Dreams

This is a book of dreams and their interpretations in a dictionary format.  The entries are unconventional interpretations of dreams based on the following premises:

(1)  Dreams reflect the emotional and psychological state of mind of the dreamer. 

(2)    Recurring nightmares are reflections of psychological trauma and emotional scars suffered by victims of actual criminal assault, rape, robbery, violence and racism.  Combat veterans have recurring nightmares that replay their combat experience.

(3)  Most prophetic dreams portend a pending death.

(4)  Our conscious mind can only comprehend the tangible world.  Our subconscious mind can access a multitude of intangible alternative parallel universes and alternate parallel worlds. 

(5)  Dreams reflect the constant struggle between the conscious mind and the subconscious mind.  The conscious mind is the active thinking mind.  The subconscious mind is the reactive unthinking mind.  The thinking mind knows not what is right and what is wrong.  It is like a spoiled brat that needs to be constantly disciplined and reprimanded.  Ethics, moral principles, honesty, honor, prejudice and hate have to be taught. 

(6)  Learning is a process of the conscious thinking mind.  The subconscious unthinking mind counterbalances the conscious thinking mind. 

(7)  The conscious mind thinks, communicates and expresses itself with words.  It is opinionated, biased and prejudiced.

(8)  The subconscious mind does not think and does not use words.  It communicates and expresses itself with emotions and images.  It has no opinions, no biases and no prejudices.

(9)  Telepathy exists in a meditative and dream-like state when the receiver’s conscious mind is reactive and passive.

(10)  Dreams in which “conversation” takes place can be interpreted as prophetic or as a “conversation” between the subconscious and the conscious minds in which the subconscious mind “tells” the conscious mind about the emotional state and the inner feelings of the dreamer.  (For example, dreaming of going to a lecture by the Dalai Lama and His Holiness comes up and shakes your hand and praises your good work)

(11)  Dreams are a psychological self healing mechanism.  It maintains psychological and emotional normality (sanity).

(12)  Criminals who act out their fantasies of crime like to claim that “a voice” told them to commit crimes.  They are acting according to the fantasies of the thinking mind.  Since the thinking mind communicates with words, their fantasies are those of the thinking mind, not of the subsconscious mind.

All entries are in alphabetical order.  References to alternate worlds, near death experiences, telepathy and various other topics are listed in the index.

Index

The Index is placed here for ease of searching and scrolling. 

Alternate home see Home; Alternate life see Futuristic, Regret, Remorse, Sad; Alternate parallel world see Family, Fluent, Harbor, Street, Unreal; Alternate reality see Home; Alternate world see Apartment, Daughter, Home, Homesick, Office, Penthouse, Pier, Port, Return, Taxi, Uncomfortable, Unexpected, Unfamiliar, University, Vacant, Wife; Deja vu see Familiar, Harbor, Recognize; Futuristic and Futuristic World see Flight, Futuristic, Highways, Machinery, Travel, Vehicle;  Near Death Experience see Burial, Crash, Drown, Heaven, Hell, Morgue; Numbers see also Dice, Lottery; Prophetic dream see Angel, Children, Clock, Corpse, Dying, Eulogy, Exile, Foretell, Funeral, Girls, Hearse, Howl, Inheritance, Jackpot, Mourning, Obituary, Package, Pigeon, Signature, Speak, Telegram, Tomb, Woman; Prophetic portent see Intrigue; Prophetic subconscious message see Newspaper; Subconscious see Doctor, Document, Farm, Forgive, Guess, Hallucination, Kidnap, Money, Twin; Subconscious admonition see Apparition, Punish, ; Subconscious advice see Generosity; Subconscious communication see Accident, Advice, Artist, Arrogance, Blood, Catastrophe, Catch, Disappointment, Evil, Failure, Fault, Feet, Fiasco, Fictitious, Flaw, Flesh, Flimsy, Flip, Fog, Follower, Forget, Fountain, Friend, Guillotine, Hanging, Heat, Hell, Humility, Hurt, Immodesty, Indecency, Ingratitude, Injury, Inscription,  Kill, Magic, Perjury, Refuse, Shame, Trap, Ultimatum; Telepathic announcement and telepathic communication see Horn, Kidnap.  

A

Abacus  Dreaming of using this ancient Chinese calculator reflects activity of the conscious mind.  The abacus is still used in rural China and Russia, and many Japanese students are still taught how to use it.  National abacus compeitions are held annually in Japan.

Abandon, abandonment  Abandonment reflects a desire to shed one’s responsibility and change one’s present situation.

Abbey  An abbey is a sanctuary and symbolizes a place to hide.

Abduction  To be abducted reflects helplessness in confronting a situation.  To observe an abduction reflects a fear that one’s accomplishment may be hijacked by others.

Abortion  There is a desire to get rid of a burden.

Accident  A dream of being in an accident may be a subconscious warning to be cautious.

Accomplice  Dreaming of being an accomplice reflects one’s feeling of guilt.

Accusation  To be accused reflects one’s feeling of being wronged.  To accuse someone indicates a desire to make the truth known and to seek justice.

Address  I often dream of walking along city streets in strange cities looking for a particular address.  It reflects a mental disposition of searching for something or someone.

Admiration  Admiration reflects a sense of longing.

Adrift  This dream reflects loneliness, a feeling that one has to fend for himself, and confusion of not knowing what to do.  There is no one to provide guidance.

Adultery  This reflects one’s sexual desire.  The dreamer usually already has an object of his or her illicit desire in mind.

Adventure  These are usually pleasant dreams.  I often dream of traveling to places where the roads are covered with shiny white snow.

Advice  Giving advice reflects one’s conscious desire to help.  Advice received in a dream may be advice communicated by the subconscious mind.

Afraid  Being afraid is a common feeling of many dreams like crossing a bridge and being afraid of falling.

Aggression  This is an emotional release dream.

Airplane  Taking or flying an airplane may indicate a desire to get away from daily burden.

Alien  Aliens appear in alien abduction dreams.

Alive  A dream of being alive reflects a feeling of relief from worry.

Alligator  An alligator stays dormant until it suddenly strikes.  It provides a false sense of calm and it reflects one’s fear that the present calm may be shattered at any moment.  It reflects an inner sense of apprehension. 

Altitude  Altitude is a measurement, and being aware of it indicates that the dreamer is comparing himself to his peers.

Ambition  A dream about ambition may reflect one’s doubt about one’s goals or it may reflect one’s hopes.

Amnesty  A dream of amnesty reflects one’s hopefulness.

Amputate  A dream of one’s limbs being amputated may indicate an actual contorted sleeping posture that is cramping one’s limbs. 

Amulet  Amulets reflect nostalgia.

Ancestor  Ancestors, according to Chinese dream interpretation, are ancestral spirits who are visiting the realm of the living.  They may bring prophetic messages, or they may appear in dreams begging for something.  If they come begging for water, that means that they are begging for money they need in the netherworld.

Angel  Angels are spiritual guardians.  They may appear in prophetic dreams or convey a sense of calm and protectiveness.

Anger  This ia an emotional release dream.

Animosity  Animosity towards someone may reflect one’s feeling of superiority.  A feeling of superiority actually reflects an inferiority complex.  Feeling animosity from others reflects our own timidity.

Anniversary  Dreaming of an anniversary may reflect activity of the conscious mind.

Antagonism  Dreaming of feeling antagonistic is an emotional release dream.

Antiques  This may indicate that one is searching for something or it may reflect one’s desire for adventure.

Ants  In Chinese dream interpretation, ants and insects represent disease that creep up and overwhelm the body.

Anxiety  This is an emotional release dream.

Apartment  The dreamer’s feeling about the place is the key to interpreting this dream.  It may portend a change, a promotion or relocation.  I may also be an intangible place in one’s parallel alternate world where the dreamer may feel strange, scared, curious, comfortable or sad.  One may have recurring dreams of visiting or living in the same apartment at another time and place in another world.

Apology  This may reflect one’s regret.

Apparition  Apparitions, especially scary ones, may be subconscious admonitions.  Chinese folklore says that apparitions are evil spirits appearing in our dreams.  They may bring warnings.

Apprentice  This may reflect a desire to shed the past and start anew.

Aqueduct  An aqueduct may symbolize abundance and reflect a sense of security.

Arcade  Visiting an arcade reflects a relaxed state of mind.

Archives  This may reflect one’s desire to find out the truth.

Arrest  Being arrested may reflect one’s feeling of penance.

Arrogance  This may be a subconscious reprimand about being arrogant.

Arrow  Being hit by an arrow may indicate a fear of being attacked by unknown attackers or being harmed by unknown slanderers, etc.

Arson  Seeing an arsonist setting fires reflects one’s suspicion of wrongdoers.

Art  The dreamer is seeking comfort in beauty.

Artist  This may reflect one’s desire to be creative.  It may also be a subconscious reminder that there are other creative solutions.

Assault  Being assaulted is a subconscious warning that one may be confronted by an overwhelmingly malicious power.  It may also reflect one’s mental trauma and psychological wounds from actual physical assaults suffered as a victim of a real crime or actual verbal abuse suffered by victims of racism.

Asylum  This reflects the dreamer’s feeling that he has to contend with the madness surrounding him in real life.

Athlete  One feels that one has to compete with others.  It also reflects one’s desire for physical exercise which he or she does not have time for in real life.

Audience  A desire to be heard is indicated here.

Avalanche  Being buried by an avalanche reflects a sense of being overwhelmed.

Aversion  Aversion towards strangers, children, unpleasant conditions, someone wearing dirty clothes or excrement reflects one’s desire to distance oneself from obnoxious people and unpleasant situations.

Awaken  Dreaming of awakening may be pleasant or unpleasant.  A pleasant awakening indicates there is really nothing to worry about.  An unpleasant awakening may indicate apprehension.

Award  Dreaming of receiving an award reflects one’s desire for recognition.

Awe  Being in awe is a pleasant dream that reflects admiration.

Ax  An ax symbolizes security.

B

Baggage  Baggage symbolizes heavy responsibilities and psychological burdens.

Balcony  A balcony provides a pleasant view.  Being on a balcony looking down with a fear of falling may reflect the dreamer’s fear of losing something he or she found pleasant.

Ballroom  A ballroom conveys free space and a desire for personal freedom.

Banish  A dream of being banished is an emotional reaction to other people’s unfriendliness.

Bankrupt  This reflects one’s worry about one’s financial wellbeing.

Banners  Multi-colored banners, especially those displayed at Mongolian horsemanship competitions, reflect anticipation.

Banquet  This indicates a desire to socialize or that the dreamer is physically hungry.

Bandit  Bandits evoke fear and unpredictability.  The dream reflects a fear of the unknown.

Bank  Banks symbolize wealth and reflect a wish to have it.

Baptism  This signifies a spiritual cleansing and renewal.

Bar  This reflects one’s desire to seek out amorous fantasies.

Barking  Barking dogs warn of pending threat.

Barracks  This reflects one’s desire for comradeship.

Barrier  A straight forward obstacle dream.

Basement  To enter a poorly lit basement in search of a tool or a toy reflects timidity.

Basket  A full basket indicates abundance.  An empty basket indicates worry.

Bathing  Bathing reflects a feeling of aversion and a desire to get rid of one’s feeling of embarrassment and regret.

Battle  Seeing a battle reflects one’s feeling of being an observer watching contentious events.  Fighting in a battle reflects one’s feeling of struggling against all odds.

Beach  This reflects a desire to escape reality.

Beads  Prayer beads symbolize calmness and peacefulness.

Beat  To beat someone or something is an emotional release dream.  Being beaten reflects a feeling of being overwhelmed by current family affairs.

Beauty  Beauty evokes joy and reflects a relaxed state of mind.

Beggar  Being a beggar indicates one is begging for help.

Behead  In a dream of being beheaded, the falling blade may or may not be seen.  The dream reflects anxiety and anxious anticipation.

Bell  This is a call to awaken the dreamer to a particular realization.

Bereavement  Bereavement is often associated with lament in sad dreams or regret for not having done something in real life.  It reflects a sense of loss.

Bible  This sacred book provides assurance and spiritual comfort.

Bicycle  Pushing instead of riding a bicycle indicates exerting effort but progress is slow.

Birds  A gathering of birds perched on a line sometimes symbolizes a gathering of spirits.

Birth  Birth symbolizes new hope.  Dreaming of one’s own birth may indicate a desire to get out of a current situation and to seek freedom and independence.

Bishop  Meeting or being a bishop may indicate a desire for authority.

Bite  Being bitten, usually by a snake, in dreams reveals a feeling of being trapped and a sense of helplessness.

Black  This color is often associated with dreams of walking alone in a strange place or looking for something in the dark.  It evokes timidity, apprehension and fear.

Blackbirds  The Chinese associate blackbirds with bad luck.  They often warn of a pending unpleasant event.

Blackmail  A dream of being blackmailed reflects one’s fear of loss.

Blade  Blades often appear shiny and evoke a sense of awe.

Blame  Being blamed for something one did not do reflects a sense of protest.

Blanket  This indicates comfort, relaxation and being protected.

Blaze  This evokes a sense of urgency and a feeling that things are out of control.  It may reflect one’s feeling of inadequacy in handling a particular situation.

Bleeding  The Chinese interpret this as an indication of good fortune.  Red is the color of happy occasions like weddings and birthdays and New Year’s celebrations. 

Blessing  Being blessed by a saint, a deity, the Virgin Mary, Guan Yin, the Chinese Goddess of Mercy, provides comfort.  I once dreamt of being blessed by the Dalai Lama to thank me for all the years of teaching meditation and alternative medicine.

Blind  Being blind reflects a feeling of not knowing where to go.  It is a cry for help.

Bloat  This may indicate the dreamer’s actual need to go to the bathroom.

Blood  This may be a subconscious warning to be apprehensive.

Blossom  Blossoms indicate comfort, joy and tranquility.

Blue  The color blue in dreams indicates melancholy.

Blush  This reflects one’s feeling of being exposed and embarrassed.

Boat  Being in a small rowboat with no oars, no wind, no waves adrift in the ocean reflects helplessness.

Body  A woman’s body either completely or half naked is a sexual fantasy.

