ON-LINE BOOK : Hundreds of real dreams
A BASIC INTRO to what dreams are about
BASIC TECHNIQUES to interpret dreams
DREAM DICTIONARY A to Z of symbols complete with essays on symbols in everyday real uses
BASIC SYMBOLISM - DREAM SYMBOLS : Basements - Your boss - Best friend - Babies/pregnant - Brothers - Cafes - Cars - Castles - Children - Creative dreams - Clothes - Churches and cathedrals - Deaths - Demons,witches and goblins - Dogs - Drink and drugs - Farms, gardens and plants - Factories - Fathers - Faucets/taps/pipes - Food - Earthquakes and volcanos - Foreign Countries - Grandparents - Guards - Guns and knives - Horses and animals - Hauntings - Hospitals - Hotels + huge buildings - Houses - Locks - Men(unknown) - Military - Money - Mothers - Monster - Mountains - Movies - Music - People - Police - Phone - Politics - Planes and flying - Prison - Rivers - Rapists and intruders - Railways - Roads - Schools - Sea - Sex - Shops - Sisters - Skies in dreams - Skyscrapers and tall buildings - Snakes and spiders - Space - Sports - Street - Teeth - Tidal waves - Time - Toilets in dreams - Towns and streets - Trees - Water - Weddings and engagements - Windows - Work
OTHER SUBJECTS: external causes of dreams : Music in dreams : Premonitions : Telepathy : Specific dreams : Synonyms in dreams : Children's dreams and dreams about your child : Recurring dreams CASE STUDIES : 1 2 3 4 5
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MOUNTAINS : Mountains represent difficult circumstances and problems of all kinds. If you are having difficulties on the mountain then it may show that there are problems in some relationship or that you are overcoming difficult problems in some work task. It may simply show that you had a difficult day the day before. But if the mountain was handled easily it shows that you have the ability to conquer problems simply and without much effort so maybe you are realising how skillful you have become at something. If you are far off the mountain it may suggest you are looking at some ambition or project which is featuring in your long term plans.

KEY WORDS(Pick a quote which captures your feelings right now. Think especially of the day before the dream) :
- "I mastered even the most difficult tasks"
- "its going to be a huge task"
- "the hardest part is going to be..."
- "its very difficult to do that"
- "its been a long struggle"

ESSAYS
MOUNTAINS in dreams : A detailed essay on the symbolism of castles using real dream interpretations
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DREAM STUDIES
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THE DREAM I dreamt I was exploring. I wanted to see the view from the Himalayas. At the bottom of the mountain my hands had holes in them and ropes passed through the holes tying them together. There was a man with a sword and I begged him to cut through the ropes. He refused, saying he would pull my hands apart and break the ropes instead. I was crying because I knew this would be painful and would rip the holes in my hands. (Interpreted on www.dreammoods.com)

THE REALITY The dreamer was trying to decide if she should give up work to start her own business.

DREAM MEANING The dream captures the following feeling within the dreamer - "I am having to make a decision about starting my own business. I will have to give up my job in order to get the business started. I know its going to be an uphill struggle"

THE INTERPRETATION Its often best to pick out one symbol and try to spot some link with real life. Mountains in this case are the most interesting symbol. They can often link to issues that are tough challenges. They will symbolise tough ambitions that you hope to seriously realise. In this case the dreamer was thinking through an ambition. She hoped to set up her own business. So given that this was an issue that seemed to link nicely what other evidence is there to back this issue as the trigger for the dream.

The dream involves a man. Men often symbolise very male like emotions. They show that you are going to have to show determination, stubbornness and fortitude. Those are certainly emotions and qualities involved in setting up your business.

In the dream the dreamer is attempting to avoid pain to get to the top. But thats really not possible. In order to achieve business success you have to show determination and to go through many pains. Hands are very much symbols of work so that would further link in with the dream. So overall we have an issue which fits rather nicely. That is all you can ever hope for in a dream.

Perhaps the dream was a wake up call. Starting a business is not some nice little journey. You have to be really committed. Perhaps this is a real wake up to the huge task that she is considering. In exploring her own situation she is coming to the conclusion that there is no choice available. So the man refuses her. She simply will have to endure the pain.

Symbolic Meanings
CUT : "the dreamer knows a break has to be made sometime"
KNEW : "there is a realization that she will have to give up her job to start the business"
MOUNTAIN : "an enourmous challenge - a tricky situation"
SWORD : "willingness to take control "
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DREAM TIP : Dreams will use symbols in both a positive and a negative way. Take mountains for instance. They can have mean that you are having difficulties overcoming some tough challenge. Yet it can also mean that you are becoming very skillful and that you can meet any challenge. Look to how you cope with the mountain. Dreams symbols often have such negative and positive meanings. Dreams use symbols in rich and varied ways just like ordinary language.
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THE DREAM There is a narrator. He is describing what is happening. There is a large bridge. It traverses a very steep gorge. There are some soldiers at the bottom. They are doing some training. One man is doing some maneuver. He is doing some athletic move. He somehow manages to be catapulted to the top of this bridge. It is expected that he will take hold of the bridge when he gets up there. But instead the narrator says he just comes back down again and dies. Its a huge fall.

