Dr. Katia Romanoff interprets symbols in dreams and co-writes an advice column with Dr. Lauri Loewenberg called the Dream Zone, appearing in several newspapers around the country and Sedona Magazine.

Below are dozens of Dr Katia's interpretations of dreams, nightmares and waking visions people send in to her. The same symbols appear in paintings, songs, and religions of the world. Just start reading at the top and see if you find any symbols with a message for YOU.

Dreamwork Home | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012

January 1, 2005

I dreamt that I had a baby girl. The dream started at my pregnancy. I was in the hospital giving birth and remember not feeling any pain. I was in the hospital by myself, no family or friends. I remember my baby spit up and I was wiping her face with a paper towel because I didn't have any baby supplies so I went to the store to buy diapers, etc. I left my house and forgot to take the baby with me so I had to call my brother and make sure he took care of her. I also remember having to tell the baby's father that I had a baby because he didn't know. I didn't recognize the father but I did meet him and he was a couple of years younger than me. He seemed to be happy about being a father. - Aileen 20, Las Vegas, NV

The baby represents something phenomenally special and brand new in your life -- a relationship? new way of thinking? career move? new project? -- that needs care and constant attention. You feel like you are embarking on this new phase of your life all alone and lack needed support and supplies. You also feel unprepared to deal with the new challenge but know how to go out and get what you need, indicating you are more capable than you think. Notice how you improvise by using a paper towel in one case and by calling your brother in another. However, this project, new mindset or relationship is so new in your life that sometimes you forget you possess it! Still, you are handling things fairly well and using all your talents and assets. These are symbolized by utilizing your brother's help and by building open communication lines with the "unknown partner" (baby's father) of the venture.

What does it mean in a dream to see Jesus beheaded? It was like I was living in the era of Christ.
It is rather scary. I have had several dreams about living during this time era. - Tammy, Mt. Pleasant, TN

Perhaps some genetic memory is tugging at you. Oftentimes people don't believe in past lives or reincarnation but genetic memories and flashbacks coming down to you biologically thru centuries inside your DNA programming makes alot of sense. Some of your ancestors most certainly did live during that dramatic and dangerous time period (we all have ancestors in every single time period since the dawn of time). If your ancestor witnessed Jesus' execution by the Romans the shock of that event could have carried on in your family's consciousness enabling you to tap into it somehow in the present. Beheading is how immortals were supposedly killed. Jesus is believed to be immortal and resurrected. So perhaps you (or your ancestor) were / are afraid that his death was really forever, rather than an immortal god defeating death as Christianity teaches.

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January 8, 2005

I keep having dreams about my Grandmother who passed away nine months ago. She suffered from Alzheimers for many years. My dreams are short. The last dream I had, she was with my Aunt Kay (her daughter) and they walked up to me at work where Grandma started talking to me. I remember I was shocked in my dream that she was talking to me because with her illness, she hadn't talked to me in almost five years. I don't remember what she said to me though. In other dreams sometimes she talks to me and I see the color purple (her favorite color) and then I can hear her laughter. Other times I can smell her, not a bad odor, but the scent of her house. She had a lot of sewing materials put away in plastic bags and boxes and now when we get something out of one, it's like you want to just crawl inside the bag to be closer to her, because everything in the bag smells like her and her house. I personally think that this is just me missing her, or her just popping in to say "Hi". But I think I need some reassurance from you. - Jodie, Green Bay, WI

Your grandmother is still alive and "present" within your own higher consciousness (inner mind) and, if you believe in this kind of thing, in your DNA. There is no denying that we ARE our ancestors, they pass on to us the material (DNA) that literal creates our being and are thus alive and thriving in us. It is not far-fetched to sense the presence of a deceased relative. Her possessions and that "grandma's house" smell trigger that part of you that is connected to her. Your body (sense of smell and DNA) and your mind and heart thus connect all at once making it a powerful experience. Interestingly, even adopted people can feel the presence of deceased non-DNA relatives because something happens over the years to align them to their new family. The emotional (heart) and mental (mind) ties work with the physical presence of the ones who have raised them and make up for the lacking DNA or genetic memory link. Your dream also shows that even though your grandmother was unable to communicate with you verbally, she still reached out to you in non-verbal ways using the five senses. You see her favorite color, hear her laughter and smell her warm, inviting house. You are adjusting to her loss (missing her as you say) and finding new everlasting ways to connect with her. This is a very healthy dream.

I had a dream I was a prostitute dressed as a nurse. I was wearing a trenchcoat over my outfit when I received a call from a phone booth. I picked up and a male voice (not my fiance) told me to pick up the key to his room at the hotel front desk. I walked across a huge, empty parking lot and entered the hotel. When I went to the front desk, they gave me the key and told me that I should know about the "special upcharge" for people like me. Next I got into the elevator and my dream ended. - Amy 25, Burnsville, MN

Aha! In what way might you be feeling your intimate life has been "sold out"? Has intimacy, sex or any emotional relationships become more like a "job" lately? The nurse outfit shows you want to nurture your partner and be emotionally supportive of the people in your life, yet this is obscured (trenchcoat) by the need to cater to some demanding element (not necessarily a person) that you feel only wants your attention in a negative shallow way without appreciating the inner you. The huge empty parking lot illustrates the void you feel when having to approach this issue or situation. Hotels are about temporary states of mind -- have you "prostituted" yourself to some short term thing or job? You are given the solution (key) to your problem but have to pay dearly for it (charged extra money) because it is coming from the wrong person (front desk clerk of the very hotel that is taking advantage of your willingness to answer the demanding situation). The last thing your mind showed you before awakening (usually significant) was an elevator you couldn't get on. This is advising you to ground yourself, to not go up and away from your "base" of support in a misguided effort to cater to improper, even depraved demands. Hold to your convictions and morals, don't sell out to any one or any thing.

I have this dream that is stuck in my head and don't understand it. I was visiting my sister at her home and I was all by myself then I entered the back bedroom and peeked out the window in the back yard. When this huge thing I don't even know what it was...was flying in the air and landed on her back garage roof. I was just barely peeking through the curtains when I notice the eyes. It was my father's eyes (my father passed away back in 1985) But it was his eyes because it was like he knew I was there and his eyes meant my eyes but, I was still peeking through the curtains. I don't understand this dream. - Beatrice

Your father's eyes are indeed your eyes now that he has passed away. When you feel all by yourself in the world and only able to peek thru the curtains of life, your higher mind, accessed when you're dreaming or meditating, reminds you that you have your father's strength and perspective. How might you be viewing events in your life right now using your father's point of view? What world views (opinions, beliefs) did he pass on to you? This dream indicates you should activate your father's perspective and way of looking at things and put them to work in your life.

January 16, 2005

Me and my ex boyfriend were in the basement of some house. He had a gun and he shot me in the leg. I started screaming at him, "why did you do this to me?!" Only it wouldn't come out as a scream, only as a whisper. Then he turned into his current girlfriend and told me that he never loved me. - AshleyVictoria, B.C.

Part of you is still hurt by the break-up and does feel injured by him. You are still wondering why he did this to you. The fact that he shot you in the leg indicates you felt immobilized by him. He took too much of your independence and ability to "get around." This dream shows the breakup, though painful, was meant to be, because he didn't love you for the long run.

Ok I have had this one a couple of times. I am in a garage with a strange man, that I seem to know, who is giving me a brand new red Camaro. I am hugging on him and flirting with him. My husband is in the house looking out the window at me and is fine with the whole scenario. I finish with this man and enter the house to get my husband to take him for a ride in the car. When we leave the house we cannot find the garage where the car is located although earlier it was right next to the house. We travel streets upon streets of graffiti but never find the car. - Stephanie 29, Mobile, AL

Hah. This dream is about sex. Imagine that! Red shiny cars represent male anatomy (think "shiny hot rods"...). The strange man isn't a real person but a symbol for masculine attention. You want some hugging and flirting from your husband, not just nuts and bolts sex. You two can't seem to find the time to be intimate lately. You used to have lots of bedtime fun (garage was formerly much closer) but now can't find what you used to have. Are you dissatisfied in any way with your sex life lately? This sounds like only a temporary situation. You no doubt have some ideas how to spice things up, "go for a ride" and get that hot rod "car" sliding back into the right garage!

January 23, 2005

My mother passed away on September, 10 2004. I had a dream that me and my family were in our old house. My mother was in the dream, but it was as if she did not know any of us. She would not let any of us come close to her, and when we did she locked herself in the car. Can you tell me what this dream is all about?
- Travis

This dream shows how cut off you feel from your mother. Some part of your inner mind fears she doesn't even know you or the rest of her family anymore. Worse still, you are feeling the pain of not being able to get close to her. Locking herself in the car, a "vehicle for the body" but also an enclosed space like a tomb, illustrates your sad frustration at her being out of reach. Your subconscious is trying to interpret her absence, her loss and thus help you come to terms with it. Dreams like this after a loved one's death, though painful and confusing, are very natural and actually a good sign.

I had a dream that my mother and two of her sisters had a rare disease and they kept getting mail from some sort of science laboratory saying that they were not going to live very long. - Brittany 18

This dream reveals you have realized you are one of the women of your family, no longer just a "child" or daughter of the clan. And you fear some unknown element beyond your ability to understand (symbolized by the rare disease) will take away the older, wiser women. The science lab represents cold, harsh, inescapable reality -- a force you are not sure you can handle. You will handle it fine, never fear, this is a rite of passage everyone goes thru. Your mother and your aunts are the present, while you are the future. Rising into adulthood recently has made you fear the passing of the present -- as is inevitable -- into the past. Odds are you have plenty of time to learn more from them as you become a full member of the adult class in your tribe.

January 28, 2005

I had a dream in color, of myself taking care of a baby, then I received a Gold Orthodox Cross, then another person came into the dream and I showed the person the cross and they took and showed it to another person who smiled. - Harry 54, Anchorage, AK (Katia, he has AIDS)

You mentioned you suffer from AIDS, which affects your entire being and thus the messages from your dreams. This dream has a profound, etheric message. The baby in your dream is a brand new you. A fresh, healthy body and a new start. You are looking for that day and realize you may have to "come back" as a baby to get it. On the back of many Russian Orthodox crosses are the words, "save and protect me." The Orthodox cross represents divine protection and the fact that you are "marked" or endorsed by God as one of his own. The smile is your own smile, a freedom from guilt, and a feeling of relief and peace about what the future may bring.

I had a dream about my ex-boyfriend who just recently broke it off with me. I was somewhere with one of my friends and then there was this casket in front of me and my ex-boyfriend was dead inside of it. My friend opened the casket I saw his dead body. They took a bag out of it with a letter from my ex and a poem I gave him that was all ripped up and wet because someone cried on it. I had a feeling his mom ripped it up. She doesn't like me if that helps. This dream has deeply disturbed me and I would like to know what it means. - Sarah Anne

Caskets, corpses and funerals are typical dream symbols after a breakup. He is now dead to you, completely cut off as though gone from this world. He is gone from your world and is cold to you. Your communications -- a letter from him (meaningless now to a dead person) and a ripped up poem are now useless and perhaps even scorned. You suspect his mother influenced him to dump you. The tears on the poem you gave him are probably yours; tears you shed because he is now "cold" as a corpse to you. It could also be that you are hoping he cried; but he probably didn't. This dream tells you he is part of the past -- "dead and gone," and you deserve better. You need a warm, not cold, partner who is "alive" to you and doesn't callously "rip up" your gestures of affection. That partner will come into your life, just be patient -- and go looking if you have to! No rules against trying to hurry fate!

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February 6, 2005

I have a recurring dream that me and my ex-girlfriend are making love then when we are done I look down and we are both extremely fat. Then I wake up. What does that mean? - Corey 19, Columbia City, IN

Being fat in a dream when in reality you are really slim, indicates abundance and prosperity in older people, but laziness and no ambition when younger people (such as yourself) dream it. Your sex life was okay but in the end you broke up because one or both of you got lazy maintaining the relationship and had no real ambition to keep it going.

When I was small, every night I used to dream that a thousand or countless eyes were staring at me. It was just eyes no face, no nose or anything else, just eyes. I had this dream for a long time, two to three years maybe. What does it mean? - RAJIV

Some might say you felt uncomfortably watched under some authority figure's unavoidable gaze. Perhaps something in your early life made you feel that all eyes were upon you. But I think there's a deeper and more profound meaning here. Eyes symbolize wisdom -- ancient ageless wisdom -- and higher awareness ("sight"). Sometimes the wise ones -- angels, masters, spirit guides -- as some call them, will watch a child to see if he or she notices them. You evidently did notice since you still remember. Thus you passed the "test." The message was not only, "Can you see us?" but also, "Will you seek wisdom or fear it?; Will you love wisdom or avoid it?" Those eyes brought you penetrating insights and the ability to see things normally unseen. Such dreams in children, along with seeing little or dancing lights in your head when falling asleep, indicates a mystic, a person with a rich inner life and powerful connection to the spiritual realm.

February 14, 2005

I dreamed I was in a house and it was packed with pure white wolves. They were walking around watching me and giving a growl here and there. I knew they would attack easily if tempted. I threw a brush at one and it attacked me. After it got off of me I woke up. - Heather 19, Bayonne, NJ

Those wolves are your own protective powers. They exist to serve you, reassure you, and keep you safe whenever you come into life situations that are frightening or uncomfortable. They are pure and white symbolizing innocence from any crime of aggression (which wolves usually get accused of) but also pure intentions and high lofty motives. However, some event or situation in real life has shook up your self-protection mechanism and made you fear your own power. How have you felt tempted to "attack" some one or some thing in your life lately? Are you giving into someone when you really need to tell them no? If so, you haven't allowed your inner wolves to help you out of a sticky situation. Be sure not to sacrifice your own self esteem because you are trying to appear sweet and innocent by denying your own fierce protective nature.

Well, this kind of dream could indicate that you do have a health issue needing attention, maybe not surgery since dreams tend to exaggerate to make us take action. The dream could be saying go get a physical and womanly checkup. But it also could be using the scan and the doctor as symbols for something going on in your emotional life. Has somebody been giving you mixed signals? Saying one thing, "Everything is fine," but doing another opposite thing? It could even be your own self convincing you that something is okay when really it needs to be cut out (surgery). Have you felt something is wrong or "unhealthy," something you can't put your finger on?

