Our subconscious uses dreams to help us to think about things we are repressing or trying to bury/hide from ourselves. It's usually a wake up call. It very rarely means exactly what the dream portrays. Our subconscious speaks to us in pictures we understand and the emotions that go with them.
Dreams aren't always as straightforward as we think they are.
Sometimes our subconscious or our guides are trying to tell us something
important. Each persons dream will be unique to them and their thought patterns,
values and mindsets, so we need to unravel these for you to discover what your
dream is trying to tell you.
The only time our guides and spirit family can get into our minds is when we are asleep or meditating - when our busy minds are at rest. Otherwise it's like trying to cross a busy highway, it's hit or miss for our spiritual companions.
Although dream books are extremely helpful, if a definition doesn't resonate with you, then you may find it difficult to make sense of it. Everyone's dream is unique to them, as what one thing symbolises a certain thing in one person's mind isn't always the same in another, so it's important to look at the symbols in a dream and what they mean to you. Once we establish what they represent, we may discover you have an Aha! moment. Once you have reached this stage you may find the dreams stop because your subconscious has made it's point.
Here's an example of a dream to give you an idea of what I mean.
Supposing you had a dream where you were in a house, pregnant and very unhappy. Your partner was extremely happy. Next thing you were in a car and it spun out of control...and then you woke up.
These are some of the questions I would ask you:
Being pregnant to me means you have an idea, something you are thinking
of doing or a project, etc. What does pregnant mean to you? When you think of
being pregnant, what do you associate it with?
For me a baby is usually about a new beginning, so it could be a fresh start, new venture, something different about to happen in your life. What does this mean to you, not in actually holding one or having one. Is it a sense of fulfilment? A burden? A struggle? Contentment?
If you knew the sex of the baby, to me a girl would mean it is either to do with your femininity or something that affects you personally. So are you acknowledging your feminine side? Do you feel desirable? Are you being all you can be? A boy would be about being strong, taking action, feeling confident in yourself. Are you feeling overwhelmed by the will of others? Do you feel stuck? Are you feeling unhappy or stifled at work? Do you want to change your career direction?
Are you and your partner happy? Do you feel something is lacking? Do you feel less than desirable? Is there something you want to sort out within your relationship but don't know where to start? Do you have an idea for a venture that you would like to pursue but you aren't saying it out loud? Are you buying a house or taking a
risk financially and it is worrying you? Do you want to buy a house or take a risk and your partner doesn't?
I believe a house is usually symbolic of our soul, the place where we truly live. Do you feel happy in yourself? Do you feel you are being all you can be? Do you feel like there is more to life?
Are there any other specifics in the dream? Rooms? Colours? Where do you think you are? Country? Time, as in present time? Is anyone else around you? What else is happening?
If it's a kitchen, what does a kitchen symbolise to you? For me a kitchen is all about drudgery and boredom, never-ending sameness. If it's a bedroom, what does that mean? Is it about your inner sanctuary? Is it your cave away from the world? Is it a place for sleeping? Or is it a place full of romance and sex?
When I define my own dreams, a car typically symbolises our journey through life. What type of car was it? Is it your current car? Is it better? Is it worse? What colour iss it? What does that colour mean to you? Were you cramped? What does a car mean to you personally? What springs into your mind immediately when you think about a car accident? Could it be a fear for the person/people in the car's safety? Or for your relationship with yourself? Does it feel like your life is out of control, that you aren't driving your journey?
Is there a part of you waiting for something bad to happen to you....your partner, family or your relationship. Do you feel as if it's too good to be true? Do you feel unworthy or that he/she could/should have someone better? Do you feel like your relationship has changed for better? for worse?
It is important to break your dream up into the bigger symbols and then look
at what each one means to you. I used to write down each item and list what they
represented to me; what I feel when I think about them and anything else that
popped into my mind. As I did so, I would usually have an Aha! moment and
understand the message. I love the challenge of defining what my message is. In
fact I'm disappointed when I don't get to dream! Having done it for so many
years, I don't need to write it down anymore. I wake up in the morning and think
'Okay, I need to address that issue, or I need to do that for me, etc'
Of course there is another theory as well. As I say in another chapter, I believe we currently live on many planes, that major decisions we make impact how our life pans out (similar to the movie Sliding Doors). Generally it feels like we are a bystander, or that they can't see us. However, when we visit these alternate planes in our dreams it is possible to feel all the pain, emotions and anguish, because we are that person too. So in a different plane, someone may have been killed or the outcome may have been different.
I know that when I 'visit' another plane, although I am watching what is happening, I feel all the emotions of the person in the dream so acutely as if I was experiencing it, and in a way I am.
I'd be willing to bet that the next dream you have, you will look at it differently.
with love, respect and integrity
Cherie xx
(picture by Zen Gardener)