Bomb  Bombs reflect real battlefield experience.  In the 1950s, a classmate served two years on the front lines on Kimoy Island.  Chinese Communist artillery would fire cannon shells at set hours across the Taiwan Strait and they would fly overhead making a loud whistling sound.  After his military duty, he would whistle loudly in his sleep every night at a fixed time.

Bone  Scattered bones reflect a sense of chaos. A flat bed truck that was often seen in a particular neighborhood appeared in a dream of a gardener who took care of one of the properties there.  In the dream, the truck was carrying a pile of broken human bodies.  Suddenly, a skeleton of a tall, thin Caucasian woman rose from the pile, stepped down from the truck and began walking along the street.  The skeleton which had no feet was bent over as it walked on its ankles.  It evoked a strong feeling of sadness and sympathy in the dreamer.

Book  Seeing a library of books or piles of books reveals one’s curiosity.  Reading a book evokes calmness.

Boots  Seeing someone approaching in boots evokes caution.

Bowl and ladle  Bowls and ladles are often the main features of dreams in Chinese culture.  Once I dreamt of my deceased cook appearing in a dream some five years after his death with a ladle in hand begging for water.  In Cantonese, water symbolizes money and rice symbolizes sustenance.  The Chinese and Vietnamese believe that the dead still need money and mundane things in the netherworld.

Box  Boexs symbolize confinement.

Bracelet  A bracelet reflects nostalgia and sentimental emotions.

Bread  Like rice, it symbolizes sustenance.  In Chinese folklore, spirits of the deceased appear in dreams seeking sustenance to support them in the netherworld.

Breast  Breasts reflect sexual fantasy.

Bribe  A dream of accepting a bribe may indicate that one’s conviction may not be as firm.  Refusing to accept a bribe would indicate that one’s will is strong and will not be easily persuaded otherwise.

Bricks  Bricks often symbolize burdens.

Bride  Being a bride in a dream may reflect a desire for cooperation.

Bride groom  This may indicate a call for help.

Brothel  Visiting a brothel indicates good fortune in Chinese dream interpretation.  It also indicates a desire to release one’s sexual tension. 

Bubbles  Bubbles represent one’s hopes nad wishes.

Bugs  Bugs represent disease in Chinese dream interpretation.

Bull  The bull is a phallic symbol.

Burial  Witnessing one’s own burial may indicate a near death experience.  Witnessing someone else’s burial may indicate a sense of loss.

Burning  Seeing one’s own house burning indicates news from afar, according to Chinese dream interpretation.  It evokes a sense of helplessness and loss.

Burns  Burns may reflect one’s feeling of being psychologically hurt.

Bus  I have often dreamt of driving buses from the countryside into the city center bus station as substitute driver.  Driving a bus often reflects teaching and giving guidance.  Riding a bus may reflect leisure and confidence.

Buttocks  Buttocks reveal a desire to release sexual tension.

C

Cage  This reflects a feeling of confinement.

Cannon  Hearing cannon firing evokes apprehension.  The cannon is also a phallic symbol reflecting sexual desire.

Canoe  A canoe conveys loneliness and lonely struggle.

Canyon  Being in a deep canyon and feeling lost reflect timidity, loneliness, hopelessness.

Carcass  Carcasses indicate the past.  They evoke a sense of loss.

Carnations  They are a symbol of desire.

Carriage  It reflects slow progress.  Riding in a carriage indicates leisure.

Castle  Castles may reflect a feeling of self aggrandizement.

Catastrophe  This may be a subconscious warning of failure.

Catch  A dream of catching something reflects one’s hope for success.  Dreaming of being caught by the police or soldiers is a subconscious warning.

Cathedral  A cathedral may evoke a sense of exaltation or it may be a sanctuary away from the chaos of daily life.

Cave, Cavern  A hiding place for some, a place of curiosity and adventure for others, caves and caverns reflect a desire to see what has not been revealed.

Cellar  Dreaming of entering a cellar evokes curiosity.

Cemetery  This reflects one’s nostalgia.  Visiting an eerie cemetery in the dark reflects one’s fear of the unknown.

Ceremony  Ceremonies reflect one’s desire for recognition.

Chains  Chains indicate confinement and psychological pressure and constraint.

Chameleon  Dreaming of a chameleon reflects suspicion and indecision.

Chatter  Chatter indicates spreading rumors.  It is an admonition of the conscious thinking mind by the subconscious unthinking mind.  The subconscious mind is telling the thinking mind to stop mental chatter.  The subconscious mind is saying to the thinking mind:  “Shut up!”

Cheating  Cheating reflects one’s feeling of guilt, regret and sometimes remorse.  A dream of being cheated indicates a fear that one’s accomplishments may be taken away by unscrupulous co-workers.

Children  Children indicate good omen.  However, a procession of children in white uniforms marching down a street with white flowers in their hands is a funeral procession.  The dream is a prophetic dream of a pending death of a distant relative or a friend.  This dream was related to me by a Mexican friend whose distant uncle passed away after he had this dream.

Chimes  Chimes symbolize joy.

Christ  A dream of Jesus Christ is a blessing.  The dreamer feels he or she is blessed.

Church  Attending church evokes awe, serenity, spiritual tranquility and security.

Cinder  Cinders may represent souls.  Walking on cinders may indicate one’s desire for a daring adventure.

Circle  The circle is the I Ching symbol for the universe and it symbolizes satisfaction, completion and fullness in Chinese folklore.  It also symbolizes a coming together as in the Buddhist belief in yuan, or fate.  There is a Chinese saying:  “wu yuan bu xiang shi.”  “Without fate, we will never meet.”  The Chinese also say that without fate, even neighbors will be strangers.  With fate, those who are one thousand li (500 meters or 0.3107 miles) apart will be good friends. 

Circus  A dream of joining a circus reflects one’s desire to escape reality and boredom.

Cleaning  This reflects a desire to sweep away the unpleasant past or one’s unpleasant surroundings and circle of undesirable friends.

Cleavage  This is a sexual fantasy of many a young boy.

Clergy  Being a member of the clergy reveals a desire to escape and hide.

Climb  This reflects mental struggle.

Clock  A realization that time is short is a warning that one has wasted away too much time without accomplishment. 

It is also a prophetic dream of a pending death.  The Chinese firmly believe that one must not give a clock as a gift.  It indicates that the giver of the clock wishes the receiver of the gift to die, i.e., to count the time until death.  The pending death of this writer’s mother was presaged by a dream my wife had of her mother who had already passed telling her to get a clock as a present. My wife had two dreams about her mother asking her to get a clock as a gift on a Wednesday night and a Thursday night.  In the second dream, my wife was told that her mother would return at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday to pick up someone.  In the dream, my wife asked her mother whom will she pick up?  Her mother answered:  “Your mother-in-law.”  On Saturday, October 26, at 2:30 p.m., 1993, my mother went into a coma.  She died a month later.

Clothes, Clothing, Colorful Cloth  In Chinese folklore, clothes symbolize wealth and adornment.  A change of clothing may indicate a desire to start anew.  It may also be a prophetic dream of a change in one’s social life or career.

Clown  Being a clown may reveal a desire to please.  Watching a clown perform may indicate a desire to escape from daily chores.

Clumsy  This reflects one’s fear of messing up in life.

Coat  A coat is adornment and may indicate achievement or status.

Cocoon  A cocoon reflects a feeling of confinement.

Coins  Coins represent wealth and may reflect one’s desire for riches.  Seeing a treasure trove of shiny gold coins and being in awe reflect one’s feeling of good fortune in real life.

College  Attending or visiting a college, especially one’s alma mater, may be a dream of nostalgia.  I have recurring dreams of attending college or being a college student living in the college dorm.  In the recurring dreams, I relive college life as if in a parallel world.  It is not a feeling of nostalgia.  It is more of a deja vu feeling. 

Comb , Combing one’s hair  Brushing with a comb reflects a desire to get rid of worries that are emotionally draining.  A dream of combing one’s hair is also a family “message”.  The dreamer woke up in real life with an urge to call her brother.  The brother told her that the youngest sister had died a week before in real life.

Complain  This is a dream of rebellion.

Confession  A confession may reveal remorse, regret, penance and acceptance of guilt.

Confusion  This is often expressed as blindness, groping about, being adrift and being alone, etc.

Contentment  This feeling is often expressed by beautiful images of scenery, flowers, etc.

Contraband  Discovering contraband indicates one’s desire to reveal wrongdoing.  Possessing contraband reflects one’s desire to hide something from others.  it also reflects a sense of guilt.

Convent  This is a hidden sexual desire of a male dreamer who dreams of entering a convent at night.  It is a Peeping Tom fantasy.  A female dreamer dreaming of entering a convent may reflect a hidden desire to seek refuge and security or a desire to hide from male attention.

Copulate  This is a straight forward sexual fantasy.

Corn  An ear of corn may be a phallic symbol.  When it appears in your dream, you may be having an actual erection in your sleep.

Coronation  This reveals a desire for recognition.

Corpse  A corpse of a family member evokes a sense of loss and grierf.   A corpse of a stranger evokes a sense of curiosity and wonder.  A naked female corpse reveals a hidden sexual fantasy.  Seeing a corpse may or may not be a scary experience.  Sometimes seeing a corpse may be a prophetic dream.  Sometimes, one dreams of seeing a corpse of a friend and the next day in real life one sees the friend alive and well and is surprised.

Cosmetics  Cosmetics indicate a desire to hide something, to cover up an ugly truth or a feeling of being ugly.

Counting  Counting beads or money indicates anticipation.

Cow  The sacred white cow of India is a religious symbol and a sign of being blessed.  In China and Vietnam, the water buffalo is the beast of burden.  This may reflect one’s feeling of having to carry a heavy burden in family life or at work.

Crab  Seeing tens of thousands of crabs coming ashore reflects a feeling of being overwhelmed.

Crash  Dreaming of being in a crash and coming out alive evokes a sense of being lucky.  Dying in a crash and seeing one’s own body lying dead in the rubble is a real near death experience.  Seeing a crash from afar is a warning to be cautious.

Crawl  This reflects a desire to be stealthy and a feeling that one is still not ready to reveal one’s intentions to others.

Crime  Committing a crime in a dream may be a release of anger at being slighted or offended.  It may also reflect one’s psychological trauma from a real event.

Cripple  A cripple symbolizes feelings of inadequacy, insecurity and embarrassment.

Crocodile  These animals show a false sense of inactivity until they strike.

Cross  The Holy Cross is a symbol of forgiveness, of penance, of absolving one’s transgressions.  It also reflects a desire to beg for forgiveness.

Crossing  The dream can be about crossing a river, crossing railroad tracks, crossing a street, etc.  The Chinese regard these dreams as crossing a threshold.  The Chinese celebrate their 59th, 69th, 79th, 89th and 99th birthdays as their 60th, 70th, 80th and 100th birthdays because the Chinese age count starts with one-year old at time of birth, counting the full term 9-month pregnancy as the first year of a person’s life in the womb.  Thus a person at 69 will celebrate the passing of a threshold to start a new decade of life.  It is curious but many people die within one to three months either before their birthday or after their birthday. 

Crow  A black bird the Chinese believe brings bad luck.

Crowd  Curiosity or a sense of being rushed along.

Crown  A desire for recognition.

Crucifix  Penance and a desire for forgiveness.  Some people actually cry in their sleep when they dreamt of the Crucifix.

Cry, Crying  Crying in dreams releases pent up emotion.   

Crystal  The image of a crystal, a treasure trove of crystals, or a curtain of crystals, indicates a feeling of purity, focus, a mind without stray thoughts or worries.

Cubicle  A cubicle symbolizes confinement.

D

Dagger  Holding a dagger may indicate one’s resolve.  Seeing a dagger in someone’s hand evokes caution.

Dam  Seeing water rushing down from the floodgates indicates that all worries are being released.

Dance  This reflects a desire to socialize.

Danger  Sensing danger evokes apprehension.

Darkness  Darkness reflects confusion, timidity, loneliness and indecision.

Daughter  I often dream of my daughters in my alternate world dreams.  In one travel dream, I was told that someone wanted to meet me.  A double door opened and to my surprise, it was one of my daughters.  And depending on whether “conversation” took place or not,  this dream may reflect self consciousness, remorse, regret, or an apologetic feeling of the dreamer in real life.

Dawn  Dawn indicates renewal and a fresh start.

Dead  The dead in a dream, according to Chinese folklore, represent spirits of the dead that have not ascended.  Dreaming of the dead coming alive may indicate that the spirits of the dead are roaming about in the netherworld and entering the spirit world that surrounds the living. 

Deafness  A handicap and a temporary setback, it forces one to beg for help.  To dream of being deaf may indicate the dreamer’s desire to shun unfriendly people in real life.

Death  One’s own death indicates good fortune and reacting to it with aversion indicates a belief in one’s invincibility according to Chinese folklore.  Seeing one’s own death in a dream may turn out to be a real near death experience.  It depends on whether the dream of one’s own death includes moving towards a white light at the end of a skyward tunnel and how the dreamer actually felt in the dream. 

Debt  A sense of obligation.

Decay  Something rotten evokes aversion and an urge to get away from it.  It may reflect a desire to diassociate oneself from unfriendly people or co-workers or undesirable friends in real life.

Decorate  This reflects a desire to start anew or to cover up an unpleasant past.

Deer  A deer is a majestic animal that evokes awe.

Defend  To defend oneself in a dream evokes alertness, apprehension, or an assertion of feeling “I am right.” 

Defiance  A dream of being defiant is an emotional release dream.

Deform  Seeing a deformed body may indicate actual pain or discomfort.

Delay  This reflects frustration and anxiety.

Delirium  Being delirious reflects mental chaos.

Demolish, Destroy, Destruction  These reflect a desire to get rid of the past.

 Depart  This reflects a desire to leave the current situation behind and start anew.

Dereliction, Desolation  These may be a warning of one’s dereliction of duties in real life, an admonition by the subconscious mind of the conscious mind’s way of thinking.

Desert (n) This reflects loneliness, hardship, seeking help that is not forthcoming.

Desertion  This indicates a desire to escape from the present unpleasant situation in real life.

Desire  This reflects one’s hidden desires.

