The entrance was difficult to find, but I had discovered it many years before and been in lots of times. I found objects in the cellar and was looking for something’ (Tony C). Usually, as in the example, to discover, realise, become aware of some aspect of oneself and gain access to or use of. One might be living with constant resentments about one’s past or present situation, and then ‘find’ release from this for a day, yet not be conscious how it was achieved.
The dream might attempt to define this. Or it might be a new idea you realise unconsciously in sleep.
Example: Then I was with my father (dead) and was showing him a handful of exotic banknotes I had found in the building. They were £100 notes. I wasn’t sure if the money was legal tender or not.
The notes had an unusual design’ (Andy). Andy has found a sense of his own value—the money —but is not sure if other people also value him.
The dream illustrates the attempt to ‘find a place* in society.
The effort to search and find is frequently to do with one’s own identity, and what one is searching through is one’s experience, as in Tony’s cellar above, or this example: l was looking into the crowd in the film to find me and it was like looking at a snapshot, it felt very important that I find me, I saw my green slacks just showing, right at the back of the crowd’ (Trudy K).
See also: look; see. Idioms: find oneself; find fault; find out; find one’s bearings. [1]