Sacrifice
Before we can nourish others, we first need
to nourish ourselves. Making sacrifices is human, but when we do
too much for the world and not enough for ourselves, we are left
feeling neglected and weak. Martyrdom is not fun and martyrs are
at times annoying. This dream may be suggesting to you that you
need to prioritize. Eliminate things in your life that are not
necessary and continuously drag you down. Also, consider the fact
that whatever is constantly requiring you to make personal
sacrifices may not be in your best interest or conducive to your
health or happiness. Superstition based dream interpretations say
that dreaming about sacrifice is a dream of
the contrary and that you will be enriched
in the near future.
Saint
Dreaming about saints usually has spiritual
implications. You may have traveled to another plain and are
having a wonderful, very meaningful spiritual experience. For
those that can not accept this possibility, your unconscious may
be relaying some feelings of pressure or possibly the need to
sacrifice on some level in your daily life. See
also: Priest,
God.
Salt
Salt is one of the most abundant chemicals
on Earth. Dreaming about it suggests that you may be thinking
about or desiring those things that are dependable and, at the
same time, exciting (salt = spice of life). If you associate an
individual with the salt in your dreams you may be giving that
person the attributes that were just mentioned.
Satan
Seeing or interacting with the devil in your
dreams may have several different meanings and the interpretation
depends on the details of the dream. However, it almost always
points to something negative and disturbing in your personality,
daily life, or environment. Carl Jung called such dark figures
“the shadow” and said that they represent the negative
ego personality and qualities which are painful and regrettable.
You may have dark thoughts or have engaged in negative actions
and now are experiencing guilt, fear, and anxiety. Dream
interpretations based on folklore say that seeing the Satan in
your dreams may be a warning about poor health, and if the dream
persists, you should get a physical checkup.
See also: Devil
Saturn
(Cronos)
Saturn is a Roman deity representing the Golden Age. He is
associated with the Greek god Cronos. Cronos was a Titan, the son
of Uranus and the father of Zeus (Jupiter). Cronos dethroned his
father and was later dethroned by Zeus. Thus, from a
psychoanalytic point of view, dreaming about Saturn may be
symbolic of some aspects of the Oedipus complex. It may bring up
the desire to challenge authority and gain personal power and
identity. Astrologically, Saturn represents a wide range of
positive and negative attributes. He represents barriers,
misfortune, fixation and impotence, as well as loyalty,
righteousness, consistency, knowledge and self-denial. Saturn
symbolizes man’s ability to recognize the difficulties of life
and to confront the impulsive and passion motivated lifestyle.
Dreaming about Saturn, may be an unconscious message regarding
self-restrain and a need for a more intellectual, moral and
spiritual life. Also, Saturn’s influence has a way of amplifying
reality. If there is melancholy or despair, it remains fixed.
Thus, dreaming of Saturn might call your attention to unpleasant
aspects of life or to self-negating emotions. However, the psyche
may be providing you with knowledge that can be used to motivate
and transform current reality through hard work and
self-discipline.
School
This dream may be interpreted on several
different levels. If you are the student you may be feeling
inadequate or lack self confidence. Either way, going to school
or attending class in a dream is your unconscious reminder that
there is a need for new learning and that you may have not
learned an important lesson. School may not always be a positive
experience, but it is always necessary. Ask yourself what do you
need to learn more about? If you were a teacher in your dream,
you may be dealing with issues of authority. From a spiritual
point of view, some believe that in the dream state an individual
may travel to an inner plane or the spiritual realm, where they
can attend classes which assist in spiritual growth and
development.
Scorpion
Dreaming about a scorpion may be symbolic of something in
your environment which is hurtful, dangerous, and
“stinging.” It may represent bitter words and very
negative attitudes. Superstition based dream interpretation books
say that a scorpion may constitute a warning. It further states
that if the scorpion in your dream bit you, you will overcome
your problems. However, if you killed the scorpion, be
exceptionally careful around people that are not your friends, or
are false friends. Some believe that the scorpion is a symbol of
transformation.
