How many times have you been out having coffee with a friend and they say ‘I had the strangest dream last night’? What follows is usually a tale of twisted environments, people doing strange things and then a good, shared chuckle. On that token, have you ever had someone come up to you and say ‘I had the most normal dream last night’ …unless you’re a cognitive therapist dealing with a unique patient who has an altered sense of reality, I highly doubt it. Some people are too fixed on being serious or being ‘in real world’ but let me just say, to the subconscious mind, a dream experience is just as real as the physical real world.

Modern science tells us dreams are the subconscious rearranging of memories and sensory experiences whilst our other senses are unconscious or asleep and from this perspective, it is looked down upon to daydream or to use your imagination as some people often believe that dreams are just childish and silly. Except for a few psychologists, science-based practices rarely see the point in abstracting further meaning from dreams. Thankfully not everyone thinks this way.

Metaphysics, philosophy, spirituality and people’s genuine inquisitive nature will often go beyond seeing dreams as a mere projection and will want to look at and analyse their content. Even if you take the science view of it being a rearranging of memories and thought, you are obviously being witness to this process, so why ignore it? Just like your emotions are an indicator of how you feel about your life, your dreams are telling you about the thoughts and processes that are going on within you that aren’t necessarily on the surface.

Your dreams are a potent tool that reveals subconscious ideas, express inner desires and expose much more about yourself that could otherwise remain unnoticed. The view of science is that dreams look at events, symbols and places as representational aspects from your memory and day-to-day life - just not literal in their arrangement or placement. So if you take the view that you’re being shown something, but not in its correct context, how can you work out what the mind is trying to rearrange, or what your subconscious is telling you? It’s about seeing common objects, places, people as symbols, and how you feel about them.

There are many books and sites that talk about common dream symbols and make great guides; however, everyone can apply different meaning to different objects and places. As an example, say you dream of a cat crossing the road in front of you, so what does it mean? First, do you like cats? If you do, it could represent a positive independent influence in front of you. If you have a negative connotation, it would make you think differently, something or someone to be weary of. Also, was the road somewhere you know? If so, however you feel about the cat, could apply to that place, or if that place reminds you about someone/something/situation, it could pertain to that.

Just a small thing to note, if you see something happen in a dream you don’t like – don’t worry! It’s just your mind showing you hopes, fears and thoughts. Knowing how much you could miss something if it vanished in your dreams is just an emotional indicator of how much you value it, not necessarily a premonition! Remember your dreams are a guide, so if you want to know what something means, first have a think about the particular elements in the dream and see how you FEEL first. Then look to a book/website for further guidance. Either way, have fun exploring!

Lauren Neko

If you would like some help with your dream interpretations, feel free to visit www.dreamingwithneko.com to post and share your dreams online.