About Dream Dictionaries
Dream dictionaries are great tools if a dreamer is looking to get a terse overview of what a dream’s symbols and archetypes mean. There are thousands of different dream dictionaries that a dreamer can use in an effort to decode the language of his or her dreams. Every dream dictionary is slightly different so the dreamer will need to choose dream dictionaries based on personal preference.
While dream dictionaries are amazingly useful tools if one is seeking a general understanding of dreams, many dream dictionaries do not apply to all dreams. The reasons that dream dictionary definitions and explanations fall short in defining the true meaning of a dream are myriad. For one thing, dream dictionaries and guides often take a single symbol from a dream and attempt to define it. This is only the first step in a lengthy process of dream interpretation. It is necessary to define a symbol and what it may mean on a universal level, but dream dictionaries do not go beyond this step. The next step in dream interpretation is to consider the symbol or archetype “in context” or how it relates to the entire dream. It would be impossible for a dream dictionary to define every possible dream for every unique dreamer in this manner.
Another problem with dream dictionaries is the fact that all of the definitions, while usually universally understood, are generic at best. A particular symbol or archetype may mean one thing to one individual and something else entirely to another. When one uses a dream dictionary to interpret symbols in dreams, he or she is only getting a small fragment of information about what a dream might mean. By viewing the symbols and archetypes in dreams “in context” and in relation to the entire dream, a fuller understanding is developed; this is what a professional dream interpreter can do for you.
Dream dictionaries must serve as a starting point for dream interpretation only. There is much more that goes into dream assessment. Dream dictionaries work much like general horoscope readings do; when one reads a general horoscope for a particular zodiac sign, the individual is reading a prediction that is based on all people that fall under that sun sign so the reading is generic. For a deeper, more accurate horoscope reading, the individual would have to have his or her charts interpreted based on his or her birth date, time, and personal information. So it is with dreaming and interpretation of dreams; for a full understanding of symbols and archetypes one must rely on his or her intuition, and understanding of symbols and archetypes to successful decode a dream’s meaning.