Sea-
Waters generally symbolize the emotions and
the unconscious. They could also represent the collective
unconscious or your soul experiences. All dream interpretations
depend on the individuals personal belief system and life
experiences. See also: Water, Ocean
Seed
Seeds symbolize new opportunities and new
beginnings. Just as a seed is the beginning of a new life (or its
earliest stage), your unconscious may be telling you that the
ideas you have planted are beginning to germinate. Additionally,
your past experiences and hard work may be leading to new
opportunities or possibilities.
Sex
It is very difficult to name just a few
possible interpretations for this dream. It is so complex that
interpretations vary with each dreamer and situation in the
dream. A sexual dream may be about physical pleasure, but it may
also be about power, control, manipulation, virility, and
effectiveness. It may be a form of wish fulfillment or a memory,
or compensation for a lack in daily life. In most cases, it is
not a prediction of things to come in the near future. For some
more clues, also see
Intercourse
and People.
Sharks
Please remember that the water in your
dreams may be a statement about your emotions and the
unconscious. Sharks, water-dwelling animals, could represent
unpleasant emotions or difficult and painful materials coming up
from the unconscious. You may feel some emotional upset, and the
shark could be the symbol of the perceived emotional danger. Old
dream interpretation books say that sharks may represent
dishonest friends or reflect financial troubles. See
also: Animals
Ship
As mentioned in all relevant dream symbols,
bodies of water represent your unconscious, your emotions, and
your accumulated soul experiences. The ship in your dream could
represent you and the ways in which you navigate thought these
parts of yourself. When interpreting this dream, consider the
kind of voyage and the type of ship. Some dream interpretation
books say that if the voyage is calm you should go forward with
your plans. However, if it is a very stormy voyage, get ready for
an emotional upset (or challenge). See also:
Boat
Shirt
Any type of clothing, especially shirts,
generally represent our worldly appearance or status. At times,
they may represent our attitudes toward ourselves and others.
Mostly, they represent the way that we appear to the world. They
are not symbolic of our private self but rather of our public
self. A poor man wears a different shirt than a rich man. A
doctor wears a different shirt than a carpenter. The type of
clothing that we wear varies form situation to situation. The
type of shirts being worn will give you clues to the meaning of
the dream and to your unconscious ideas about yourself and
others. If you are putting on many shirts, it suggests that you
are somewhat confused about what you want to be or how you want
others to see you. See also: Clothing
Shoe
First consider if you are currently having
problems with your feet that are being carried over into the
dream state. Otherwise, we only wear shoes that fit us well.
Thus, you may be expressing unconscious feelings of self
assurance or confidence. You may have issues concerning your
self-identify, but if the details of this dream are supporting,
you may be reassuring yourself that you are on the right path and
have mastered a degree of self awareness.
Shooting
Shooting someone or being shot yourself is a
fearful and violent dream experience. It may reflect aggression,
powerlessness, release of strong and dangerous emotions, and/or
symbolize a conclusive event in a particular situation or
relationship. See also: Guns
Shopping
For most of us shopping is not simply a necessity but a favorite
pastime. It is a source of pain, pleasure, recreation, and, at
times, “quality time” with family or friends. Depending
on the details in the dream and its emotional background,
dreaming about going shopping may have several different
connotations. Generally, if shopping in your dream is not a
source of great stress and confusion, it suggests that those
things which you need are available to you. Your environment may
have readily available emotional, psychological, spiritual or
physical support. However, you may need to learn exactly where to
look, how to select what you need, and when to make a wise
investment. This dream calls upon you to know yourself. Before
you can ask for or get what you need, you first need to
accurately identify it.
Sibling
It is very common for us to dream about all
different types of people. Siblings are a fantastic source of
dream material. Our siblings are important to us emotionally and
psychologically. We are bound to them on some level throughout
our lives; thus, they will appear in our dreams in may different
forms. We learn important lessons about ourselves through our
brothers and sisters. They are a reflection on us, and we can not
escape their presence and their love, hate or any other emotion .
If you have many unresolved issues with your siblings, it is
likely that they will frequently appear in your dreams. See
also: People
Skeleton
You can’t get around the fact that bones are
symbols of death. If you are dreaming about a skeleton it does
not necessarily mean that you are dreaming about physical death.
