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Dreams and How They Affect You

part 2 - by Lorraine Murray

Learning the Language of your Dreams

He was a dreamer, a thinker, a speculative philosopher... or, as his wife would have it, an idiot.

This article gives you some guidance on how to read your dreams (part 1 - 'Dreams and how they affect you')

People are often confused by what their dream means and think it is just nonsense or your mind processing the day that has passed.

Sometimes the latter is true and a dream reflects things that have happened during the day. However very often there are times when a dream can be guiding you to heal something within yourself or helping you to cope with change.

Perhaps you have dreams feel 'abstract' and do not make sense. Dreams often appear as lots of single scenes in a movie that do not really join together. Does this sound familiar? Instead of trying to understand it literally, think of it as if your inner self/soul/higher self (whatever you want to call it) is speaking to you in shorthand. Each dream is a scene or a photo. Each scene or photo can be a clue to what your inner self is trying to communicate to you for healing and balance.

Deciphering the Code

If we start to perceive the dream as a foreign language and that each part of the dream is not literal but symbolic then we can start to piece together the information - like deciphering a code - and find out what it is we need to pay attention to.

For example, if you dream of dogs in your dream then this represents 'friends' in your life. If the dog is black it can be someone with dark hair and if it is lighter coloured, it may be someone with light hair. If the dog is supporting you, then you feel supported by your friends. If the dog is attacking you, then perhaps you feel under threat which could be a physical, mental, emotional attack. Your inner self is trying to get your attention so that you can heal this situation. It could be that you should stand up to your friend, draw boundaries or simply say goodbye.

Message Getting Louder

Usually the dreams will become more repetitive and vivid if you do not pay attention to what it is telling you. I used to have a constant dream (many years ago) about being naked in a public place. How did I feel in the dream? I felt very vulnerable and self conscious. I also felt unprotected as others walked by fully dressed. At this time in my life, I was having a challenging time at work. I had been promoted but was given no training or support to do the job. Can you see the connection between my 'real' life and the dreams I was having?

Dream These/Symbols

Here are a few examples of what different themes/objects can be in a dream and what it might mean for you

• Water - anything to do with water represents the emotions. If the water is turbulent, then you may feel emotionally unbalanced.
• Animals - each animal represents a quality (e.g. dogs = friendliness). Cats = intuition. If you explore the meaning of animals through the American Indian beliefs then you can start to understand what the different animals represent.
• Nakedness - vulnerability and feeling unsupported/protected
• Being chased - running away from a part of yourself
• Teeth falling out - not speaking out about your true feelings. Refusing to change.
• Someone who is not alive in real life but appears in your dream - the spirit of this person may be trying to get your attention.
• Death - the end of a phase of your life or change.
• Birth - the beginning of a new phase of your life or pregnancy.
• Travelling - look at who is steering the transport. If you are driving, then you are in charge of your life. If someone else is driving then they are (are you do not feel in control of your life?)
• Rooms in a house - each room presents a part of your psyche. Bedroom = love, kitchen = abundance/nourishment, bathroom/toilet = letting go of old stuff/waste, attic = your intuition, basement = your subconsciousness - and so on!

This list is not exhaustive and neither it should be. Dream books are a starting point but it is sometimes very useful to simply sit down, write everything down that you can remember and then starting to see a pattern or understanding (through your intuition) what a dream might mean for you (or what your innserself is trying to tell you).

There are times when a dream is so significant that its message cannot be missed and these dreams may be viewed literally.

My Significant Dream

One significant dream I had took place 8 years ago in the month of March. In my dream my mother (who is in spirit) came into my dream and went to my wardrobe. She pushed all my suits to the back (I wore suits then) and pulled all the brightly coloured clothes to the front. She told me I would be made redundant from work but I would be okay.

When I awoke I was so distressed. I was single and now about to be made redundant according to my dream! I had always worked and had a well paid job, company car (although I was becoming increasingly unhappy at work). However I did not know what I could do. Strangely enough I must have emailed this dream to a friend and then forgot all about it.

In May that year I took my Reiki Master training and finished my aromatherapy diploma training. In July I was told we were being made redundant. In August my meditation tutor asked me to start taking meditation courses. I was nervous about all this change but tried to stay strong.

In September (just before I set up Feel Good Therapies) I found the email I had sent to my friend about the dream (which I had no recollection of sending to her) and remembered the dream. I knew I would be okay.

Dreams are free therapy. Consult your inner Freud.

*Next month we will explore the parallels between dreams and meditation and how to enhance your dreams.

If you have any questions or dreams you would like help with, please feel free to email Lorraine Murray >>> A book we would recommend about Dreams is 'The Hidden Power of Dreams' >>> by Denise Linn (in the Energy Awareness section of our shop).

*Remember to sign up for our free newsletter so we can keep you up to date with health tips and offers. Or follow us on Facebook/Twitter.

Learning to Meditate can also be a useful way to find answers to problems, for healing or to help you understand your dreams. Lorraine runs meditation courses in Edinburgh for all levels.

Information on Meditation Courses >>> .

If you wish to use this reproduce this article, please contact Lorraine in the first instance.

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