Jan 28th Thursday Meeting's Topic 2

<H1 align=left>Dream Interpretation</H1> <UL> <LI>The first, and most important rule of dream interpretation is to always remember that symbols may have different personal meanings for different individuals.  As an example, one might dream of a horse.  If, as a youngster, one had a horse and it was one of one's fondest childhood experiences, then dreaming of a horse could symbolize something far different than for someone who rode a horse only once in his life, was thrown badly and broke his collarbone. <LI>The importance of a dream is usually in direct proportion to the impression it makes on the dreamer.  <LI>Dreams that generally have little or no prophetic value are those that: <UL> <LI>Occur during the first few hours of sleep; <LI>Concern a person or event recently spoken of; <LI>Result from external stimuli, such as a book just read or a film or television show just watched; <LI>Result from illness, especially if medication is taken. </LI></UL> <LI>According to Ibn Sirin, one of the first writers on dreams, if one wishes to have a prophetic dream then , "The sleeper, lying on the right side, will have abstained from all excess of food or of drink.  He will have gone to sleep with a light heart, an easy conscience."   <LI>Rule of opposites: there is a well-recognized rule of opposites in dreams; thus, dreaming of death often means a rebirth of some sort, such as marriage or the start of a new career.  This same rule is operative in interpretation of the Tarot and in many other symbol-systems as well.  One explanation of this phenomenon is that the subconscious does not deal with opposites in the same manner as the conscious mind.  Thus, "heads" is not the opposite of "tails;" either is related to the other, and so can be used to call to mind the other.  As a side note, there is mention of this need to "twist round" what happens in a dream to get at its meaning in an obscure song called My Dream Blues, which was recorded by "Black Bottom" McPhail in the 1930's.   </LI></UL> <H4>Dream Dictionary - Key to Dreams</H4> <UL> <LI>Angel- protection. <LI>Apple, Apples - Plans are coming to fruition; a good omen.  <LI>Barrel - if full, prosperity.  If empty, tightness of money. <LI>Bear - a friend who is awkward will help you, if you are kind to him (her).  <LI>Bees - successful work. <LI>Birds - if flying high, good luck.  If flying low, bad luck.   If singing, success.  <LI>Boat - a fortunate journey. <LI>Book - sought-after wisdom is within reach. <LI>Bread - material well-being.  <LI>Bridge - if crossed, a happy solution to a problem.  <LI>Cabin - Comfortable retirement. <LI>Calendar - loss due to untimeliness. <LI>Cat - a loved one requires your attention, or soon will.  <LI>Chair - a change in employment. <LI>Cheese - gain, profit. <LI>Cigar - comfort, reflection, prosperity. <LI>Crab - separation. <LI>Desk - if one is working at a desk, it means one should spend more time outdoors.  If the desk is empty, it means a change in jobs. <LI>Dog - calm times ahead. <LI>Duck - someone acting anonymously. <LI>Eggs - abundance. <LI>Fishes - on the surface of the water, abundance and wealth.  At the bottom, danger.  Fishes can also indicate fertility or pregnancy. <LI>Flag - change, success. <LI>Fruit - abundance. <LI>Gambling - good, if one loses.  Bad, if one wins.  (see Rule of Opposites, above).  <LI>Garlic - freedom from worry, soon.  <LI>Glass - if broken, success.  If empty, distress. <LI>Goat - inconstancy in a relationship or job.  <LI>Graduation - a new stage of life begins.  <LI>Grasshopper - loss. <LI>Guitar - declaration of love. <LI>Gun - deceptive gain.  Rethink your plans.  <LI>Hermit - need to bring quietness into one's life. <LI>Horse - if tethered or confined, an overly restricted spirit.  If standing in a field, wisdom and common sense mingle. <LI>House - home life, often future home life.  If one dreams of a home with a light inside or smoke rising from a chimney, it means one is unlikely to live alone.  An empty house denotes living in solitude. <LI>Key - opportunity for gaining wisdom.  <LI>Kiss - betrayal or self-betrayal. <LI>Knife - put all anger aside.  <LI>Lamp - be prudent.  <LI>Luggage - an unanticipated move to a new, but smaller, home.  <LI>Mirror - betrayal. <LI>Monkey - someone near is not to be trusted. <LI>Mushrooms - long life, protection. <LI>Mustard - problems anew.  <LI>Owl - don't start anything new on next day.  <LI>Palace - sorrow caused by pride.  <LI>Pen - a new offer or proposal. <LI>Playing Card - good luck through associates. <LI>Postage Stamp - you are soon to find a new, and worthwhile, friend.  <LI>Prison - if entering, oppression.  If leaving or escaping, recovery from depression.  <LI>Rabbit - if white or grey, friendship, partnership, success.  If black, lies and reverses.  <LI>Reptile - slander, betrayal. <LI>Ring - reconciliation. <LI>Scissors - quarrels. <LI>Skunk - do not misjudge a friend, or yourself.  <LI>Snake - someone has a grudge against you.  <LI>Snow - be true to your inner values, even if that leaves you alone.  <LI>Spider - you will be undergoing a positive period of spiritual development in the near future. <LI>Stapler - becoming attached to someone of questionable integrity. <LI>Swan - great success.  <LI>Tarot Card - mysterious occurrence awaits. <LI>Tea - a happy older life, good fortune from afar.  <LI>Teeth - to dream of teeth falling out indicates that one is having difficulty making oneself heard, in the figurative sense.  Be patient, and speak only when you have something of significance to say; your words will gain weight.  <LI>Telephone - bad news awaits.  Bad luck, especially financial bad luck due to speculation. <LI>Tower - A sweeping change must be endured. <LI>Trees - if a path through a forest, one will soon find one's purpose in life.  If downed trees, success.  If trees bare of leaves, a new beginning.  If full trees, danger from complacency. <LI>Umbrella - lasting friendship, security. <LI>Vinegar - jealousy. <LI>Volcano - adventure, passion. <LI>Wall - if a stone wall, you are near to achieving self-improvement.  If a blank wall, reconsider your current plans. <LI>Water - if flowing water, such as a river or stream, increased romance.  If water is murky, one is unsure of one's own feelings.  If fish in the water, abundance and creativity. <LI>Weapons - be on guard. <LI>Whiskey - a happy and active life. <LI>Wine - a happy old age. <LI>Worms - put small worries aside. </LI></UL>   <CENTER> <H2 style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">Conversation Questions - Dreams </H2></CENTER> <UL> <LI>Do you usually remember your dreams? Why/ Why not? Describe some of them. <LI>What was your nicest dream that you can remember? <LI>Talk about the most recent dream you can remember that you have had in the past. <LI>Talk about a recurring dream that you have had in the past. <LI>How do you interpret a dream? Do you use your intuition/imagination to understand it? <LI>Do you usually read books on dream interpretation? What is your opinion on it? <LI>Do you generally have pleasant dreams or nightmares? <LI>Have you ever had nightmares? What were they like? <LI>What's the worst nightmare you've ever had? <LI>What is "prophecy"? <LI>Have you ever had or heard of a dream that foretold the future? <LI>Did you know that Abraham Lincoln supposedly foresaw his own assassination in a dream? What do you think about it? <LI>Have you ever dreamed about dead people? Is it a good signal? Why/Why not? <LI>Have you ever dreamt about dead friends or relatives? How was it? How did you feel? <LI>There is a movie called "The Cell" with Jeniffer Lopez - It is about dreams - Have you ever watched this film? Would you like to see it? Why/Why not? <LI>Are dream messages sent from our unconscious, predictions of the future, or the brain's way of cleaning out information? <LI>Some people say that dreaming about losing money means that you will receive it. Have you ever heard this? What other sayings about dreams do you know? <LI>Do your dreams ever affect your moods? Explain. <LI>Do you usually dream in black and white or in color? <LI>What language do you dream in? Have you ever dreamt in a language that you don't speak? <LI>Have you ever woken up from a dream "in a cold sweat"? <LI>Do you believe that dreams can sometimes predict the future? <LI>Has anyone told you if you have walked or talked in your sleep? <LI>Here is a list of dream images. What might they represent? <UL> <LI>a road <LI>the sky <LI>snow <LI>a garden <LI>an open door <LI>a light <LI>sand <LI>fire <LI>falling <LI>darkness <LI>being chased <LI>speaking with a dead relative <LI>flying</LI></UL> <LI>When you were a child, what was your dream for the future? Has it changed? <LI>Do you remember what you dream about in your sleep? <LI>What is your dream for the future? <LI>Have your dreams for your future changed? <LI>Do you tell people about your dreams? <LI>Do you think you can achieve your dreams? <LI>If you had lots of money what would you do with it? <LI>Do you think that having a lot of money can make you happy? <LI>Do you think that having dreams and aspirations is a waste of time? </LI></UL>