Dream Dictionary

When you dream of a machine, you may have the sense that your body is currently on auto-pilot. Chances are your imagination has come up with a comical or elaborate way of portraying how your inner processes are currently behaving. 

See Binoculars, Glasses and Microscopes.

See Letter.

See Clothing and Makeup.

See Anatomy and Body Parts.

See People and Anima/Animus under Archetypes and Characters.

This is a more organic form of Excrement. Transcending the idea of simply letting go of what is no longer necessary, manure suggests fertilizing the future with aspects of what you are discarding.

This busy public place is a center where things are bartered or traded. One thing of value is traded for something equally valuable. Since it is a public scenario, usually the marketplace will signify the valuable part of your nature that you are trading for acceptance. Perhaps the routine of your current work environment is leaving you unfulfilled or feeling used. See Shopping Center under Houses and Buildings.

Marriage and weddings symbolize merging and  union. If the wedding is your own, it becomes the classic representation of the merging or union of different sides of you, usually adopting the Anima or Animus. You may be making a commitment to adopt a certain behavior. Sometimes you will dream of attending a wedding that is not your own and have the sense of not remembering who the people were that were getting married. This portrays adopting behaviors that are not necessarily right for you, or opening to behaviors that are unfamiliar. The other symbolism related to the wedding becomes important in recognizing how you may be going through the ‘ritual’ or routine of public acceptance.  See also Anima/Animus under Archetypes and Universal Characters.

This is a common landscape in a dream when feelings are beginning to rise to the surface during therapy or when we are opening to intimacy. The marshy landscape blends the idea of green growth or natural expression and water (feelings.) See Landscape and Scenery.

A symbol that is sacrificed in a dream portrays the side of you that you may be sacrificing unwillingly. You can understand the Martyr or symbol sacrificed as representing some aspect of you. If you dream of persecution or being punished for your beliefs, you might explore the severity of your own inner critic.

When you are lost in a dream, you may not be recognizing how you are on the wrong path in daily life. To dream of a maze brings this idea into higher focus. Perhaps you have too many irons in the fire, or are embarking in too many directions to be effective. The maze suggests how you may feel overwhelmed by conflicting feelings. It is an objective representation of issues you are not recognizing.

Taking medicine is usually unpleasant but necessary. If you dream of taking medicine, you may be exploring health and wellness from the standpoint of ‘ingesting’ or ‘digesting’ difficult choices in an effort to become ‘healthier.’ See Healing.

When you arrange to meet another, you are exploring the common ground that you associate with this person. This is a watered-down version of marriage and suggests the beginning stages of integration. Give careful consideration to all qualities of the person you are to meet. They represent an emerging side of you that you are exploring. See Marriage and Anima/Animus under Archetypes and Universal Characters.

When you move toward intimacy and become less ‘frigid,’ you may dream of something melting as a symbol of how your defensive tendencies are breaking down. Anything melting in a dream personifies the 'thawing out' and new life of something that was previously frozen.
 

Since dreams are always a vehicle of communication between the unconscious and consciousness, when you dream of a clear message, it should be considered in light of the other symbolism. The message may at first seem irrelevant, but if you explore the other symbolism, you will discover how the things that appear the most nonsensical are quite profound. When a character gives you a message, this portrays integration, and suggests issues associated with what this character represents. See Answer, Letter and Writing under Colors.

Metal is a substance that is tough and enduring on face value, although it can still be weathered and worn by the elements. Metal is portraying something other than your organic nature because it is usually ‘prepared’ or shaped into something for use or display. It therefore has associations with the things you value, which cover your more natural side. See Amulet and Necklace.

See Food.

The mirror is the classic symbol of self-reflection. The other symbolism and plot will provide insight into your current sense of self-esteem.
 

Dreaming of money shows how you are exploring what you value in life, and also, how you are seeking a stronger sense of self-worth. Since we dream of what we are not allowing into consciousness, dreaming of money can represent the part of you that is traded or bartered for acceptance, where the dream suggests a type of self worth that is undermined through conformity. While money has a high level of focus during daily life, in dreams, it often symbolizes ‘false’ values that gratify you in the short term, but leave you unfulfilled. Searching for money shows your desire to connect with a stronger sense of self-worth. At the same time, if you are dreaming of money, then you may be neglecting or not facing financial issues.

