How to Use the Dreamer’s Dictionary
DREAMS
How to Use the Dreamer’s Dictionary
As we gain greater Self awareness, we realize that to understand our Self and our world is to know the parts that together create a whole. Using your dreams gives you the advantage of identifying the elements of Self that, when operating as a single unit, compose your whole functioning Self.
The people, places, things, and action in your dreams individually are important elements in comprehending the message your subconscious mind is giving to your conscious mind. Dream-people will signify aspects of your Self and will indicate the qualities you are using in each division of mind whether conscious, subconscious, or superconscious. Dream-places — a house, a hospital, a church, your hometown, another planet — tell us the level of consciousness where those aspects are expressing and often are indicative of a combination of thoughts which comprise an attitude. The things that are present in our dreams — the food, the telephone, the car, the clothing — will describe what each aspect is using to express itself. The dream-action will reveal the point of the dream. It will present to you a type of allegory that is specifically intended for you, about you.
After recording your dream, you can use the dictionary as a reference for identifying the universal meaning of the images appearing in your dream. It will serve as a reference book giving for words of one language, English, equivalents in another, the language of mind. From abbey to zoo, you will find the universal meaning of the most common symbols that are used in dreaming. For instance, an apple in your dream signifies knowledge, a baby represents a new idea, and a house represents your mind.
The dictionary also includes information on how the symbols might be used which will assist you in interpreting the dream message. This gives insight into the meaning of the action in the dream or assists in combining the meaning of several symbols for accurate interpretation. An example of the first, an action in a dream, would be eating an apple, symbolizing knowledge that you have received and are assimilating. An example of the second, is a male infant which would signify in which part of mind the new idea has arisen.
This dictionary gives clues to the origin and development of the language used in the inner levels of consciousness: the Universal Language of Mind. Every physical word we use has a history, and in almost every case it is a story of action, a story of something happening. Word-forming activity has been going on for thousands of years in response to man’s need to communicate his ideas to others. The English language is a melting pot of previous languages used by man, whether the origin is French, Greek, or Sanskrit. Each word, regardless of its physical language, describes an image or picture. In reality, the thought or image is the point of origin for communication. Physical language came later as a response to man’s desire to be understood. This dictionary defines the thought beyond the physical word. It reveals the universal essence of the action or happening that is being outwardly described. This universal essence is the nature of the inner mind’s communication to the outer, waking mind in what we call dreams. The language of mind is the language used by the inner, subconscious mind for communication.
The extensive dictionary provided here will aid you in translating from the language of mind into the English language. As with dictionaries of any language, it contains alphabetically arranged terms important to a particular subject or activity along with discussion of their meanings and applications. In many cases it will offer explanations of the reason behind the interpretation of the symbol.
Each entry in the dictionary gives the following information: 1) the word/symbol and its meaning in the Universal Language of Mind, 2) more in-depth meaning in the language of mind and possible contexts of the symbol, 3) the physical derivation of the word, 4) thoughts to consider. You will find this information valuable in learning the universal meaning of dream-images and in understanding the significance of your personal dream-messages.
Upon awakening, immediately record what you remember about the dream. You will find a stenographer’s pad, which has a vertical center line, will be quite useful as a dream journal. Write your dream on the left side of the center line, leaving the right side blank. The more details you recall, the more images or dream symbols you will be able to reference. When you have written down everything you remember about your dream, review it, underlining or circling the specific images that appear. These will be the symbols to reference in the dictionary. The images that arise during the dream state are listed alphabetically in the dictionary. You will find that the word describing the image will also describe a part of the action of the dream. For example, the people participating in the dream action may be listed as brother, minister, servant, or teacher.
To find each symbol’s meaning in the Universal Language of Mind, look up the word describing the image. On the right side of the paper next to the text of your dream, record each symbol’s meaning in the language of mind. You may find the index at the end of this book useful for referencing related symbols that will assist you in defining meaning. For instance, if you dream you are at a banquet, you might want to research related symbols appearing in the scene: food, table, flowers, candles. Each part of the image exists purposefully and, when understood in the Language of Mind and perceived as a whole, the image describes the dreamer’s state of awareness. When this is completed you will have the translation of the symbols in your dream.
