concentrate on only one or two dreams, or on those dreams that you recognize as being important by their power and the feelings with which they leave you.