This is a good dream because it is telling you that you may need
to begin “filling up” with feelings, adventures, work,
or general enthusiasm for life. It may be that your style of
living and relating to people has been “bare to the
bone” and your soul can’t take it any more! So, lighten up
psychologically; eat the fruits of life and fatten up!
Smell
At times you may experience the sense of
smell in your dreams. The smell could be environmental. If there
is a strong smell in your sleeping environment, you may perceive
it and incorporate it into your dream. Otherwise, the smell in
your dreams is triggered by a memory. You may be associating your
dream experience with a pleasant or unpleasant order. For
example, if you are dreaming about your mother, you may smell the
aroma of a food she once cooked. The smell may trigger emotions
and reflect the general quality of the experience in your dream.
Smoking
It is very common for ex-smokers to dream
about smoking. This type of a dream could be called wish
fulfillment or a compensatory dream.
The smoker misses smoking. He can not smoke during the day, and
therefore he smokes in his dreams. If you are dreaming about
being surrounded by other people’s smoke, you may be experiencing
some confusion and anxiety in daily life or in regard to a
particular situation. Smoke or smoking usually depletes people of
energy and hampers ones ability to think clearly and act directly
with the issues at hand. See also: Cigarettes
Smothering/Strangling/Choking
Dreaming that you are having difficulty
breathing and are in danger of dying as a result may carry
important messages for the dreamer. This type of a dream
experience is usually very frightening, and at times people are
awakened from their dream due to the fear. This dream may have
several different explanations and the catalysts may be forces
from either within the individuals emotional and psychological
makeup or circumstances on the outside of the individual. The
suffocation is either do to internal forces or an external
situation. The dreamer may experience great difficulties when it
comes to free self expression. They may have difficulties in
expressing their fear, anger, love, or any other powerful emotion
and are literally choking on them in their dream. Choking in your
dream suggests that you are having problems in communicating your
thoughts, needs, and feelings. Additionally, smothering may imply
that the dreamer can not accept certain situations in their life
and is feeling suffocated by a current problem. To interpret this
dream accurately consider all of the details in it, think about
your daily life and those things that cause you great stress and
restrict your freedom. Finally, try to connect your dream with
your daily life experiences and unlock the symbolism that the
dream holds for you.
Snake
In some cultures snakes are highly regarded
and symbolize the ability to transcend into higher levels of
consciousness or into areas of knowledge that exist outside
perceived time and space. In the pre-Christian days, snakes were
considered symbols of fertility, healing, and nurturing (the
healing serpent representing a god). Post Adam and Eve, snakes
are often considered symbols of temptation and evil, anger, and
envy. Snakes emerging out of the ground may represent your
unconscious or repressed materials coming to your conscious mind.
Freud thought that the snake was a phallic symbol. It is amazing
how many people have snake dreams! Most snake dreams seem to be
disturbing and they leave the dreamer feeling anxious and afraid.
There are no simple interpretations to the snake dreams. Each
dreamer must consider their own situation and all of the details
of the dream. Sometimes snakes may be phallic symbols and other
times they represent negativity in our lives that hampers our
progress and constantly threatens us. In the long run the snake
may be a positive symbol; it may represent difficulties that lead
us to the center of personality and result in feelings of
completeness.
Snow
Snow symbolize chilled and unexpressed
emotions or emotions which have been repressed for an extended
period of time. The snow in your dream suggests that you or
someone else is emotionally cold, unresponsive, and indifferent.
Clean, white snow may represent innocence, truth, peace and
relaxation. Virgin snow, as you may see it covering a beautiful
landscape, may represent new beginnings or a new way of seeing
things and dirty snow may represent guilt. In literary works such
as “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” and “For
Whom the Bell Tolls,” snow
represents death. See also: Ice
Soap
Some dream symbols are more difficult to
interpret than others. Using soap in a dream seems to have
obvious connotations, a need for cleansing and purification.
Consider all of the details of your dream and think about what
needs to be cleaned or refreshed. Washing with soap in your dream
could refer to the cleaning up of your physical environment, your
thoughts and feelings, or the resolution of a particular
situation in life.