Desk  A messy desk reflects a feeling of chaos.   

Despair  This reflects a feeling of hopelessness and disillusionment in real life.

Detour  A detour indicates one’s wish to overcome an obstacle in real life.

Diamonds  Diamonds evoke pleasure, awe and surprise.

Dice  If no numbers are seen, it reflects a feeling of “Come what may.”

Dictionary  This is a dream of searching and seeking a direction.

Die, Dying  Dreaming of oneself dying reflects a desire to give up.  Seeing a family member, a distant relative or a friend dying indicates that the dreamer has been thinking about them in real life.

Dike  A dike symbolizes an obstacle and confinement.

Dirt  Dirt may evoke aversion and a desire to wash it off.

Disappearance  To realize that something or someone has disappeared evokes a feeling of apprehension.

Disappointment  This is a subconscious warning not to be too hopeful and against wishful thinking.

Disaster  Seeing a disaster evokes apprehension.  Being in one is a release of a multitude of pent up emotions.

Discipline  This is a warning to exercise discipline in real life.

Discoloration  This may reflect one’s feeling of loss.

Discover  This reflects a new realization or a wish fulfilled.

Disdain, Disgust, Contempt  As in aversion, these feelings reflect a desire to stay away from some unpleasant situation in real life.

Disease  Disease evokes caution.

Disfigure  Seeing a disfigured face may evoke aversion and apprehension.  It may reflect one’s fear of seeing the truth.

Disgrace  Being disgraced reflects one’s feeling of extreme embarrassment.

Disguise  This reflects one’s desire to hide one’s true feelings.

Dishonest  A dream of being dishonest reflects one’s desire to hide some inner feeling.

Disinfect  This reflects a desire to get rid of troubling thoughts.

Disobedience  This reflects rebelliousness.

Disorder  As in chaos, disorder evokes a feeling of being bogged down, not being able to find or obtain what one wants immediately.  One may have such a dream after having to go through a lot of red tape dealing with the government bureaucracy.

Dispute  As in a quarrel or an argument, a dispute releases one’s pent up tension, anxiety and emotional stress.

Distress  It is a reflection of frustration if one dreams of being in distress.

Distrust  Distrust reflects doubts.

Disturbance  Disturbance evokes alertness and apprehension.

Ditch  This symbolizes a trap and is a warning against failure or misstep.  It represents a fear of failure.

Dive  This is a dream of searching.

Divorce  This indicates a desire to get rid of frustration and one’s unpleasant surroundings.  It may also reflect one’s real desire for a divorce.

Dock  It may reflect a desire to go on an adventure, a longing for something, or a longing to go somewhere better, where the dreamer believes the “grass is greener”.

Doctor  This may indicate a subconscious concern for one’s health.

Document  A dream of a document may be a subconscious way to offer proof of something, and to get rid of doubt.

Dogs  Dogs provide companionship.  Barking dogs may symbolize a warning.

Dolls  Pleasant looking dolls provide comfort, but ugly dolls evoke fear.  The Chinese term for a doll is yang wa wa (yang, ocean, i.e., foreign, wa wa, baby)

Dollar  Dollar bills indicate wealth. 

Dome  This may reflect one’s feeling of confinement and limitation.

Donation donations reflect generosity and sympathy.

Dolphin  A free swimming creature may symbolize a desire for freedom.

Donkey  It may reflect stubbornness.

Door  New opportunities are indicated by a dream of doors.

Doorbell  One becomes apprehensive when a doorbell rings.

Doubt  To douobt is to distrust.  It may reflect conscious doubt.

Dove  A white or grey one evokes peacefulness and hope.

Dragon  A man dreams about a dragon emerging from under a desk.  This reflects one’s desire to emerge from one’s boring desk job.  The dragon indicates that the dreamer believes his talent and his abilities are not being fully utilized and that they are beyond what his colleagues and bosses give him credit for.  In Chinese folklore, the dragon represents the Heaven, emperor and thus wealth and power.  There is a Chinese term bian tian lung (a change of sky dragon).  It refers to a Heaven-mandated revolutionary leader who will lead the people in revolt to topple a dynasty.

Drawbridge  A drawbridge may symbolize a perceived obstacle that is worth the risk crossing.

Dress  Dresses are adornments and reflect new found confidence.

Drifting  This reflects one’s feeling of stagnation and not knowing what to do.

Driving  Driving a bus or a car that flies is a frequent dream of mine.  I seem to always drive a bus as substitute driver in my recurring dreams.  In another dream, I dreamt of the San Francisco Bay Area of the future, where rows of factories and smokestacks dot the Oakland landscape while San Francisco is a residential community and San Rafael is a commercial center of the Bay Area.  I was driving a car.  As I speeded up on the entry ramp to the freeway that goes over and across the Bay, wings extended from my car, much like the car in the Dick van Dyke movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and I flew over the Bay looking down.  

Drought  A dream of suffering and wondering how to survive reflects one’s worries.

Drown  This is a common theme.  It evokes a feeling of being overwhelmed, helplessness, fear, panic, and sometimes, it is a real near death experience.  A woman had a recurring dream on several consecutive Saturday mornings of seeing her young children drown.  However, all of her children are already adults and do not live with her.  She went to her Catholic church and prayed for an answer to the dream.  She did not get any answer but after her prayer, the recurring dream stopped.  I asked her if her neighbor had a young child.  She said yes.  This dream may indicate that some mishap might happen to the neighbor’s child.  It may also be a simple non-prophetic dream of the women’s concern for her adult children.

Drugs  This reveals a hidden desire to seek a remedy or resolution to an unpleasant problem.

Drums  Hearing drums in a distance evokes curiosity.

Drunk  Seeing a drunk may evoke aversion.  Dreaming of being drunk reflects a sense of a loss of control.

Dry  Feeling the dryness of the desert may indicate a slight fever.  Seeing a dried up stream may reflect worries about one’s dwindling financial resources.

Duck  Salted duck and pressed duck are tasty delicacies and Peking duck is a famous Chinese dish served at banquets.  It symbolizes good fortune, wealth and prosperity.  It may also indicate the dreamer is actually hungry.

Duel  A dream about a duel is a release of one’s pent up emotion.

Dungeon  This reflects one’s feeling of curiosity, timidity and apprehension.

Dusk  This may reflect dwindling hope, a realization that some event is ending, a desire for a particular situation to pass and a hope for a new situation to arise.

Dust  Blinding dust indicates hindrance.

Dwarf  Seeing dwarfs evokes curiosity and may also evoke aversion.  Dreaming of being a dwarf reflects one’s feeling of inadequacy among friends.

Dying  Dreaming of oneself dying reflects a desire to shed one’s responsibility.  Seeing someone else dying may be a prophetic dream of a pending death.

E

Eagle  Seeing an eagle soaring in the air indicates a desire for freedom.

Earrings This is a dream of nostalgia.

Ears  Noticing someone’s ears reveals one’s apprehension about being heard or about some secret being revealed.

Earth  Seeing the earth from space may be accompanied by a sense of floating in space.  It indicates a desire for freedom.  It is actually a very pleasant and tranquil feeling.

Earthquake  Dreaming of being in an earthquake may reflect a feeling of being trapped.  It may also indicate a real earthquake is occurring.

Eating  A dream of eating often evokes a feeling of satisfaction and comfort.  Of course, it may also indicate that the dreamer is actually hungry.

Eclipse  An eclipse evokes a feeling of awe and some apprehension.

Eden  The Celestial Garden is a place of awe and wonder and reflects curiosity.

Eggs  Eggs indicate abundance and wealth.  To the Chinese, the shape of an egg symbolizes fullness and new birth.  In Mandarin, the character meaning an egg (dan, chicken egg is ji dan) and the character meaning birth (dan sheng, is born) are pronounced the same way.

Elephants  They symbolize wealth and good fortune.  An angry elephant portends risk.

Elevator  I have often dreamt of waiting for an elevator of a grand hotel and riding elevators to the top floor of a grand hotel.  In many recurring dreams, I dreamt of riding an elevator that became a trolley running on roof tops from the grand hotel to other buildings, taking me to shops and banks and other large office buildings.  In several other dreams, the trolley went directly to a big airport where I dreamt of taking an international flight.

Embarrassment  Embarrassment may reflect one’s regrets about sticking one’s neck out or over reacting to a situation or about one’s inappropriate behavior in real life.

Embezzle  This reflects opportunistic thoughts and greediness.

Embrace  This reveals a desire for companionship.  It may also be a sexual fantasy.

Embroidery  Elegant clothing symbolizes adornment and wealth.

Emerald  A valuable gem stone, it symbolizes wealth and high social status.

Employment  This may be a prophetic indication of getting a job or a change of employment.  It may also indicate a wish for new employment.  It reflects a feeling of wanting to escape from one’s present job in real life.

Enemy  Being aware of one’s enemy evokes alertness and apprehension.

Engagement  This may reflect one’s feeling of happiness.

Enjoyment  This reflects one’s emotionally relaxed state of mind.

Entangle  Being entangled reflects confinement and helplessness.

Entrance  An entrance may indicate a new beginning and new hope.

Epitaph  An epitaph without inscription may indicate a pending death.

Eruption  A volcanic eruption evokes apprehension and an urge to escape.

Escalator  It may reflect one’s feeling of successfully climbing up the corporate ladder.

Escape  This is a dream advising caution.

Eulogy  This may be a prophetic dream of a pending death.

Evacuate  This reveals a desire for change.

Evaporate  To see something evaporate may be a realization that good times do not last.

Evil  To sense evil is a subconscious warning to be cautious.

Exchange  This dream indicates a desire for change.

Excrement  Being covered by, dirty with, or stepping in excrement indicates good fortune and wealth according to Chinese folklore.  Excrement symbolizes gold for their similar color.

Execution  A dream of being executed may be a warning about failure.  Seeing someone being executed may reveal a hidden desire to get rid of one’s rival.

Exile  Being exiled or being in exile may be a prophetic dream of losing one’s job or a change of employment.  It may also reflect a feeling of being out of favor at work or being driven out by a conspiratorial colleague in real life.

Exploration  This is a dream of curiosity.

Extravagance  This reflects one’s confidence.

Eyes  Seeing staring eyes evokes apprehension.  Chinese folklore has it that prying eyes in dreams are those of evil spirits or of those who wish to harm.

F

Face  Seeing faces of strangers may reveal loneliness.   Seeing familiar faces may portend a death or that a family member may be gravely ill.  A face in a dream often indicates an announcement according to Chinese dream interpretation.

Factory  A dream about working in a factory seems to be a parallel world dream in which the dreamer has a slightly different but mostly similar life.  This is a very familiar dream to me.  In my parallel dreams, I feel very comfortable but on occasion in the dream I would realize that something is a bit different with my real life.  One such realization was that in my dream, I was a factory worker while in real life I have never worked in any factory environment.

Failure  A dream of failure may be a subconscious warning.

Fairy  Fairies bring good tidings.

Fake  Realizing something is fake in a dream indicates doubt.

Faith  Dreaming about having faith reflects one’s determination and confidence in real life.

Fall  A classical dream of falling is crossing a bridge with a fear of falling into the water below.  The dream ends with one falling and falling but not hitting bottom.  It is a common children’s dream.  It may reflect a child’s wish for intimacy and a show of love from parents.  The child’s dream may reflect his or her feeling of wanting more parental attention.

False  Realizing some statement is false reflects one’s sense of justice.

Falsify  Dreaming of falsifying something indicates a desire to hide the truth.

Fame  Enjoying fame reflects emotional contentment.

Familiar  Familiarity of a person, a place or a thing evokes deja vu.  Often, a deja vu experience can be traced back to a dream.

Family  I have had many dreams about family.  In one dream, I was driving in the countryside on a snow covered road.  I stopped at a restaurant and was told that a stranger wanted to meet me.  I waited and then a sliding door opened and my real life daughter appeared asking me in a reprimanding voice:  “Do you recognize me?”  In another dream, I drove on the same road covered with snow to a restaurant with my family.  After parking the car, I carried my mother who was in a wheelchair down a flight of stairs into a basement dining room.  At the time of the dream, my mother had already passed but near the end of her real life, she was wheelchair bound.  In a third dream, I was driving an eighteen wheeler big rig inside huge office buildings, up and down the hilly city streets of San Francisco from the Golden Gate Park to Chinatown and down to Fisherman’s Wharf.  My two daughters whom I had not seen for some time in the dream met me in a park.  I felt I was living a different life in this alternate parallel world.

Famine  Dreaming of a famine reveals one’s fear of misfortune.

Famous  Dreaming of being famous or of meeting someone famous reveals a desire to seek recognition.

Fanfare  This reveals a desire to show off.

Fangs  Fangs symbolize a threat.

Fantasy  Having a fantasy in a dream reveals a desire to escape one’s harsh reality.

Far  Being aware that one must travel far may indicate that the dreamer’s wish may not be that close at hand.

Farce  A farce indicates disbelief.

Fare  There are obligations (fare, fee, payment) to be fulfilled before further progress can be made.

Farewell  This reflects a sense of loss and lament.

Farm  In a class on meditation and focusing given to a group of dowsers, I told them to close their eyes and think of anything they wanted.  Then I mentally projected an image of a bright red sun.  Some visualized a bright sun over a beach.  One student in particular saw a large farm with a giant red circle on the ground.  The student dismissed the mental image but remained curious as to why an image of a big red circle would appear in his thoughts about a farm.  I explained that he received my mental projection.  Their mental imagery was a dream-like image.  The big red sun and the giant red circle that appeared in their minds were the results of subconsciously receiving my mental projection of the image of a bright red sun.

Fastidious  Being fastidious reveals insecurity.

Fat  Being fat reveals a fear of being fat and reflects one’s worries about one’s physical appearance.

Fate  Recognizing fate in a dream may indicate one’s feeling of resignation or contentment with the current situation in real life.

Father  The conventional interpretation says that a dream about one’s father pertains to business affairs and a dream about one’s mother pertains to love.  To me, a dream about one’s father is a nostalgic memory.  Adults who had a rather strict father during childhood may dream of their fathers with a feeling of longing to be in his presence as in childhood. 