February 20, 2005

Dear Lauri: I notice that both these dreams, here at winter's end, the annual cycle's "death," here at the crux of the year before consciousness (and plant life!) is reborn again with spring, are about death, dying and rebirth. Fascinating coincidence showing that people's dreams do reflect what's going on outside our windows, all around us in the natural world. We are, after all, natural beings living as a part of a natural habitat. The cycles of the year and our companion kingdoms (animal and plant kingdoms) cannot help but affect us and be found reflected in our dreams. Common dream themes seem to support the theory that we all share a group mind, a subconscious over-mind that we all tap into. Our ego and personality individuate our ordinary mind, but our deeper consciousness is linked to everyone else's. Kinda cool. -- Katia

In my dream I was planting flowers in my garden, a huge Anaconda like snake came out of the dirt trying to get me, then a smaller snake with red and yellow, and blue colors jumped on the Anaconda and started going around the huge snake they went out of the garden into the bushes. Then my dead ex-husband came to me wrapped his arms around me and asked me to marry him again. He said he wanted to protect me. Then we were in a furniture store to buy new furniture and the Anaconda was looking at us through the furniture. - Brenda, Nashville, TN

Buying furniture indicates a whole new thinking pattern. You have changed your thoughts regarding your ex-husband and view him very differently now that he's passed away. You might even consider re-marrying him if he were still alive. When I read the first line of your dream I thought, "Oh my, who has she been burying?" When we dream of planting it symbolizes death, dying and burying -- but also rebirth. You have buried the past, buried the pain that caused your divorce. The snakes indicate higher wisdom that has come to you because of your losses and pain. It is said, "Pain creates." And when we see a snake in a garden we can't help but think of the First Woman and "Creation" itself! How have you felt "tempted" and even "led astray," lately? Are you afraid you made a colossal mis-judgment or mistake? Instead of feeling guilty and like everything is your fault (unfortunately the aim of the Eve story) it is time to realize you have radically changed for the BETTER. You have gained the "knowledge of good and evil" -- very vital to have such discrimination. Eve was supposed to help humankind descend into matter (her name means Mother-of-All). It was part of the Plan for humankind achieve the mind of God (special knowledge of good and evil). The Divine wants companions, like-minded souls to love Him/Her and strive to Return to direct relationship with the Divine. It was only later that the creation mythology turned it into a blame game. Don't "fall" for it -- guilt is a four letter word! Go forth, woman into your future knowing you are supposed to be right here, right now, exactly where you are.

My dream involved me starting a job (at one of my previous employments) with a group of strangers. I left work immediately when I learned my grandfather (who passed away six months ago) just died. I make my way to the funeral home, and find my entire family is there. My grandfather gasps and sits up. He had come back to life! After I witnessed that, I rejoiced and went back to work, as it was my first day of employment. What does that mean? - Marcia 27, Miami, FL

We see you returning to some "previously" unfinished work. There is something you need to "start" healing from. It is of course the loss of your grandfather since the dream focuses on that. Part of you (your subconscious mind) isn't so sure he's really dead. That's why you see him "coming back to life." You are still getting used to the (painful) idea that he's gone and you won't be in his presence anymore. However, your higher Self is aware that he has indeed come back to life and actually never died because he exists -- is alive and thriving -- in your DNA and the DNA of all his descendants. Remember, children and grandchildren are our immortality. We ARE our ancestors and they may return to our family line in future and be our grandchildren. (This is a quasi-reincarnation theory akin to genetic memory). That realization occurred to you on some deeper level and is why you rejoiced. Then you got back to the business, back to the "work" of healing. The dream was saying this is your first day, your "initiation" into the new (helpful and liberating) worldview of what immortality, death, dying and rebirth, really means.

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February 26, 2005

I had a dream of me getting brain surgery. I was in an upscale hospital that was really open and airy with lots of windows. I got to wear the cute blue hospital gowns. The doctors and nurses were very calming. I was not nervous and knew it had to be done. The brain surgery started at the bottom of my skull where my neck meets my skull. - Holli 22, Monaca, PA

Well. Seems you've been upscaling your mental life, gaining some significant knowledge. This has opened your future up to lots more opportunities than you had before (symbolized by the numerous windows). How have you adjusted your thinking lately? Are you taking a class or getting some kind of education, formal or informal? The point where your surgery begins is also significant because that's where the mysterious medulla oblongata lies. That part of the brain is associated with incoming intuitive know-how as well as the in-flowing lifeforce itself. It means thanks to an adjustment in your mindset, opinions or mental life, you are about to receive (or have just received) a large infusion of inner knowledge and cosmic, almost psychic, "knowing." Good for you!

I had a dream about a monster named Geraldo in my friend's house. He was short but had very long hands. I remember he put his hand up my shirt and pushed on my chest. I woke up gasping for air. Could this be a form of sleep paralysis? If not...maybe there could be a rational explanation? - Vincent 17, Baltimore, MD

Creatures sitting on or touching the dreamer's chest, old men, old hags, goblins etc. have been appearing in human dreams for centuries. In fact, the Greeks believed that nightmares were caused by a goblin-like demon that sat on the chest of its victims causing paralysis and feelings of suffocation. A sinister presence sucking the life out of you usually symbolizes a fear of the unknown. Ask yourself what are you currently dealing with that has you feeling anxious, stuck (paralyzed) and unable to catch your breath? The setting -- your friend's house -- and the intriguing name of the monster might give you a clue as to what arena of your life this dream is commenting on or warning you about.

March 6, 2005

Dear Lauri: The first dream interp is twice as long as normal. Sorry. I tried to hack it down, but couldn't get it smaller for some reason. Do with it what thou wilt. The second one is normal size. These were fun -- an uncannily both were about life and death and ultimate questions! --- Katia

My Dad passed away in December 2004. I had a dream about my Dad standing upright and floating above the floor about nine feet above my mother, sister and me. He had no shoes on and was dressed in his traditional dress pants with a flannel shirt on. He was illuminated in light all around him. I hugged him in the dream and was happy to see him. He did not speak through his mouth but said the following words: "I always told you cheerleaders had the best lungs." These words were directed toward my sister. I was just wondering if this could have been my Dad connecting spiritually or whether it was just subconscious thoughts. My younger sister also dreamt a similar dream right down to the clothing, except he had shoes on in her dream.
- Margie 41, Darlington, MD

Your question has been asked by thousands. Do deceased relatives actually connect with us in dreams or is it only our subconscious mind at work? As a dreamworker I used to think such "visitations" were only the deep mind putting the grieving one thru a healing process. But after years of thousands of dreams coming in with uncanny similarities such as your dream and your sister's, I believe those who have passed on do sometimes reach out to family members. AND it is a healing process, too. As for the shoes: there is a great mystery about whether people are buried wearing shoes or not. Funeral homes will not tell. Our ancestors were divided about this. Some thought one should go before the Divine Source unshod, ready to walk on holy ground and new paths, others thought footwear essential since it is a "journey" of crossing over. Your Dad's message about lungs and cheerleaders has some kind of significant meaning for you. Spirits of the dead use words and phrases that only their relatives could possibly know so as to make it clear it really is them visiting. That kind of evidence, coming via mediums and in dreams, is what makes it so convincing there is communication between the worlds. We shouldn't get hooked on such communication or use it for entertainment, since there are even higher worlds we must learn to link up to. The realm of the dead is only one realm, a lower one, and our people are only there temporarily before they ascend higher (and later possibly return in a new body, "updated equipment"). A spiritual teacher taught me the reason deceased ones visit us is to prove to someone they love the invisible realms do exist. Their visit wakes us up to higher levels of consciousness and can set us on a path of spiritual growing. They are now aware of other realms and want us, while still alive, to know higher things are real and can be tapped into. Visitations and paranormal events thus serve a higher purpose of "proving" to the skeptical intellect that there is more out there (an in there, too!). We each can develop ears to hear and eyes to see these hidden mysteries of life (and death).

I'm walking on a beach the dream is black and white when i normally dream in vibrant colour. The beach is made of human skulls and bones. Ahead of me down the beach is someone digging a hole to China among the skulls and bones. I kick a skull out over the black ocean and it disintegrates along the way...
- Chelsea, Victoria, BC

The black and white indicates this dream is about a cosmic issue, about spirituality, about life and death. Large amounts of skulls and bones symbolize all of humanity existing as one. We are one body, one mind, one human race. We come from a Source, return to it in death, and perhaps come again. The person engaged in the seemingly useless endeavor of digging a hole to China shows that your mind is still debating the meaning of death. And the purpose of life. (Ah, no surprise there, since most human minds do that!). You are a deep thinking person and may have even contemplated suicide or had to deal with another's suicide. Kicking the skull is you pondering the death of the body. You wonder whether it's forever or not. Your kick says, "What's it all about?" and "Is this all there is?" No, answers the universe as it disintegrates that skull (and thus your question). Death too is only a temporary state. Nothing is forever but your spirit (soul, Higher Self). Even death becomes nothing when it confronts the great lifegiver, the very origins of life, the Source (symbolized by the ocean).

March 13, 2005

Dear Lauri: Do you happen to know the age and job of the second dreamer -- Christine is her name? It would help me since her dream is about her mother and sister, to know if she is young, medium or old. -- Katia (Here below is the first dream interp)

I started having terrible dreams as a child where two objects were compared. There would be a very large object and a very small one; for example, a large water tower with a tiny hair on it. This would make me wake up in terror. Other comparisons would pop into my dreams as well, such as a large elephant and standing next to it, a very small mouse. Sometimes, well into my high school years, when I would try to fall asleep, these visions would pop into my head. I would actually get nauseated and would have to force myself to keep my eyes open until I was just exhausted and would drift off to sleep. These dreams don't come much at all anymore, ( I'm 31 and married with 2 small boys ), but I remember them very vividly and have always been curious about their meaning. These seem like a very strange recurring night terror. I kind of have a theory on their meaning, but what do you think ? - Shannon, Nashville, TN

Children suffer nightmares and a whole array of fears because they live in a world they largely do not understand. Kids don't even know they're afraid; it's internalized and comes out during sleep when the subconscious is "open". Those dreams came to you whenever you felt small and insignificant next to something big -- like the world. You were that tiny mouse, afraid of being overwhelmed by life. As you aged your self-esteem improved at the rate your knowledge of the world increased. Now as an adult with little dreamers of your own to raise, you have seen it all, so to speak. Scary childhood dreams no longer get triggered. But be sure to dialog with your boys about their dreams and inner life!

March 14, 2005

In order, my Mother, I and my little sister are running through a large field of wheat grass. There is nothing else around, just field. Then like a movie (panning the scene) the dream looks up to the sky and there are fighter jets dropping bombs just behind us. So that's why we're running. Then I'm all by myself and I'm walking through this beautiful forest which is on a mountain shaped like a cone, it spirals all the way to the top. The birds are chirping, the monkeys are jumping around, everything seems so peaceful and happy. Then as I get to the top I see the sun shining down through the trees and it's shining on my mother, but she's lying there dead. I have this dream at least once a year, and always wake up crying. Can you help me to figure out what it means? - Christine, Victoria, BC

You are running in the order of your ages, biggest to smallest, symbolizing the "family line" and following your mother's guidance or "lead". She influences both you and your sister. The wheat field symbolizes the rite of spring and especially the mother-daughter relationship because in classical myth the wheat-bearing goddess Ceres (from her name we get our word "cereal") and her daughter Persephone have such a mother-daughter bond that even death could not separate them. You probably get this dream any time you feel cut off from your mother, unsure of what she would advise (guide) in some situation, and any time in real life she feels "dead" to you for one reason or another. Triggers might be an argument, disagreement, you fearing or sensing her disapproval of something you say or do. The forest represents feminine mysteries and the mountain is spiritual attainment -- climbing to the heights for inspiration or solutions. The cone shape is masculine straightforwardness while the spiral is feminine meandering but purposeful wisdom. Birds and monkeys are your cheerful and active thoughts. You've got some really nice symbols in this dream. But the sun reveals your fear: losing your mother's influence and guidance thus spoiling the thriving growth of your life (happy setting) and cutting off your original connection to the feminine mysteries (forest) and ultimate attainment (spiral and mountain). You sometimes feel too keenly the emotional separation that naturally occurs as daughters age. You will always have her wisdom, it's in your DNA. Eventually you will be the one doing the guiding and wisdom keeping.

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March 21, 2005

I was visiting a friend whose house was filthy. A dog killed and ate a mouse in the living room. When I left the house I was driving a truck with a foggy windshield and realized I was in the oncoming traffic lane just before a collision. Then I realized I was lost, I couldn't remember the name of the highway. When I stopped for directions my son was there as a small child. He was very happy to find me. - Melanie 54, Atoka, TN

Filthy houses often indicate the dreamer is feeling depressed about her life. Something has been worrying you, perhaps connected to your son. Is he not as happy to see you as he used to be? Do you feel like he doesn't need you anymore? The dog killing the mouse symbolizes your internal conflict, possibly involving minor annoyances (mouse) and loyalty and companionship (dog) or feelings of inadequacy (mouse) causing you to experience loss (mouse was killed). The truck means you've been driving your body hard lately, straining your physical stamina but can't see the goal, the reason for pushing yourself, working so hard. You are in fact afraid that your confusion will end up making your health "crash". The advice offered in the dream seems to be, "See a doctor or do some research on your particular health ailments (stopping and asking for directions). Have a conversation with your son while you're at it." He will be very happy to see you back to your old self again.

Yes, they are completely normal! And common among creative people. We often call such dreams saga dreams, but I like your term "adventure" dreams. What do they tell us? That you could be a novelist or screenwriter -- you have the muse working within you. Women are often the storytellers of the tribe but suppress the ability because for centuries men have dominated creative fields. When the creative material can't find expression in a woman's life it comes out in her dreaming sleep time. Such urges and energies need an outlet. Start typing your storylines out and I'll bet your entire waking and sleeping consciousness will change into a channel for wild creativity!

