Misconceptions about dreams

Lately a few dreams have been posted…. I love interpreting dreams for some funny reason…. and in the process of doing this I decided to open this thread.

Misconceptions and Conceptions about dream interpretations

Before I start I would like to explain that my opinions on these issues are from experience only (no books) and that I DO use dictionaries with universal meanings to interpret dreams.

1. the first misconception that I think exists among many seekers of dream understanding is that dreams relate to mainly to events (if dreaming about work environment then the dream tries to tell something about work…etc)

From my experience dreams use the existing environment and events to tell a message. But it is almost 90% a inner, subconscious message about ones self. Why? Because ones self is creating the environment around him/her – as we all create our own realities, choose our jobs, our partners decide to have or not kids etc, this comes from a deeper need or purpose. Dreams speak of the deeper problems, needs, purposes, transitions etc.

2. Dreams are a puzzle, I have seen many attempts of people to solve their own dreams while getting the “idea” the main message. From my experience dreams are a story. If you do not understand the whole story you will not pass the test. The trick in dreams from my experience is in the details (all of the details put together make a story). The main “idea” is a misconception usually as it does not tell the story.

3. People in dreams – are almost never (99% of the time) our relationships with those people but aspects of our self – as our behavior and relationships are a direct mirror of our inner self and issues.

4. Dreams are there to: a) tell the issue problem b) the reason c) “to do” list for resolving the issue

These are the things that I can think of now.

I hope we can all debate this and hope you can add other issues or questions about dreams.

from the bookworm

Thanks for posting that.
From everything I have read about dreams, your opinions are right in line.
I have always been facinated with the dream images and the message that it sends. In the beginning I was totally confused by the dream dictionaries.
It took another dream book to tell me that the symbols in our dreams are personalized, then things began to make sense.
There is the universal symbology of things, but it is within the self that the refined meanings can be found.
For anyone wanting to understand their dreams, keep a journal. Many dream messages will repeat themselves but in a different setting, being able to reference the dreams will aid in interpreting.
I could go on, but would that be off topic?

personal terminology a no, no !!

lunalafey said:

There is the universal symbology of things, but it is within the self that the refined meanings can be found. For anyone wanting to understand their dreams, keep a journal. Many dream messages will repeat themselves but in a different setting, being able to reference the dreams will aid in interpreting.
I could go on, but would that be off topic?

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The "BIG trap" universal symbology as opposed to personal refined meanings: I found that using personal symbology is a trap. The conscious "mind" alters things to its perceptions to fit its reality. I found that using personal meaning will trap me into "the conscious comfort zone" of my mind not the real meaning. The message came in a dream because my conscious mind could deal with it, figure it out, etc., because it is too clouded with indoctrinations, fears, outer misconceptions, etc., etc., An example for that would be the famous love for the beach and the sea as in going to have fun and the sea side etc., etc. – that is not what it means…. Because all water symbols are emotional issues (usually unresolved).
So, I don't interpret dreams by personal symbology at all - this is the only way I found to interpret dreams in a "painfully accurate" way.

About the journal you are 100 percent correct, this is the way to go.

Karenwhe said:

Lately a few dreams have been posted…. I love interpreting dreams for some funny reason…. and in the process of doing this I decided to open this thread.

Misconceptions and Conceptions about dream interpretations

Before I start I would like to explain that my opinions on these issues are from experience only (no books) and that I DO use dictionaries with universal meanings to interpret dreams.

Click to expand...

you use dream dictionaries? or symbolic dictionaries?
can you mention any good ones?
i never used books myself since i think they are all just terribly bad and daft.
i believe that if i don't know a symbol, if i never heard about it or it is not commonly used in my culture and my time - then my subconscious wont use it either.
i believe that my dreams are indeed very personal yet can be interpreted by anyone living in the here and now, in the same world as i live.

i have done dreamwork for many years. i would say that i am still not competent enought o intepret others dreams - but i can show the way, i can by asking the "right" things set the train of symbols in motion and make things happen.

i can also re-enter dreams at a later time to look around and gather more information.
(i have always been a lucid dreamer)

but now i am curious of those books...
perhaps there actually are good dreambooks??