Fatigue  Feeling fatigued in a dream may indicate actual physical exhaustion.

Fault  Finding fault as well as being faulted may be subconscious warnings to the conscious mind about its (the thinking mind’s) folly.

Favorite  Dreaming of having a favorite thing or seeing a favorite person reflects longing.

Fear  Fear occurs frequently in dreams.  It is usually a release of pent up emotions like anxiety, apprehension, etc.  In recurring dreams of actual traumatic events, it may serve as a release of emotions associated with a psychological trauma caused by the actual event.

Feast  A feast indicates abundance and reflects one’s confidence.

Feathers  Multi-colored feathers reflect the multiple states of one’s emotions.

Feel  Being especially aware of the feeling of touch may indicate a longing to be touched in real life.  It may also revel a sexual fantasy.

Feet  Being aware of one’s own feet may be a subconscious reminder to take care of one’s feet, according to classical Chinese dream interpretation.  A phantom limb is an often painful sensation of the presence of a limb that has been amputated.  Seeing other people’s feet, especially women’s feet or pretty feet of a man, is a sexual fantasy.

Females  Females in dreams may be one’s own deceased mother, a female relative, one’s own daughters, a female secretary, a female nurse, a female teacher or strange women.  Chinese folklore says that the spirit of a deceased mother occasionally comes into one’s dream to see how the surviving family members are doing.  Men may dream of their daughters and feel remorse or regret.  Sexual fantasies are often about one’s female secretary, a female nurse, a maid, and in dreams of puppy love and teacher’s pet, the female teacher is often the desirous sexual fantasy.  Seeing a group of strange women reflects one’s hidden desire to seek female companionship.

Ferocious  Being aware of a ferocious animal reflects apprehension.  I dreamt of watching a rabid dog growling at the end of a street once.

Fervor  Being aware of one’s fervor reflects enthusiasm and excitement.

Festival  Seeing or attending a festival indicates a relaxed mental state.  I have had many dreams of going to the fair.

Fetching  This is a straight forward reflection of searching for something.

Fetish  In sexual fantasies, certain parts of a woman’s body like her thighs, her feet, her buttocks, her large breasts may be particularly prominent. 

Feud  As in dreams about quarrels, arguments, shouting matches, feuding reflects the contention between the conscious and the subconscious minds.

Fever  Dreaming of having a fever may indicate a real fever.

Fickle  Being fickle in a dream may reflect one’s anxiety and worries and lack of self confidence.

Fictitious  Recognizing something fictitious may be a subconscious warning.

Fiddle  To dream of fiddling about may reflect boredom.  To dream of playing the fiddle may be a revelation of a desire to do something creative.

Fidget  Fidgeting reveals nervousness, anxiety and impatience.

Fields  Seeing and walking in fields evoke a feeling of being free.

Fight  Fighting reflects a sense of struggle.

Filling  Filling something indicates a desire for accomplishment.

Find  To find something reflects searching.  Something found indicates a sense of accomplishment.

Finicky  Being finicky may reflect anxiety and insecurity.

Finish  Finishing a race or finishing a painting reflects a sense of accomplishment.

Fire  Seeing one’s own house on fire may presage an urgent appeal for financial help from relatives.  A lady dreamt that her house was on fire and the bedroom where her daughter used to sleep in was burning.  The next day, her daughter in real life called to ask for money. 

Fish  Fish are symbols of prosperity and abundance in Chinese folklore.

Fixation  Dreams of fixation often occur as sexual fantasies.

Flabbergasted  Being flabbergasted reveals frustration and anxiety.

Flabby  Feeling flabby is a warning of actual weight gain.

Flag  Seeing multi-colored flags reflects one’s sense of achievement.

Flakes  Seeing snow flakes without feeling cold indicates a relaxed state of mind and a sense of leisure.

Flamboyant  Dreaming of being flamboyant reveals a desire to be flamboyant and to show off.

Flashing  A dream about flashing one’s body is a sexual fantasy.  Seeing something flashing or seeing lights flashing is a subconscious warning.

Flat  Being aware of a flat expanse of land or desert reveals a desire to escape from a congested world.

Flavor  Being aware of the flavor of something may indicate actual hunger.

Flaw  Being aware of a flaw may be a subconscious warning.

Fleece  A fleece symbolizes wealth and power in many cultures.

Flesh  Seeing animal flesh in a dream is a subconscious indication not to worry about one’s livelihood.  Seeing the flesh of a woman is a sexual fantasy.

Flight  Dreaming of being in flight and soaring in the sky indicates a desire to be free of one’s daily routine.  I often dream of being in flight, flying high over San Francisco Bay in a futuristic world.  San Francisco in this futuristic world is a residential community.  The City of Oakland across the Bay is a newly built industrial city with domed factories and no air pollution.  Cars have wings and can fly and they can also submerge and travel like submarines under water.

Flimsy  Realizing something flimsy is a subconscious warning that reflects one’s feeling of uncertainty.

Fling  This is a sexual fantasy.  Sexual fantasies release one’s sexual tension.

Flip  To flip something over may be a subconscious warning to look at the flip side of what the conscious mind has been thinking about.

Flirt  Flirting reveals one’s amorous desires and the pursuit of a sexual fantasy.

Float  Floating indicates a relaxed state of mind.  In my meditation class, a visualization exercise is floating in the ocean or floating in the swimming pool.  The objective is to feel how it feels to float and be weightless. 

Flock  Overseeing a flock of animals reveals a desire to rebel against having to constantly follow other people’s orders.

Flood  Floods indicate a sense of being overwhelmed.

Flow  Seeing water flow is a release of one’s anxieties and tensions.  It may also indicate a real urge to urinate.

Flower  Flowers indicate a relaxed state of mind and contentment.

Fluent  Students learning a foreign language in real life often will speak in their dreams. Professional translators and interpreters switch between languages fluently.  To them, switching between languages is not a translation process.  It is a process of re-expressing something with a different phonetic and grammar system.  In dreams of alternate parallel worlds, one may be speaking a different language as mother tongue and not realize it until one wakes up from the dream to wonder what language was one speaking in the dream.  A student who was learning German spoke German in his dream but when he was awake, he could not speak German.  Some people will speak several different languages in their dreams and wake up wondering which language they were speaking.  Sometimes one wakes up knowing which language was spoken in the dream. 

Flying  I often dream of flying like a bird looking down over San Francisco Bay.  It evokes a feeling and a desire to be free.

Foe  Dreams of one’s foe evokes apprehension.  It may also be a subconscious warning.

Fog  This may be a subconscious warning that one is not seeing the true situation clearly.

Follower  Being a follower is a subconscious warning to beware of being swindled and a warning not to blindly follow some wild scheme.

Food  A dream of food may indicate real hunger.

Forbid  Being forbidden to see or do something reflects curiosity.

Forced  Being forced to do something is a dream of rebellion.  It reflects one’s unwillingness.

Foreign language  Dreaming of studying a foreign language reflects a desire to do something different.  Dreaming of speaking a foreign language one is currently learning in real life is a subliminal activity of the mind.  Dreaming of reading in a foreign language reflects one’s curiosity. 

Foreigner  Seeing foreigners reveals apprehension, curiosity and loneliness.

Forest  Being lost in a forest reveals a sense of loss, timidity and apprehension.

Foretell  This may be a prophetic dream.

Forget  A dream of forgetting something is a subconscious reminder.

Forgive  The subconscious is telling the conscious mind to let go of a grudge.

Forum  This reveals one’s desire to express one’s opinion.

Fountain  This may be a subconscious reminder that new and abundant resources are available at one’s disposal.
Fowl  Fowl indicates a multitude of hopeful opportunities.

Fox  A fox evokes apprehension.  Being pursued by a fox may indicate that a scheming co-worker may be working against you.

Fracture  This may be a dream of caution.

Fragment  This reflects disorder and may indicate that a firm decision should not be made immediately.

Fragrance  To smell the fragrance of flowers reflects a relaxed state of mind.  To smell the fragrance of perfume is a dream of nostalgia and longing.

Frailty  This is a warning of one’s health.  It may reflect actual physical frailty of the dreamer. 

Frantic  This is a dream of releasing anxiety.

Fraud  Being aware of fraud reveals a desire to know the truth.

Freedom  A dream about freedom is an escape dream.

Freeze  This indicates hindrance and advises patience.

Frenzy  Being in a frenzy reveals one’s anxiety.

Freshness  This reveals a refreshed state of mind.

Friar  A friar symbolizes anonymity and a desire to be anonymous.

Friction  Friction, polemical or otherwise reveals a clash of the conscious and the subconscious minds.  Dreaming of physical friction is a sexual fantasy.

Friend  Dreaming of someone as a friend is a subconscious warning to be less trusting.

Frigid  Dreaming of a frigid woman is a sexual fantasy.

Frog  Frogs symbolize abundance in Chinese folklore.

Frolic  This indicates a relaxed state of mind.

Frozen  This is an indication that things may not proceed as quickly as the conscious mind thinks.

Frustration  A dream of frustration is an emotional release of such a feeling.  Only the conscious thinking mind generates the feeling of frustration and anxiety.

Fugitive  Being a fugitive in a dream reveals a desire to escape from stress.

Fumes  Fumes evoke apprehension.

Funeral  Funeral dreams are prophetic dreams of a pending death.

Futility  A feeling of futility indicates frustration.

Futuristic  I often dream of living in a futuristic world in which I live my imaginary life in a parallel world.  The conscious mind recognizes only the real world as we know it.  The subconscious mind is not bound by this one reality.  To dream of a parallel world, certain facts of our real lives are altered and an alternate life emerges in our dreams. 

G

Gallows  This is a dream of caution.

Gambling  This reveals one’s opportunistic desires and greed.

Gang  I have on a few occasions dreamt of being pursued by gangs of thugs.  It may reflect an inner fear of and an aversion to such a situation in real life.

Garbage  Garbage reflects disorganization and chaos.

Garden  Walking in a garden indicates a relaxed state of mind.

Gargoyle  Gargoyles are guardians.  Chinese Buddhist and Taoist temples have fierce looking guardian deities painted on the two panels of the temple gates to ward off evil spirits and they appear in dreams.

Garland  This reflects one’s desire to be recognized, honored and celebrated.

Gate  Gates lead to new adventures, new opportunities and parallel worlds and parallel universes.

Gathering  A family gathering reflects one’s conscious thoughts of one’s family.

Geese  Geese are considered to be less majestic swans.  Both augur good tidings.

Gems  Gems represent wealth.

Generosity  Generosity is a subconscious advice to be more forgiving.

Genitals  They reflect one’s sexual tension and fantasies.

Ghetto  I dreamt of visiting a ghetto in a parallel world.  Dreams of ghettos may evoke curiosity and sympathy.

Ghost  In Chinese folklore, ghosts are evil spirits that come from the netherworld.

Giant  Giants may represent an overwhelming emotion or psychological burden.

Gift  In Chinese folklore, giving a clock as a gift means that the gift giver wishes the person receiving the gift to die.  It also indicates that the receiver of the clock as a gift will die in real life.  Therefore the Chinese do not give a clock as a gift.  It is also taboo in the dream world.

Girls  Seeing girls in white dresses holding white flowers in a funeral procession is a prophetic dream of a pending death.  Seeing girls playing in the park evokes a feeling of peace and a happy family life.  However, the same scene of girls playing in the park may evoke nostalgia and melancholy if the dreamer realizes that his or her daughters are among the girls playing.

Glamor  This reveals one’s desire for recognition.

Globe  Seeing a globe indicates a desire to travel.  Seeing a sphere or a ball reveals one’s belief that things will go well.  The sphere represents the universe.  In Chinese folklore, anything that is spherical is a good symbol indicating successful completion of a task or a wish.  A spherical object is also a Buddhist symbol of the Wheel (Circle, cycle) of Reincarnation.

Gloves  Gloves reveal a desire to hide one’s handicap.

Glow  Seeing something glowing reflects curiosity.

Glutton  Being a glutton in a dream may be a warning of becoming one.  It may also be a subconscious warning that reflects one’s fear of being fat, i.e., an inner fear of obesity.

Goat  In Chinese folklore, the goat is a phallic symbol.  The pronunciation of the characters for “sun”, “goat”, “being male”, are all yang.

God  A dream of God evokes a sense of peace, confidence and exaltation.  It is also considered a blessing.

Gossip  Hearing gossip may be a warning of vicious rumors.

Grace  Being aware of gracefulness evokes admiration and contentment.

Graduation  A graduation dream indicates satisfactory completion of a task.

Grandparents  According to Chinese folklore, dreaming of deceased grandparents means their spirits are visiting.

Gratitude  This indicates one’s feeling of thankfulness.

Grave, Gravestone  An empty grave or a gravestone in a dream may signify a pending death.

Green  Green evokes a feeling of peace and tranquility.

Grief  In dreams, grief is accompanied often by remorse.

Grindstone, Millstone  These ancient tools reflect emotional stress.

Groan  Groaning is often audible while the dreamer is groaning in the dream. 

Grope  Groping in the dark reflects a mental state of searching and confusion. 

Grow  Seeing things grow reflects a feeling of accomplishment.

Guard  Guarding one’s children or family in a dream reflects apprehension.

Guess  Guessing is a subconscious way to express doubt.

Guest  Dreaming of guests reflects a desire for companionship.  Dreaming of guests who are strangers reflects curiosity.

Guide, Guidance  Providing guidance reflects self confidence.  Being guided or seeking guidance indicates a search for answers.

Guillotine  Seeing a guillotine reflects a morbid curiosity.  Being under a guillotine to be beheaded may be a subconscious warning not to be too stubborn.

Guilt  A dream of feeling guilty may be a dream of emotional release.

Guitar  This musical instrument may indicate a desire for solitude.

Gulf  Looking at a gulf from the seashore and feeling the sea breeze reflect one’s emotional tranquility.

Gun  Handguns reflect one’s psychological and emotional trauma resulting from being a real life victim of an armed robbery or being shot at.  People who have seen combat have dreams featuring rifles and handguns.

Guru  Meeting a guru, like meeting a religious or political figure, indicates pride of achievement. 