March 25, 2005

My fiancé was dreaming of carrying 3 fish in a bag, as if we just bought them. The bag started to leak and he was rushing around to find a bowl to put the one fish in that was fallen out. Reading and learning all of your website stuff about the meaning of dreams, I was wondering if he is worried about my children. I am divorced with three kids, from an abusive marriage, and never see the kids' real father. We are getting married shortly and I was wondering if that was what he was scared of. Thank you for your time. I love your books. - Melanie 27, Newport News, VA

Dear Melanie: Well, your intuition was right-on. You interpreted this dream yourself. Yes indeed, he is worried about being a good father figure. The fish are "newly acquired" and in a fragile state (thin bag) in need of protection. He wants to do more than properly care for them; not just provide thread, bread and shed. Your fiance's dream shows he is willing to seek whatever solutions necessary to do a good parenting job (rushing around looking for a bowl) although he is not so sure how good at this he'll be. He wants to nurture them and give them a father's love -- satisfy their emotional and psychological needs (symbolized by the water). Reassure him that kids can bounce back from almost anything and parenting mistakes will not scar them for life. His efforts in raising them these last years of their childhoods will be most appreciated whether they admit it or not. His sincere desire to do the right thing is communicated subliminally; and they will never forget it, no matter how far they might stray from the family circle in future.

Your boyfriend's naked state means that when he lets his guard down, when he shows you all he has in his heart, he feels vulnerable and exposed. But he is willing to take the risk. He likes to do things for you. The lights symbolize your two souls as soul mates shining together next to the Source of Light. You are afraid something will prevent you two from becoming soul mates forever. You know he wants to, but you fear he will lose his balance somewhere along the way in your relationship and "fall" away from you. There may also be some issue he struggles with just "out of sight" from his relationship with you. A "falling out" is so unpleasant a thought that you don't even want to consider it which is why in the dream you avoid going to look. But you do call an ambulance, showing your ability to know the right thing to do if your relationship should explode into a crisis. I don't think it will -- this dream seems to be merely letting you know your fears and insecurities. Your intuition may be prodding you thru this dream to take it easy and know that all is happening as it should. Don't talk too much about your relationship with him -- just LIVE it. Talk takes away the mystique of the soul-mate bond UNLESS there is a crisis, and then it is the best and only solution. Hope that makes sense!

April 3, 2005

I had a dream the other day when I took a nap. In my dream I went outside of my house. Suddenly two leopards came running out of the trees in my back yard and hopped the gate! Shortly after, a brown bear and a black bear came running out after them. The brown bear was a little bloodied up from a fight with the leopards. I tried to hurry and open the gate to my house but the two leopards were at my face! All I had to fend them off was a pitch fork. As I opened the gate, the bear runs in and goes after the leopards. As I ran back into the house, I jumped over the black bear and it turned into a bear skin rug! - Nicholas 23, Lake Stevens, WA

Napping Dreams often contain more intense messages than nighttime ones and should therefore be heeded. The symbols are trying to tell you something. Leopards, representing cruel and harsh words or behavior have gotten to you (inside the gate) and someone is "in your face," like those leopards. Ask yourself how you feel threatened lately by some one or some thing. The brown bear is the part of you that is offended or hurt by this issue and the black bear is the part of you that just lays down and takes it -- like a doormat. You do have the tools to defend yourself, as symbolized by the pitchfork, but you are afraid that's not enough. Some research and a plan of defense are called for. Stand up for what you know is right. I know that sounds like a cliche, but hey -- right-thinking, right-words and right-action never go out of style!

I had a dream last night that my little cousin was choking in my kitchen and I couldn't get off of my couch to save him. What could this mean? - Megan 19, Akron, OH

You feel protective toward the boy, but your dream reveals you are worried you will not be able to keep him safe. What is going on within the family life (symbolized by the kitchen) that makes you worry he is at risk? You are feeling paralyzed, stuck on the couch, about some issue or person that you perceive is "choking" the life out of him. Maybe you don't like his daycare, or a certain relative? It is hard to know the difference between intuition prodding us to fix something and fears and worries merely making us upset for nothing. Try to figure it out, though; he made truly need your help. There may be something that needs to be said to his parents, something you are picking up on but they are not.

April 11, 2005

I had a very "memorable" dream that I was on the 95th floor of a condo complex on the beach with my wife and in-laws looking at a beach house. The whole building was swaying and I remember being able to see for miles around me. I was scared to death of the swaying and being so high. Then we got on an elevator which did not go up or down, just stayed on the same floor. I then woke up very worried and almost feeling like I had vertigo and expecting the swaying and sick feeling to continue outside of my dream. - Stewart, Matthews, NC

This is a classic "needs grounding" dream. Ask yourself, how am I too high? What project or idea has me so far from my ordinary grounded life that I am out of touch? Something recently has disoriented you, even scared you. Although this issue or situation, whatever it is, gives you a broader overview (seeing for miles) it also causes anxiety and feelings of being trapped (unmoving elevator). Maybe purchasing real estate or seeking approval from your in-laws right now is not a good idea. Beach houses and condos are symbols of "the good life," and could be a warning that even though such things get you "high" you will not feel at home. Luxuries can so easily turn into entrapments. Another message from this dream is a reminder that the flipside of the excitement coin is depression and anxiety. Don't let yourself get overly excited about something because excitement so often triggers depression, disappointment or anxiety. Take steps to ground yourself. Look at your bills or taxes to be paid file. That'll do it!

I dream of work almost every night. In fact I would say most of my dreams are centered around work. It is not very restful and I find it very frustrating even though most of the times in my dreams I don't feel frustrated. What does this mean and how can I avoid dreaming about work? - Brandy 30, Henderson, NV

Day residue dreams can be frustrating, and their interpretation is so obvious that it's almost not even helpful. Your work is on your mind, for whatever reason, and is telling you, "There is no escape." I would suggest exercise, especially the outdoor variety, and/or getting engrossed in a book or movie trilogy. Also, reading inspirational stuff right before bed helps program your inner mind away from day residue dreams. Hang in there, and if all else fails, meditate. Meditation is the panacea for all imbalances in life, you know!

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April 17, 2005

Dear Dream Zone,
I dreamt I saw a Peregrine Falcon suddenly swoop down the side of a very tall 'Gotham' style brick and glass building at incredible speed. Clutched in its talons was a beautiful white dove with black spots. I was not only struck by the beauty of the dove, but the complete serenity and calm on its face. In a situation that should have caused major panic, this dove seemed as though it was merely hitching a ride with a friend! No blood was apparent on its pure white feathers and I got the sense that the Dove was not alarmed nor harmed in any way. I awoke with a strange feeling about the incredible calm and beauty of this bird, which persisted throughout the day.
- Mikel, Victoria, BC

What powerful archetypes your dream displayed! We see peace being "carried" serenely and willingly by one we'd usually call a killer. The message seems to be: how is an apparent victim not suffering as you've previously thought? What major panic might be an illusion? How have you misread a relationship between two people or two groups of people (nations?) as being adversarial when really the victim is being assisted and carried into an incredible calmness. Very thought provoking!

April 22, 2005

I had a dream about animals. There was a deer and a bear and the deer started a fight with the bear to protect us and the deer was talking to us. Also there was a HUGE spider that I was trying to kill and it wouldn't die because it was so big and I keep hitting it. One of my friends ended up smashing it and killing it.-- Rebbekah 32, Salt Lake City, UT

Animals represent our own personality aspects -- they are each part of you. The deer is your graceful, feminine, sensitive side which the "bear" in you sometimes comes into conflict with. Bears represent protection even if violence is required and are thus a very strong dream symbol. They, like spiders, are not negative images. Just powerful archetypes that we all possess and can tap into the energy of. Your friend has recently helped you with your conflict between feminine grace and feminine aggression by putting an end to some opinion or misconception you held about something or someone (spider). Only you know what that is, but if you aren't sure, have a brainstorming session with your friend for clues!

A few nights ago I had a dream that is still really vivid. First I was with some friends and family in the middle of a few old big churches. Next thing I know the church is shifting in its place and then it, and the other nearby churches, are all collapsing. It was exciting. But a small boy gets trapped under the rubble though I am fine along with my family. - Robin, Victoria, BC

You dreamt of churches collapsing, not mosques or synagogues, indicating you were probably raised Christian and this dream has to do with mainstream Christianity. Your dream is an excellent symbolic example of the "shift" -- and perhaps even slow collapse -- occurring in the Christian faith right now. Longheld beliefs no longer satisfy. Families are not fulfilled. Few complete family units even attend church together anymore. Margaret Starbird, author of the Woman With the Alabaster Jar, one of the books Dan Brown credits as his inspiration in the DaVinci Code, says that we need a revised Christianity, a corrected version that allows the sacred feminine back in. Mary Magdalene is the goddess hidden in the gospels, and Sophia-Shekinah-Asherah is the goddess hidden in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). Unfortunately the all-male celibate clergy of Christianity didn't want a married Jesus nor a married creator God, so they stamped out almost all evidence of her, resulting in what one Jungian analyst called "the psychological carnage of women." We are left with a horribly lopsided religion -- yet are expected to follow without questioning. The official Church became a sexually dysfunctional institution that controlled peoples' lives and destroyed many, not just women. Other victims included many small boys (one is pictured in your dream) who were crushed beneath its weight of sexual repression and misogyny. The church's ridiculous take on sex created a perverted outlet for itself and the victims are littered across the centuries down to this very day. The dream reassures you that you and your loved ones are fine, the family unit is safe, and the "true" faith lives on. The future of religion in your life can go whichever way you choose. Wow, what a dream. I could go on and on... Instead I will refer you to my personal website Northernway.org where the motto is, "Restoring the Goddess to Judeo-Christianity from which She was yanked..."

May 7, 2005

I keep having a reoccurring dream...maybe about every month or so. My parents die in it, one or the other, but last night both did. In this most recent one they lived on as ghosts(?) like they had 'unfinished business' and I could talk to them and they were with me often and I was deeply frightened the entire time that they would not have their 'unfinished business' to take care of anymore and that they were going to leave me for good. This dream haunts me terribly. I'm 21 years old and I'm having dreams of my two very loving parents dying. Please help me understand it. ~Mike, 21, MD

This is a common dream among children and young adults. You may get this one all the way up until you are 25 when the brain finishes full development. Longer if you live at home or are otherwise unusually dependent on your parents. This is an anxiety dream triggered by the realization that it's a dangerous world out there and you might lose your parents, the anchors of your entire life up until now. Sometimes young people get this dream just after leaving home or when reaching a state of independence from parents. The subconscious mind notices the separation and feels like the parents are "dead" to them. Do not be haunted by this dream, it means you are a good son and they are good parents but now you are beginning to grow apart. Don't worry, you will never be totally apart but there will be less dependence physically and mentally. Independence of mind (opinions, free thinking) is arriving and your dreaming mind is a bit afraid. Reassure it (in other words reassure yourself!) that nobody is going to die, either metaphorically or physically, any time soon!

Dear Dream Zone,
I had a dream that people were after me and that as I was running from them the walls started falling on me and caving in. I also dreamed the same night that people were with me in a house and told me to give the cards to the others because I was keeping them from winning the game and if I didn't I would be sorry!!
- Lisa 39, Pleasant Garden, NC

Whenever you dream of being chased it usually indicates you're avoiding something in life. There is something you are worried will "catch up" with you. Ask yourself what you are avoiding, what you would rather not turn and face. And what situation, relationship or health issue is at risk of "caving in" and falling down around you? Your cards dream is about the "game" of life. You feel threatened by some one or some thing to give up some asset you possess so others can take advantage of you. The cards could represent money -- who or what is asking for your money? Or energy. Possibly a guilt trip is being heaped on you either by others or yourself. Unless you are actually holding someone back using the cards (inborn talents) life dealt to you, don't beat yourself up with guilt. Follow your code of ethics -- be strict on yourself -- and you will always be able to rest easy knowing you are doing the right thing.

May 14, 2005

I am currently going through a divorce, which has become quite stressful. So my dreams have been all over the place. But one of the craziest things is that over the last six months I have had about ten Deja Vu's. What does this mean if anything? I have not had a Deja Vu in a very, very long time. Why now?
- Joe 33, Paso Robles, CA

The deja vu phenomenon and the dreaming mind are very similar. Both are glimpses into the higher mind. The doors in the ordinary mind are thrown open during dreamtime and deja vu is similar except that it occurs when you're awake. Some dream experts believe deja vu occurs when we see something in waking life that we've already dreamt. It's very fascinating stuff, almost psychic. The stress and the drastic changes your psyche is undergoing right now have catapulted you into a different "state of mind" -- literally. It's actually good -- the mind's way of helping you heal and deal. (Deal with the unsettling status of your current life.) You are on the healing track and the good news is you'll come out of it more intuitive and possessing more access to the "unseen" realms of higher wisdom. Pain makes gain, to put an old saying another way.

I dreamt about being with my kids and mother out at the lake. Suddenly there was a big wave! I noticed something under the wave. My mother was by the lake coming towards the house when the creature under the wave emerged and came towards her. I screamed and yelled at my mother to run but she turned around, put up her hand to stop this big snake creature and it did! She conversed with it and it turned back towards the water. It stopped at the shore and changed into a old grandfather, crossed its legs, and smoked a peace pipe!! - Denise 42, Winnipeg, Manitoba

Big waves in dreams mean the dreamer is feeling overtaken, overwhelmed. The waters of life (often symbolic of emotional turmoil) seem to be dangerously aggressive. This dream is telling you that when you feel overwhelmed, do what your mother did. Turn, face the thing you'd rather avoid and tell it to stop this minute. You take control of that fear, issue, relationship, whatever it is. Then talk nicely to it, discover its motives. Wisdom (grandfather) and peace are the end result of such dialog with the shadowy "monsters" of life.

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May 22, 2005

I was in the desert and saw a man behind me. I started running but I wasn’t scared. I came to a cliff and jumped; but the weird thing was there were two of me. I jumped but was simultaneously watching myself fall. I hit the ground and died, but my other body turned around and kept walking like nothing happened! I thought that was so weird! - Karli

You recently tried to avoid something in your life. You're not afraid of it, you just didn't feel like facing it (man behind you). You decided to take the plunge, to jump into a new, more mature phase of life. The cliff symbolizes a turning point, an abrupt make-or-break decision was required of you. So you killed off part of yourself -- a personality aspect, a role you've been playing -- that is no longer needed. The "surviving" part of you is not concerned, so neither should you be. Now if you had been upset in the dream we would interpret this as destroying part of yourself still necessary. The psyche does this merging, splitting and eliminating personas all the time as it evolves closer and closer to a unified whole being. The process generated a dream this time which indicates the persona being shed has something to do with avoidance and not wanting to face some one or some thing. Your dream might also be advising you to not let certain situations, transitions or issues bother you. The dream says, if it's the right thing to do, don't be afraid, don't be upset, just do it.