THE REALITY The dreamer had made a huge effort in gaining knowledge in a certain field of business. However, after making meticulous preparation he then was delaying setting up his business to exploit his efforts. It seemed he lacked the guts and effort to move forward.

DREAM MEANING The dream captures the following feeling within the dreamer - "I have made great preperations in setting up a business. I have researched the ideas but when push comes to shove I am not willing to take the step into business. Its just not me."

THE INTERPRETATION The dreamer realised that he was at a junction. He needed to move forward with his business plans. He now realised that he was delaying. The great leap of the man was symbolic of his huge and athletic efforts at making preparations. The narrator is often symbolic of an honest account of the truth. In this case it represented the truth that the dreamer lacked the personal guts and spirit to move forward with his plans.

Symbolic Meanings
BRIDGE : "no turning back - the dreamer is unwilling to make the final emotional commitment and start his business"
DIE : "unable to meet a challenge - his efforts have died a death "
NARRATOR : "an honest account of the truth"
SOLDIER : "tough and resilient - able to manage everything thrown at you"
STEEP : "a really stiff challenge for the dreamer"
TRAINING : "the dreamer has done all the training and preperatiion needed"
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THE DREAM - Okay, so the dream started out in a school. I was being chased by this teacher who thought I was "hot". He was killing other people, but couldn't catch up with me. I kept hiding from him in closets and things of that nature. Eventually I somehow got free and ran outside, taking a risk at him seeing me. I was afraid he was going to shoot me as I ran away. I ran outside and the outside was my grandma's old neighborhood. In fact the doors to the school are where my grandma's old house was. I ran to the right, screaming Ivey because my old childhood friend lived to the right a few houses down. I ran up to her door and rang the doorbell twice.

It was the middle of the night and most people were sleeping. Well, from inside the house I heard Ivey say "Ginger!" And then I said "it's important" to know I wasn't disturbing them for nothing. She opened the door and I hurried inside. I felt safe. It was weird because Ivey was the same age of the last time I saw her. The inside of the house was changed slightly. The rooms were different. I remember blue living room furniture in the dream. We were sitting in their living room and I told Ivey's mom all about what happened and she said she would protect me and even drive me to my dad if I wanted to go. But I didn't want to risk going outside. I looked at the door, it was locked, but the chain wasn't on it, so I went and I put the chain lock on to the front, then to the back door.

The teacher was getting in the house somehow so we had no choice but to flee. There was a crack in the wall, but it was like a crack in a mountain, with rock all around. Ivey's mom was holding the way up and Ivey and I went out the crack. Now more people were with us and we had to be careful going over the rock "bridge" which didn't look like any sort of bridge to me.

We started going into the ocean. Against the current, out towards the sea we were walking. The water got very deep. We were up to only our heads sticking out. There were rolling rocks coming from the sea, going to the beach. We had to dodge them as we kept going out further. We looked back at the beach and someone said we take the mountain path. It was covered in green grass. So we started for shore, and to the path.

When we got out of the water, we were apparently naked. My crush was there. His teammates were there as well. I didn't want to look at his nakedness because I didn't want it to look obvious to everyone that I was looking and I was scared that maybe his manhood was little. But, I knew his teammates had seen him naked in the locker room. Anyway, I held his hand as we made way up the mountain path. I was comfortable with our nakedness, even though I didn't want to look at him.

THE REALITY The dreamer was not completely comfortable around her crush. He was not completely comfortable around her either. She somewhat friends with his mom, and noticed that she was a lot more comfortable around him when she is there.

DREAM MEANING The dream captures the following feeling within the dreamer - "I think I am understanding something about myself. I am nervous in front of my crush. But I tend to be a lot less nervous when I am with his mother. I think that we are made for each other and that eventually we will get together."

THE INTERPRETATION This was a difficult dream to interpret. Dreams do symbolise the feelings that we have. In this case the emotions are maybe quite complex.

The school symbolises the lesson in life that the dreamer is learning. School dreams often show that we are having feelings that are somewhat unfamiliar. She is uncomfortable around her crush. Perhaps this shows that she is uncomfortable in been seen as "hot". She is just entering the grown up world of sexual attraction and its somewhat difficult for her.

The symbols in the school all point to awkward behavior. The closet is a sign of hidden and awkward feelings. She was not wanting to be seen - another clear sign of lack of full confidence in the situation. The fear that she was going to be shot whilst running away probably relates to the fear of been found out in her lack of confidence in the situation. When you shoot someone you target them and point them out in a hostile way. It therefor signifies how you become the centre of attention for negative reasons.

