AtoZ/Day 28 - letter Y

Y is for You dream, I dream.  This blog-post was actually inspired by a friend and fellow blogger.  Her most recent blog was about a recurring dream she was having a short time back (she has also sent me a couple of messages in the past of which the content was dream related).  After reading her blog a couple of minutes ago, I started to think about how important dreams are to the human experience -if for no other reason than the expressive outlet they provide for the dreamer.  But naturally, if you have been following my blog for the duration the the A to Z Challenge (or longer ;), you have probably already surmised that I believe the magical things we call "dreams" are so much more than  a way to maintain some measure of a sanity equilibrium. And you would be accurate in your assessment (I'm so glad we are getting to know each other so well :).  You would also be correct to assume that I frequently ponder and evaluate the vast amount of symbolism that dreams hold, and in so doing, I have discovered that some of the symbolic meaning carried in on a dream-breeze is very personal.  But, what astounds me -as an amateur dream interpreter- is the endless amount of Universal meaning found in our dreams.  I've done quite a lot of dream interpretation in my time, and the first thing I tell people is that they must remain aware that the sub-conscious mind is a resource of more information than anything we could imagine...even in our wildest dreams; yet, it is also very subjective in its unique application of symbolism.  So, the first thing to ask yourself if you are trying to figure out the meaning behind a dream that projected forth (on behalf of your sub-conscious mind) images of, say, a giant figure of Poseidon chained in a circular room with many doors adorning its perimeter as lightning flashes all around, and a funnel of water begins to form at his feet (that have big toes taller than you are) and then swirl upward in a fury (this is actually taken from a dream I had) is: "What do the individual elements mean to me personally?"  This should be able to get you started on uncovering what the deepest recesses of your mind are trying to tell you.  But, there are many, many, many cases where the dream-symbols have a no-doubt kind of meaning that is Universal in origin.  And it is this kind of ancient knowledge buried deep in the walls of our very collective DNA that fascinates the bajeezus out of me.
Take, for example: water.  You tell me a dream you have had that featured water as a main element, and nine times out of ten, I will be able to explain to you precisely the kind of emotional state that you were in at the time of the dream, or what type of emotional footprint the center-stage subject matter of the dream is attempting to leave for you.  If you find yourself wading through murky water toward a shoreline on which "the love of your life" stands, it is likely that your sub-conscious is letting you know that there are unseen "things" lurking below the surface of your love-affair.  On the contrary, if you are walking or swimming through crystal-clear waters, but you are finding it hard to move with easy fluidity, then chances are the man/woman awaiting you on shore is offering you honest transparency, but for whatever reason(s), you are struggling to fully deliver yourself to him/her at that point in your life.  Rough waters indicate troublesome emotions that are giving into or creating turmoil; large tidal waves headed right toward you are often indicative of being overcome by emotion; floating lazily on calm, emerald waters is an expression of being at emotional ease; shark-infested waters are very often a warning that someone or something (or both) are preying on your emotions to a dangerous degree.


Another dream-element that is almost always universal in meaning is the "house" or "building" element.  I have done probably hundreds of dream interpretations for complete strangers, as well as friends and family, and "the house" elementals are amazingly archetypal in their symbolic unity from one person to another.  Houses (or buildings of any kind) are usually a sub-conscious regard to the dreamer him or herself; and -to further expand upon the specific details- individual rooms represent different life-aspects of the individual dreamer.  For instance: hallways are usually representative of transitions in one's life, so pay attention to the state of them; what's hanging on the walls?  Are there objects blocking the "transition?"  The meaning of bedrooms depends heavily on what the primary use of the room is.  The actual bedroom of the dreamer is an intimate, private place shared only with specific people and therefore usually addresses related information; a guest bedroom represents the people that come and go in one's life.  Living rooms are more "open" in their meaning; this is the room into which we invite everyone, even people we know very little.  It has a more "worldly" symbolic essence.  The kitchen pertains to the social side of the dreamer, particularly as it conforms to close friends and family; it is the "hub" of the house.  The kitchen is also where we go to "feed" ourselves, to supply ourselves with necessary "nutrients."  Personally, I think bathrooms are the absolute most fascinating of the "house" dream elements, because it -being filled with a system of water deliverance- is usually about the emotional state of the dreamer.  If the bathroom is clean and pristine, then the dreamer is likely experiencing pure and positive emotion, or the message of the dream is as such.  If there is imagery of leaky pipes and over-flowing toilets, then the dreamer is probably in need of some emotional "maintenance."








Now, you will kindly notice that at no time in this post have I said that any symbolic detail is a definite indication of something in a dream.  There are other "symptoms" to consider when evaluating a dream, such as: were any of the dream elements provoked or encouraged by recent life activity (if so, that doesn't necessarily mean it should be written off as meaningless; the symbolic emphasis of any dream element must be placed beside the rest of the dream content for comparison and purpose)?  What the body is going through should also be considered (if you have the flu and are running a 102 degree temp., then the chances are high that brain activity is sporadic and cell-signals are crossing).  As a result, we often have the most bizarre dreams or nightmares when we are physically ill.  And, as I mentioned before, one must always consider both personal and universal meanings of anything symbolic. 
There are a whole lot of people that believe that dreams are nothing more than brain sewage.  Many people argue that dreams are just our brains' ways of remaining active while we sleep as it continues to process information.  They will insist that dreams are all science; nothing more.
As are my feelings with God, I would argue that it should only make sense that dreams are made of both science and god-thought; they are both strategic and chaotic; they are both symbolically prolific and non-sensical. 
Dreams are as the rest of the Universe: a paradoxical guide to the inner-workings of existence.