Читать книгу Understanding Dreams: What they are and how to interpret them - Nerys Dee - Страница 13

Next, note the characters seen in your dream. Some will be known to you but others will not. Unknown characters may be acting as stand-ins, that is they represent someone else, or symbolise certain principles in life. A policeman, for example, stands for authority, law and order, just as your mother in your dream may not be drawing attention to herself, but instead represents motherliness and other feminine qualities within you.

‘Characters’ include creatures and monsters. Again, some of these you will recognise, such as pigs, cows, cats and dogs. Others could be mere shapeless things which chase you. When investigating the message behind these, their metaphorical meanings are important. For example, we often refer to others as pigs, cows, cats and dogs-in-the-manger, and the menacing shape is often no more than our own shadow-self who is urging us not to run away from an obvious truth.

When looking for objects in your dreams note any cars, trains, houses, cups, trees, etc. Each of these will have a special meaning in the language of dreams. Among these you may find unrecognisable objects ranging from strange mechanical devices to unusual food, representing latent inventiveness and desires for a fuller, more exotic life.

Signs and symbols will, on occasions, also be found in your dreams. Signs act as signposts indicating which direction you should take in life, whereas symbols offer glimpses of both the inner, personal world and the collective, outer dimension. In these lie apparent answers to the mysteries of life.