The second part of the dream features the grandmothers old house. The grandmother is a symbol of the type of behavior a grandmother exhibits. A grandmother can symbolise several things but in this case she symbolises an unthreatening situation. Dreams make associations and the unthreatening behavior of the grandmother symbolises the unthreatening nature of the situation when her crush is together with his mom. In such a situation the dreamer feels less awkward.

Notice too that the dream is not actually in the grandmothers house - its in a friend nearby. So that maybe is a very complex symbol. A neighbour often symbolises how something is like something - but not totally similar. In this case the crushes mother is like a grandmother in the way she acts (unthreatening) and yet is not actually a grandmother.

The dreamer wishes to stay in the house because she there is fear outside it. That is associated with the situation in real life. She wants to stay in that unthreatening atmosphere otherwise it becomes very scarey for her.

Water often links to emotions and emotional involvement's in the world. In this case the rocks are tricky and the progress is against the tide. That all symbolises the type of tricky emotional involvement she has with her crush.

Nakedness is a fear of vulnerability. In this case it may also link to feelings of sexual vulnerability. But in this case it merely symbolises the common them,e of the dream - awkwardness.

The last part of the dream shows the path ahead. The mountain s maybe symbolise the future. Mountains can symbolise our hopes. Mountains can also symbolise the trickiness of a situation. In this case it probably represents the path ahead for the dream. She realises that her relationship with her crush is difficult but has confidence that things will come good. In truth she recognises that the path will not be easy but thats where she is intent on heading. Thats her goal and she does not mind how long it will take or how difficult it is.

Symbolic Meanings
BEACH : "thinking over some issue which involves your feelings and your real life situation"
MOUNTAIN : "a tough uphill struggle - the dreamer realises this will be a challenge but she knows that she is meant to be with her crush"
NAKED : "thoughts connected with vulnerability"
ROCK : "obstacles and problems in her relationship with her crush"
SHOOT : "point out a problem - reveal an error"
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DREAM TIP : Think of dream symbols like words. The mountain is a symbol which could mean "a difficult task" or "a challenge". Then think of the way the mountain features in the dream as a context in which the word appears. For instance if the mountain is tackled easily then the dream could be translated into the following phrase "I managed to master that challenge easily". Then look for connections to real life where you feel that same feeling. Dreams use symbols to express thoughts. Often its confusing but its a language that can be understood.
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THE DREAM - I was in an area around where my grandma used to live before she died(a poor area). I was waiting at a bus shelter. The rain starts and someone is saying this is the only place without a bus shelter. I seem to stand purposefully in the rain.

There was some kind of childs game going on - cricket perhaps. I look at the school and its dinner time apparently. I then think I may as well walk home. I start the eastfield route. It seems very steep indeed - it is almost like a mountain(in reality it is a flat road ). I then decide to go the other way - via olivers mount(which is a very high road).

At some point I was also in a hotel. There was some connection with Australia. Then I am at some park. Dogs are running past me - they see me as a dog. I am making dog noises. Most of the dogs woosh by me. Then there a whole pack of dogs heading towards me. I am overwhelmed by them.

THE REALITY The dreamer was a teacher and was trying to put across some ideas. She was increasingly thinking that she should taker a new approach - work backwards from the answer.

DREAM MEANING The dream captures the following feeling within the dreamer - "I keep trying to explain to my students some vital concepts. I think I am changing the way I teach. The dream captures my two approaches."

THE INTERPRETATION This was a difficult dream to interpret. But in the dream the message is simple - the dreamer takes a more difficult path which goes over a mountain. The chosen road also heads in the reverse direction first. So the dream relates to some situation where the dreamer takes a change of course choosing a seemingly tougher route.

The day before the dreamer was working through some ideas. She started the dream off in her grandmothers poor home. It was a rather run down area.

Perhaps the bus symbolises the hope that her approach would generate interest with the students. Buses are symbol of shared emotions - people been carried along by the situation. It was interest that the dreamer was trying to generate.

The reference to Australia was quite interesting. Australia is the other side of the world. So in some ways this reflected the need to turn things upside down. To explain things by firstly starting at the answer and then working backwards.

Hotels are symbols of the impact of the outside world on you. They signify the way we interact with the world. That maybe symbolises the impact the ideas would have on the children.

Dogs are symbols of many things. But they generally relate to things that are good for us. They symbolise ideas that are trusted. So to be treated like a dog symbolises how other people will trust you and listen to what you say. So that symbolises the way the teacher was hoping to gain trust for her ideas and ways of putting them across.