H

Hairpin  One of the more common dreams of the Chinese is seeing a hairpin.  A shiny hairpin augurs good fortune and the birth of a son according to traditional Chinese dream interpretation.

Hallway  Walking down an endless hallway is a common dream.  It reflects one’s anxiety about not being able to see an end concerning some present day matter.

Hallucination  Hallucinations in dreams may be reactions of the subconscious to stimuli.

Halo  A halo symbolizes sainthood and represents virtue, integrity and wisdom.  It may reflect a self congratulatory and self glorifying feeling.

Hammer  A hammer represents hard work and may reflect a sense of struggling.

Hammock  It reflects relaxation.

Hands  Seeing hands may indicate poor circulation in the hands, according to traditional Chinese dream interpretation.

Handcuffs  They reflect a feeling of being limited and hindered.

Hanging  Dreaming of being the victim of a hanging is a subconscious warning.

Harbor  Harbors feature in many travel dreams.  The dreamed harbor may be familiar to the dreamer but exists only in an alternate parallel world.  This often evokes a deja vu feeling.

Hare, Rabbit  White rabbits represent innocence and joy.

Harem  A harem reflects one’s sexual fantasy.

Harmony  This reflects one’s emotional state of mind.

Harp  The harp indicates exaltation.

Harvest  This indicates abundance and the absence of worries.

Haste  Haste evokes a sense of urgency and reflects one’s anxiety.

Hat  In ancient Chinese culture, the hat represents adulthood and professional achievement.

Hate  This is a conscious feeling of rebellion, aversion and fear of the unknown, usually of strangers.

Hawk  It may reflect one’s feeling of being preyed upon. 

Hatchet  A hatchet is a farm tool and a weapon.  It is a confidence booster.

Hay, Haystack  Hay and a haystack provide a place to hide.

Head  Seeing a head that seems to be alive reflects apprehension.

Hearse  Seeing a hearse in a funeral procession may be a prophetic dream of a pending death.

Heat  Being aware of extreme heat from the sun may be a conscious indication of a slight fever.

Heaven  Dreaming of going to Heaven or being in awe at the realization that one is in Heaven may indicate a near death experience or it may be a travel dream. 

Heavy  Being aware of something heavy reflects one’s feeling about one’s burdens and responsibilities.

Heckling  Being aware of heckling evokes apprehension.

Heels  Heels indicate a sexual fantasy.

Height  Being aware of height in a dream evokes a sense of awe.  It may be a recurring dream of those suffering from a fear of heights.

Hell  Going to Hell or visiting Hell may be a near death experience or a subconscious reprimand telling the conscious thinking mind:  “Go to Hell!”

Help  Asking for help in a dire situation in a dream reflects one’s cry for urgent help.  Children who feel helpless dream of asking for help.  It reflects their need for help from their unresponsive parents.  This may be a psychological indication of children who have been neglected by their parents.

Hemorrhage  This may be an escape dream that reflects one’s desire to escape from daily stress.

Hen  A hen symbolizes the household and the family.  It reflects a sense of domestic comfort.

Hermit  Being a hermit reflects one’s desire for solitude.

Hero, Heroine  Dreaming of being a hero or heroine reflects one’s desire for recognition.

Hide  This may reflect one’s feeling of embarrassment.

Highways  Highways are major features in traveling dreams in futuristic worlds.

Hills  Seeing faraway hills reflects a mental state of tranquility.

Hiss  Hearing hissing in a dream evokes a sense of caution.

Hit  Dreaming of hitting someone is an emotional release from frustration.

Hitchhiking  Hitchhiking often occurs in travel dreams.

Hole  Looking down a dark hole and unable to see the bottom evokes curiosity and apprehension.

Home  A dream of one’s home is a comfort dream.  This dream often seems to be in another reality, a parallel world where not all things are exactly the same as those in one’s real world.  I often wonder if this is an alternate reality in an alternate world that exists only in our subconscious mind and inaccessible to our conscious mind.  The same alternate home dream is often a recurring dream.

Homesick  Feeling homesick reflects one’s conscious feeling of being homesick.  One may also feel homesick for a home in an alternate world.

Honor  Being honored in a dream reflects one’s desire to be recognized.

Hood  A hood hides one’s face and reveals one’s feeling of embarrassment, shyness, social inadequacy or a desire to hide the truth.

Hope  A feeling of hope is often accompanied by images of dawn and sunshine.  It is a dream of comfort and may reflect one’s conscious mental state of hopefulness.

Horizon  Seeing the horizon at dusk or dawn evokes awe and tranquility.  It reflects the current emotional state of mind of the dreamer.

Horn  Horns sounding in the distance may be a telepathic announcement of news.

Horoscope  Reading one’s horoscope in a dream indicates the conscious mind’s search for answers.  The subconscious mind expresses itself with images and emotions and often symbols of the horoscope appear directly in dreams to provide guidance or portent.

Horror  A feeling of horror is a warning to be cautious.  It may also reflect an ugly repressed memory of an actual criminal assault.

Horse  A horse represents strength, beauty and is a phallic symbol.  Dreaming of riding a horse reflects one’s desire to escape from stress.

Howl  Hearing howling in a dream evokes apprehension.  It may be a prophetic dream of a pending death.  In the countryside in China, dogs howl at night when someone in the village dies.  One night in San Francisco in 1981, all the dogs in the Sunset District started howling.  The following morning, the next door neighbor informed us that her husband died last night of a heart attack.

Humility  Being humiliated in a dream may be a subconscious warning to be more humble.

Hunger  Dreaming of being hungry may indicate real hunger.  A 63-year-old man dreamt that he was 14 years old living in a two-story wooden house.  His mother was upswtairs cooking.  He was playing downstairs in the garden.  He felt hungry and he knew that mother was cooking dinner.  He waited for mother to finish cooking and to tell him dinner was ready.  He waited and waited.  He saw mother come downstairs so he walked by her and expected her to call him in for dinner.  Mother walked by but did not say anything to him.  He wondered why, so he turned to mother and said:  “So you are not going to give me dinner?”  He then woke up from his dream feeling hungry.  In this case, the actual hunger felt by the dreamer somehow triggered this dream of being hungry and wanting dinner.

Hurry  A sense of urgency is conveyed in a dream of hurrying about.  It reflects one’s anxiety and emotional stress.

Hurt  Dreaming of being hurt by a knife or a weapon may be a subconscious warning not to be too brash and impetuous.

Husband  Dreaming of one’s husband reveals a desire for intimacy.  A dream of quarreling with one’s husband is a frustration releasing dream.

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Ice  Dreaming of ice on the ground and on country roads often occurs in travel dreams.  The scenery of a wintry ice covered ground evokes a pleasant feeling.

Iceberg  Steep mountains symbolize obstacles according to Chinese folklore.  An iceberg would represent an obstacle.

Icicles  Icicles that look like hanging crystals indicate purity and can be seen only where there is light. 

Idleness  The feeling of being idle reflects impatience and anxiety.

Illness  Dreaming of being ill indicates a desire to escape, to relax and rest.

Illiteracy  This reflects a feeling of dependence on someone or something.

Illusion  Being aware of illusions in dreams is a realization that some situation may not be what it seems.

Impatience  Being impatient in a dream reflects one’s anxiety.  It is an emotional release of stress.

Imposter  Being aware of an imposter evokes apprehension.  Being an imposter in a dream reveals thoughts about taking advantage of someone and a tendency towards greed and opportunism.

Impurity  Being aware of impurity in a dream may be a warning that some situation may not be as transparent as it seems.

Incense  If one can smell the incense in a dream, it indicates good fortune.  Incense smoke symbolizes ascension.

Incest  This is a sexual fantasy that releases sexual tension.

Incoherence  A dream of being incoherent oneself reflects one’s muddled thinking.  A dream of observing others being incoherent indicates meaningless chatter and gossip.

Indecency  A dream of indecency may be a subconscious warning that one may be exposing oneself too publicly.

Immodesty  This may also be a subconscious warning that one is exposing oneself too openly.

Indigestion  This may indicate an actual stomachache.

Infants  Dreams of infants and babies evoke joy and in Chinese folklore, they augur good tidings.

Inferiority  A feeling of inferiority reveals one’s lack of confidence.

Infidelity  Infidelity is a sexual fantasy and it releases sexual tension.

Ingratitude  This is a subconscious warning in response to such conscious thoughts and verbal remarks.

Inheritance  This is wishful thinking on the part of the conscious mind but it may also be a prophetic dream of a pending death.

Injury  This is a subconscious warning of possible risk in pursuing the course the conscious mind is contemplating.  It may also indicate an awkward sleeping position.

Injustice  Dreaming of an injustice being done to you is a frustration releasing dream.  It also reflects one’s feeling of being a victim of an actual injustice.

Insanity  Dreaming of being insane oneself is a stress release dream.  Seeing insane people in a dream may reflect one’s feeling that one is surrounded by inept people in real life.

Inscription  Inscriptions are subconscious communications to the conscious mind, although in many dreams, with a few exceptions, the inscriptions are unreadable. Sometimes clearly readable numbers appear.    

Insects  In Chinese folklore, insects represent diseases.  They may also reflect one’s pereceived feeling of unfriendliness of others towards oneself.

Insult  To be at the receiving end of insults reflects a feeling of being victimized.  Hurling insults in a dream releases one’s frustration.  Recurring dreams of being insulted or hurling insults may reflect one’s psychological trauma and emotional wounds received after being insulted in real life.

Intercourse  This is a sexual fantasy and a release of sexual tension.

Intolerance  Intolerance reflects impatience and a tendency to find fault.

Intrigue  Being aware of an intrigue may be a prophetic portent.

Invalid  Being an invalid in a dream may indicate a call for help.

Invention  An invention reflects one’s desire for accomplishment.

Invisibility  Being aware that one is invisible reflects one’s desire to hide and to escape from attention.  Being aware of the invisibility of some one or some thing evokes apprehension. 

Invitation  This may augur a new opportunity.

Island  Being on an island is an escape dream.  It indicates a desire to get away from it all.  A sad dream of being on an island alone reflects loneliness and isolation.

Ivory  Carved ivory is extremely valuable.  To see it and to touch it augurs good tidings and help from people of high social status.

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Jackpot  A dream of winning the jackpot may be a prophetic dream.  More often, however, it may indicate a hope for success in some endeavor.

Jade  Jade symbolizes wealth, tranquility and high social status.

Jaguar  This elegant animal symbolizes freedom and strength and reflects one’s desire to be free and powerful.  It may also be a phallic symbol.

Jail  Dreaming of being taken to jail or being in jail reflects confinement and temporary setback.

Jealousy  A dream of being jealous is a release of that feeling.  Jealousy exists in the conscious mind only.  The conscious mind judges and compares while the subconscious mind does not.

Jesus Christ  A dream of being blessed by Jesus Christ reflects contentment and peacefulness.

Jewelry  Jewelry symbolizes wealth and longing.

Jilted  Being jilted in a dream reflects one’s fear of being jilted.

Joker  The joker in fortune telling symbolizes mischief and may indicate that anything can happen.

Journey  A dreamed journey that feels difficult or tiresome reflects one’s struggles with emotional and psychological stress.

Joy  This reflects one’s mental and emotional state of being happy.

Judge  Dreaming of appearing before a judge may indicate a desire to express one’s opinion but feels unable to do so in real life.

Juggler  Jugglers provide entertainment.  Seeing a juggler may be a warning not to be mesmerized by things that are not clearly defined.

Jungle  Being lost in the jungle reflects confusion.

Jury  Being seated in the jury reflects a feeling of being called upon to judge others.  It may also reflect a desire to hear the truth.

Justice  Seeking justice reveals one’s desire to seek revenge.

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Keys  Losing one’s keys evokes panic in both real life and in dreams.  The dream releases the feeling of panic and anxiety.

Kick  People who have been victimized by criminals in real life have recurring dreams of being kicked repeatedly by them.  These recurring nightmares are indications of permanent psychological trauma and emotional wounds suffered by the victims of such criminal acts in real life.

Kidnap  Dreams of being kidnaped or kidnaping someone are common.  A male high school student had a dream in 1962 about chasing after a female classmate on the city street, catching her and kissing her.  The male student had a crush on that female classmate.  He had the dream on a Tuesday night.  Wednesday morning in class, the female classmate came up to him and said:  “I had a strange dream last night.  I dreamt that you were chasing after a car that I was in.  The car stopped.  You opened the car door and dragged me out and embraced me.”  Apparently, the male student and the female classmate both had similar kidnaping dreams the same night.  One dreamt of kidnaping the other and the other dreamt of being kidnaped.  This is a true story and it may indicate the existence of telepathic communication at the subconscious level.

Kill  Dreams of killing someone or some animal are emotional release dreams.  Dreams of being killed is a subconscious warning to be cautious.  Sometimes one is surprised that one has killed someone in the dream.

King  Being king reveals one’s desire to take the lead.  It reflects a desire to rebel and a desire for freedom.  Dreaming of meeting a king reflects a desire for recognition.

Kiss  This is a sexual fantasy.

Kitchen  The kitchen is the center of Chinese household activity.  The Chinese worship the kitchen god.  His duties include making sure that there is sufficient rice and food to be cooked and to oversee the kitchen so that the stove does not catch on fire.  A busy kitchen indicates a prosperous household.

Kite  Kites symbolize freedom of flight and soaring and they reflect a desire to escape.

Kittens  Kittens evoke compassion and joy, warmth and comfort.

Kleptomania  This is actually a common theme in dreams.  One feels the urge to steal, and the conscious mind often thinks that the only way to rid oneself of the urge to commit a crime for excitement is to commit the crime.  This perpetuates criminal behavior and is often an excuse young criminals use to continue their criminal behavior and crime spree.  The subconscious mind may be reprimanding the conscious mind about such criminal behavior.  In the case of stealing, a dream of kleptomania is an appropriate reprimand.

Kneel  A dream of kneeling reflects a sense of humiliation.

Knife  A knife provides protection and reflects one’s self confidence.

Knight  A knight vanquishing the heathen reveals a desire to seek revenge or to avenge what one believes to be blasphemy.

Knit  Knitting conveys tranquility.

Knock  A knock at the door in the dark of night evokes fear and apprehension.  A dream of knocking on a door reflects a desire for acceptance.

