Learn to unravel your Dream Symbols ~ Online Dream Course

"It is in our idleness, in our dreams, that the submerged truth sometimes comes to the top." ~ Virginia Woolf

Interpreting Your Personal Dream Symbols

By Laura V. Grace

Why do your dreams possess certain dream symbols? What do your personal dream symbols mean for YOU? Personal dream symbols differ from dream archetypes because they have significant meaning for you, depending upon your life experiences and perceptions. There is no such thing as an "objective experience" because we color situations and events with our past experiences. How you see life is going to differ from how your sibling views life, even if you were raised in the same environment. Therefore, everything is subjective. How you view a particular symbol may differ from how I see it depending upon each of our experiences and perceptions.

What Do Your Dream Symbols Mean?
Just like dream characters, every dream symbol represents a part of you. In fact, each symbol is you. This is true for every person, place, and thing (unless you've programmed your subconscious mind to have a character play him/herself).

For example, if a tiger appears in your dream and you want more clarity on what it represents to you, become the tiger. Imagine feeling the immense physical strength, the ability for seeing with the keenest vision, the capacity for running effortlessly with great speed. Connecting with your symbols enables you to deeply understand your dream.

Quite often, one dream symbol stands out in each dream. This symbol is a key factor and is worthy of your attention and understanding. Sometimes personal dream symbols set the tone or "theme" for the dream.

For Example...
If you dreamt of making the bed with your partner, the dream symbol that stands out is "bed" and "partner" and may imply you need to work on some intimacy issues within your relationship.

Draw or Talk To Your Dream Symbol
Drawing a dream symbol -- or even talking with it may help you understand why it has appeared in your dream. Ask it questions.

I remember having a "discussion" with a bee that showed up in one of my dreams several years ago. Upon waking, I wasn't clear about what the dream meant to me until I sat down, closed my eyes, and began asking it why it was in my dream. After having some inner dialogue with my dream and my soul, I was able to see that the bee was representing a situation that was about to "sting" me if I didn't wake up and see it for what it was. Talking with your dream symbols, sketching them out on paper and stepping into the role of the symbol can help you understand their presence.

A Dreamy Exercise
Take a moment to review your dreams in your Dream Journal. Notice the dream symbols that stand out. Circle your dream symbols then take a few moments to jot down their meaning. Start with just one or two symbols. Is it a universal symbol or a personal symbol? Review the Tips for working with your dream symbols in today's lessons and ask yourself the three questions - also found in today's lessons.

Your dream symbols paint a portrait of your thoughts, feelings, beliefs, attitudes, actions and reactions. They help you think in metaphor much like many of our greatest teachers and books. You may wonder, "Why doesn't my dream just spell it out? Why does it have to be so complicated?"

Try to appreciate that much more learning occurs through metaphor and that the subconscious mind works symbolically not literally. A greater depth of wisdom can be imparted through metaphor. Such is the wonder of your nightly dreams.