I have had a recurring dream since high school that I am at Disneyland and we are getting on the Haunted Mansion ride. Suddenly the ride stops so we get off. The house is real and we can't get out. I am always in high school, but the people I am with are whomever I am friends with at that time, such as my current best friend or my current boyfriend. - Alicia 34, Las Vegas, NV

Amusement parks represent your life and the living of it. But it is an illusion full of smiles and thrills obscuring any negativity. When things are going smoothly, life is great, you are having fun -- Disneyland. When you're frustrated, apprehensive, or feeling trapped in some situation life instantly becomes a scary ride.
The reason you are always in high school is because at that crucial age you saw thru the illusion and realized fun isn't all there is. Life contains fears, frustrations, and feelings of being trapped. Most people get their bubble burst in their teens; it is a vital transition we all make. Always appearing as a teenager symbolically reminds your current self of the valuable disillusionment bubble-bursting lesson you learned back then. Now as you continue to evolve you still get this dream because frustrating, scary, entrapping events in waking life occasionally trigger it. Your current significant others show up to keep you focused on the here and now, while the dream reminds you of the threshold you crossed long ago. The "moral" is, beware of getting too excited and giddy, beware of the life-should-be-entertaining mindset. The other side of the excitement coin is depression. "Disneyland," and "Christmas" can instantly turn into anxiety, entrapment and depression.

May 30, 2005

Lauri: Please remove the first sentence of my interp if that sentence is true. If you are not sure, I guess you should leave the first sentence in. Or take it out, I dunno! --- Smiles, Katia

My cousin had a dream that an angel and a man dressed like the devil where fighting in a house. Then she sees an Indian that tells her, "You are never going to see your sister again." Her sister has been missing for a month. - Daniel 14, South Gate, CA

You are saying your cousin's sister is missing in real life? Your cousin might have been tapping into some current of knowledge that we all have access to when dreaming or meditating. But she also might have been touching her own inner fears, existing in her subconscious, that the "devil" took her sister and she will never see her again. Perhaps her missing sister will come home again, but her fears (or some deep intuition) tell her she's gone forever. It sounds like a very tragic situation. Such things plague the subconscious mind and appear in our dreams trying to communicate. Angels and devils battling it out... If her sister was kidnapped or lured away by a man, he might be the one in the dream showing up dressed as the devil. Maybe your cousin should give the man's description to the police. Elizabeth Smart's little sister suddenly remembered in a dream the identity of the man that had kidnapped her sister from the bedroom seven months earlier. He was a drifter handyman who had spent one day in their house a year earlier yet his name came to her in a dream. They found and rescued her sister because of that dream-restored memory.

Hi Lauri: If you think the book recommendation at the end of my interp is inappropriate, feel free to remove it. It's only one sentence, however, and the book is a good one about our culture wars. -- Katia

I dreamed I was watching a stranger wander around the neighborhood. It seemed as though he was looking for something. He eventually approached me. Although he had short hair I immediately knew that he was a Rastafarian. My hair is natural, a funked out curly afro. He began to ask me about my hair. "How long have you had your hair like that?" "Two years." He touched my hair and coiled it around his finger in approval. "Would you dread it and become a Rasta?" "No. I prefer it like this. Why? Are you recruiting?" He nodded, saying "All I need is another head." And with that, he grabbed me, drew out a razor and put it to my neck and began to cut. I remember being in disbelief that I was really going to die like this at his hands, and that there was no one around to help me. I cried out "Jesus save me! Jesus save me!" And I awoke out of the nightmare. It was so vivid that I could feel the pressure of the razor. I had to touch my skin to ensure it wasn't real. And the pressure went away. - Aemelia, 25

How have you resisted some form of seduction or recruitment? Some one or some thing tried to draw you into an immoral, improper situation and you said no. Good for you. It may be just the culture wars which try to recruit each of us. The head is the place of power and control. The corrupt culture wants to not only brainwash you and control your head, but wants to own your head -- to own you, claim your soul. The razor's pressure is the constant onslaught of negative forces on us, luring us, pressuring us, into a media saturated life where the life force (blood) is literally drained out the body. Your mental state becomes one of dissatisfaction, nagging unhappiness, a hankering after things you don't have. You refuse to allow that to happen. Intriguingly, hair also symbolizes the life force or divine power within a person (think Samson). Rastafarians never cut their hair, but this guy did, indicating he was a Rasta gone bad and now represents the dark side of that religion, drug use and escapism, giving in to addiction (not necessarily drug addiction). You sense it is a battle of good vs. evil (you are no doubt right) which is why you call out to Jesus, probably a result of childhood religious training that Jesus is the one to call when being spiritually attacked. You will survive this nightmare as long as you don't lose track of what is really "real" in life. I recommend reading the book, "Home Invasion: How to protect your family from a culture gone stark raving mad."

June 6, 2005

I live about ten minutes from a jail. I have a recurring dream that I am in that jail and walking down a circular stone staircase. The staircase is very narrow, just wide enough for my shoulders. The stairs themselves are very deep. The walls surrounding this narrow staircase are stone blocks. It's light enough to see where I'm going, although I sense it might be dusk. It's absolutely still, no noise at all. I am climbing down the circular stairs, just going down and down. I never reach the bottom. I've never been in jail and don't know anyone who has been in jail nor do I know anyone who works there. I can't get this dream out of my head now. Can you decipher what this means and help put my obsessive mind to rest? - Isabel, Victoria, BC

The proximity of the jail has caused your dreaming mind to use it as a symbol. It has nothing to do with the actual real jail, but everything to do with "imprisonment" and "confinement". The spiral staircase is a fabulous symbol that shows up in dreams and means spiritual evolution and the divine feminine. The message for you here is, before you can evolve upward, you have to go down, down into your subconscious and deal with some issues. You evidently have a deep inner feeling of being trapped, enclosed, or artificially confined. This dream comes to you anytime those feelings are bubbling up threatening to erupt into your conscious mind. The dream wants to get your attention so that you will work thru these old anxieties you fear are solid as rock and inescapable as prison.

I had a dream about a small child that I had saved but then I found out that the child was very evil, almost as if it were Satan himself. What does this mean? I am deeply disturbed by this dream because someone told me that this could reflect my inner child. Is this true? - Carissa 22, Fountain Hills, AZ

No! That critter is absolutely not your inner child. Evil disguised as something normally innocent (a child), then turning out to be almost Satan himself, shows your instinctive knowledge that appearances can be soooo deceiving. Even the Bible says Satan appears as an angel of light to seduce people to fall for his perversions and corruptions. Your dream is saying, hey, never trust innocence and vulnerability in situations, cultures or especially never trust anything asking for your money. If it wants your personal energy or money, don't trust the semblance of vulnerability until you have completely verified it. You may think something is sweet and needs your help (you saved it in your dream) but really it wants to pervert and use you -- then discard you. The dream is a warning as well as an indicator that you are not naive to the mental and spiritual dangers of life.

June 12, 2005

I dreamed my boyfriend and I arrived at an island by swimming across a lake. The landscape was very vivid and animated-- like it came from a Tim Burton movie. Every time the wind blew, leaves showed the wind patterns. Trees had fish swimming in them instead of leaves covering the branches. The island had several inhabitants being held captive by an evil man. They could not escape because he owned a notebook that could determine their fate. Whatever he wrote in the book came true. We were forced to stay because of this man. I rebelled and was able to steal the book and even tried to secure his fall in the book by a terrible and lethal flood. Somehow, he was indestructible. He stole the book back and we were all forced to obey him once again. We gave up, for fear of our deaths... - Cindy, Nashville, TN

Those wind patterns show you are currently analyzing trends, patterns and changes (winds = change) in your life, especially in your relationship. The fate-controlling man is your inner "demon" that won't let you escape depression and/or a glum sense of fatalism. What has you feeling trapped, hemmed in or treading water? What issues or situations recently stole your hope away and made you afraid there's no solution? Part of you is clever and resourceful enough to take fate (the notebook) into your own hands and find a solution -- good for you. But another part thinks it's hopeless and is allowing fear to hold you back. Break out, break free! Contrary to what your "controlling self" wants you to believe, you won't harm yourself by bucking the system. Buck away...and buck up! You have a powerful eraser; and if worse comes to worse, you can rip out whole pages in that controlling book of fate! This is your life, and as John Lennon so eloquently sang, it's "very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting."

I had a crazy dream that my husband and I were riding in our truck. We had to cross a bridge that was only three feet wide and was made of metal. It had really big holes in it and every once in a while a piece of it would be missing. We then came to a covered part of the bridge (like a breezeway). At this point we were walking and I was scared to cross it so I ran through it. When I got to the other end, I bounced up into the air! There was an African man wearing a bicycle helmet at the other end of the tunnel. When I came back down, I missed the narrow bridge and my husband reached out to grab me. When he did, he started falling too. The African man reached out to grab him and when he did, he fell also. So we were all three holding on to one another falling and I woke up. - Crystal 25, Sarah, MS

The bridge represents a linking phase in your life. Your marriage is going from one style to another; entering a new phase, but the road to get there is shaky and fragile. There are holes in your goals! You worry everything will fall thru before you can get there. The other man represents the unknown element of your marriage. His helmet - a safety feature - is there to remind you that some protection is needed from the unknown, but you don't always need to fear it. The unknown future worrying you (at the other end of the tunnel) is on your side, and even trying to help save the situation (he tries to grab your husband). The advice of the dream will sound like a cliche: center and ground yourself; re-evaluate. You and your husband should work together to strengthen your footing, bring clarity to your goals and make the path ahead (and that transformation-bridge!) more sensible and safe before attempting to get rid of the old and embrace the new. Maybe you are wanting a new lifestyle (financial? relationship-wise?) but don't yet have the proper tools to get you there. Trying to make it under unsafe conditions will result in disaster. Step back, problem solve, then go for it again. You are supposed to get there, so you will!

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June 16, 2005

Dreamer writes:

Please tell me if you think this was a dream, or if it actually happened. In 1993 my oldest daughter, Kari, then 15, was killed in an auto accident. Many of my friends who had lost children told me how they had "visits" from their kids after they had died. Sometimes these happened in dreams. These happened primarily within the first year after their death. These friends are not crazy people, they are functioning professionals. I had hoped that this would happen to me, but it didn't. So I gave up looking for her.

Then about 8 years ago I dreamed about her. It was in the early morning, after I had hit the snooze button on the alarm clock and drifted back into sleep. She was sitting in the doorway of my son's bedroom. I had walked upstairs, and saw her there. I said, "Kari, you're here!" She answered, "Yes, I am!" I said, "Let me hug you!" But when I tried to hug her, my arms went right through her. She smiled at me and said, "No Mom, you do it like this." And she hugged me.

Then the alarm went off again, and I woke up. But I could still feel her hug! It was as if she had actually held me. And my heart felt so full of love. Since this time I have read that our loved ones can come back to us in our dreams, and that it is often when we are falling asleep or waking up. Do you agree? Do you think this was just a dream, or do you think Kari really was really there?

Thank you so much,

Beverly West, age 50

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Dear Beverly:

Oh yes...yes indeed... I DO believe she was really there. Unbelievable, says the logical mind, the left brain. But reality and intuition tell us this kind of contact most likely does happen. But I haven't always been so certain. I used to be quite the skeptic regarding such things. Then after years and years of hearing these exact stories from, as you say, very respectable "functioning professionals," the mountain of evidence became too high to dismiss.

There is a possibility that you WERE visited by Kari during the eight years, but didn't perhaps remember. We only remember dreams our psyche thinks we can handle at the time.

It is not always true that such visitations MUST occur within the first year, but they usually do. Theories abound, but one probable reason for a delay in "contacting" the still-living family is that sometimes the departed one is in a state of divine soothing rest after a particularly sudden or tragic death. After that is over, the first thing they want to do is come reassure parents and loved ones. Or at least come to see how you are doing!

You may (and probably will) continue to get these visitations. Many folks do for the rest of their lives. Then when you pass on she won't need to come to you in your dreams since you'll be with her again at last.

I am currently working closely with Dr. Carol Parrish, author of A New Age Handbook on Death and Dying http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0875164706/esoterictheologi . Next week she is holding a six day seminar which I will be attending at the campus of Sancta Sophia Seminary and one day will be devoted to Death and Dying as well as dreams and how they connect us. Dr. Parrish's daughter and grand-daughter perished 20 years ago in an auto accident, and she herself had a near death experience 40 years ago. She became an expert in the field and works now (among other things) in hospice, where she aids families and departing souls. She's an amazing woman and writer, I think you'd enjoy her book. She travels around the country doing various workshops, you can keep up to date by visiting her Seminary's website, SanctaSophia.org.

I am enchanted by the exchange between you and your daughter -- the way she told you how to hug a being who exists in the spiritual world. So heartwarming. As a mother of two daughters and raising a third about to turn eighteen, I admire your strength. I don't know how you can get thru it. <sigh> Hang in there and keep a dream journal!! Date everything. You might even sit at your keyboard with an open mind and just let some ideas flow. Let your mind drift awhile and then write whatever comes to mind. See what thoughts (messages?) come. I know it sounds a bit whacky, but many have found comfort in this exercise. (Not to mention gotten results).

The reason you still felt her hug after awakening was because your body -- normally paralyzed during REM (dreaming) sleep -- was responding to the "otherworldly" content of this particular dream. That physical sensation is a message in itself, saying, "Just in case you aren't sure it was real contact, we will stimulate even your five senses, not just your mental faculty". Others with visitation dreams report smelling cologne or perfume, that particular "grandma's house" smell, etc.

Dreams are barely understood, as many unseen things in this world science just cannot envelop with the rational mind. It's truly a frontier. When you think we only use 10% of our brains and that telepathy and other forms of mental wave communication might be what the other 90% is for, it's quite eye-opening. Just like your radio and TV pick up waves, the mind can, too, experts say. It is not just imagination to sense the presence of a departed loved one. For thousands of years humans have made this kind of "contact," and we simply cannot dismiss it as nonsense, even though many nay-sayers (and sometimes our own skeptical minds!) try to do just that.

Keep us posted if you have any more impressions, dreams, meditation moments, etc. regarding your dear Kari. We would love to hear about it!