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Labyrinth  Being lost in a maze indicates confusion.

Ladder  Climbing up a rickety ladder evokes timidity, caution and apprehension.  It reflects tentativeness and mental struggle. 

Lair  Entering a lair reflects caution, apprehension and timidity.

Lake  Boating on a calm lake reflects mental relaxation.  Fearing one might fall into a lake reflects apprehension.

Lamb  Lamb is the food of ancient nomadic tribesmen.  The Chinese character meaning to cauterize originated as an ideographic depiction of a carcass of a lamb laid over a fire.  The lamb is a symbol of wealth.

Lament  I often feel lament in a parallel life in my dreams.  Some details about my life in the parallel world are different but lament emereges rather prominently in the parallel world in my dreams.  This may be a feeling of “I should have done this or that”  in my real and in my dream life.

Lamp  Lamps provide guidance and visibility.  Dreaming of lamps suddenly going dark evokes apprehension and caution.  Holding a lamp high in the dark reveals one’s desire to discover some secret.  Holding up a lamp to light the way may also be a desire to search for some solution or a desire to look into the future.

Landscape  Beautiful landscape evokes joy and contentment.  A moonscape may indicate a desire for freedom and escape.  Sometimes it may indicate loneliness.

Lanes  I frequently have dreams of walking through very narrow cobble lanes in older neighborhoods in strange cities in search of an address.  Walking down a narrow lane with an extreme feeling of claustrophobia indicates that the conscious mind is stressed.

Lasso  A lasso is a symbol of power, confidence and mastery.  It may also be a phallic symbol in a sexual fantasy.

Late  Dreaming of being late reflects one’s fear of missing out.

Latin  Dreaming of studying, reading and speaking Latin reflects subliminal activity of the conscious mind.

Laughter  Laughter releases tension both in real life and in dreams.

Laundry  Dirty laundry represents unpleasant remnants of past memories.  A dream of washing dirty laundry reveals a desire to get rid of the unpleasant memories of the past.  The conscious mind is unwilling to let go of the past.  Only the conscious mind regurgitates old memories, especially the painful ones, reliving the memory over and over again.

Lava  In a dream of seeing lava without feeling its heat, the bright red color of lava is the main feature of the dream.  In Chinese folklore, the color red indicates celebration and happy occasions.

Lawyers  Lawyers represent either the side of the conscious mind or the subconscious mind in the polemical relationship between the two.

Laziness  A dream of laziness may indicate a desire to release mental stress.

Leaves  Spring leaves indicate a change for the better.  Autumn leaves indicate a change for the worse.

Leak  Leaks reveal vulnerability.

Learn  Learning something reveals one’s curiosity.

Leather  Leather clothing and leather sofas indicate luxury and wealth.

Lecture  Giving a lecture reveals a desire for recognition.  Attending a lecture may indicate curiosity.  I once dreamt of going to a lecture by the Dalai Lama.  As I walked into the lecture hall, the Dalai Lama came up to me, shook my hands, and said to me:  “Congratulations on your good work.”  I thanked him as he turned and walked back towards the lectern.  In real life at the time I had the dream, I was teaching Buddhist meditation classes and classes on alternative medicine, acupressure and reflexology.

Leg  A dream of a woman’s bare legs is a sexual fantasy.  A dream of a man’s legs is indicative of sexual curiosity.  Some high school boys have dreams of looking at the legs of a handsome male classmate.

Leopard  A leopard is an elegant animal that runs fast.  It can be a phallic symbol.  Female leopards can symbolize the object of a boy’s sexual fantasy.  It reveals a longing of a young boy for a beautiful mature woman.

 Leprosy  This dreaded disease evokes aversion and loathing.  Dreaming of being a leper reflects one’s fear of being a social outcast.

Library  A library is a place to hide from social intermingling.  It also indicates one’s desire for discovery or a desire to search for something, usually for information.

Lift  A lift or elevator has played a featuring role in many of my dreams.  I have had many recurring dreams of staying at a particular hotel with 26 floors and two sets of elevators that take guests up to different floors.  I would catch the elevators up to the top floor and would walk down the stairwell to each floor, sometimes looking for the men’s room, at other times just looking at the various restaurants on different floors of the hotel, and sometimes walking through the restaurants to get to the other side, and in many of my recurring dreams, I would walk through the restaurants to get to a central walkway lined with all kinds of shops.  The scene is very similar to that in the big hotels in Las Vegas.  All of these dreams occurred before I ever visited the place.

Light  Seeing light evokes a sense of hope and one loses the feeling of despair.

Lighthouse  A beacon of hope for sailors, a guiding light for ships at sea, it represents hopefulness.

Lightning  Lightening evokes caution.

Lion  Hearing a lion roar indicates celebration or a warning.

Lips  Sensual red lips are a sexual fantasy.  In dreams, the dreamer usually feels an urge to approach the lips and kiss them.

Lock  A dream of being locked in reflects confinement and isolation. A dream of being locked out reflects a fear of bing shunned by peers.  A dream of locking something away reflects one’s desire to forget bitter memories of the past.  Often after such dreams, the dreamer feels much “safer.”

Loneliness  This is a strong feeling common in dreams.  In many of my dreams, I felt loneliness in my parallel world but not in my real life.  Again, it may be that the feeling of loneliness is being suppressed in my real life.

Loss  A sense of loss about someone dying or a sense of loss in a dark cavern unable to see any light or exit evokes despair and hopelessness in many dreams.

 Lottery  Some people dream of winning the lottery.  Some others see lottery tickets in their dreams and remember some of the numbers on the tickets.  The numbers may be more significant in interpreting the prophetic nature of the dream than the outcome of the dreamed lottery.  Studying the numbers according to numerology is an important follow-up after having this dream.

Lotus  The lotus is a sacred Buiddhist flower, the seat of Buddha and the pedestal of Guan Yin, the Chinese Goddess of Mercy.  Dreaming of the lotus augurs good fortune of peace, tranquility and contentment.

Love  A dream of love and romance is a dream of releasing one’s pent up romantic emotions.  It has nothing to do with sexual desire and fantasy.

Lust  This is a sexual fantasy that reveals one’s sexual desires and fetishes.

Luxury  Dreaming of luxury is an escape dream.  Since dreaming involves the subconscious mind, the conscious mind does not make comparisons of the dreamed luxury and the dreamer’s real meager possessions.  Therefore, this dream usually ends with admiration and awe rather than jealousy and envy or an urge to catch up with the Joneses.

M

Machinery  In my futuristic dreams, I sometimes visit large factories full of idling machinery.  In one dream, I dreamt of being a factory worker in a factory without any other workers and I was in charge of maintaining the machinery.

Magic  To dream of magic may be a subconscious warning not to be fooled.  Sometimes magic evokes a sense of curiosity and query.  This may be precisely what the subconscious mind wants the conscious mind to do.

Maid  Dreaming of a maid is a sexual fantasy.  A dream about a house maid or an office maid is one of the most sexually exciting fantasies.

Mail  Waiting for the mail or receiving mail reflects anticipation.

Mansion  A mansion represents luxury and reveals one’s desire for luxury.

Manure  Dreaming of being covered with manure or stepping in manure indicates money luck according to Chinese folklore.

Market  Visiting an open air market indicates that the conscious mind is searching. 

Marriage  Dreaming of being married may indicate one’s desire for marriage.  It may also reflect one’s wish for companionship or partnership with a co-worker in real life.

Marsh  Marshes and swamps represent obstacles.  A common dream is to stand on the edge of a marsh trying to figure out how to cross it.

Martyr  Dreaming of being a martyr reflects one’s determination.

Masquerade  Attending a masquerade ball indicates a desire to hide one’s identity.  It may also indicate an inner conflict of feelings between a desire to socialize and a desire to remain anonymous. 

Massage  A dream of getting or giving a massage is a sexual fantasy.

Mean  A dream of being mean to others or others being mean to you is an emotional release dream.

Medal  Dreaming of receiving a medal reflects one’s desire for recognition.

Mermaid  Mermaids are sexual fantasies.

Mess  Dreaming of things or rooms in a mess reflects one’s feeling of chaos and not being in  control.

Meteor  A meteor seen in a dream evokes awe, curiosity and hope.

Midget  Seeing midgets without feeling aversion indicates acceptance.

Millionaire  A dream of being a millionaire reflects self confidence.  A dream of meeting a millionaire reflects a feeling of admiration.

Mine  Entering a dark mine evokes apprehension and curiosity.

Minister  Dreaming of being a Christian minister reveals one’s desire for expression.  Dreaming of being a government minister reflects one’s desire to be recognized.

Miracle  Dreaming of witnessing a miracle reflects wonderment.  A miracle may be a projection of the subconscious mind.

Mirror  Looking at oneself in a mirror reflects self admiration or a sense of narcissism.  Looking into a mirror and seeing someone else may indicate a suppressed split personality or schizophrenia in the dream world but not in actuality.  The Chinese folklore says that strangers seen in a mirror are spirits from the netherworld.  The Chinese term zhao yao jing is a mirror used by guardian gods to reveal ghosts and demons.

Missionary  Dreaming of being a missionary reflects one’s desire for expression.

Mistake  The realization that one has made a mistake is a subconscious reminder that one’s conscious thoughts may have erred.

Milestone  This evokes a sense of achievement.

Mob  Seeing a mob evokes apprehension and caution.  Being in a mob reflects one’s feeling of being overwhelmed.

Monastery  A monastery indicates a place to hide where one can be anonymous.

Money  Dreaming of money may be a subconscious way of saying there is nothing to worry about.

Monkey  Monkeys signify rambunctiousness and unpredictability.  Seeing a bunch of monkeys frolicking reflects a desire for freedom.  The year of the monkey is often referred to as the year of the golden monkey in Chinese. 

Moon  Seeing the bright moon reflects one’s tranquil state of mind.  A Chinese saying wishing a couple good luck is yue yuan hua hao, “May the moon be full and round and the flowers good.”  It is a wish for a harmonious family and many children.  The character “good” in Chinese is hao, formed by writing the character for son and the character for girl together.

Morgue  Entering a morgue and seeing corpses reflect curiosity.  Seeing oneself on a stretcher being carried into a morgue reflects mental and physical weariness.  Seeing oneself in the morgue on a shiny steel bed in front of a drawer designated for one’s own corpse has been part of many near death experience dreams.  One week in 2002, I caught a cold and my nose was stuffed up.  I went to bed one night and had a dream seeing myself in the morgue on a shiny steel bed in front of a drawer designated for my own corpse.  I then floated into the drawer which led to a rather short dark tunnel with a bright light at the other end.  I arrived at the other end and suddenly realized how peaceful it was there.  Then I was told that I had to go back.  I retorted:  “I don’t want to go back.  It is so peaceful here.”  Suddenly I felt I was being pulled back and when I arrived at the opening of the drawer, I complained again:  “I do not want to go back to that chaotic world.”  But suddenly I felt a strong jolt and shiver and I woke up.  I could not breathe so I had to blow my nose before I could start breathing again.  This is a true story of my personal near death experience.

Mother  A dream of mother who had passed on coming into one’s dream, according to Chinese folklore, indicates that mother’s spirit is visiting to see how her surviving family is doing.

Mountain  A mountain in the Chinese I Ching Oracle represents obstacles, difficulties and blockage.  Seeing a mountain may also evoke awe and wonder.  The question is:  “How am I going to go up that mountain?”  This is usually a question that the conscious mind would be asking and usually without any forthcoming answer.

Mourning  A dream of mourning may be a prophetic dream of a pending death.  Sometimes, a dream of mourning expresses one’s remorse.

Mouth  This may be a sexual fantasy.  There is a popular saying in Chinese folklore:  “Diseases enter through the mouth and disaster comes from the mouth.”  It is a warning against spreading rumors and telling lies.

Moving  A dream of moving reveals one’s desire for change.  Seeing bronze, stone and wooden statues in a temple move by themselves indicates that their spirits have come from their intangible worlds and are revealing themselves, xian shen, showing their spirit, xian ling, or performing a miracle xian ling.

Mud  Being dirtied by mud or excrement indicates money luck.

Murder  To dream of a murder evokes apprehension.  To dream of one’s own murder may signify a change.

Music  Hearing music, especially pleasant music, reflects tranquility and peace of mind.  Hearing heavenly music makes one feel blessed.  Sometimes music accompanies the appearance of one’s guardian angel.

Musical instruments  They may reflect a desire to try something new.

Mystery  Unsolved mystery reflects one’s curiosity.

Mystic  Consulting a mystic reflects a desire to search for answers.

Myth  Being aware of a myth reflects disbelief by the conscious mind.  The subconscious mind accepts myths as true.  The conscious mind does not usually accept a myth as true.

N

Nagging  Nagging is an anxiety and stress releasing dream.  To be a victim of a nagger may reflect a real life situation where the dreamer is suffering from psychological abuse.

Naked  Seeing naked women is a sexual fantasy.  Seeing oneself naked may indicate a feeling that one has exposed too much of oneself to others.  It may also be a subconscious advice to the dreamer to open up socially in real life. 

Name  Being aware of a name may portend a pending death, or it may be a telepathic message.

Navigation  Navigating a ship at sea is a dream of adventure and a desire for freedom.

Neck  Dreaming of a woman’s neck is a sexual fantasy.  Dreaming of one’s own neck may indicate a contorted sleeping posture.  One’s pillow may be too hard and too high.

Necklace  This is a nostalgic dream.

Nervousness  A dream of being nervous is a release of nervousness.

Newspapers  A dream of reading the newspaper or seeing words on the front page of a newspaper may be a prophetic subconscious message.

Nightmare  A nightmare in a dream, especially one in a recurring dream, may reflect one’s psychological and emotional trauma.

Nipple  This is a sexual fantasy.

Nomination  This reflects one’s desire for recognition.

Nude  Being nude oneself reflects a feeling that one should be less shy and more open in real life.  Seeing a nude person is a sexual fantasy.

Nugget  A nugget of gold is a treasure that reflects a desire for new discoveries.

Numb  Feeling numb may indicate a contorted sleeping posture.