Spider
Some believe that the spider is symbolic of
an unkind and sneaky individual. Are you the spider building a
web, or are you being dragged into one? A spider’s web might
represent entanglement and the general complexities of life.
Depending on the details of the dream, it could also symbolize a
smothering individual. Ironically, very old dream interpretations
say that the spider is an omen of good luck! Alternatively, Carl
Jung felt that the spider’s web was a symbol of wholeness due to
its formation (circular shape), construction and complexity. He
called circular symbols “mandalas” and said that they
hold valuable meaning for the dreamer. The spider and his web may
be calling for an integration of the dream’s personality leading
to greater self-awareness and resulting in feelings of
completeness. Therefore, the spider and his web may be considered
profound and spiritual dream symbols that call for greater
self-understanding and encourage us to derive meaning and
satisfaction from the intricate framework and interplay of life.
Sport
Playing sports may represent some aspects of the way that we run
our lives, or may refer to internal struggles where one part of
the dreamer’s psyche or personality is attempting to
“win” over another. At times life is like a
challenging sport. We compete, try to win, and attempt to
develop our abilities so that we will succeed. In the
dream, the outcome of the game may say something about how
well we are doing. Do we feel competent and successful; are we
playing fair, or is the sport more competitive than what we are
comfortable with? In order to understand the dream, consider the
details and attempt to identify what in daily life creates
similar emotions. All sports and games have specific rules and
boundaries. Your performance within this framework may represent
the struggle against inner conflicts such individual fears and
weaknesses, or may be referring to a pragmatic problem or
situation at work or in your relationships.
Stairs
When interpreting this dream, try to
remember your feelings upon awakening. Going up and down the
stairs could mean several different things. It could represent
changes in consciousness, movement from one inner plane to
another, or a change in understanding. In a more material sense,
it could represent a rise or fall in economic or social status
and the general efforts that are required to accomplish life’s
small and large goals. Climbing may represent an achievement of
your ambitions and a movement in a positive direction. Descending
may symbolize your doubts or a period following hard work and
achievement of a significant goal. Generally,
dreaming of ascending a stairway connotes movement in a positive
direction while descending is indicative of a down period or
negative flow of ideas or actions. See also:
Climbing
Stalking
Many people have unpleasant dreams of being
chased and/or stalked. If the dreamer has these issues in her
daily life, then the fear experienced during the day may be
entering her dream state. However, most people that have a dream
about being stalked are not stalked in reality. The dream is
symbolic and brings up issues regarding persisting problems or
prevailing difficulties. The dream could represent one side of
the dreamer’s personality attempting to catch up with the other.
For example, if the dreamer is doing something hurtful to himself
or has a bad habit or addiction, the stalker in the dream may
represent that negative part of the dreamer’s personality or
life. The dream stalker could represent your conscious, a
prevailing problem, or a goal that you have been putting off and
unable to pursue.
Star
Old dream interpretation books say that
seeing stars in your dream means that your wishes are going to be
fulfilled. Even from a more pragmatic point of view, stars seem
to be positive dream symbols. They could represent insight, luck,
fortune and the mysteries of the universe. Stars represent those
wonderful things that we aspire to but have difficulty obtaining.
To follow a star is to follow a dream, an insight, or your
intuition to a more desirable location or position in life. Thus,
stars in your dreams could also symbolize internal or external
guidance and truth.
Stealing
People steal for two reasons. If they are
poor and feel like they have no other alternative or if they are
greedy and do not want to put the time and the effort into
earning what they need. (The needs could be emotional as well as
material.) Stealing alludes to moral questions in the dream’s
psyche. Consider all of the details of your dream and try to
understand why the stealing is taking place. Are people taking
from you without your permission, or are you trying to reap the
benefits of that which you did not earn? The message from the
unconscious may be that of self-evaluation, neediness, and
morality. The understanding of this dream may bring you closer to
understanding your deeper needs which will ultimately lead to
greater happiness.
Storm
Everything in our life is a reflection on us
and this hold true in our dreams. The storm in your dreams may be
a reflection of some difficulty in your life. Consider all of the
details and notice if you took shelter from the storm or were you
swept away by it. Did the storm pass you by, were you safe, or
did you suffer? All of us experience difficulties in life and our
dreams make an attempt to bring us into awareness and out of
denial. Think about the storms in your life, how you will weather
them, and what you can do to make them subside.