Learning the language of mind is the first step toward command of inner communication. As with any physical language, fluency will arise from consistent use of the language. As you become proficient in deciphering dream symbols you are prepared to understand the import of the action in your dream. Identifying symbols and looking them up in the dictionary is only the first step to becoming an interpreter of your dreams. You must be able to connect the symbols’ meanings in order to perceive the thought-sentences being conveyed by your subconscious mind. The dream action explains the means of expression for the many aspects of Self, revealing an inner train of thought in response to your conscious way of thinking. For example, if you dream your boss is drowning in a pool of jello, this will indicate your sense of authority (boss) is being overwhelmed (drowning) by insignificant knowledge (jello, which is a food poor in nutrition). If you dream the bus you’re riding is going the wrong way on a one-way street and crashes, your subconscious mind is telling you that the organization (bus) that you are a member of (riding) is no longer moving toward its stated goals (traveling on street), thus eroding the organization (crash or wreck).
To combine the translated thought-words into thought-sentences, you will find the next dictionary entry helpful. Here you will find an explanation of the word’s meaning in the language of mind, often giving examples of combinations of symbols and their meanings. For instance the extended explanation of the image hair is:
“Hair in a dream represents the dreamer’s conscious, waking thoughts. How hair appears in the dream will indicate the quality of the thoughts, thus giving the dreamer insight into the way s/he is thinking and what alterations can be made to enhance thinking. For instance, if hair is being cut this will symbolize the dreamer’s current tendency to reorganize thoughts; baldness will indicate a need to exercise conscious thinking particularly relevant to the aspect of Self that appears in the dream. A hairy dream-creature will indicate an unknown part of Self consumed by conscious thoughts.”
This entry category will assist you through a more in-depth explanation of the symbol’s meaning. Many times it will also give examples of how the symbols may appear in a dream. When interpreted, the message from your subconscious mind will become clearer.
The “Derivative Meaning” category gives information concerning the physical origin of the word and its common meaning. This category will become more important to you as you become fluent in the language of mind. In most instances, word origin is more closely aligned with the thought it seeks to describe. Thus the derivative meaning more accurately describes the intent of the word. For instance, you will find the origin of the word father is the Sanskrit pa meaning “to feed”. This aptly describes the duty of the superconscious mind which is to energize the outer mind, in essence “to feed” the subconscious mind thus insuring its continued existence. This category will assist you in discerning the depth of your dream message.
Having translated the symbols of your dream, now it is time to interpret the message — to determine the significance of the dream in your life. The final dictionary entry is designed to assist you in this process through thought-provoking questions or examples of how the language is used. For instance, “Thoughts to Consider” associated with the dream image of the sea are:
“Note the way in which the sea appears in your dream. Is it tumultuous and threatening, or peaceful and awe-inspiring? The activity occurring and your response to it will give you feedback concerning how you are leading your life or running away from it. Realize your experiences are your own. No two people perceive the same experience exactly the same owing to the differences in temporary and permanent memory. However, in any experience there are facts. Seek to identify the facts in your experience, free from bias or ego motivation, then draw upon your intuitive understanding to gain the most from life experiences.”
The entry in the same category for books is:
“Am I learning from my experiences? Learning is a step-by-step process beginning with the reception of information. Note the kind and subject matter of the books in the dream to discern the type of information being addressed in your dream. A library of books will indicate a wide range of information available to you. If they remain unread, you need to use information for the considerable resource for learning they afford you.”
Drawing upon this section will stimulate new ways of thinking that will help you apply the dream message to your life. Answering the questions posed will lead to deeper contemplation of the dream’s meaning and significance in your life.
This dictionary will give you the basic information needed to begin to interpret your dreams in the language of mind. It will open doors to the wisdom of your inner Self. With practice of these new skills, hopefully you will be stimulated into responsive action, acting on the wisdom offered to you from your soul.
Following the Universal Language of Mind dictionary, you will find a closing section devoted to the art of interpreting dreams and the benefits of rapport with your own inner mind. This will assist you in realizing the magnitude of the wisdom your dreams afford. You will learn how the many different images that appear in a dream are unified in content and meaning when they are interpreted in the language of mind. Every dream tells a story about the dreamer, often teaching a lesson to be discerned and applied by the dreamer. The lesson is learned when it is applied in the dreamer’s life. As you begin to study your own dreams, recording, researching, and understanding their meaning, you can expect to become more fluent in the Universal Language of Mind.
–from The Dreamer’s Dictionary by Dr. Barbara Condron, copyright 1997, 1995 SOM