Numbers  Numbers in dreams are significant and one should consult a numerologist to find out the prophetic meanings of the numbers.

Nurse  Dreaming of a female nurse is a sexual fantasy.  Sometimes, children may dream of the family nurse or the governess.  Upper class British children and wealthy Chinese children born and raised in Hong Kong do dream of their family nurse or governess.  These are dreams of comfort.

Nymph  This is a sexual fantasy.

O

Oar  Struggling to row with oars reflects one’s daily struggles.

Oath  Making an oath indicates the conscious mind is making a decision.

Obituary  Obituaries are prophetic dreams of a pending death.

Occult  Consulting the occult or observing the occult is the conscious mind’s effort to seek answers.

Ocean  Sailing the ocean in a big ocean liner is a travel dream.  It may reflect one’s desire to escape and relax.

Odor  Being aware of odd odors may evoke apprehension.  It may also be a warning to physically check the house for gas leaks, burning stoves, and space heaters.

Offer  To accept an offer reflects a decision that the conscious mind makes.  To take an offer into consideration reflects lingering doubt and indecision.

Office  Dreams of working in an office may be dreams of an alternate world.

Officer  A police officer in a dream may evoke apprehension.  A military officer evokes confidence or fear.  In dreams of millitary combat, enemy officers symbolize one’s arch rival.  Many immigrants have had dreams of police officers and these dreams have evoked fear.

Oil paintings  A portrait may be a prophetic dream of a pending death.  Oil paintings of scenery such as those seen in museums evoke awe, admiration, and tranquility.  They represent beauty.

Old  To be aware of being old may reflect physical and mental weary.

Oration  This reveals a desire to express oneself or a desire to rebel.  In real life, many a revolution in modern history began with oration.

Orchestra conductor  A dream of being an orchestra conductor indicates a desire for power.

Orders  Orders received in a dream are instructions the subconscious mind gives to the conscious mind.

Organ  A grand musical instrument mostly played in cathedrals and churches inspires awe and a feeling of sanctity.

Organs  Dreaming of body organs, according to Chinese folklore, may be an indication that those organs are in poor health and it may be a reminder to have those organs checked by a physician.

Orgy  This is a sexual fantasy.  It may reflect a desire for sexual adventure, or it may reflect a temporary lull in one’s sex life.

Ornament  If a particular ornament stands out in one’s dream, it usually carries emotional or nostalgic significance.  If particular ornaments belonging to a deceased family member appear in one’s dreams, they may indicate a visit by the spirit of the deceased relative. 

Orphan  A dream of being an orphan reflects one’s feeling of loneliness.  A dream of seeing orphans may evoke sympathy. 

Owl  An owl seen at night with its eyes reflecting the moonlight is a scary sight and it may indicate that a disciplinarian is watching.  It may also indicate that the subconscious is watching over the conscious mind.

Oxen  Oxen symbolize wealth in both Chinese and Indian folklore.

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Package  Receiving a package may be a prophetic dream.

Padlock  This indicates confinement and stagnation.

Pageant  Competing in a pageant may reflect one’s desire to show off.

Pagoda  In China, a pagoda provides shade from the sun and serves as a place to take a rest for the weary traveler.  A famous Chinese pagoda is the Nine Story Pagoda that is shaped like a giant wedge.  Most Chinese pagodas are not religious edifices.

Pain  Dreaming of pain may indicate real pain due to bad sleeping posture.

Painter (artist)  Being an artist may reflect one’s desire for free expression.

Paintings  Oil paintings, watercolor paintings, etc. are creative works of art and are the artist’s legacy.  They symbolize one’s achievements and one’s “edifices” in life. 

Palace  Palaces symbolize wealth and grandeur.

Parade  Watching or being in a parade is a family dream.

Paradise  Being in paradise evokes a sense of tranquility.

Paralysis  Dreaming of being paralyzed reflects one’s feeling of not being able to get things done, that one’s talent is not being fully utilized, that one is wasting life away.  It may also indicate that a contorted sleeping posture is cramping one’s legs and arms and they are going numb.

Parasol  A parasol that provides shade indicates a desire for protection or to hide from public view.

Parchment  Seeing a parchment may indicate a partial thought or idea.

Parents  A dream of one’s parents may reflect a desire for parental love or may reflect one’s conscious thoughts about them.

Passage  Discovering a passageway, being given passage on a ship or a train, being given passage through a border crossing may all be indications of new solutions and new possibilities.

Passenger  I often dreamt of being a passenger on a bus or a train and then asked to be a substitute driver to bring the bus or the train back to the main station.  I also frequently dream of taking the same bus to go to the same destination in recurring dreams.

Passion  A dream of passion is a dream to release one’s sexual anxiety.

Pastor  Dreaming of being a pastor reflects one’s desire for expression.

Paths  Paths are ways towards new opportunities, new solutions and new futures.  The subconscious mind provides the paths for the conscious mind to choose.  The conscious mind may or may not choose the right path.  Thinking and timidity usually get in the way of taking the right path.  One hindering thought of the conscious mind is:  “I wonder what others will think of me?”  Master Chen says:  “Who really cares?”  The subconscious mind is usually right and the conscious thinking mind is usually wrong in making personal decisions.  When contemplating a decision, ask yourself:  “How do I feel about the decision?”  Do not ask:  “What do I think about the decision?”  This is a lesson in meditation.

Patience  The subconscious mind urges patience.  The conscious mind has none because it thinks.

Patterns  Patterns, usually pleasing ones, are communication devices of the subconscious mind.  The conscious mind finds it very difficult to decipher them or interpret them in any meaningful way.  Here, the crop circles come to mind.  

Pavement  In a dream of driving on a paved road, the pavement would symbolize a straight course ahead without obstacles.  Potholes in the pavement would be the unforeseen dangers.

Peacock  A peacock with its tail spread out in full display evokes awe.  That is an appropriate reaction since in Chinese folklore, the peacock is considered a heavenly bird of good fortune.

Pearls  A dream of seeing pearls may be a nostalgic dream.  A string of pearls on a woman’s neck is a sexual fantasy.  A dream of a curtain made of strands of white pearls evokes awe and a sense of purity.

Pebbles  A dream of holding pebbles in one’s hand reflects achievement.

Peel  A dream of peeling reveals a desire to know the truth.

Pendulum  A pendulum symbolizes indecision.

Penthouse  This is a dream of luxury and fantasy.  Often I dream of living in a penthouse.  It is a sanctuary and I feel very comfortable there.  This place exists only in my parallel alternate world.

Perfume  Noticing the smell of perfume in a dream and recognizing it in reality are a rather common experience of many people.  Sometimes, one will suddenly smell a whiff of very strong tobacco and immediately react by saying:  “Oh, there is grandpa.”  In many cases, grandpa had been dead for years.  There are other similar experiences where a woman doing her chores would suddenly smell a whiff of very strong men’s perfume or tobacco and immediately react by saying:  “Oh, here he is checking on me. ”  In this case, the “he” is alive but at a different place at the time the woman seemingly smells the perfume or tobacco.  To the woman, this is not a dream experience and she is not dreaming at the time.  It is almost always described as a real experience. Often the person with such an experience would even deny that he or she was thinking about the other person at the time.  Sometimes men would suddenly smell a strong whiff of perfume and would recognize it as that worn by his girlfriend, his wife, his lover or his aunt who are alive.

Perjury  A dream of committing perjury may be a subconscious warning.

Phallus  Dreaming of seeing the phallus reflects one’s sexual tension.

Piano  Pianos are often a prominent feature in nostalgic dreams.

Pictures  Pictures may appear in nostalgic dreams or they may be prophetic of a pending death.

Pier  I often stand on the pier to watch sail boats in my real world and my alternate parallel world.

Pigeon  Pigeons represent messengers.  They may appear in prophetic dreams.

Pilgrim  Being a pilgrim may reflect a desire for adventure and travel.

Pirate  Dreaming of being a pirate may reveal one’s greed, a desire to pillage and to take by force.  It is a sexual fantasy.  It is also an emotional release dream that releases one’s anger or it may indicate a desire for adventure.

Pistol  Using a pistol in a duel in a dream may reflect the conflict and constant battle between the conscious and the subconscious minds.  Seeing a pistol pointed at you is a warning to be cautious.

Pit  Seeing a bottomless pit evokes apprehension and a fear of failure.

Plague  A dream of an epidemic or a plague may indicate overwhelming stress.

Planets  Dreaming of the planets may be an escape dream.

Platform  Stepping onto a lecture platform without an audience reflects a desire for expression.  If there is an audience, it reflects one’s desire to be recognized.

Play  Seeing children play evokes a feeling of domestic bliss.

Poison  A dream of being poisoned indicates suspicion.

Port  A seaport is often a travel destination in alternate world dreams.

Praise  A dream of receiving praise reveals a desire for recognition.

Praying  Praying indicates a desire for solace.

President  Dreaming of being president indicates a desire for recognition and power.  Dreaming of meeting the president reflects a wish to be recognized.

Prey  A dream of being a prey indicates timidity and apprehension.

Priest  A dream of being a priest indicates a desire for solitude.

Prison  A dream of being sent to prison is an obstacle dream.

Prize  Receiving a prize indicates a desire for recognition.  It may also indicate a sense of self congratulation for one’s accomplishment in real life.

Profanity  Hurling profanity in a dream releases one’s pent up anxiety, stress, anger and a sense of injustice.

Prostitute  Dreaming of visiting a prostitute reveals a sexual fantasy and a suppressed desire to do so in real life.

Punish  Dreaming of being punished indicates a subconscious admonition of the conscious mind.

Q

Quarantine  A dream of being quarantined is an obstacle dream.

Queen  Dreaming of meeting the queen is a sexual fantasy.  Dreaming of being the queen reflects surliness.

R

Rabbi  A dream of being the rabbi reveals one’s desire for recognition.

Rabbit  Rabbits symbolize prosperity and abundance in Chinese folklore.

Race  Being in a race indicates mental stress.

Rage  This is an emotional release dream.

Raid  Dreaming of hiding in an air raid shelter reveals apprehension.  Dreaming of being raided indicates that there may be something one wants to hide.  Going on a raid as a pirate is a dream to release frustration.  This may also be a sexual fantasy to release pent up sexual frustration.

Railroad  Riding the train and traveling by railroad is a travel dream indicating leisure.

Rainbow  Seeing a rainbow evokes awe and a feeling of hope and tranquility.

Rancid  Being aware of something rancid evokes aversion.

Ransack  Seeing one’s home ransacked indicates one’s fear of loss.

Ransom  Being held for ransom is a common obstacle dream.

Rape  This is a male sexual fantasy.  Recurring nightmares of being raped reflect one’s psychological and emotional trauma of actual victims of rape.

Rats  Rats evoke aversion and fear.  It reveals a feeling of being overwhelmed.

Raw  In Chinese dream interpretations, raw meat portends misfortune.

Recognize  Recognizing someone in a dream may be prophetic.  These dreams often result in deja vu experiences in real life.

Refugee  Dreaming of being a refugee may reflect one’s actual experience as a refugee.  It may also indicate a feeling of being ostracized.  Some people have dreams of what their actual real life will be like.

Refuse  Dreaming of refusing something may be a subconscious warning not to accept things as they are presented.

Regret  Feeling regret often occurs in alternate life dreams. 

Rejection  A dream of rejection reveals one’s fear of being rejected.  It is an unemotional way to deal with such fear.

Remorse  Remorse also occurs often in alternate life dreams. 

Rendezvous  This is a sexual fantasy.

Repentance  Asking for forgiveness reveals one’s feeling of being sorry for some deed in one’s real life.

Reprimand  This reveals the struggle between the conscious and the subconscious minds.

Return  Returning to a familiar place in an alternate world is a common feature of recurring parallel world dreams.

Revive  Seeing the dead being revived signifies hope.

Revolt  Dreaming of revolting reveals a desire to rebel against stress and work pressure or parental discipline.

Ring  A ring represents fulfillment and completion in Chinese folklore.

Rope  Dreaming of being tied up with a rope is an obstacle dream.

Rose  Roses represent a feeling of romance.  The color red is a joyous color in Chinese culture.

Roulette  A dream of a spinning roulette reflects one’s opportunistic desires.

Rude  Dreaming of being rude is an emotional release dream.  Dreaming of others being rude to you reflects a feeling of shunning others.

Run  This is an escape dream that reveals a desire to escape from stress.

Rush  A dream of rushing about is an anxiety release dream.

S

Sabotage  Being aware of sabotage in a dream reveals one’s apprehension.

Sad, Sadness  Feeling sad in a dream is very common.  Sometimes there is no aparent reason for the sadness.  Sometimes a sense of regret brings on sadness in dreams.  At other times, listening to a familiar song brings on sudden sadness while one is awake.  Sadness also occurs in alternate world dreams.  A dream about family members may also trigger sadness in the dream.  Sadness in dreams will linger on after the dreamer awakes.  These dreams may be an emotional release.  The smell of a familiar perfume or a feeling of loneliness in a dream also triggers sadness. 

Sailboat  A dream of sailing in a sailboat reveals a relaxed state of mind.

Saint  Meeting a saint or being blessed by a saint augurs good tidings.

Santa Claus  Meeting Santa Claus, like meeting a saint, augurs good tidings and one’s wishes may be fulfilled.

Sapphire  A precious gemstone, it represents luxury and wealth.

Satin  Satin and silk garments and textiles represent luxury, wealth and prosperity in Chinese folklore.

Scarf  A scarf is a symbol of romance and reflects one’s romantic feelings.  It may also be a nostalgic object that evokes romantic memories.

School  Dreaming of going to school reveals one’s desire to seek new friendship.

Scream  Sccreaming may be an emotional release mechanism of recurring nightmares that reflect real life traumatic experiences.  Screaming in dreams usually occurs when the dreamer is arguing with someone or is having a shouting match or is dreaming about being wronged.  In escape dreams, the dreamer would often shout: “Get out! Get out!” in the dream and he would be shouting in his sleep.  Sometimes a dreamer will curse and use swear words in the dream and often he or she will actually be shouting out loud while still asleep.  Sometimes one will be shouting in a foreign language.  Partners will often say:  Did you have a bad dream?  You were shouting in English or Chinese or some other language in your sleep.  These would indicate a dream of arguing, quarreling, having a shouting match with a stranger, or escaping from danger.

