Choosing A Dream Symbol Dictionary
The mind boggles when one surveys all the books out there...which one is the best to choose?!? You may find yourself thinking, "I just want a simple, logical dream symbol dictionary...hmmm...I'll just choose this big one with 20,000 dreams symbols; that one should be good!" You may think this, like I did, only to become quite disappointed once you get the book home and see that it's mostly nonsense.
I'm convinced that it is scenarios just like this one above, that have played out many times with many different people over the years, that have led to the unpopular misconception that dreams are just fluff and nothing important, after all. This type of thinking becomes archaeic once you discover how helpful a good quality dream symbol dictionary can be! This article is designed to help give you a few pointers to arm yourself with before you go rummaging through the dream book aisles, so you don't end up with the worst book on the shelves and turn away from your intuition that dreams can have meaning that we can all benefit from if we could only learn how to interpret them.
Included will be reviews of several books on the market, and a "symbols duel" between these books and their interpretations, so you can see how varied (and wild!) the information can be.
One thing's for sure...you won't be as likely to reach for the prettiest cover or thickest volume first, without judging it's contents first. You're about to see why.
Several Book Choices
This is only a small example of the dream symbol books available out there. I picked them for their variety in style and representation. My reviews and opinions are my own thoughts on these books, and you may well have a different opinion. Vive la difference!
The Dream Book; Symbols For Self-Understanding
Betty Bethards is a personal favorite of mine. Why? Because her symbols make logical sense to me, although you may have a differing view. Each person needs to choose a book with his or her own criteria, and not worry so much about what is the most popular or who is the perceived best. It's all relative to what seems right for YOU. One regret with this book: not many symbols compared to other books on the market, although what really counts is having the symbols you do look up having sensible meaning. Over 1,500 symbols.
- - by Betty Bethards
The Herder Symbol Dictionary
Notice there is no mention of "dream" in the title. That's because this book has symbols from art, archaeology, mythology, literature, and religion. Over 1,000 entries. It won't have non-artistic, religious etc., symbols in it, but it is an excellent reference book to have on hand. So is...
- - translation by Chiron Publications
Any old dictionary
What?! Yep. You'll be amazed at how you can puzzle for days over a symbol, but once you look the word up in a common dictionary and look at it's simplistic definition, it suddenly "hits you" what the dream was pointing out to you. It also is very useful when the particular word you need to look up isn't in a dream or other symbol dictionary. Chances are much better that it will be in a regular dictionary. The dictionary I have is quite old--it's actually a 1943 version , but so far it has served it's purpose well enough. There are online dictionaries, also.
- - Websters, Funk & Wagnalls, etc.
Zolar's Encyclopedia & Dictionary of Dreams
This is a laughable book...truly, it's great comedy. It's just not a reputable dream symbol book, in my humble opinion. I had a few friends over one night, and we laughed ourselves silly looking up our dreams in this book. Another friend told me that she never believed in dream symbols because the book she had was so ridiculous...and guess which one it was? You'll see examples later, and get the gist of it real quick. For some reason, this is one of those books that ends up in many hands. Be forewarned & spare yourself the aggravation. Over 20,000 quirky symbols.
- - by the mysterious "Zolar"
Mary Summer Rain on Dreams
If you find yourself drawn to the wisdom of indian legends and have an affinity for anything Indian, you would probably enjoy this book and find it quite useful. I find it practical with many unusual words & symbols, which makes it a valuable book to add to one's library. Over 14,500 symbols.
- - by Mary Summer Rain & Alex Greystone
The Illustrated Dream Dictionary
- - by Russell GrantThis one has beautiful illustrations by Vicky Emptage, and is tempting to buy because of this...which is why I own it. The symbols themselves are unusual and can be downright confusing, in my humble opinion. The book is entertaining but not often very helpful for one who has a serious interest in interpreting their own dreams.
The Dictionary of Dreams; 10,000 Dreams Interpreted
- - by Gustavus Hindman MillerThis book was originally published in Germany at the turn of the century. It reminds me of Zolar's. It has a "portense of evil" type of interpretation that isn't quite up to today's speed, as we turn into the next century. It's a rather interesting study on how perceptions change over time, but not very helpful for dream interpretations for today.
A Few Comparisons
I'll list a randomly chosen symbol, then give the individual author's interpretations verbatum from each book. This should be interesting!
CASTRATION
Betty Bethard: "To take away masculine power, assertiveness, strength; to destroy the ability to feel and create."
Herder Symbol: (not listed)
Webster's Dictionary: "To emasculate; to geld."
Zolar's: "Castrating a man: society will get along much better." (I'm not making this up!) "Castrating a lamb: will give a large dinner party." (does the desexed lamb commit suicide?) "Castrating a donkey: a big affliction is to come." (Homey don't play)
Mary Summer Rain: (not listed)
Russell Grant: "A contrary dream. Any form of castration means you'll beat the odds no matter what the odds are." (Maybe I'm missing this one, but I doubt any castrated animal would see himself likely to "beat the odds")
Gustavus Miller: (not listed)
+++ Part TWO [Non-framed] +++
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