About Dream Symbols ..  There is sometimes a tendency to interpret dream symbols, which are common in everyday life, literally. For instance a dream symbol of your mother might at first have a literal meaning but it might refer to one of her traits, perhaps kindness, concern, nervousness, or criticism. It might be that this trait is in you or someone close to you. The mother image may be for a broader application such as mother earth or the need to be mothered.

Look for symbols that are recurrent. You will often see symbols show up time and time again in dreams such as locations, people, animals, dates, money, or time.

It’s best to keep track of recurrent symbols in a dream glossary. Analyze each symbol to determine significant attitudes, feelings, and descriptions that go along with each. You may want to ask yourself the following questions about each symbol:

  • What do I associate with it?
  • How do I feel about it?
  • What else does it remind me of?

Certain symbols tend to have similar interpretations from person to person. This is due partially to the fact that people go through similar learning experiences.

Common Dream Symbols
The following symbols, and their associated meanings, should be used as suggestions in helping interpret your dreams. Most are based on research collected in regard to the collective unconscious and the more common interpretations that are usually encountered. Please be aware that specific applications may not be any of the suggested interpretations. They are useful only to stimulate your own thinking about the symbols and their context.

As with any symbol, ask yourself: What does this remind me of? Asking yourself this one question will give you answers to many of your dream questions.

No one can tell you what your dream means. I can only ask you the questions that the answers you give can reveal what your dream is trying to tell you. Only you can know what a symbol represents. These are merely sugestions as to where you might start looking.

The following 2 lists of symbols – places or objects, and color symbols) are by no means a complete list nor are they meant to be. Please refer to Resources & Links for books and websites on this subject.

Places or Objects

  • Basement – the foundation of a situation, or where a problem stems from … the basement represents also the unconscious, where it generally is dark or least dimmer than the rest of the house/house. Also represents whats beneath the waist, if you look at the house as your body.
  • Bathroom – usually represents the need to eliminate or clean up a situation.
  • Bedroom – either resting or making love.
  • Cars – your body or your life. Is the car in your dream a wreck or in sound working condition? or does it need a lot of work? Is it out of control? Driving is an important action indicating control. Who is driving ? You or someone else? If you are not your own car it may mean that you do not feel you are in control of your own life. Are you safely? Or recklessly? Pay attention to these types of dreams. They can be indicative of behaving in a way that can hurt your future direction in life.
  • Dining room or kitchen – a need for nurturing or to be nurtured
  • House – represents your life or your body:
    • If the house is on fire it may be that you may have a fever or maybe you’re just too hot while you are sleeping.
    • If someone is breaking into your house, this may symbolize on a physical level that a germ or illness is trying to break into your body.
    • If you are a female, on an emotional level it can mean that you may be feeling resentful of having sex when you really don’t want to.
    • If the house is a terrible mess you may need to clean something up.
  • Running away – not ready to face a fear. That may be something that happened in the past that you have repressed or something you’re afraid of now in the present that you’re not yet ready to face or perhaps it’s something you’re worried about happening in the future and you’d prefer not to face it if possible.
  • Road – the direction you are headed in life, so it’s important to understand the conditions of your journey.
    • Smooth road on a clear day – your life sounds stable and unobstructed.
    • Bumpy road/ under construction – life direction is under repair. Life is no longer smooth
    • Hi-way, freeway, expressway, this is an easy time for you, everything seems to be moving along and you’re going places fast!
  • School usually shows up in two situations:
    1. Being in a class you haven’t attend all semester and there’s a test going on as you arrive, or
    2. You’re late for school, when you finally get to your locker you’ve forgotten the combination.

    Both situations are “performance anxiety” related. In either situation there’s a lesson you need to learn.

  • Toilets running over, need to eliminate something from your life or perhaps from your diet.
  • Water represents our emotions or consciousness.

Colors

  • Magenta – separation trauma or abandonment issue.
  • Maroon – trauma in the womb, or possibly a miscarriage trauma.
  • Red – a change of lifestyle, change of life, or a trauma involving moving to another home or job.
  • Pink – trauma related to betrayal in love.
  • Orange – sexually related trauma
  • Beige – being stuck. The person feels that no matter what they do it won’t change anything.
  • A no win situation.
  • Yellow – undecided, or difficulty or fear making a decision
  • Gold – trauma related to self-hatred. Not keeping your word to yourself.
  • Green – bitterness, resentment, envy or jealousy.
  • Turquoise – competition trauma. Why not me?
  • Blue – disappointment
  • Indigo – rebellion trauma. Indicating problems related to authority without your consent.
  • Purple – trauma related to an authority figure, that has your consent. This can be related to a
  • boss or religious leader. Can be related to any aggressive, overbearing person.
  • Lilac – trauma related to the way you look.
  • White – trauma of feeling incomplete about a situation. It may be a moral dilemma, or a love relationship gone bad.
  • Gray – Mother trauma.
  • Silver – money trauma. Material loss
  • Brown – attachment trauma, such as being overly attached to a person or thing.
  • Black – Father trauma