How do you make sense of it? I guess you’d be thinking that a dream dictionary is a good place to start.

Then again, biggest “complaint” I hear is: “I looked up “such-and-such” in a dream dictionary and it makes absolutely no sense to me!” Well, I'm not surprised.

Watch out for Dream Dictionary Bloopers!

Some dream dictionaries contain some real whoppers. Here’s a selection from some dubious sources I saw recently [don’t laugh … these are real examples!]:

Burglar - If you catch a burglar in your dream you’re about to inherit some money. Funeral - signifies news of an engagement or wedding. Marshmallow - means you will meet a new friend of opposite sex. Razor - is a warning to control your temper.

You get “picture”! These “interpretations” are obviously just ridiculous. And you can easily see that for yourself … intuitively you know that these meanings should not be taken seriously.

So do you even need a dream dictionary?

Well answer is “yes” and “no” and “depends”.

“Yes” – use a dream dictionary when you’re really stuck with a symbol and you need some inspiration to find right meaning. Just make sure you’re using a reputable resource and use your “BS” detector!

“No” – avoid using one when you can immediately relate symbol in your dream to something in your waking life and your “gut” is giving you a positive reaction to interpretation you’ve intuited.

Dreams are like a play with you taking part of all characters and scenery. Usually every symbol in your dream represents some aspect of YOU. Your sub-conscious is telling you a story about what’s really going on for you.

All you have to do is find relation between symbol and yourself and relate it to your waking life and you’ll get message. “Huh?!” I hear you say. Here’s an example … albeit a dramatic one!

Say you dream about being in a large, extravagant house. You go down a staircase and find yourself in a dark basement. A hooded man appears, but you can’t see his face. He’s got a knife and is trying to stab you. You try to run away but he catches you and suddenly you see your blood all over floor. Then you notice that hooded man is your boss!

“So how does this relate to me?” you ask.

Here are 4 easy steps to find out.

Step One - Write down each key symbol In this dream, they would be: - Extravagant house - Descending staircase - Dark - Basement - Hooded man - Knife stabbing you - Running away - Blood on floor - Your boss

Step Two - Work out meaning of each symbol Using your own intuition or a reputable dream symbol resource give each symbol a meaning:

Extravagant house – a house signifies your self-esteem and how secure you feel about yourself. A large, extravagant house could indicate that you’re feeling insecure and overwhelmed by something in your life … that you’ve bitten off more than you can chew.

Descending staircase –in this dream means going down into your sub-conscious [symbolized by basement] usually to seek out your suppressed fears [the issues that you don’t want to face in your waking thoughts].

Dark – darkness almost always signifies something hidden from your waking mind. It’s dark because you are not consciously aware of it.

Basement – represents your sub-conscious

Hooded man – any character or creature that is cloaked, hidden, hooded, unclear or shadowy usually represents your own hidden or suppressed fears.

Knife stabbing you – obviously means something potentially very harmful

Running away – obviously means trying to escape