Very Best Regards,

Katia Romanoff, Ph.D.
TheDreamZone.com

June 17, 2005

My husband dreamed it was the day after Christmas and we were at an ice cream parlor. We ate a bunch of ice cream, a giant ice cream sundae in fact, then he had to go to the bathroom. There was a large unisex bathroom in the parlor, he and I went in there. In one of the bathroom stalls were two toilets and a urinal. I went into the bathroom with him and he said he remembered that one of the gifts from Christmas morning had been a safe that his mother had given me. He said that I told him, "Tell your mother that the safe is happy." - Carol, Nashville, TN

Wow, what a fun dream chock full of quirky symbols! The overall message seems to be that saving leads to happiness while luxury and excess can be bad for ya. The day after Christmas is cleanup day, but still a non-work day where people indulge before their post-holiday financial situation sinks in the following week. Gifts and ice cream, like the winter holidays, symbolize luxury, treats and living the high life. Your husband has recently needed relief (bathroom) from all the "good life" he is enjoying. Feeling the need to go to the bathroom in a dream indicates a need to get rid of waste and excess. He thinks you are with him on this, indicated by your accompanying him to the cleansing center(!). At one time your mother-in-law must have advised your husband not to splurge on too many luxuries but to put money in a savings account, IRA or some kind of "safe" place. In his dream, he sees his wife reassuring his mother that you guys are doing the right thing financially for your own happiness. Your husband believes you are of the opinion that what she gave you, what she entrusted to you, is in good hands. It could even be his heart, not money at all. Or it could be both. Dreams can have layered messages. His heart is "safe" with you, and he thinks you are "happy".

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I dreamt I was on a journey, and along the way I continued to lose things. First I was in a car, and then I had to climb on foot carrying my things, and then rain came and covered my things with mud. I lost my cat, but then found her, but couldn't find anything safe to transport her in. I decided I didn't really need the things covered in mud, and that I would just try to hold on to my cat, and then a man showed up. He turned out to be a guy named Barry whom I've known since the 2nd grade, but haven't seen in 20 years. He held me and offered me a ride back. I gave him a kiss and a hug, and then woke up. I understand the journey and the loss of my things, but why would the man who saves me be Barry? - Catherine 43, Redlands, CA

Your life is the journey and lately you have dealt with one loss or disappointment after another. The going has been rough, from a sheltered situation (car) to going it alone on foot. You have had to carry your burdens yourself and it hasn't been easy. You have recently re-evaluated your life and gotten rid of things (relationships, situations, opinions?) which you used to cherish but have now suddenly realized you don't need or want. What matters, you've decided, are situations or persons you have a bond with (symbolized by your cat). Survival is the goal and you are determined to soldier on. Out of your past comes a figure used as a symbol. It is important to realize he is not playing himself but rather represents something. What are the first three words that come to your mind when you think of Barry? These three characteristics are what your dreaming mind is using him to symbolize. Those three things (personality traits, talents?) are yours, and holding you closely. Your dream is reassuring you everything will be all right, not all is lost; even past eras of your life can still be accessed and learned from. He offers you a ride back "to the place you were before," in other words, to a carefree time when all that mattered was just being alive and growing. Now is a time in your life where you will grow spiritually, not physically like in childhood, nor mentally as in the first 20 years of life. You and the things you really hold dear will survive intact, but some past issues may need looking at for healing.

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June 25, 2005

I have been having recurring dreams about tidal waves. I've been having dreams that I'm on vacation in a tropical place and all of a sudden there are HUGE tidal waves. There is always one wave that comes right up to me and is curling over me and then I wake up. In another wave dream I was trying to find my family, who was staying in a cottage, to warn them, but I couldn't find the cottage. In that dream, when I saw the wave, all the water was a pretty aqua color, except for a part of the water in the center that was dirty, murky water, like it had been stirring up sediment on the bottom of the ocean. - Bethany

Tidal waves have been appearing in dreams since recorded history and symbolize powerful emotions that the dreamer fears might overwhelm them. Have you been worried about showing emotion because you might lose control and not be able to behave in a responsible, "normal" way? You might be afraid that if you let yourself feel the full impact of your emotions, you will lose all that you love, including your family. This dream is probably triggered whenever you feel cut off from family, or literally worried about them. The stirring up of sediment is old issues you've been keeping at the bottom of your mind, not wanting to deal with. They are coming to the surface now in an overwhelming way, but you can handle it. The message here is, you can do it! You can feel your deepest emotions without being drowned in them.

I have been struggling with a recurring dream for about the last year. My dream is every time I hold a baby it slips out of hands and falls to the floor. Or I am just too weak to hold the baby and it falls. This is affecting me in my daily life because I have a newborn niece and my friend has a baby. I become paralyzed when I am asked do you want to hold my baby? Please help me out by explaining what this dream means. - Laurie, Franklin, TN

Recurring dreams keep coming back until we get their message. Newborns in dreams represent projects, ideas or relationships in your life that are new and precious to you but require constant care and attention. What new situation or "gift" keeps trying to come to you but always slips away? What is it that you cannot seem to hold on to? It is falling away from you and you are worried some personal weakness is causing your inability to "hold on." If you figure out what this issue is, it should help erase your fear of holding babies in real life.

July 1, 2005

I had a dream last night involving my mother (who has passed away) and my brother. The clouds become black and funnel clouds start forming. I then find a cellar but all these people are starting to fill it. The last person in is my brother and I can't get in. My mom runs to the funnel clouds. I feel trapped because I want to save myself but I want to save her too. Then the wind starts to blow and I wake up. - Will 34, Westminster, CO

Tornados and funnel clouds symbolize "mental torment." Seeing the clouds form means you know the origin of the anxiety. On some level you are still distressed over your mother's death (very natural) and part of you feels helpless that you can't bring her back. She's unavailable to you in the physical realm and your subconscious is grappling with that. This dream has another layer of meaning, something to do with what's going on in your life right now. It was no doubt triggered by a feeling of being trapped in some current situation. How do you feel like the "last man out"? What's making you most concerned right now -- to the point of feeling the need to sacrifice yourself to help another?

Twice this week I've dreamed of my cat Sam, who died a little over a year ago after 19.5 years with me. I know some people say that dead people coming to you in dreams are actually visits, is that true with animals? I am fostering a Maine Coon who was left by her people, but have no plans to keep her permanently. She has, however, eased my grief over Sam. - Marilee 61, Atlanta, GA

The evidence is high that visitations from humans do occur, and long-time pets such as yours might just find a way to come check on us, too. Cats are said to be psychically tuned to their owners -- for example, able to find them 1500 miles away when left behind when the owner moved. So it's not hard to believe they can "tune in" from the other side. Any animal companion we emotionally bond with might want to visit us to reassure and reconnect

July 11, 2005

I was in a jewelry shop. They had large revolving cases of jewelry. Anyone could open them and try the jewelry on. I saw so many rings I liked, all gold and diamond, some with other gems. Most of them you could tell they were fake diamonds, but a few would gleam like the real thing. But when I would take those ones and hold them in my hands to inspect they were dull and flat, not diamonds at all. I tried so many rings on. - Erin, Victoria, BC

Diamonds are not necessarily forever, and all that glitters is not gold -- is the message. I know it's a cliche and almost annoying to hear, but sometimes dreams can be corny and obvious like that. You know there are so many options for fulfillment offered by the fast-changing world (revolving case), but your wise inner knower tells you which ones are the real thing. Part of you fears that when you find what's real, it will fall flat; become dull and lifeless like your previous attempts at happiness. In the spiritual realm, rings symbolize wholeness and things which have no beginning and no end. Silver symbolizes feminine energy, gold, masculine. Diamonds mean your higher self is at hand, about to emerge. This dream's spiritual message is that wholeness and your high self are very near, but you have to learn to tell the difference between the real thing and the old illusions that had you glamorized.

What do stitches represent in dreams? A little background that might clarify my question: I was in a car accident 3 years ago and fractured my pelvis, so I have dreams where I am in pain in my pelvis, but this is the first dream where I have ever had stitches in-between my hip bones where I am constantly swollen from the accident. So, what do stitches represent in dreams? - Diane 22, Newport News, VA

Stitches represent solutions, mending what was damaged. Your body's internal healer uses the power of your mind to help with its work. Your dreamweaver notices this repair going on and is sending you a dream message to inform you soon the swelling will come under control, a fix is in the works. There will be lasting effects (stitches leave a scar) but the pain of utilizing the solution will pay off, true healing is on the way.

July 17, 2005

I had a dream about a deer that was lying under my younger brother's bed in my parents house. When I saw it for the first time, my family was very calm about it, as if it had always been there. What does a deer symbolize and what does this dream mean. - Karen 26, Clermont, FL

A deer represents your feminine side, natural beauty and gentleness. How did you hide it under your brother's bed? Everyone knows and is calm about him expressing his gentle qualities, but you are worried about that. Do you feel your parents have turned him into a sissy? If I'm on the wrong track with that interpretation, howabout this... Have you ever suspected you suppressed your feminine qualities as soon as your brother came along because you wanted to be "boy-like", inwardly fearing they loved boys more? There is a famous saying I have seen in countless families including my own, "We raise our daughters and love our sons." Something along these lines has triggered your dream and wants you to find that deer, wants you to embrace the kinder, gentler, (yet still basically "wild"!) you. It has always been there. It is a normal, healthy, vital part of you and your family.

I had a dream that my boyfriend and I were on top of a car kissing. We noticed this black woman crying. Her son had recently died. We asked her how and she told us that some woman offered her a blanket for her son, and when she wrapped him up in it ashes of her son flew out. The person who gave her that blanket was my mom! I had another dream that my mom, my little brother and I were in a classroom. My mom had my brother in a trashcan! He was still alive but all bruised up. I was terrified because I thought she was going to kill him. So I grabbed my brother and tried to escape. My mom followed us and begged us to forgive her, and we did. So then we see that black lady again and she has her son. Then my mom hands her a blanket, and the same thing happened all over again! That's when I woke up. - Lacie 13

At your age, your mother is a huge part of your life. Your dreaming mind uses her sometimes as a symbol, and other times she is playing herself. It seems you fear your mother wants to turn something to ashes, wants to smother something you think is innocent (baby). Could this be about your kissing-relationship with your boyfriend? Do you think it's innocent and your mother wants to smother it? Now on to your second dream, the one with your little brother in it. If you were sitting in my office, the first thing I would have to ask you would be if your mother or anyone is mistreating him in real life. Child abuse should be reported. But if that is absolutely not going on, then her actions in the dream are once again only symbolic. They represent your fears. Okay, how are you feeling that your mother is mistreating your brother? How, in your thirteen year old opinion, is she holding him back, keeping him "trapped", "confined" (in the trashcan). Is she "trashing" him -- saying bad things about him to other people? Bruises in dreams often indicate harsh words, hurt feelings, so have you felt that your mother hurt your feelings or his recently? Did she criticize his or your level of intelligence (symbolized by classroom) making you feel bad about yourself? The end of the dream tells us there is some problem that won't go away, keeps repeating itself. Sometimes you think there is no escape for you and your brother from your mother's "smothering", "confining" controls or unpredictable moods. You want to love your mother, you SHOULD love your mother, she is of course the central figure in your life right now and will be for another four or five years. What things are happening over and over again? Maybe your mother is going thru a hard time lately and is tough on you kids, but not abusive. Perhaps she feels worried/depressed from time to time (happens to all us parents!) and her mood hurts the mood of everyone in the house. She may apologize for negative outbursts but then a few days later does the same thing again. Or we might totally be off track here. Only YOU know what is really the problem. These dreams, confusing though they be, are actually coming to help you figure things out. I know you will! Good luck, and act your age. Don't let that boyfriend get anything more than a kiss! <smile>

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July 23, 2005

I dreamed that an elephant lifted me off the ground with his trunk. I remember the sense of incredible strength. I didn't feel afraid really - not warm and fuzzy either... but sort of humble - in the presence of someone genuinely important and wise. He spoke a sentence into my ear with a deep but quiet voice. I had the feeling that what he'd said was very important for me to know and completely trustworthy. It wasn't a warning but that's about all I can feel... I have no idea what the words were, though I might have known for a second or two while I was waking up because I felt a kind of gratitude for the dream. - Mark

Elephants symbolize strength, both physical and spiritual. They also symbolize memories we need to pay attention to. Being lifted up means not only will you be inspired, but indicates the message is of elevated quality, from your higher consciousness. The message for you is, remember the wisdom of the universe that you knew when you were born, but slowly unlearned as you were educated. How fascinating that even your first moment of waking after the dream followed this theme. You were trying to remember the wisdom you sensed that you had received. Don't worry, this message will continue to come to you in various ways, not just in your dreams. You will know -- it will be like coming home to something, an aha! moment or a slow realization that you've reached a new level of awareness. What a great dream.

I was going to pick up my children from their father in a parking lot. When I got there, their father was in the driver's seat. For some reason, I got into the car with them, and found myself in the driver's seat and their father was in the passenger's seat. There was a truck next to us with two guys and a girl in there. They all three got out of the truck and jumped into our vehicle. Somehow we ended up at some house and the two guys had a gun to both of my children's head! - Kerri, 25

Well, the fact that you are in the driver's seat is a good thing, anyway! (It means you are in control of the situation). Otherwise this dream has some disturbing symbols for you, especially of course the gun to your childrens' heads. How do you feel that the visitation situation with your ex-husband has put the children in danger? Outside influences (the people in the truck) when they visit him are causing you anxiety. But since YOU are in control, because you were the driver, the situation is not so bad. You know what you have to do, it's time to do it.

July 31, 2005

I had a dream the other day that I was shot and was lying on the ground. No one was there to call for help. I remember having my cell phone and calling for help myself. It took them two hours to get to me! While waiting, I looked at the wound on my chest and saw there was just a hole, no blood at all, and I don't remember it hurting. - Jamie

Recently you feel "shot thru" and that nobody cares. How do you have a hole in your heart center? You are feeling optionless, having to go it alone and help yourself. And even when you do call for help, it takes the world so long to respond -- again, a fear that nobody cares about you and your issues. Your wound is interesting. You are not losing energy from it (no blood) and there isn't really any pain. There is a hole in your chest suggesting an emotional issue of the "heart" but you are able to deal with it yourself, the heck with the world. Good for you, not dissolving into an emotional "bleeding" mess.