Symbolic Meanings
AUSTRALIA : "turn upside down - the dreamer was trying to teach a new method. She was working backwards from the answer"
BUS : "an experience shared with others - in this case her students"
DOG : "faith in some ideas and a wish for others to follow these ideas faithfully"
MOUNTAIN : "the mountain represents the more difficult but prefered option"
RAIN : "an unsettled outlook - in this case about her own teaching methods"
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DREAM TIP : Often a dreams meaning is complex yet often the message is easy to understand. Dreams are linked to the dream mind - the unconscious mind. This is the place where our emotions are formed. Often then the answer to a dream is simply the emotions that you feel. A mountain dream where you cannot seem to overcome difficulties simply captures those feelings from real life. Try to spot that sense of struggle in your own emotions. Often the dream will point to feelings all too familiar in your own waking life e.g. "Work is getting on top of me".
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THE DREAM I was in a small car, kind of like a VW Bug, and I had to drive up this really steep mountain road; no choice. I don't know where it was taking me. The road itself was very poor, lots of pavement gone and rocky. There were a few open, wide spots in the road that were easy to drive on, but very few like that. The rest of it was narrow and dangerous, or at least hard, intense driving. The road had a lot of blind curves, and no guard rails. It was also too narrow in many places for two cars to pass each other. It was dusk, or a little later, because I had to have my headlights on, but could see the road ahead and all the bad curves. I could also see some headlights in the distance coming toward me. I was nervous that I would meet whoever that was on one of those outside curves before I could see them in time to hold back.

As I drove, sometimes I couldn't see the headlights of the other car because they were on an inside curve or something, so I couldn't keep track of where they might be at. And I had to concentrate pretty hard on my own driving because it was so narrow and dangerous. I came to an extremely difficult outside curve where the mountainside was actually overhanging the road, and it was down so low that it was scraping the top and side of my car, but the road was only wide enough for my car to fit on it, so I couldn't move away from the mountain. I was creeping around this curve, listening to the ledge overhead scraping against my car, and then I started feeling the tires on the outside start to give, as the rocks and gravel on the edge of the shoulder were crumbling under my tires. I felt like I was going to go over the edge, no matter how hard I tried to do this curve right.

THE REALITY The dreamer lived a hard and somewhat crazy life. This dream showed that the dreamer needed to concentrate very hard on what he was doing. It was a warning against taking too many risks at that time.

DREAM MEANING The dream captures the following feeling within the dreamer - "I live a crazy lifestyle. Its sometimes a little too risky"

THE INTERPRETATION Often mountains link to especially tough times. They link to difficult and testing circumstances. In this dream the dreamer was consciously taking time and care going up the road. Often we feel driven to do things. We feel trapped in a certain lifestyle. The dreamer realised that life was a getting a little crazy and that he needed not so much to slow down but to concentrate on what he was doing.

Symbolic Meanings
CAR : "how you are progressing in life and your general direction - how you approach life"
DANGEROUS : "a lifestyle that involves great risk"
MOUNTAIN : "difficult circumstances in the dreamers life and perilous situations"
NARROW : "restrictions placed on you - restricted opportunities and circumstances"
ON THE EDGE : "hard and dangerous living - the dreamer literally lives life on the edge"
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THE DREAM I am with my sister(though she does not seem so familar). She is driving up the hills of the Old Town. She manages the steep hills so quickly and easily(with no loss of momentum) and I say this to her "you did that really well". Then a voice is heard saying something about death. It was all said in an eerie voice.

THE REALITY The dreamer had been working on a research project for a long time and was about to finish it off.

DREAM MEANING The dream captures the following feeling within the dreamer - "My research project is over now. I have invested so much energy into this and now this is little left for me to achieve. Yet I will feel a little empty when its all over."

THE INTERPRETATION Death is a symbol of completion. It shows that one phase has ended and another is about to start. So death can symbolise the end of a project in this sense.

The hills capture the sense that the dreamer is now has so much more knowledge and is able to handle difficult problems easily.

Sisters are symbols of openess and exploration of new feelings. They show that you are thinking in new ways and opening your mind. Here the dreamer is aware that his project is about to finish and that this will leave a hole in his life. The project was something that he could get emotionally involved and and interested in.

Symbolic Meanings
DEATH : "the end of the dreamers research project"
HILL : "Ability to handle difficult problems"
OLD TOWN : "familiar territory. The dreamer knows this area well and represents the subject of his research"
SISTER : "exploring new feelings and thinking emotionally in new ways"
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DREAM TIP : Often premonitions capture bad days in our lives. A dream may capture emotions and situations we are about to experience on the actual day of the dream. School dreams can occasionally be linked to premonitions because they link with the harsh lessons we learn in life. So if something bad happens on the actual day of the dream then think back to your dreams the previous night. That dream may have captured that bad day before it even happened.
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CONTACT : E-mail me at hairybobby2000@yahoo.co.uk - If you went to sleep thinking of something that had dominated your entire day then I would be highly interested in any dreams you had that night.