First, write down the dream as fully as you can. Second, write down all the symbols you can identify and the possible meaning beside them. Look them up; check an unabridged dictionary if necessary. Third, write out your interpretation. The following is a sample dream and its interpretation:
Step 1
The Dream
A woman was on a bus with a spiritual leader and members of a spiritual group. A man got on the bus wearing a dark coat and hat. He started robbing everyone. The woman had $600 in her wallet. She was lying in a sleeping bag. She wanted to hide her wallet but her left hand was asleep and she could not move.
Step 2
Recording dream symbols:
- woman - feminine, creative part of self bus - large vehicle for growth
- spiritual leader - her own higher self, spiritual teacher
- spiritual group - growth conscious parts of self
- man - masculine, assertive, strong part of self
- dark - the unknown
- coat - cover, hiding
- hat - role she plays
- robbing - stealing energy
- $600 - 6 is your guidance, higher teachers, White Brotherhood (teachers of light); pay attention wallet - identity
- sleeping bag - in a cocoon, hiding in a womb left hand - receiving hand asleep - numb, passive, not allowing others to give to her.
Step 3
Interpretation
The feminine part of the woman has a large capacity for growth. Many parts of herself are growth conscious and she is with or being led by her higher self. She has covered up or suppressed the strong, assertive part of herself. It is unknown to her. She allows people to take her energy without ever saying no. She gives her power away. The 6 is her guidance saying: look what you are doing. Be assertive!
She is afraid of losing her identity by being assertive and she is unable to do anything about it zipped up in her cocoon. She is unable to receive and allow others to give back to her. All her energy is going out, not returning. Her inability to receive is the main message of the dream.
Levels of Interpretation
A dream can be seen on many levels. There is a literal meaning which is usually not the correct interpretation. But it depends upon what you ask for.
For example, a woman asked that she be given insight on her marriage. She had tried many things to improve the situation, suggesting counseling, communication, and so on. In her dream she was shown herself and her husband in a desert, walking up to a trader selling phony wedding bands made out of tin. When she looked at her husband, his face was in a haze, distant. When they rode out of the desert and stopped at a little house for refreshment, she was greeted by a stranger who embraced her with a warmth and love that she immediately knew was missing in the relationship with her husband.
This dream could be interpreted that her masculine and feminine parts of self were not balanced, but she had asked specifically about the relationship. In this case the woman was working on balance within. As much as she did not want to hear it, she realized the relationship was not based on mutual love. It was not really a marriage, and no growth (desert) symbolized its present state. The series of dreams which followed indicated the same thing. She knew then that she had to leave.
This was a positive solution to the problem. Although some of the answers we receive may not be what we want to hear, they are always for our highest good. As soon as the woman was out of the relationship, she wondered what took her so long to see the situation and get on with her life. [1]