I have dreamed about tornados for over a decade. I am never hurt by the tornados but I can see them in the distance. Oddly, I'm rarely afraid of them. I'm more fascinated than afraid. I watch them as long as I can, then seek shelter. Most of the time there are several tornados at one time. One time, it was an upside down tornado parked in my back yard! - Tonya, Nashville, TN

Usually seeing a tornado in your dream represents some kind of mental torment or situation in your life that is spiralling out of control. It can mean emotional outbursts and destructive relationships are part of your life. In your case it sounds like there is an element of awe for nature, as well as respect for danger. You know life hangs by a thread, in an instant anyone of us can be cut off forever, and you have confronted that fear. Perhaps too many times. You still know when it's time to seek shelter, but you want to observe the negative forces as long as possible. Observing is good, and wise! The upside down tornado means you have turned a scary thing into something useful for spiritual and psychological growth. The backyard indicates you brought this person or issue home to your heart but haven't shown the outside world (as the front yard would indicate). Keep your eye on any tendencies within (or people) that are prone to outbursts or violent behavior that might destroy your life.

August 4, 2005

I do keep a dream journal and most of my dreams make a lot of sense. This dream was so deep and real that I had to draw it rather than write about it. The dream was about a whale name Sarah who had been chained and caged. I broke into where she was and swam to her, hugging her at the top of her mouth. She communicated to me through telepathy and I cried, but could not find a way to get her out. I woke up feeling helpless and trapped. This was one of my most intense dreams and I can't stop thinking about it. - Laura

The whale is an ancient goddess symbol, a symbol of the sacred feminine. Sarah means "princess" in Hebrew. How have the desert religions chained and caged the sacred feminine? The Christian trinity is an exclusive all male club, when originally in Hebrew/Judaism the Holy Spirit was a female being (Her name was Ruach). Islam has no room for women in religion and even confines (oppresses?) its women culturally and physically. Judaism is a masculine-only oriented religion that scoffs at women rabbis. Even Zen, Hinduism and Buddhism are male biased, with women being left out or rejected as spiritual students. Women and girls for centuries have felt helpless and trapped (as your dream illustrates), growing up in religions that don't offer them gender healthy role models. They all say the male sex can be divine, but the female is second best, inferior, potentially sinful, and probably should be subservient. Here we are, the women of the world, surrounded by the waters of life, the very life-giving stuff of the universe (symbolized by the water in your dream) but we are spiritually confined to this man-made cage. Dan Brown says on his website, "Women everywhere have been stripped of their spiritual power." He wrote DaVinci Code to wake people up to the sacred feminine force at work in the world and in each of us. She is here, wanting to express Herself through YOU. You just gotta let Her out!

The relationship between my 20 year old son and I has been very limited. He has had legal trouble, lied, stolen from my husband and me, etc. My son decided to get married, which is fine; he's old enough to make his own decisions. However, he did not call and invite me until two days prior. We went to the wedding, which was very sweet and nice but I felt very uncomfortable due to the fact the bride's family did everything with the idea I was not going to help. That night, I had a dream my son was cutting his wife up into little tiny pieces with a hand saw! I remember him sitting under a tree, and very meticulously sawing each part of her as small as he could get it. FREAKY!! Can help me understand what this was about? - Sherri, Salt Lake City, UT

You know your son's true colors and are afraid he will destroy his new marriage by doing to his bride what he did to you....cut up your parental heart, your hopes for his character, your respect for him into pieces. We usually relate to our spouse the same way we related to our mother or father, since relationship skills are learned by the age of five. You fear he will "dismantle" his spousal relationship like he did his parental one, destroying trust, tearing it slowing apart, showing total disregard for the other person, taking what he can get out of any relationship. The tree symbolizes your family tree -- all those who have come before him -- which he takes shelter under, but doesn't respect yet. Meticulously sawing means undermining, methodically nit-picking, slowly milking a relationship for all it's worth until nothing is left (as small as he could get the pieces). Let's hope that the bride has a strong enough personality to not let him walk all over her and some maturity kicks in soon for your son. Around the age of 25 or 26, when the cerebral cortex is finally fully developed, destructive or dishonest young people sometimes change their ways and become decent, responsible, even hardworking adults. I've seen such happy results many times.

August 10, 2005

Every couple of weeks, but sometimes more frequent, I have this dream of my grandmother. I'll be in a different house in every dream and I'll be surrounded by my friends. All of a sudden my grandma will appear and in my dream she's not dead, so I don't get excited to see her. Then in the dream, I'm hugging and kissing her and laughing with her and having such a good time. I start to hold onto her so tight that it looks and feels like I'm squeezing her. Then my grandma looks at me and tells me Melissa, it's time for me to go, and I start crying. I'm crying and holding onto her so tight that I don't want to let her go. I keep telling her no, but then she says to me Melissa, it's ok, I can go now, I know you're ok. When all of this is happening all my friends are gone that were surrounding us.
My grandma died in 2000, but I just recently started having these dreams this year. Can you please tell me what this dream is about? - Melissa, 21

Dear Melissa:
It is not unusual for such dreams to take awhile after a loved one dies to begin occurring. We often won't dream about the deceased for at least a year. You are going through a classic dream pattern as you experience healthy healing from your loss. However, you also are being "contacted" in a way by your grandmother. She is letting you know that it is okay to let her go, she is with you anyway at all times, present in your very blood and bone. You might still be grieving on a deeper level indicated by "squeezing her so tight". She says don't try to hold on to my physical manifestation. I am now part of your spiritual life, I will be a spirit guide for you as long as you live. Let me live in that realm with you, rather than stay "dead" to your consciousness.

All of the different houses mean the different aspects of your personality that your grandmother is residing in. Your subconscious isn't sure where she's gone, it only knows it doesn't see her anymore. That's why there is confusion at first, you are not excited, then suddenly you are elated and have a wonderful reunion experience. All of your friends represent the living. You are among the living, but you can "cross over" briefly to touch your grandmother on the other side. That's why they disappear. They cannot see your grandmother in this unseen realm, only you can. You can relate to her and tap into her wisdom the rest of your life.

This is a very fascinating phenomenon and we see it often here at the Dream Zone. Your mind is going thru a healing process, grappling with the loss of her, but also reaching out to the part of her that is STILL ALIVE. The immortal part of us all is our DNA, and also our thought patterns, the love and the ties that bind us to our relatives. Even if you were adopted and had no common DNA with her, she would still be alive in you! You are the future, the part of the family that all those who have gone before you have striven to "produce." She wants you to thrive, to go forth as a proud woman in the long line of strong women that makes up your people.

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August 13, 2005

On the first day that I got my new puppy, I had this weird dream. I was exploring a cave with my mom, dad and sister. Suddenly, the cave filled with green goo!!! My parents and I ran out of the cave and so did my dog. But we realized that my sister was still in there! I swam back through the green slime to find her. I found her, but when I tried to swim back, it was too strong!!! So I was struggling in the green goo when my dog, Stanley, came and pulled me and my sister on to his back and pulled us out of the cave. I don't know what that dream was about. I wonder if something was trying to tell me to trust Stanley. Please help me figure out what this dream is about!!!! - Rachel (don't know her age but shoe's obviously young)

Dear Rachel: I think you have hit upon part of the message of your dream when you say it was telling you to trust your new dog. Dogs are our trusted companions and have been for millennia. But the dream was also telling you to trust yourself! You have the power to save yourself and even someone else -- if only you will trust in your own strength and inborn instincts. The cave symbolizes depression but also the life cycle, the womb to the tomb. Having to swim for it indicates you have been dealing with some strong "gooey" emotions lately. Have things been "sticky" and a bit emotional around your house lately? You and your sister will get thru it all, and your canine friend will be there for comic relief as well as bring occasional cheer and good vibes to the family.

I was assaulted in my sleep in 1986 - I was stabbed and suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury. I still wake up at night, crying. Is there any way that I could remember this crime? (It was never solved.) Am I just trying to resolve what happened? Will I continue to wake up crying for the rest of my life? (It scares my husband!) - Moira, Staten Island, NY

Dear Moira: This is not really a dream, so I don't feel qualified to "interpret" or give medical advice. However, I have read much about hypnosis and opening up areas of the brain that are closed off due to trauma or injury. Have you tried that or looked into it? Be careful and do your research choosing a qualified hypnotist with a good LONG-STANDING reputation.

August 14, 2005

I have this recurring dream of being chased and/or chasing people with a big butcher knife. I sometimes receive the stabbing, but I never die. Most times I'm doing the stabbing. When I wake up I almost feel like I know what it would feel like to stab someone. It seems so real and I always wake up totally freaked out. What do you think? - Deanna, Suwanee, GA

That butcher knife represents aggressive, harsh words or behavior. When you are the one wielding it you must ask yourself what in your life do you need to cut out and put an end to. When you are injured by the knife it means you have been wounded recently by hateful talk, criticism and possibly lies.
Chasing dreams have to do with issues in life we are avoiding, things we do not want to face. But when you are the one doing the chasing it means you are chasing after something that is probably harmful to you. When you are stabbing it indicates once again, hurtful words or opinions. How are you attacking someone or something in your life? Or who/what has you wishing you could get vicious with them yet you are forced to hold yourself in check? What is it that you want to destroy in your life, but you "just can't kill the beast"? Whatever it is, you are considerably frustrated by your inability to eliminate it. Figure that out and do what you gotta do. Then these dreams will cease, I assure you!

August 19, 2005

I dream I have pin needles or glass in my throat that I have to spit out of me, I can and it takes time but what does it mean?????
- Michelle, Grand Island, FL

It means you have something that must be said and until you do it will cause you great pain and discomfort. Whatever it is will take you some time to get your thoughts clear and your wording how you want it. But eventually you will be able to speak your peace, and relieve this great burden that weighs on you. The time will come to say what's stuck in your throat -- and when it does, take your time and speak carefully.

I had a dream that my children and I lived in a trailer and a hurricane was rocking it back and forth. My children were wet from the rain. People were going crazy in the streets! I wanted to be at my ex boyfriend's because that was were I felt safe, but I could not go because lightning was running through the power lines. What is the meaning of that ? - Thea, Chester, VA

You feel trapped in an unsafe situation with no shelter from the storm. It sounds like you are a single mother and the crazy world is knocking you and your kids to and fro. Sometimes you feel unable to protect them. You felt safe when you were in a relationship, not necessarily because your ex was a great guy (he probably wasn't), but perhaps because in a relationship we don't feel all alone. There was some other adult to help shoulder the responsibilities you face alone now. The dream is probably exaggerating; your situation is hopefully not this bad and might be pointing to money issues. Have you had some financial or other troubles lately that seem to be threatening your family's "shelter"?

August 26, 2005

I dreamed my husband's deceased uncle demolished our current house and was building a new one on the same site. What is the meaning of this dream, please? - Florence, Burbank, CA

Uncles (and aunts) in dreams represent family traits the dreamer has inherited. But you were dreaming of your husband's uncle, not your own, so it probably means your husband is currently acting like that uncle in some way. As for the action in the dream, ask yourself if (and why) you and/or your husband have wanted to totally re-do your home-life. The house symbolizes the dreamer's personality, and could mean you fear your husband's family wants to re-make your personality. Or perhaps you feel a need to start over from the ground up, to bring some newness to your marriage, household, or way of life.

Last night I dreamt I was picking up live shrimp by hand, in turn they were biting me. I think I was going to feed them to ferocious sharks that were contained in an open water tank like a swimming pool. - Susan, Liverpool, NY

Some of the problems you face presently have to do with biting remarks and people putting you down. You want to devour the small but painful annoyances plaguing your life right now. The tank pool indicates your emotions are too contained, however, and this can cause frustration and anger (you said the sharks were ferocious). You are tempted to ferociously destroy these annoyances in your life, but perhaps you've also got a calmer, less emotional solution in mind!

September 3, 2005

When I was little I dreamed that Gene Simmons from the band KISS was chasing me around my house and yard. There were times that my family members would be there one moment and then they would turn into Gene. Sometimes a figure would be standing there in a cloak who I would go to. Then they would turn around and it would be Gene again. - Karry, Cumming, GA

The make-up masks and costumes of the band KISS were chosen to provide shock factor. Simmons himself was a professional shocker, allowing wild stories and talk of "demons" to abound. Sensitive children were frightened by the pictures and antics of the band and especially of him, just as most children are scared of clowns at first. So he disturbed your subconscious and threatened your sense of security. That's why you had to do a double take on all your family members to make sure none of them turned into grotesquely made-up "clowns." The cloak is a symbol of hiding, secrets and lies. The dream would come whenever you felt insecure; but as you grew up, your adult mind was able to cope, so the dream ceased. You matured and conquered that "demon" -- good job!

I keep dreaming our family of four goes back to live at the house we rented some seven years ago. We had lived in the rental for about 5 yrs. The dream involves making sure the landlady doesn't know that we have moved back in; that we are kind of squatting on the property. I keep thinking in the dream that I have to get back to our "real" house and either pack up more stuff or get moved back in. Dream usually ends with us packing up stuff from rental house and getting out before we are discovered.- Kelly, Vermillion, OH

Usually this kind dream means you have been moving from house to house or job to job too much or are unhappy where you currently live. What about that old place, and your state of mind when you lived there, was attractive? Whatever it was, part of you wishes you had that now. But you know the past is not where you belong, thus we see you trying to avoid discovery and desiring to get back to the "real". Ask yourself how in your life right now are you feeling like a "squatter"? And what do you fear needs to be hidden? Take a look at your job and housing and make sure there is not something wrong or harmful going on below the surface. Something is nagging you and causing this anxiety dream.

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September 9, 2005

I dreamed about my unborn baby, he's a boy in the dream and he seems to be four years old. Later on in the dream I get beat up by a gang. All I do is ask them "why" are they hurting me. - Allisan, Lake Worth, FL

Pregnancy dreams often show us children at various ages, as though the baby's "spirit" or "soul" is already contacting the mother thru some psychic channel. Amazingly, the gender is often switched! You could be carrying a girl, in other words. Getting beat up by a gang illustrates your fears of physical harm being done to you in your vulnerable (pregnant) state. How does the body get beat up by pregnancy and delivery? Easy question to answer! Your uncertainty as to why these "forces" are hurting you makes me wonder if there is something else going on in your life that is inflicting pain (probably emotional pain). If there is an issue causing you to ask "why" -- for whatever reason -- you should look carefully at it and see if a solution can be found.

What does it mean when you dream about werewolves? Not only that, but when someone you deeply loves turns in to it and tries to find you. I've had this dream twice.-- Amanda, Virginia Beach, VA

Werewolves symbolize the shadow part of ourselves, the bad habits and traits that we try to hide from view. We even try to hide these elements from ourselves, not wanting to acknowledge our "uncivilized" aspects. So to dream of werewolves could mean that part of your wild self wants attention. A loved one turning into a werewolf means you are not so sure about that person. You fear they might "turn" on you, or that they have a dark side which could seriously threaten your relationship. Since this person is trying to find you, it indicates you feel pursued or a need to avoid this person sometimes.

September 17, 2005

I have a recurring dream about being in an elevator that goes sideways in a hospital and I am not sure what that means. - Teresa, Kernersville, NC

You get this dream any time you feel you're treading water and going nowhere in real life. Whenever it comes to you, ask yourself, how have I felt directionless, unable to make up my mind. It also may indicate you don't know which way is up -- or down. Chaos ensues from time to time and you can't keep your goals in mind. The hospital setting is very significant, telling you this has to do with some healing issue, be it spiritual, mental or physical.

I keep dreaming about an ex-boyfriend. He was great and I messed it up about ten years ago. I dream I am with him doing things, being on vacation, etc. The dreams get a little involved sometimes. I can almost taste his kisses! I am so happy in the dreams. Please help -- it is really bothering me. I know he is married now and I have been in another relationship for about eight years. The dreams seem so real. HELP! - Angela, Moycock, NC

It is human nature to hanker after "how things might have been." We think we've ruined our whole lives because of something we did in the past. But the truth is you are better off exactly where you are now, and even though the breakup was your fault, that relationship was not meant to be. You might have been doing yourself a favor. Where you are now is where you should be for whatever reason. You are in the relationship you're in to work out issues, work out your life. But your subconscious is nagging you, driving you nuts with fears you made a "mistake." You did not screw up, and you are not missing out on the best life has to offer. These dreams can also be triggered any time you feel disappointed in waking life, feel like you lost something special, or feel like you made a huge mistake. They will go away slowly and gradually OR they can go away suddenly if you come to the following realization: If you were with him now it would never be as good as a dream -- nothing in reality ever is! -- and it was NOT MEANT TO BE. You are supposed to be with the lover you're with. Dreamy kisses and a fear of missing out are mental tortures you shouldn't put yourself thru. Stop it and get on with some real live dreamy kisses!

September 22, 2005

I had a dream that I was in a room filled with aquariums. There was a big red fish laying on the ground and it was still alive. I wanted to pick it up but thought I would hurt it more by doing so. Eventually, I try to pick it up and instead I accidentally pull off its scales and rip its eye off! It is looking at me very sad. I scoop it up and when I look down at my hands it is a lobster/crawfish and it is red too. I put it down and accidentally rip its shell and eyes off also. Then I wake up. - Kaesha 21

You have been wanting to help someone lately but were afraid if you did, you would instead make matters worse. Still, you had to step in and help this person (or situation) but to your dismay, your worst fears were realized and you did more harm than good. The aquatic creatures symbolize the emotional world, so this has been tugging on your heartstrings, even guilting you out. Note that you remove each creature's outer protection and then their ability to perceive clearly (eyes). This should give you some clues as to who or what your good intentions are "harming." You might have to step back and let them suffer a bit more until they actually ask you for help. It is hard to do, but seems to be the warning of this dream. Don't feel guilty about it, however, because your motives have been pure and will probably remain so.

I had a dream that my husband was killed at the door by someone I couldn't see clearly. They got past him and came into the house. I took my daughter's hand and we ran to the laundry room. We laid on the floor and I covered us with the clothes from the dryer and the hamper. I heard the footsteps coming closer, then stop in the laundry room, then leave. I've no clue what this means, but it must mean something. - Monique, Las Vegas, NV

What changes have occurred in your household or your husband's job that makes you feel he has been "removed" -- killed off -- from your family? What is threatening him? Or is there a health issue that has just come up (door) that you can't see clearly? Make the man go to the doctor, check his blood pressure or something! Whatever this is, be it health, job or relationships, you and your daughter are protected. Your quick thinking to conceal her shows how resourceful you are and will be in a crisis!

September 30, 2005

I had a dream of my grandfather (he just passed away). I saw him deceased lying in water with people coming to say good-bye when suddenly he slowly raised up to a sitting position. He had not a smile but a grin and worded, "I love You and you will be okay," then laid back down to rest. - Christina 36

What a beautiful "message" from the other side you received from your grandfather. Many modern dreamworkers believe (as we do here at the Dream Zone) that such dreams really are a "visitation" of some kind, or at least a "connection" between loved ones. He was lying in water symbolizing the emotions and tears of all those that loved him and miss him. All the people tells us he lived a full life and had no regrets when he past on. He was ready to go, he knew it was his time. His warm grin was clearly letting you know all is well and as it should be and his words are downright transcendent! Notice the very end of your dream report was "rest". He is at rest and wants you to "rest easy" about him and about your life. You are the future and will carry him with you always.

I keep dreaming about animals. The first dream was about snakes all over the roof of the house. The second dream was about skunks walking around a business building. I stood still not wanting to be sprayed but when the elevator came and the door opened there was a skunk. It attacked me and bit my right hand. Last night a dream about an animal again, this time a crocodile trying to bite me. But I kept its mouth from opening with my hands. I have been thinking about opening a pet shop -- maybe that has got something to do with it? - Isabel 39

Animals in dreams represent your instincts, talents and skills. You are good with animals, but you are worried about making a business of it. The snakes on the roof represent your shelter (financially and emotionally) and outside forces threatening it. You don't want to suffer financial loss (don't want to be sprayed!) or get bitten. The right hand has to do with employment and making money. You are afraid of opening a store because you worry you will symbolically "get bit". But notice you are able to keep things under control, keep a disaster from occurring (crocodile bite) with your bare hands (symbolizing your hard work). The message seems to be you should go ahead and look into the pet store venture. Explore your options, do your research and make sure you are VERY CAREFUL with the financial side of things. Don't get bitten in other words!

October 8, 2005

I saw a mouse run across the floor. I ran it down and stomped it twice. When I raised my foot the mouse was not dead but a larger furrier creature. The mouse then became a young kitten. I stomped the kitten and was looking down on it. The kitten looked like it was flat. I turned away and when I looked back the kitten had run away. I caught it and held him. I wanted to kill it. I took him in the kitchen and hit him on the head with a glass coffee pot. The kitten did not die but turned over in my hand. I saw there was a vein sticking out of the kitten's stomach. I pulled it until it came out. I was still trying to kill the kitten when the dream ended. - Jacqueline 49

You are killing off pests in your life. Whatever it is, it is taking alot of energy and just won't go away. This is probably about a relationship, someone who was "in your care" somehow, but became annoying. Whenever you say enough is enough, he/she/it puts on a cute face. Cute doesn't cut it after awhile. You want to end this relationship very much. You think you've gotten it out of your life, but it keeps rearing its head. You try to stomp it first, indicating how annoying this issue has been for you. When that doesn't work, you go to the head of the problem, and finally the soft underbelly (that vein you pulled). Still no success. Who or what is this issue is the key thing to discern. Then you can figure out a strategy to finally rid your life of it. No violence, now! Your aggressive behavior in the dream is only symbolic of your "getting rid" of this pesky situation!

My dream has been about me and the neighbor guy, and we are having the best sex ever. I actually feel every touch and wake up exhausted. What does that mean? I am completely in love with my husband and will never have an affair, let alone with my friend's husband. - Kerrie 32

First to ease your mind, your neighbor guy is not playing himself in the dream. He symbolizes nearby but unknown and "untouched" elements in your life, having nothing to do with sexuality. Sex in dreams means a merger of energies. Describe your neighbor with the first three words that come to mind when you think of him. Those traits or characteristics of his are what you are "merging" with in the dreams. You want to "absorb" into yourself these characteristics. Let's say he's funloving, or he gets alot of attention. That means you want to be that way, and may crave some more attention from people in general. Or it could be other traits of his you think you need. Just go with the first words you use to describe him. Now for the physical side of this dream. Feeling every touch and waking up exhausted can mean your body's sexual energy is imbalanced and needs an outlet -- in other words you need more orgasms in waking life. Each month you need to have several orgasms. Remember that men, whose hormones are based on the sun, cycle every day and their orgasms are measured on a weekly basis. One or two is actually enough for them physically. They will try to convince you it's a daily need, and maybe it is for some men! Women, whose hormones are based on the moon, cycle every month and can get by with only a few orgasms a month, usually during ovulation and the PMS time. But women really, really need those few. So you know what you gotta do! Make sure you get yours!

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October 15, 2005

My dream starts off with me talking to friends before school (high school). When the bell rings I go to my locker to open it up, and I can't remember my locker combination so I am running around trying to figure it out so I can get to class. - Matt 34

This is a classic "unpreparedness" dream. Adults get these school setting dreams all the time whenever we feel unprepared or inadequate in our current life. Ask yourself what lately has been making you "run around trying to figure it out." Getting to class represents your goal or your current needs. You are feeling unable to "get the right combination" of factors and resources to realize your goal or satisfy your needs.

This is scaring me...I have never remembered a dream in my life....In the past two weeks I have had 2 terrifying dreams. Last night my dream was: I was walking in the dark and I was attacked by a man. I did not see his face...he had a gun to my head and demanded money...he took my purse and threw me to the ground....I guess I was crying and trying to scream and my boyfriend woke me up...I was shaking after I woke up...it was quite terrifying. - Ellen 40

Being violently attacked in dreams indicates the dreamer feels extremely intruded upon, "preyed upon" somehow in waking life. Walking in the dark and not seeing his face tells us this involves an unknown element, perhaps some conditions you are not aware of. Who or what is making sudden unreasonable demands on your pocketbook? Higher prices, taxes, a financial loss? Purses and wallets symbolize your identity. Do you feel recently that you're losing your identity or sense of self? You can make this dream stop and even resolve itself by replaying it in your mind but changing the ending. With your eyes closed and in a relaxed state, picture in your mind the attacker demanding your money. Then see yourself saying "No way!" and "What are you really after?!" See his face appear however unclear, and see him ponder your question. Listen carefully then because you might "hear" his answer. Whatever pops into your head at that point will give you a clue, and perhaps the solution, to this dilemma.

October 21, 2005

I have been dreaming of dead people in graves for four nights in a row. People are looking for the killer and I know it is me, but don't want to be found out. Last night my dream was of a shallow grave in the backyard of the home in which I grew up. Someone was hosing the dirt down over the graves and I could see bodies were becoming visible and I didn't want them to know the dead people were there or that I may have had something to do with them being there. These have been really disturbing dreams to me. - Michele, Kirkland, WA

Well, we've heard of skeletons in the closet -- but you've got bodies in the yard! This dream is all about something you want desperately to keep private. It could be anything from a family secret to your political opinions to your sexlife. It may have something to do with the effect the time period you lived in that house had on your life. Think of the most powerful events or realizations that happened then. This issue, or your reaction to it, probably has its roots there. You might also ask yourself what parts of yourself (traits, routines, beliefs) have you "killed off" thinking you no longer need? Lately, your defenses have become more shallow, you are almost considering being more open. But then, no, you don't want the lacerating self exposure! There are forces at work (waterhoses, symbolizing sexuality and emotions) that might reveal your hidden elements and it has you worried. Buried in the dirt lets us know this does have something to do with your past and could be something you've suppressed deep in your subconscious (buried). As long as no one innocent will be hurt (including yourself!), my advice is to be honest, admit whatever needs admitting, get the "darkness" unburied, and let the cards fall where they may.

I was going on a trip to Paris with my Mom's second husband, whom she divorced 30 years ago. Anyway, my bra broke on one side and my left breast kept falling out. I spent my entire dream trying to find a store open so I could buy a new bra before my plane left; but everywhere I went was closed. - Alacyn 35

Bras are about containment and confinement -- of the feminine. You are trying to break free from something. Breasts symbolize the feminine and nurturing. The left is feminine, the right masculine. All this indicates that in your waking life you must be dealing with some gender issues. It could be gender inequality, patriarchal "oppression", subtle prejudice which enforces gender roles, etc. Your Mom's second husband symbolizes something, probably a personality trait, that you want to "rendezvous" with. Describe him in the first three words that pop into your head when you think of him. Those characteristics are what the dream was using him to call your attention to. Seize them and put them to work for you. Also, your softer nature, and/or your need to nurture is spilling out all over the place, almost to the point of embarrassment. You are getting anxious because you can't find a fix, all doors seem closed to you.

October 29, 2005

I've had this dream several times over the past few months in which I am being sexually molested by my father. I beg him to stop and I try to get away but I'm too small. I see my mother looking and I scream for help..but she doesn't. I wake up feeling terrified and crying because it feels so real. - Vicki 35

The first thing I would ask is if this happened in real life, or were you molested / raped by someone else? If so, the dreams show you have been avoiding the horrible memories of it and need to see a therapist so healing can take place. If it didn't happen in real life, then the dream is a symbolic message that you are allowing your father too much power over your current life. Are you trying so hard to please him, to get parental approval, to get his good opinion, that a part of you deep inside feels violated (molested)? How is your mother standing back, not speaking up regarding her opinion, her approval? The dream suggests you "feel small" and that your opinions or lifestyle are insignificant -- yet you want to break free of this power over you. Whatever this subtle conflict is, it may haunt your dreams until you resolve it by saying "I am me now, an separate and whole person. I will live my life rightly -- for me and for those in my care. I will not let the desire for parental approval drag me down."

About 3 years ago my ex-husband, the father of my children , committed suicide. I was with my ex for 9 years even though he beat me so bad. Some of the 9 years he did it in front of our kids. There was also verbal abuse. I got the courage to finally leave him for good. 2 years later I met the greatest guy and I got a divorce and married this new guy and a year after my new marriage my ex-husband committed suicide. I had a dream about him a week later and it felt so real. I dreamed he was sitting on my couch and talking to me but I couldn't see his face. As he was talking to me he said he was sorry for hurting me and that he truly loved me and always would. He said he knew the kids would grow up with a better life without him, and asked me to please forgive him of everything , that he was sorry for hurting the kids by hurting himself. Then it was like he touched my face and I woke up. Is there a meaning to this dream ? It felt so real. Please help me understand it. - Danielle

Oh yes, there is definitely meaning to this dream! Some would say your ex-husband actually visited you in the spirit realm, while others would say your subconscious produced this encounter as a healing device for you. Either way, healing and moving ONWARD to the future is the message here! You are supposed to go forth without regret or guilty feelings. Your life is as it should be now and you are in control, keep destructive forces away. How wonderful if it really was him on the spirit plane coming to ask forgiveness and to give his blessing for your childrens' future. There are thousands of cases like this, making the evidence pile up that such "visitations" really do occur.

