Choosing A Dream Symbol Dictionary - Part 2
ROOF
Betty Bethard: "Protection, depending upon condition of the roof."
Herder Symbol: (not listed)
Webster's Dictionary: "The cover of any building; the top or the summit."
Zolar's: "A roof leaking: misfortune is ahead." (yah, when the roof caves in)
Mary Summer Rain: "Pertains to one's priorities; highest "capping" thoughts."
Russell Grant: "On a house and you should put new ideas into practice. A tiled roof depicts happiness. Thatched and you are in for romantic disappointment. Fall off or climb down from one and that success you are so proud of will be just a flash in the pan."
Gustavus Miller: "To find yourself on a roof in a dream denotes unbounded success. To see a roof falling in, you will be threatened with a sudden calamity."(What was his first clue?)
GLOVES
Betty Bethard: "Protection, cover. Avoiding contact with others; blocking both sending and receiving physical and emotional energy."
Herder Symbol: "Especially in medieval knighthood, it was an important symbol of law & sovereignity. A glove thrown at another was understood to be a sign of challenge." "-in Freemasonry gloves are a part of the ritual garb; they are usually white and signify purity as well as the work to be done."
Webster's Dictionary: "a cover for the hand." (Thank you for playing!)
Zolar's: "Finding a pair of gloves: "early marriage." "Buying gloves: a false friend is nearby." "Wearing old gloves: happiness."
Mary Summer Rain: "represent personal service to others. Depending on the style and condition of these gloves, the dreamer can determine if this service is for Self, begrudging or purely humanitarian."
Russell Grant: (not listed)
Gustavus Miller: "To dream of wearing new gloves denotes that you will be cautious and economical in your dealings with others, but not mercenary." "-To find a pair of gloves denotes marriage or new love affair." "-If you wear old or ragged gloves, you will be betrayed and suffer loss."
EYE
Betty Bethard: "The way you see things now. One eye represents spiritual self, the eye of God, expanded consciousness, clear seeing. Truth, power, clairvoyance. Both eyes opened means seeing with clarity; eyes closed means not willing to look at situations and lessons in your life."
Herder Symbol: "...closely associated with light,the sun, and spirit. It symbolizes mental and spiritual perception, but it is also-as the "mirror" of the soul-the organ of spiritual and mental expression. The right eye is sometimes associated with activity, the future, and the sun; the left eye with passivity, the past, and the moon. Buddhism speaks of the third eye as a symbol of inner vision." "...In the Bible the eye is a symbol of omniscience, vigilance, and the protective omnipresence of God."
Webster's Dictionary: "1. the organ of sight. 2. the faculty of seeing; vision; often, a developed visual perception."
Zolar's: Having crossed eyes: "will be short of money." Having small eyes: "you are deeply loved." The eyes of a sick person: "will have a long life." Having hazel eyes: "Gossip by friends."
Mary Summer Rain: "Defines one's personal perceptual characteristics. Bleeding eyes indicate an empathetic nature. Blinking eyes refer to a lack of seriousness. Cloudy eyes a lack of clarity."
Russell Grant: (not listed), although having bushy eyebrows "suggest money is coming your way."
Gustavus Miller: "To dream of seeing an eye, warns you that watchful enemies are seeking the slightest chance to work injury to your business." Blue eyes: "denotes weakness in carrying out any intention." (This book denotes paranoia after awhile)
ASYLUM
Betty Bethard: (not listed)
Herder Symbol: (not listed)
Webster's Dictionary: "An inviolable sanctuary giving shelter to criminals and debtors, as anciently a temple or altar, etc. 2. Any place of retreat and security. 3. An institution for relief of the destitute or afflicted, esp. one for the insane."
Zolar's: "Serious troubles ahead." "A young girl dreaming of being in an asylum: will marry soon." (Sometimes, ya just gotta love Zolar!)
Mary Summer Rain: "Warns of "craziness" going on in one's life."
Russell Grant: "Serious trouble is ahead. You must discuss your worries with a friend or professional advisor."
Gustavus Miller: "denotes sickness and unlucky dealings, which cannot be overcome without great mental struggle."
Making That Final Choice
As you can see, having just one book is going to be frustrating sometimes when you go to look up a perplexing symbol, but it isn't there; or even worse, you get gibberish that defies logic. I find it helpful to have at least 3 books: one dream symbol book that makes sense to me; a universal symbol book like Herder's or any other good one on the market, for a "cosmic consciousness" type of symbolism. This type of book gives meanings of certain "universal symbols" through-out the ages, and is quite interesting, to boot. And lastly, a simple plain dictionary, like Websters or Funk & Wagnalls. Although it may seem too simplistic for some people, it has a way of cutting through to the heart of the matter by giving clear concise definitions of something you may be making too much of, due to your own confusion over the complexity of the dream itself.
When you do decide to go to a bookstore, take the time to first write out a list of symbols you are interested in finding the meanings for, and take that list with you. Ideally, this list will include symbols from dreams you have already had, so you can judge the individual books on whether their symbology makes sense for you, and seems to have more hits than misses. Then choose an armful of books, go to the nearest empty table and go through each one, comparing symbols. This will narrow the playing field down really quick, and you will soon be making your final choices. There will never be one single book that fulfills all your needs, so over time you will likely buy several to have on hand. I myself have bought many of them over the years, but I always reach for the same three over and over if I ever get stumped about a certain symbol. At the same time, I try to give a new book a chance to impress me, keeping in mind that the german turn-of-the-century book by Gustavus Miller became outdated sometime during the last century, and so could my current choices. It would be wise to consider the publish date on each book, because dream interpretations have come a long way in the last 25 years. Zolar's, for example, was originally published in 1963. It reads like a book from the 1800's. Each book has it's own particlar gems to offer, and it depends largely on what you are looking for.
A word about symbols: Some people get the wrong idea about symbols, like they are somehow evil or perhaps just juvenile. Our civilization is built upon symbolism, borrowed from the past or created anew. Is the fish symbol for Christ "evil"? Of course not. