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Dream Symbols: Connecting Past And Present Dream Meaning

A symbol is a vital element in dream interpretation, serving as a critical bridge that connects different aspects of the dream. It represents a connection between a past memory and a current life event, revealing the interplay and overlap between the past and present.

The emotional impact of a symbol is significant and can color the interpretation of the dream. As a symbol is associated with a past experience, it has the potential to evoke emotions and feelings that can deeply influence the message conveyed by the dream. The impact of a symbol on your emotions is due to the direct link between the symbol and your emotional state.

Furthermore, a symbol is also linked to your memory, providing a gateway to your unconscious mind, which contains forgotten experiences, desires, goals, and suppressed traumas. This connection between the symbol and your unconscious mind can uncover a wealth of emotions, feelings, and discoveries about yourself and your past. It can be an enlightening experience to interpret the symbol and understand how the past has shaped your present.

By recognizing the connection between the past and present, you can gain greater insight into the underlying factors that influence your decisions and emotions. This awareness can be liberating, allowing you to choose your future path with greater clarity and purpose. By exploring the meaning behind the dream symbol, you can unearth valuable insights that can help you understand yourself and your past more deeply, and move forward with confidence in the present and the future.

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What Do You Think About This Dream?

Sources and Authors

  1. Dream Encyclopedia by Joseph Clerk [Back to dream]

A symbol is a vital element in dream interpretation, serving as a critical bridge that connects different aspects of the dream. It represents a connection between a past memory and...

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Dreams of the past are usually about learning from experience. Your mind could be trying to show you what worked or didn’t in the past, so you can change your...

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xMoving backwards - on foot or in a train or car - may mean you are getting further away from your (true) goal. Perhaps you are too preoccupied with the...

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You may be blocked in your life by things from your past. Rocks act as the primitive memory for our planet, and to dream of boulders and rock formations is...

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1- To see footprints in a dream indicates that we arc needing to follow someone or their way of being.If those footprints are stretching in front of us, there is...

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Material aspects: When a present appears in a dream, it can first of all be a play on words. We are being given a ‘here and now’. We are being...

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Images of people from your past not your present can link you with that period in your life, as well as with specific memories and experiences. A first boyfriend in...

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To see or visit a mechanic in your dream suggests that you need to work on healing your past hurts. Don’t take on more than you can handle in the...

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To see or visit a mechanic in your dream suggests that you need to work on healing your past hurts. Don’t take on more than you can handle in the...

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When we are aware of dreaming of the future we begin to understand the process of spiritual manifestation – that the past creates the present and the present is the...

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If you were traveling in time to the past in your dreams, try to remember if you travelled to a time within your life span or to an era before...

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An actual coworker, past or present.Your work or workplace.Teamwork, or your typical dynamics with that person (such as cooperation, competition, or animosity).A coworker from a past job could represent that...

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Dreams of a museum signify a desire to preserve great moments of your past. Perhaps you are paying homage to how far you’ve come. Also, you are connecting with precious...

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Time capsule dreams symbolize the dreamer’s wish to escape from the present reality. You want to go back into the past or jump forward to the future to a period...

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Dreams of the past, or a dream about being in History class, are usually about learning from experience. Your mind could be trying to show you what worked or didn’t...

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lucky numbers: 07-10-29-37-40-41being in, alone: contentment in being in the far past to heal the near past and present. with a lover: annoyance of displacement wil cause arguments, spoiling your...

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Dreams from which you wake up with a sense of unhappiness, regret and nostalgia for the past occur for two reasons. The first is to compensate for unhappiness in your...

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Look to the past to find answers to the present.

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Dreams of a meadow represent that you are connecting with your inner sanctuary where you can replenish your energy, seek solace, and find your answers. This dream is revealing an...

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To dream that you are in college represents transformations occurring within your circle of relationships and the outside world. Perhaps you are seeking higher education and intellect. You may be...

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You may feel a need to cleanse yourself of some troubling thought, idea, pattern, habit, relationship, or experience.If you are using the soap in your dream, you may get a...

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Seeing yourself in a dream represents either past or present life roles. All people and symbols are aspects of self.

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1- The computer and other high technology images are now such a part of people’s lives that it very much depends on other circumstances in the dream as to the...

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To dream of holding or attending a yard sale symbolizes the cycle in which you use the lessons and skills from past experiences in your present life. You have learned...

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Vision: Dreaming of returning home: happy hours to come. Leaving home: you are worried about the future of your family. Being homesick: in spite of your present love relationship, you...

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Your life, existence, life experience, or history can represent: Feelings, thoughts, or fears about your past, present, or future.Your life path or direction.The scope of your life or variety of...

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(see Knots, Ties)Security and safety. Tying up loose ends and knowing that everything is in its place. Connections and networks. Maintaining those ties you perceive as important. Relationships. Binding yourself...

Learn more about the meaning of Connecting Devices (staples, Paperclips, Etc.)

1- When we dream of old things, we are touching into the past and perhaps need to bring some kind of knowledge forward, so that we can make use of...

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Once a product of science fiction, the notion of a hologram has emerged as a possible explanation for the very structure of our universe. As such, in a dream, a...

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If you dream of giving someone a present, you are generous towards others. This dream can also mean you are trying to find a way to express some feeling carefully,...

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Dreams of a bridge represent connecting one place in consciousness to another, one relationship to another, or one aspect of yourself to another.If you successfully cross the bridge, you’ve left...

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1. Circumstances will improve; peace of mind, happiness will be achieved.2. The importance of the past, holding on to memory perhaps to the detriment of the present.3. Social ad­ventures in...

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To see your teacher (past or present) in a dream suggests that you are seeking some advice, guidance, or knowledge. You are heading into a new path in life and...

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The reptilian brain is something that all animals on the planet share; it governs the most basic functions, such as breathing and survival instincts.If a reptile features in your dreams,...

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A scar is evidence of a previous transformation or change that you have already experienced, the pain of which may not yet be healed or forgotten. When a scar is...

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1- To have a dream which is set in history such as in the Elizabethan or Victorian times is to link with our past feelings and with that part of...

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Dreams of hieroglyphs represent a secret language or code that your subconscious is speaking to you in, or perhaps this dream is connecting you to a past life. This dream...

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What is a dream? A dream is an event transpiring in that world belonging to the mind when the objective senses have withdrawn into rest or oblivion. Then the spiritual...

Learn more about the meaning of A Few Questions And Subjective Answers Regarding Dreams

The appearance of a calendar in dream can imply we need to pay attention to the past, present or future. Specific dates obviously have greater significance.

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In dreams, the number three signifies life, vitality, inner strength, imagination, creativity, energy and self-exploration. Three also stands for trilogy as in the past, present, and future or father, mother,...

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The roots of a tree represent your unconscious mind, as well as your childhood and your past, the ’roots’ from which you have grown.If the roots in your dream appear...

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A dream in which the people, things, or action seemed to be a long distance away predicts that you will have to wait to achieve your present desire until you...

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A knapsack in a dream can carry either our difficulties or our personal resources. Perhaps we are carrying burdens from the past, a heavy load that keeps us from fully...

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Dreams are the soul’s journey to another world, where we can enlist the help of spirits and animals.The aboriginal can represent intuitive wisdom, because they experience their dreamtime as the...

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Power lines crisscross most of the civilized world, bringing the force of electricity to just about anywhere. In this way, they mimic the idea of the creative power of manifestation...

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Looking through a picture album means you are meeting the same lessons again in a new setting. Also, remembering past insights for use in the present. Source of pleasure; record...

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Busy crowded and beautiful, Bangkok is a mixture of old and new and famous for its Buddhist temples. In dreams, it could be urging you to use your past experience...

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To dream of old classmates implies that someone from your past is relevant in understanding a present friendship or association. Some inner realization from earlier days will help you to...

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Vision: “Pain is often the best teacher.” Learn from your experiences and put them to good use in the future. Maybe a past “mistake” will help you to find a...

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Celebration, awakening of love power, spiritual birth, giving and receiving of higher awareness.A reflection of past ties with family and friends, meaning they imparted to your life; strengths you can...

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lucky numbers: 03-16-30-35-43-45apprehension, having: do things your own way as in the past. children, over: wil escape a present peril. finances: family quarrels. friends: expect too many favors for little...

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We all have within us a chaotic past which has been a huge part of our lives. Spiritual progress, however, dictates that we understand that this part can be changed...

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New part of self not yet familiar to you, coming into being.If in a foreign country and dressed as the people there, may represent a past life in which lessons...

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Symbolic of a time of learning in life, Acts 19:9.A school is a common dream setting for past or present important events in a person’s life

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Used to hold a camera steady, a tripod may be a support for your own vision for the future As an ancient symbol, it may represent a spiritual triad—past, present,...

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Luggage is a container used to transport certain desired objects so that you can function in any location. As a symbol, any piece of luggage represents your ability to have...

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1. Understanding the relationship between the past and the present (study the tarot and its message for clues to the many symbols).2. A need or desire for a broad approach...

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Books symbolize knowledge and experience, so you must pay attention to how they appear in dreams.If it deals with schoolbooks, reminiscent of the past, the dream expresses your nostalgia for...

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You are dreaming of connecting to your spiritual nature in a more conventional way. Churches, temples, and mosques are the center of spiritual life for any community. Just like a...

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To dream of anthropology symbolizes that you are relating to yourself from the perspective of your history and mythology, with a desire to understand yourself and those around you. Alternatively,...

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A dream of seeing a saint is telling you not to lose heart; you can over- come your present difficul- ties if you persevere; how- ever, if your dream con-...

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To dream about a scab means you are thinking of something that has hurt you in the past.If the scab was healing or dry, you are moving on from your...

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(Affront; Attract attention; Criticize, Excavate, Probe, Sideswipe, Stir up) Digging up the past in a dream means an argument or exposing one’s dirty laundry, blocking the road, earning unlawful money,...

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1- When we dream of looking at photographs we are often looking at an aspcct of ourselves, perhaps our younger self or a part of ourselves that we no longer...

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Material aspects: When we dream of old things, we are touching into the past and perhaps need to bring some kind of knowledge forward, so that we can make use...

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Dreaming of living in ancient Egypt might actually be a past-life memory. Be sure to write the dream down immediately upon awakening, as an issue from that past life could...

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Gray is a color that is almost an absence of expressiveness. When gray is present in a dream, you are expressing a lack of passion and joy. Gray is also...

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To dream of sexual intercourse may be the result of having contact with a person influenced by a spirit of perversion. Sexual content in a dream may also result from...

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lucky numbers: 04-26-29-31-34-46alone, being in: searching for a part of your heritage to change your life. lady, with a: wil be guilty of foolish actions. loved one: luck and prosperity....

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Vision: Cutting up food: your project will be completed successfully.If you cut yourself: the whole affair will end in failure—something you already knew beforehand.Depth Psychology: Cutting something is a sign...

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All reptiles connect with a primitive orientation toward survival and other basic instincts. Since alligators are water dwellers, their meaning and power are associated with emotional territory. They have a...

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-Dreams about dusty old books are reminders to the dreamer to look to past experience for help with a present situation. Opening a new book means starting a new chapter...

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To dream about receiving mail suggests that you need to communicate or re-establish contact with someone from your present/past.The mail may also be a coded way of referring to issues...

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lucky numbers: 02-8-18-26-38-51giving an: hasten others to accomplish plans—their own, not yours. going off: act swiftly on present project to prevent loss. hearing an, while awake: are too late to...

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Material aspects: Traditionally the clover plant is considered to be lucky, so to find clover in a dream denotes good fortune is on its way.The three-leaved clover suggests the past,...

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Universal Landscape: Primitive memory.Dreaming Lens: Were you dreaming of pebbles, rocks, stones, boulders, or even larger formations? Were these helpful objects, such as tools or building materials? Were they obstacles,...

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Vision: If you are drawing: pay attention to how you express yourself; often small efforts have great results. Seeing a drawing: people will present you with a “fait accompli.’ See...

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Psychological / emotional perspective: If we dream of turning our backs we are rejecting the particular feeling being experienced in the dream. There is a possibility that we are repressing...

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(see Connecting Devices, Knots, Rope, Web)Our connection to other portions of the self.Ties to other people or situations that may or may not be desirable.The network of life that goes...

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Tina may arrive in a dream as a bold voice from the past who still may have a strong impact on a woman’s psyche in the present. She also may...

Learn more about the meaning of Tina Turner

To dream of going back to kindergarten indicates a need to reconnect with your inner child.To dream of being afraid in kindergarten indicates that your inner child may need to...

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The judge as an archetype relates to the warrior energy that divides everything into two camps: either right or wrong.The distinction with a judge is the notion of guilt and...

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To dream that you are knitting, signifies a quiet, peaceful and loving home life. It may also refer to someone in your life (past or present) who you associate with...

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Mother Earth, the female God energy, receptive, nurturing, sustaining. The womb of life, giving form and substance to spirit. Experience of self in time; the earth embraces past, present and...

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A large or overwhelming presence.Basic or primitive, or the idea of “back to basics.” Something or someone from the past (perhaps gone now).Something that’s outdated.Finding value in the past or...

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Vision: Hearing a lark sing: your private life and professional work are going well.A lark high in sky: life will get easier.See Bird, Heaven.Depth Psychology: A lark indicates lofty intellectual...

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Candles in dreams imply we are seeking understanding or clarification about some topic or concept. Candles can also mean the individual is reflecting on the past. When present on a...

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Feeling envy or jealousy in a dream can represent actual envy or jealousy in your real life (past or present).Consider how you can better support yourself, work through and validate...

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lucky numbers: 04-08-14-20-30-35eating: long-term trusting relationship in family life. having: sure sign of long life past the present unhappiness in the family. making: many charming friends wil introduce you to...

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A to Z Dream Interpretation