Stranger
The interpretation of seeing and interacting
with a stranger, or strangers, in your dream depends on the
details of your dream and on your personal belief system. Some
Eastern cultures believe that the strangers in your dreams are
spirits from another dimension. These spirits may be teaching you
lessons or giving you specific messages. The more modern approach
to interpreting a dream with strangers in it is that they
represent different sides or unfamiliar aspects of our
personality. The best way to tell is to “check inside”
of yourself and simply try to understand the message of this
dream. Whether the message is coming from your unconscious or
from a different reality might be irrelevant. The lessons gained
through a dream are far more important then where they came from.
Just remember: The mind that dreamt the dream also knows its
source and meaning (and that is YOUR own mind). See
also: People
Submarine
All vehicles appear to symbolize the way that we maneuver, or get
through, a segment of our life’s journey. A submarine is a
powerful moving machine that travels through deep waters. Deep
waters represent our emotions and our unconscious. A submarine
could represent the way in which we are navigating through our
emotional waters and deal with the materials that are coming up
from our unconscious. A submarine can have negative or positive
connotations. It could suggest that you are feeling strong and
are prepared to aggressively deal with whatever issues and
emotional concerns that arise in your life. On the other hand,
the submarine as a dream symbol could be suggesting that you are
overly guarded and defensive and are currently not open to airing
of personal issues.
Subway
Interpretation of subways is based on your experience with this
mode of transportation. If you regularly use the subway, you may
need to look at the other parts of the dream more carefully. If
the subway is not a regular part of your daily routine but is the
primary dream image then you can consider it to be symbolic of
the way that you navigate through your own emotions and hidden
parts of self. The subway is under the ground and represents the
unconscious parts of self. All of us interact on conscious and
unconscious levels. We have intuitive feelings and unspoken
understanding that direct our lives as much as the obvious and
fully conscious things. Consider the subway ride in your dream
and try to understand what it is conveying to you about your more
subtle navigation through ongoing life experiences. See
also: Train
Suicide
At a first glance this dream seems to be all
negative. One would think that it connotes self hatred, deep
depression, “giving up,” and other such negative
thoughts and feelings. At times this may be the interpretation
and if this is so for you please confined in a friend or a loved
one and seek professional help. However, there is a lighter and
much more positive interpretation of this dream. It could suggest
that the dreamer is making progress and is becoming a more
“integrated” person. All of us have many aspects to our
personality and our character. Dreaming that you are committing
suicide may be symbolic of you “killing” of one aspect
of your self. Possibly an aspect of self that is hurtful. For
example if you were a smoker and you stopped smoking in your
dream you may need to “kill” the smoker in yourself. If
you see a stranger committing suicide that may represent another
part of you. You may be getting rid of an unnecessary and useless
part of self, and you may be starting a new and a better way of
doing things. If you see someone that you know committing
suicide, the dream may be symbolic of your perceptions and
concerns about that individual. Either way, the dreamer may be
experiencing stress, anxiety, and doubt, so lighten up and try to
have more positive thoughts during the day.
Sun
The sun sustains all life on Earth. When you
see it in your dreams, it suggests that you are being nurtured
and sustained by your environment and your life choices. It could
also represent a spiritual force or the light of God. Sunrise may
indicate new beginnings and a new wave of energy while sunsets
suggest a period of closure and completion. Sunlight in your
dreams is never a negative symbol. Light always symbolizes or
indicates consciousness and may connote masculine energy. Its
presence, even in the most disturbing dreams, has reassuring
quality. Old dream interpretation books say that sun shining on
you is an omen of good fortune and good will. “It is the
classical symbol for the unity and divinity of the self; source
of life and the ultimate wholeness of man” C.G. Jung
Swimming
If you are swimming in your dream you are
most likely swimming through the “ ocean”
of your unconscious and through the “ sea ”
of your emotions. The ease with which you are doing this activity
will give you clues as to how well you are navigating through
those very complex parts of yourself. Are you out of your depth
or winning a race?