“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment”, this is a famous quote by Gautama Buddha. Probably many of us would prefer to still dream about things we haven’t yet achieved but would like to one day. We have heard many say the phrase “dream big”, “follow your dreams” and many more. It would be actually intriguing to interpret someone’s dream and even more bewildering if the interpretation is correct. Dream analysis or the formal scientific name-Oneirology is a subject which has captivated the human psyche since centuries.
It might be of interest to know what a dream is first. From a technical perspective, it can be quite vividly observed when Rapid Eye Movement (REM) occurs when an individual is asleep; the frequency of which is noted to be every 60-90 minutes. The scientific intricacies of how dreams occur is depthless and an on-going area of constant study. What dreams tell and symbolize is, however, another bizarre and mysterious world begged to be explored (continues to be explored); a journey I can’t wait to commence…
Dream Analysis is a very subjective study, with the interpretations factored on how much an individual would remember and how much he/she would be willing to disclose it to us. Sometimes we are able to recall our dreams completely, many times in fragments. On a serious note, you could have a notebook by your side to assist you with it when you go to bed. For keen enthusiasts, maintaining a ‘dream-journal’ of their recollections could be priceless. Dreams are akin to plays. We have several of them before we can make sense of it the first time.
Dreams usually have images or symbols in them which help us to recall them. The same symbol could actually be viewed in different contexts based on your past life experiences. For e.g. a candle in ones dream could mean pain, hardship or poverty if that person is poor and spends his/her livelihood with no money living in the dark by the candlelight in his/her home or one can also associate a candle with God , if the only time he/she saw one was inside a church. However, recurring symbols tend to convey the same message; if observed and analyzed accurately. If the interpretation is valid or not; is debatable and subjective, that continues to be studied.
Some common symbols which appear in our dreams are those of animals, vehicles, children, people, buildings, etc…there could be many more. If you dream of an animal, it usually signifies a good or bad trait in yourself. Driving a vehicle would signify that you are headed somewhere in life, the condition of the vehicle can be an indication of one’s health. When we dream of children, it would mean something joyous in our life. On the other hand, a child could also mean an innocent side in you or some immature trait. If we encounter a dream that has reference to death, dying or attending a funeral it means a dramatic change is going to take place in one’s life. Buildings point to a specific area in one’s life, a dream of your childhood house can be a reflection of your life today. Dreams which have large buildings such as cathedrals or churches indicate it has a great meaning, experts say that they should be taken seriously.
But one shouldn’t just rely on the meanings of symbols I have described above, we should actually try to relate them to our life in some way and make sense of them, it might take a while to understand them but it usually would make the dream more meaningful that way. It would be worthwhile for enthusiasts, who would like to analyze their dreams to refer the works documented by experts like Sigmund Freud in his book-“Interpretation of Dreams”; they serve as a good reference material. We must avoid being misled by false interpretations from amateurs.
Dreams have the power to dictate a person’s life; they can alter the way a person socializes or bring a drastic change to the human psyche. Whether you would like it or not, dreams play an integral role in our lives, myriad interpretations may exist to decode a dream. Dreams are an enigma, unraveling themselves to ones joy or displeasure; they haunt the subconscious mind and would continue to do so as they have for eons.
