What dreams may come: how to really interpret them

Dreams can be categorized into several different types, and at this time I'll only mention two of them. Your dream may be a compendium of what you have lived, seen, heard or thought recently, often that same day, reorganized in a very creative fashion. The second kind is of more interest - a dream that delivers a message through obscure symbolism. It can be very powerful, timely and a perfect opportunity to come to an important realization

There are many different ways of interpreting dreams and books abound about the significance of particular symbols. However, though I agree that there are similarities in concepts (such as a dream about being chased relating to a fear that you have yet to face), I find that symbols mean different things to different people, and even different things to the same person depending on the context.

For example, seeing a train in a dream could mean:

• travel;
• a long path ahead with smooth ups and downs;
• an indication that if you start going in a particular direction, others will follow;
• a slow beginning because you are setting something large into motion, but once started, the momentum will keep it running more easily;
• it's time to start training for a future task;
• or, if you just saw the movie Great Train Robbery, it could mean that you've been spending too much time trying to protect yourself.

Here is a novel way to interpret your dreams that has helped me tremendously. It's called "The Four E's" and it's based on looking at the dream from different perspectives.

Picture the face of a clock, and you're sitting at 6 o'clock.

1. Start with the 9 o'clock position (or west side of the circle); the first "E" is "Ego". Ask the question "what does this dream represent from an ego perspective", or what does this dream say about me specifically? For example, a dream where you are trying to rush to an appointment but can't find your shoes could mean that you don't feel ready yet.
2. Next, go to the 12 o'clock position (north); the second "E" is "Eagle". Look at the dream from a bird's eye view and see if you can discern a new perspective. For example, I once had a dream that I was driving a car, trying to go north but there didn't seem to be way to get there and I was stuck in a labyrinth. By looking at the dream from a higher perspective, I could see that the way out was by going straight south and then I would find a road to go north, meaning that the quickest way to get to where I wanted to go wasn't in a straight line in this instance, and certainly wasn't obvious. This was a call to me to think "outside of the box".
3. Then, go to the 3 o'clock position (east); the third "E" is "Enemy". What would your enemy say that this dream means? For example, if you have a dream where you're on stage, your "enemy" might say something to the effect of "do you really think people will want to hear what you have to say?" This is a really important step since it raises subconscious fears to the surface, where you can better deal with them. Incidentally, whoever shows up as your enemy is not necessarily a negative person. This may be someone who is close to you who is currently serving the purpose of challenging your beliefs about yourself.
4. Finally, go to the 6 o'clock position where you are sitting (south); the fourth "E" is "Everyone". My personal take on what to do here is to go back through the dream, and "become" each character one at a time. For example, I once had a dream where I was being chased by a polar bear, and by the end of the dream, I was trying to hold the bear back on the other side of a door. I uncovered many interesting messages from this dream, but couldn't fully understand it until I "became" the bear. As the bear, I suddenly knew that I was chasing the woman, not to harm her, but to shake her so she could see something important (which in this case was, "dont' worry about what other people think").
5. If you aren't satisfied that you've really understood the dream, then keep going around the circle until something clicks.

A note about nightmares: it has been my experience that when you have a nightmare it's to assist you in remembering the dream, especially as dreams usually vanish like a cloud of steam as soon as you awake. When I woke up from the polar bear dream above, I was still experiencing the feelings of fear from the dream. But once I understood its message, any negative association to the dream vanished, and the message was deeply imprinted.

A recurring dream could mean that there's still a message in it that you haven't recognized.

You should know that dreams can carry many layers of meanings. Each meaning can refer to a specific time, event or emotion that you encounter, so finding a different meaning doesn't negate the accuracy of the first interpretation.

If you find it difficult to remember dreams and you wish to do so, then I suggest that you set an intention before you go to sleep to remember one dream, and have a pen and paper by your bedside to write it all down as soon as you wake up from the dream.

Finally, having the ability to channel messages doesn't exonerate you from getting pointed dreams. I believe this is to prevent you from having any opportunity to filter the message!

I hope this sheds some light on your nighttime visions. And that you enjoy the delicious irony that dreams are meant to help "awaken" you!

Helene