November 6, 2005

I had two crazy dreams last night. I dreamed about giving birth to my baby and he was fat and light skinned with real light brown eyes. And then I dreamt I had my baby and he was red with worms coming out of him! What do these dreams mean? - Shatia

Ah pregnancy dreams! They can be so vivid and even disturbing, but are usually full of health messages. You dreamed he was "fat and light" meaning healthy and robust, an attractive kid. But then your fears came into the picture and worms showed up. You turned him red - the color of blood and vital life energy, which is actually a good symbol for an unborn baby, but your anxieties over his health (will he be okay, have internal problems, infections, "bugs"?) made those worms show up. Fear not, it is a good sign to have dreams like this while pregnant. It shows you are "with it" -- engaged not only with your body but with heart and mind, too.

I, along with three friends, stay in an apartment near our university. I dreamed that one of my friends and I had gone to my workplace. I completed my shift so I asked my friend to give me the key to our apartment. He did and when I came to my apartment the key did not fit the lock. It wouldn't open. I thought my friend gave me the wrong key intentionally. - Songoju 24, UK (male)

Aha! What sexual advice did this friend give you which didn't work out? Keys not fitting in locks in a man's dream usually indicate an unsuccessful date or sex encounter. Maybe you have even envied this guy's sexlife and wanted to know the "key" to his success. But his methods just won't work for you. Let your personality come out, don't hesitate to talk about yourself and your life, it never does good to keep things in. (There, now that's my sex advice!)

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November 10, 2005

I had a dream which involved my 16 year old daughter and my 3 year old niece. The three of us were standing in a ladies dressing room getting ready to go out to a public swimming pool to swim. Right before we entered the pool I discovered that the pool was also used for nude swimmers as well as those who wanted to wear the swimsuit. My daughter, which is a very, very modest teenager didn't seem to have a problem being nude which is strange but here is the strangest part, from her waist up she was female, but waist down she was male. Please tell me what this mean. - Tina, 38

This dream points out a fear you have regarding your daughter. You are not sure she is going to be able to make it "in a man's world." You also may have recently noticed some masculine traits coming out in her, perhaps aggressiveness, or something she prefers that isn't "ladylike." Your subconscious then shows you this image of her body in a dream symbolizing balance between masculine and feminine aspects of your daughter's personality. It's about her personality, not her genitals, so don't worry! Swimming pools have to do with artificially contained emotions. Sixteen year olds are emotional creatures who can keep their emotions bottled up, OR let them out in a very immature way. Your niece being present symbolizes innocence and childhood, you are the mature one, and your daughter is in the middle. You've got a nice cross representation of the women of your clan in this dream. The message is be honest about your emotions (nude swimmers "letting it all hang out") but don't worry about gender issues and the opposite sex too much. Things will balance out in the end.

I'm not a church goer, but I dreamed God put me under a diamond floor to go to sleep. It was in vivid color and sound! - James

Well, since diamonds are forever, as is the human soul, this dream might be a message about "eternity" and things that won't pass away. Has there been a loss in your life lately, or something sentimental that no longer exists and caused you to feel a sense of loss? The message might be that all things shall pass away but not the Divine. Going under a floor means digging into your inner space, plunging into the depths of the soul, looking for the Divine there, where He/She always resides. The sleep part is telling you to meditate and contemplate spiritual things, in other words things larger than yourself. The vividness was letting you know this is a powerful potent message with the very Source of Life behind it. Cool dream. And hey, what did God look like? --you didn't say!

November 19, 2005

I had a dream that I was watching my best friend's newborn for one hour. We were shopping and I had my 2-year-old with me. The newborn started to cry so I took him into the bathroom to feed him and when I put him back into the infant carrier his left ear fell off. I was so upset. When my friend came to get him she was screaming at me. It was horrible. Please help me understand what this means! - Lori 29

We see you in the "hunting and gathering mode" of shopping, a very healthy human survival mode. Your best friend is going thru the same normal phases of life and the two of you strongly identify with each other (again, healthy). You are into her life, she's into yours as though members of the same clan. You are both worried about the newest most fragile member of the tribe, her newborn. You are worried the baby will be injured, "damaged" or fall apart, she is worried someone will harm him (very natural). You may secretly fear that your relationship with her may "fall apart" because of the baby's arrival, yet it looks like it will get stronger instead. So don't worry about this dream. It is only a reflection of normal inner fears and anxieties over a brand new "tribe" member and the subtle changes in relationships between adults that babies bring.

I had a dream about my son who passed away Sept. 19th, 2005. I dreamed that we had buried him alive. I keep dreaming about him and cant sleep at night because of it. What does that mean? - Tiara 17

It means you still can't believe this happened, and you still can't accept his death. Very understandable since you were his mother and your tragic loss just occurred two months ago. Your subconscious mind, which comes alive during sleep and uses dreams to communicate with you, may take months or years more to grapple with this death. It tries to deny the event and go back to the happy days when he was alive, thus triggering the image of him being buried alive. In your heart part of him is indeed still alive. His soul, which death cannot and did not touch, is no doubt still with you and may return to you physically some day as another baby. He chose you as his mother for a reason, and that hasn't changed despite his physical death. Plan your future carefully, look ahead to the bright life coming your way. You've got things to do with your life and he may yet become a part of it again. So be ready!

November 26, 2005

I dreamed I was somewhere, maybe a tunnel, and was picking a whole lot of garlic and onions off a tree. I picked a bag full and put in the trunk of my car. - Desiree 41

Hmmm. Both onions and garlic help the heart and the immune system. When dreams show us acquiring specific foods or nutrients like this, the meaning can truly be a medical suggestion, even a health warning. Boost your immune system. Onions "purify" the heart and blood which can have a physical as well as spiritual meaning. (The message being, keep a pure heart). Notice these natural healing elements went from a tunnel into the trunk of your car, both out of site places that although dark and sometimes daunting, are places where treasure is found or kept. The message is, treasure your health, treasure a pure heart, and make use of nature's healing bounty.

I was sitting there and my fiancee said that she had lost her earring. So we found it right there and she asked me to put it back in. I could see the earring very clearly. It was diamonds, one big one in the middle and two smaller ones to both sides and it was set in gold, a bright gold. I put it back in and then I woke up. - Jeremy 26

Since the old cliche is "diamonds are forever," this dream could be saying your relationship has longterm lifetime partnership potential. Earrings symbolize wealth and feminine beauty, and it might also be a cue she wants to "hear something" from you. What have you been needing to say that for some reason you're holding back? Your unselfish helpful gesture shows your relationship is balanced. Gold indicates a treasure that goes beyond material wealth, a spiritual "find" or enlightenment. The three-pattern of diamonds can mean past, present and future. The here and now is most important, while the past and future should not be forgotten.

December 3, 2005

I had a dream that we were being chased by some people who wanted to hurt us (me and my kids) I did my best to keep them away but they got my youngest son and slit his throat....I was trying to hold his head to his body and there was blood all over...I woke up before he died....crying my eyes out I watched him sleep hoping and praying that something like that would never really happen. - Shayla, Brigham City, UT

This kind of horrible dream actually shows you are a good parent. You are not only protective of your children but are aware there are real threats and dangers "chasing" them every day. The fact that you went to watch him sleep afterward really proves this! The dream symbols reveal you've recently felt "pursued" by outside forces bent on your family's destruction. (Materialistic culture? Negative friends? Undue school/work pressure? Only you know what it is). The youngest is the most vulnerable, showing you feel this bad energy is going to exploit your family's "weakest link". Ask yourself, how does that son seem "cut" up or cut off from you (or reality) lately? How is he losing energy or being figuratively "bled" to death?

I was in my house when my mother called and told me the News said people only have five minutes to call their families and say goodbye. The world was ending. So we talked about how we would be in heaven together and how much we loved each other. And I even said the children I lost through miscarriage would be with us, too. Then I went outside to get my daughter; music was playing and there were people just walking the streets. I talked to a guy and his wife to ask a couple of questions, then I woke up. I feel like this dream was very real...scary almost. - Donielle

Something in your life has taken a drastic turn causing you to sense the "end" is near. You are afraid something or someone is coming to an end, probably a relationship or situation that's been a big part of your life. The dream also reassures you that all will be reunited in "the end" and losses (such as your miscarriages) will be healed. Whatever is causing you such apocalyptic thoughts is not shared by the people around you. That's why when you went outside no one else seemed to be concerned or even aware. This has to do with an issue only you (and possibly your mother) are aware of. And it's not a small issue! You may feel no one cares about you or your problems. The dream ends with you questioning, trying to find answers, which is good. The answers will come soon and you will feel a new beginning instead of an "end".

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December 10, 2005

Why would I dream that I left my 7 month old baby in the bath tub and she drowned? - Kellie, Ellenwood GA

This dream has come to you as a warning to watch her carefully in the tub. Such accidental drownings occur quite often and your subconscious mothering instinct is giving you an extra alert to the danger. It also can be a double warning, saying don't leave her alone in other situations, even for a minute, because dangers are lurking. Though disturbing, this dream means you are a GOOD mother with proper instincts. Keep up the fantastic mothering.

I keep having dreams that involve either my favorite athletes dying or I am being kidnapped by the same three drunk Mexican men. Same as in every time I dream that I am being kidnapped it is by the same men but in different situations. I would like to know why I am dreaming like this. - Kayla, Interlochen MI

Guess what? The dying athletes and the three drunk men are all aspects of YOUR personality! You need to write down their names, giving the three drunk men names if need be, and then describe each character with at least one sentence, more if you can. What you write under the athletes' names are elements of your personality, your life, (even opinions and attitudes) that you keep allowing to "die off". You might need these items, so don't let them die away. What you write under the three drunk men are personal attributes of yours which keep holding you back, holding you "hostage." How are you cutting yourself off from your own life? The different situations and settings of the dreams give you further clues to what these dream warnings are all about.

December 17, 2005

Why is my deceased brother following me in my dreams? He was murdered. - Millie, Bankston, AL

To your subconscious mind, his death -- a murder -- is unfinished business. It keeps nagging at you, "following" your thoughts and intruding into your dreams. You can't find closure because you sense on some deep level that your brother also hasn't closed the issue yet. Sometimes following in dreams can mean, "don't forget me," or "don't avoid looking into my affairs." If in waking life you are avoiding facing the "truth" about your brother, or avoiding issues regarding his death, he might appear in your dreams to attempt to get your attention. And sometimes a deceased loved one will come to us in the dream realm just to say all is well, I am still with you in spirit. In your case it could be all of the above!

FISH OUT OF WATER
I often dream about fish out of water. Sometimes they float in the air and swim at me, which is scary. Or they are on the floor flapping around. It is always uncomfortable and frightening. - Samantha, Greensboro, NC

Fish in dreams symbolize "cosmic consciousness" or spiritual awareness coupled with grace. Okay, what the heck does that mean for you? Spiritually you may be disconnected from the Source (of life). You may be living a shallow life and the cosmic consciousness (symbolized by the fish) is trying to get your attention with these disturbing dreams. Sometimes deeper awareness, which in waking life you might be ignoring, pursues you aggressively (swimming thru the air at you), and other times your deep true self is left flapping helplessly because you don't know how to put it in its proper place. On a more mundane level, whenever in waking life you are feeling like you just do not fit in, out of your element, one of these fish-out-of-water dreams will be triggered. Either way, the message is to pay attention to the truer, deeper things about life and get some proper spiritual perspective. The best way I know to do that is to read some of the world's sacred scriptures, the more ancient the better.

RESPONSE FROM DREAMER As far as the interpretation goes, I do agree with a lot of what you said. I however, always felt the dream was financial, as my finances are somewhat suffocating at times. I will certainly be more aware of when I do have these, though I haven't had one in a couple of months or so. Perhaps though, the dream is more about my inner self and I am not fulfilling a certain aspiration or goal, that would ultimately lead me to fill more fulfilled in my existence. If that makes any sense. Like charity work, for instance. Or maybe it is as simple as filling out of place, as I suffer slightly from social anxiety. Anyway, thanks for the interpretation I will certainly be more aware of the time these types of dreams take place. Take care and happy holidays! -Samantha

December 25, 2005

Ever since my car accident in 1981 (I was in a coma for 2 1/2 months) I have only had VERY INFREQUENT dreams. I realize that I may have dreams but just don't remember them. - Robert, Galveston TX

If your accident involved severe head injury, you may have fewer dreams or lesser dream recall for years to come. As you say, you might be having dreams, but you just don't remember them. Depressed people dream less due to their particular brain chemical balance. The beauty of the brain is that it can heal from injuries and dreams will start being part of your life again.

I often dream that I'm in a white room, that never ends. You can't see walls or windows or how high the ceiling is, it's just white. There's nothing in this weird white room either, no doors, tables, chairs, people, or anything. Then I look up at the whiteness above me and water is dripping from literally no-where (because I can't tell how high the ceiling is) and it drips down into a puddle. Then a tall boy drips down, head first. (average size, not shrunken) He falls into the puddle and his body goes down and his face is staring back at me. He looks me in the eye and mouths the word "help". Then he disintegrates away. His skin melts away as if burned by some kind of acid and then his bones and eyes and muscles melt away into the water. The boy was dressed in all white, he had short bleach blonde spiked hair, and icy bright blue eyes that I've never actually seen a person have in my life yet. - Katie

The white room symbolizes grief and loss. You lost someone important to you (either thru death or abandonment) and this recurring dream will come to you as you seek closure. The neverendingness of the room indicates how huge are the side effects of this loss; and the lack of doors means you fear there is no way to heal from this. The lack of furnishings means you do not like to think about this in waking life. (Furniture in dreams means thoughts and opinions). The boy manages to get thru the barriers by "dripping" in, the watery element being a symbol of your emotional state trying to help you heal. He needs your assistance to stay present; he can only help you heal if you welcome and embrace him. The acid of your pain and the water of your emotions almost wipe him out or absorb him. His white apparel and "bleach" blond hair again symbolize loss and grief, but those eyes, bright and blue, are a symbol of healing and especially of your mind helping you to heal. You've got to think about this issue, whatever it is. No more suppressing it into the past.

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Dr. Katia Romanoff is a symbologist who works with spiritual symbols found in dreams, paintings, "visions" and the world's religions. She is co-founder and Directress of the Esoteric Mystery School. If you would like to submit a dream for interpretation, please visit The Dream Zone.