Re: Re: Misconceptions about dreams

jema said:

you use dream dictionaries? or symbolic dictionaries?
can you mention any good ones?

Click to expand...

I use mainly dream dictionaries. Someone else also asked me if I know any good ones, but books I use in general are not in English (and some are long out of print). I don’t have dream books.

jema said:

i have done dreamwork for many years. i would say that i am still not competent enought o intepret others dreams - but i can show the way, i can by asking the "right" things set the train of symbols in motion and make things happen??

Click to expand...

For me it is easier to interpret for others as I am more objective. This also comes easily because I don’t have any fear of failure (meaning I am not afraid if I am wrong, as much as I am afraid to go wrong in my own interpretations). I also do my own dream work, but I can’t read tarot very well for myself. With dreams I find that when I start interpreting it just flows and I write and write and write….. you should see the length of some messages… sometimes I wonder when I will be told to cut my messages shorter

i interpret dreams much as i interpret the tarot, runes, tea leaves, twigs and toothpicks. i look at the individual parts, the overall and the connections between the symbols.

...then i let it all go and allow the universe to speak. i listen for words, watch for flashes (images) and pay attention to overall sensations or emotions that come in. these things that come from beyond me, are what i trust most.

as far as universal symbolism and personal symbolism, i believe both need to be looked to. this may be more complicated and less clear cut, but again, like the cards, the relationships between 'symbols' and intuition help.

my dream of last night brought up another aspect of dream interpretation. that of real life synchronicities, and the relationships between other recent dreams. i dreamt of a wedding with flowers for the brides hair. i had never seen this particular flower before. it was a long tubular flower with red exterior and white interior. yesterday i got a seed catalog in the mail. one i usually toss. opened it up and there was my flower. it was called 'wedding bell campanula'. i turned the page and there were the flowers that had been in my wedding bouquet. synchronicities like this happen to me all the time.

...and although rare, precognitive dreams do happen. i have had many. most of them were about events outside of myself, that i later read about in the news. i also have had dreams that were much like 'visions' in that they actually were to give me a message or a 'teaching'. some dreams have even been visits from a deceased relative. i believe that most dreams are unconscious messages, but not all.

I agree that dreams are personal messages from the dreamer's unconscious as it struggles to integrate with the personality. For me, the only reason to bother with dreams at all, aside from pleasure, is to understand these messages.

Dreams are a lot like films. Ok, like well-made films.

They have plots, although they're usually not linear segments like chapters in a book.
They're mostly visual, sounds (and smells) tend to complement the visual record.
They of necessity are made up almost entirely of icons.

Unlike stories or literature, films provide us with a language of images. Relating image to image provides us with the information we need to make sense of what we're seeing. So do dreams. This makes dream interpretation a bit like constructing the message of a good film. Following the plot might help us understand the plot, but won't give us much of a message.

It's the images themselves and what they mean to us as individuals that deliver.

How can a dictionary or book on what dream symbols mean have anything to do with it?

Fuzz

Re: personal terminology a no, no !!

Karenwhe said:

The "BIG trap" .... I found that using personal symbology is a trap.

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I was trapped by the universal symbology, it was when I started to apply the excercises to find my meanings, the dreams where no longer a mystery.

Re: Re: Misconceptions about dreams

jema said:

i can also re-enter dreams at a later time to look around and gather more information.
(i have always been a lucid dreamer)

Click to expand...

Lucid dreaming=astral travel. This maybe a little off topic, but i felt the need to bring up this point. Most times dreams are not just messages from our subconsious, but actually astral travels.

Re: Re: Re: Misconceptions about dreams

WhiteDrag0n said:

Lucid dreaming=astral travel. This maybe a little off topic, but i felt the need to bring up this point. Most times dreams are not just messages from our subconsious, but actually astral travels.

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I am very interested in this point of view, maybe you can start a new thread on this and elaborate on the issue. I think it will be interesting.