A monkey is a playful primate that appears to have no sense of discipline. This animal can reflect a desire to approach life from a more playful perspective. See Animals.

The monster or other frightening creature is symbolic of that part of us that we feel we cannot control as in our own temper or anger. For example a woman approaching menopause feels her body doing things that seem beyond her power to resolve and she may dream of a monster kissing her as she attempts to integrate and understand the changes in her body. For a man who is not owning up to outbursts, he may dream of a monster or unsavory character stalking him. In all cases the 'bad and frightening thing' is merely representing aspects of you that are not integrated. This monster can also portray a type of power that once understood, can lead to greater empowerment and fulfillment. See Shadow under Archetypes and Universal Characters.

The moon reflects the sides of you that you may not see because of its association with the Night. It is often a symbol of illusions, since it merely reflects the light of the sun. It also causes the tides to rise and fall and can represent responses and how you are pulled forward to behave emotionally, with feelings that feel beyond your control. Sometimes the moon can represent the critical nature or moodiness of the mother. If you see an eclipse, then expression and feelings are coming into alignment in a more natural way. Anything happening with the moon has an association with emotions and their expression.

Dreams of morning often occur with the sense that you are awake and beginning your day, only to find that you overslept. This can symbolize how you are being swept up into routine, perhaps missing out on the more important things you are neglecting. If you dream of something and have a clear sense that it is morning, the dream may be portraying innocence or memories from your youth.  See Day and Night under Landscape and Scenery and also, Mourning under Homonyms.

See Insects.

The mother appearing in a dream signifies how you were taught to express your feelings and sensitivity. While dreaming of the mother can portray how you are adopting or rejecting various aspects that are associated with her, she can also symbolize your ability to mother yourself. See Family.

Since all transportation vehicles represent motivation and your ability to go forward in life, the motorcycle, being a 2 wheeled vehicle, requires balance. This type of dream can portray the need to balance two things in order to move forward productively. See Vehicles and Places of Transportation.

Representative of pilgrimages to obtain a higher level of awareness both literally and symbolically, the mountain often signifies moving into higher levels of consciousness. Going inside of a mountain and into a cave, can represent climbing inward to retrieve subconscious information. The mountain remains stationary even while the landscape is changing around you and can portray a sense of what is solid in your life. At the same time, it can be indicative of a hardened perspective that may be blocking you in your transformation.

See Animals.

The mouth is associated with communication and the idea of nourishment. If a dream focuses on the mouth, you may be expressing yourself in a way that is not revealing what you really feel, causing a lack of real fulfillment. You may need to recognize the importance of truth in working through an issue. See Anatomy and Body Parts.

Like Marsh, this type of landscape appears when feelings (water) are coming to the surface (below the dirt) to allow you to express yourself or open to an intimate relationship. Often during therapy, one will dream of being in water up to the ankles or in a landscape of this type. See Landscape and Scenery.

The mummy has been wrapped and preserved to experience an existence ‘other than real life’ and signifies self-protective tendencies. See also Mommy under Homonyms.
 

The idea that your life (or someone else's life) is being threatened in a dream merely explores non-integrated qualities as you move through change. As you go though major changes, you must allow outworn aspects to 'pass on,' as part of your identity of the past may need to 'die away.' At the same time, being pursued by a murderer can portray one aspect attempting to kill off another, not always beneficial and so the symbolism surrounding the murder needs to be explored. If someone is 'assassinated' then you must consider whether you are doing something that is, perhaps, assassinating your character. See Corpse and Attack or Being Chased.

Playing a musical instrument or singing in a dream can represent your free flowing nature and how you are attempting to ‘harmonize’ with the situations that you face. Playing a musical instrument is often a sexual symbol, again suggesting the free flowing aspect of your sexuality.