Sea  Floating in the sea may indicate loneliness and hopelessness.

Searching  A dream of searching for something but not finding it is a frustration release dream.

Seduce  Dreaming of seducing someone or being seduced is a sexual fantasy.

Seminar  Dreaming of attending seminars at universities may indicate a desire to be recognized.

Separation  This reveals a desire for separation from one’s current situation.

Serenity  Feeling serene reflects one’s emotional state.

Sermon  Dreaming of giving a sermon reveals one’s desire for expression.  Listening to a sermon may be a dream in which the subconscious is lecturing the conscious mind.

Sex  Dreams of having sex with one’s mother reveal an Oedipus complex fantasy, and dreams of having sex with one’s father indicate an Electra complex fantasy.  Dreams of having sex with one’s teacher indicate infatuation.  Dreaming of having sex with siblings reveals an incestuous fantasy.  Sometimes, young men will dream about having a sexual encounter with another male.  This is a homosexual fantasy.  These are fantasies and they do not indicate any actual deviancy. But when one thinks about actually doing something or scheming to fulfill such fantasies, such thoughts may turn into deviant behavior.

Shadow  Shadows evoke apprehension.

Shallow  Being aware of shallow waters evokes a desire for adventure.

Shame  This is a subconscious reprimand.

Sharp  Being aware of something sharp evokes caution.

Shiver  This may indicate that the dreamer is feeling cold and needs more blankets.

Shoes  Dreams of women’s shoes are sexual fantasies.

Shore  Standing on the shore looking out at the sea indicates hopefulness and longing.

Shout  Shouting matches reflect the struggle between the conscious and the subconscious minds.  They also reflect one’s feeling of injustice.

Sick  Dreaming of being sick may reveal a desire to escape from stress.

Signature  Seeing one’s own signature in a dream may be a prophetic dream.

Silence  Dreaming of silence reveals one’s desire for silence and a desire to escape from one’s chaotic life.

Silk  Silks have always been precious commodities since the time of the Silk Road.  Silk symbolizes riches, prosperity and high social status.

Silly  Being silly in a dream releases one’s feeling of timidity, embarrassment and awkwardness in real life.

Sing  Dreaming of singing reveals a happy and serene state of mind.

Sink  The sinking feeling is a common theme in dreams.  It reflects one’s feeling of helplessness.

Skin  A dream of seeing or touching beautiful smooth skin is a sexual fantasy.

Slipping  A dream of slipping reveals one’s fear of falling or failure.

Snake  Seeing many snakes slithering on the floor is a common theme.  According to classical Chinese dream interpretation, slithering snakes pertain to affairs of the netherworld.  However, snake dreams are universal to all cultures.  The Western interpretation is that snakes are phallic symbols.  An alternative explanation is that a single snake may be a phallic symbol.  A group of slithering snakes represents mundane chores, obligations and work, and that a dream of seeing many slithering snakes reflects one’s weariness in having to handle so many mundane chores.  The dream reflects one’s feeling of being overwhelmed by all the responsibilities of daily life.

Snow  A dream of driving in the snow or standing in the snow provides a feeling of calm and leisure.

Speak  According to Chinese folklore, the spirit of a deceased parent may appear in one’s dreams and speak.  It usually speaks very clearly.  This is a prophetic dream often of a pending death of a close family member.  In my dream about going to a lecture by the Dalai Lama, he came up to me, shook my hand, and said to me:  “Congratulations for all your good work.”  My interpretation of this dream is that my subconscious mind was confirming what my conscious mind was thinking, that what I was doing at the time was good work.  At the time, I was teaching Buddhist meditation, alternative medicine, acupressure, reflexology and natural supplements. 

Spin  Seeing something spin evokes curiosity.

Stage  Being on stage reveals a desire to be recognized and a desire for expression.  It is also a dream to release anxiety particularly of one’s stage fright.

Stage fright  Having stage fright and overcoming it in a dream is an emotional release dream.   Having stage fright without overcoming it indicates frustration and timidity.

Stare  Staring at something indicates curiosity.  Aware of being stared at evokes apprehension.

Starvation  This may indicate actual hunger.

Stocking  This is a sexual fantasy.

Street  Streets appear in many dreams.  I often dream of walking along narrow cobble streets in strange cities or walking along city streets in familiar cities in alternate parallel worlds.

String of pearls  This is a nostalgic dream.

Surrender  This indicates exhaustion and a feeling that one is getting tired of struggling and fighting.

Suspicion  Being suspicious of someone indicates apprehension.  A dream of being under suspicion indicates a search for the truth.  Suspicion may also reflect one’s rebellious feeling. 

Swimming  Swimming requires physical effort, therefore  a dream of swimming may reveal a feeling of struggling.

Sword  A sword symbolizes strength, and power one hopes to have. 

T

Table  A kitchen table or a dining table may indicate hunger.  A card table or a pool table may indicate luxury.  Library tables reveal one’s intellectual curiosity.

Taxi  I dreamt of taking a taxi into the city of Cincinnati.  The city streets were familiar but I have never been to that cdity in real life.  I felt I was in a parallel alternate world.  And in that world, I knew where I was going in that city.

Tease  Teasing someone is an emotional release dream.  Being teased by someone evokes apprehension.  A striptease is a sexual fantasy.  An exciting one is dreaming of a woman in an bath towel standing there and suddenly the towel drops to the floor to reveal her completely naked body.  Another one is dreaming of a woman in a bath robe standing there and suddenly she opens the robe and flashes her naked body.

Telegram  A telegram indicates news from afar.  It may be a prophetic dream of announcement of a pending death or disaster.

Telescope  A telescope may indicate one’s hidden desire to discover some secret or it may reflect a fantasy of a peeping Tom.

Terror  This feeling reflects one’s psychological and emotional trauma resulting from actual experience.

Theft  Being aware of a theft reflects a feeling of being victimized.

Throne  A dream of sitting on the throne reveals a desire for recognition and power.

Throw  This is an emotional release dream.

Thunder  Thunder represents a threat and evokes caution.  In the I Ching, the trigram Thunder symbolizes a distant threat as in the expression: A bark but no bite.

Tickle  This is sexual fantasy.

Tiger, Tigress  A tiger evokes awe.  A tigress represents a domineering woman in one’s life.

Toilet  I often dream of looking for a toilet in grand hotels in my travel dreams.  This actually indicates a physical need to go to the toilet.

Tomb  Seeing a tomb is a prophetic dream of a pending death.

Traffiic  Traffic congestion reflects one’s anxiety and impatience.  It is an emotional release dream.

Tragedy  Dreaming of a tragedy evokes remorse and sadness.  It is an emotional release dream.

Trail  Walking along a mountain trail or a trail in a park without worries indicates one’s tranquil state of mind.

Train  I have often dreamt of taking the train and sometimes conducting a passenger train into Central Station in the heart of downtown Manhattan.

Transform  Seeing something transform reflects one’s curiosity and wonder.

Trap  Being aware of a trap evokes caution and apprehension.  It may be a subconscious warning.

Travel  I often have travel dreams.  They evoke a feeling of relaxation and sometimes curiosity.  I often travel to futuristic cities and snow covered countryside.

Treasure  Finding treasure may presage a surprise.

Trick  Being aware of a trick indicates that one knows the truth.

Triumph  This indicates a desire for recognition.

Turtle  A turtle represents longevity in Chinese folklore.  Dreaming of being a turtle may indicate a feeling of slow progress and sluggishness.

Twin  Dreaming of being a twin may be a reflection of one’s subconscious self.

U

Ugly  A dream of being ugly may reflect one’s self consciousness.

Ultimatum  An ultimatum may be a subconscious warning about one’s laziness.

Umbrella An umbrella provides shade and protection.

Umpire  Dreaming of being an umpire indicates a desire for authority.

Unbearable  Being aware of something unbearable indicates a feeling of aversion.

Uncomfortable  I often get the feeling of being uncomfortable in alternate world dreams.

Undress  This is sexual fantasy.  Dreaming of oneself undressing indicates sexual desires.

Uneasiness  Feeling uneasy indicates apprehension.

Unending  Seeing an unending tunnel indicates apprehension.  In dreams, there are unending streets, unending roads, unending falls from a bridge, unending expanses of sea and sand.  These often evoke a sense of serenity.  In near death experience dreams, however, the tunnel in which one passes through to the other end where the White Light is, is not unending.  It ends with you arriving at the White Light, and for some, meeting up with relatives.

Unexpected  One often dreams about encountering something unexpected in alternate world dreams.  They usually evoke surprise.

Unfaithful  This is a sexual fantasy and it indicates rebelliousness.

Unfamiliar  I sometimes dream of entering an unfamiliar room in alternate world dreams.  Unfamiliar faces indicate visiting spirits.

Unfriendly  Being unfriendly to others indicate caution.  An unfriendly encounter may indicate intrigue on the part of others.

Unhappy  A dream of being unhappy may reflect one’s feeling of unhappiness about some situation.

Unicorn  A unicorn represents magical powers and may reveal one’s wish for a magical solution to a problem.

Uniform  A dream of being in uniform reflects one’s wish for authority.  Seeing a woman in uniform is a sexual fantasy.

University  I often have recurring dreams of being a student at a university in my alternate world dreams.

Unpleasant  This feeling reflects aversion.

Unreal  Being aware that something is unreal in a dream may be a realization that one is in an alternate parallel world in the dream.

Unzip  This is sexual fantasy.

Uphill  Dreaming of going uphill reflects one’s mental and psychological stress.

Urban  I oftne dream of going to urban areas in a bus or a train and walking the city streets after disembarking.

V

Vacant  I often dream of entering a vacant room or a vacant warehouse in an alternate world.  In the dream, I get a feeling that the room or the warehouse should be used in a productive way but it is not.  Sometimes I get the feeling that perhaps I could somehow bring it back to life and use it for productive purposes.

Vagabond  Dreaming of being a vagabond reflects one’s desire for freedom.

Vagina  This is sexdual fantasy.

Vehicle  I often dream of futuristic vehicles that have wings and can fly.

Vendetta  Dreaming of a vendetta is an emotional release dream.

Vengeance  This is also an emotional release dream that reflects a feeling of being wronged.

Vicar  This is a desire for authority.

Victim  Dreaming of being a victim of a crime may be a reflection of the psychological and emotional trauma one suffered from a real experience.  It may also reflect one’s fear of being attacked.

Village  A village evokes a tranquil surrounding and reflects a peaceful state of mind.

Violence  Seeing violence evokes apprehension.  Seeing violence on TV newscasts may often evoke dreams of violence.

Visitor  Visitors are often interpreted as visiting spirits.

Vomit  Vonit evokes aversion.  Dreaming of vomiting may indicate weak health.

Voyage  I often dream of going on voyages.  It reflects a relaxed state of mind.

W

Wagon  This may reflect one’s feeling that progress is slow.  A wagon may also symbolize protection in many dreams.

Waiting  Dreaming of waiting reflects impatience and may be an emotional release dream of frustration.

Walking  Walking along a narrow path in the garden or walking the streets in a big city all evoke a feeling of leisure or searching.

Wall  A wall represents an obstacle.

Wander  A dream of wandering may reflect indecision.

War  A dream of being in a war may be a reflection of one’s memories of war experience.

Washing  This may reflect one’s desire to get rid of the past.

Watch  A watch reminds us of the passage of time.  In a dream, the time shown on the watch may be prophetic of a pending death.

Water  In  Cantonese folklore, water symbolizes money.  In a dream about our deceased family cook, he came to me with a ladle begging for water.  The next day, I went to a temple and offered incense and some funerary paper money.  The Chinese and Vietnamese believe that the deceased still need money and things like watches, houses and cars in the netherworld.

Well  A dark bottomless well often appears in dreams.  It reflects apprehension.

Whip  This is sexual fantasy.

White  White is a sacred color.  In Chinese culture, black and white are the colors of funereals and white color is never used in traditional Chinese weddings.

Wife  I often dream of my wife in both my real and alternate worlds.  This may indicate that the same soul exists in both the tangible and the intangible worlds, and that two souls that have come together in this world may continue to be together in alternate worlds.  This theme also occurs in reincarnation in which the same souls are reincarnated and seek each other out.

Wig  A wig is a device to hide something, therefore in a dream, it reflects the feeling of wanting to hide some truth.

Will  Dreaming of making a will does not mean one’s death.  It reflects thinking activity of the conscious mind.  Seeing someone drawing up a will in a dream, however, may be a prophetic indication of a pending death.

Win  A dream of winning reflects one’s confidence.

Windfall  A dream of a windfall reflects one’s greed.

Wish  A wish in a dream may reflect one’s real life wish.

Witness  Being a witness may reflect one’s feeling of having to keep a secret.

Woman  The woman in a dream may be one’s grandmother, mother, aunt, and the object of one’s sexual fantasy.  Dreams of deceased grandmothers and mothers or aunts who visit and speak usually indicate that their spirits are conveying a message and they may portend a pending death in the family.  My deasesed mother-in-law appearing in my wife’s dreams to foretell my mother’s death in 1993 was a prophetic announcemdent and the dream involved only women.

Worm  In Chinese folklore, worms in dreams represent diseases.  Like in dreams about snakes, seeing many worms may reflect one’s feeling of being overwhelmed by mundane chores.

X

Xenophobia  Being xenophobic or being a victim of xenophobia reflects apprehension.

Y

Yacht  Sailing in a yacht is a dream of luxury and it reflects a relaxed state of mind.

Yell  Yelling in dreams are often audible while dreaming.  One may be reliving a traumatic experience or one may be releasing an intense emotion in the dream.  Often, the dreamer wakes up from the dream yelling still.

Yellow  Yellow is a royal color in Chinese culture.  It symbolizes, gold, prosperity and high social status.

Yoga  A dream of practicing yoga may indicate relaxation.

Z

Zebra  Seeing a zebra evokes curiosity.

Zodiac  According to Chinese folklore, one’s own zodiac sign augurs good fortune.

Zoo  A dream of visiting the zoo reflects a relaxed state of mind.

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