Our dreams use the beautiful language of
metaphor when speaking to us.
As you may recall, metaphors explain one thing
by saying it is another thing with revealing traits. “My boss is a bear,” for example. My boss (one thing needing explanation or
clarification) is a bear (the explanatory thing with revealing traits).
Once this metaphor is spoken, seen, and
understood, no further explanation is needed.
Everyone gets it. Steer clear of
the boss ~ he’s a bear!
Applying this concept to understanding the
metaphorical images of your dreams goes like this: My state of mind is the house where I
live. Then, if your dream has you living
in a house with all lights out and doors locked, you might consider your state of
mind to be closed. Maybe you’re can’t or
don’t see any rays of hope (the lights are out). Maybe you’re not open to visits from
alternative points of view (the doors are locked).
Say you dream there are strangers living in your
house. Again, you could explore the idea
that the house in the dream is a metaphor for the state of mind where you
“live.” Who might the strangers be? Do they make you feel uncomfortable in your
dream? Or are they foreign, but
pleasing? Your emotional reactions to
the images in your dreams provide critical information that will help sort out
the meaning for you.
Be careful, though, of a cookie cutter
approach to dream symbols. There is no
hard rule saying “A house in a dream always means your state of mind.” A house may be a metaphor for something
entirely different if you’re a housing contractor, or a real estate agent. Metaphors are built on the circumstances of a
dreamer’s waking life and associations.
Another example: A good starting place for the image of hair
in a dream may be to equate hair to thoughts ~ those things emanating from
one’s head. So a funky hairdo, weird
colored hair, or a disheveled appearance might connote quirky, odd, or
disorderly patterns of thinking. But the
same caveat applies: A hair stylist might
not make the same associations to hair in his dreams as those of us who just
wash it and wear it. Look to the context
of the dream, its attendant emotions, and the circumstances of the dreamer’s
waking life to lead to a true understanding of the dream.
A baby in your dream may signify a new
beginning or creativity depending on your waking circumstances and the context
of the dream. But it could also point to
infantile behavior, lack of experience, or naiveté!
Best not to piecemeal images and patchwork
them back together in your efforts to understand the language of your nighttime
cinema. Better to take the gestalt: Your waking life circumstances, the context
of your dream’s images, and its emotional effect all work together to deliver
powerful insights from the rich resource of your dreams.
Sweet Dreams to You, Dear Dreamer!
SMYD
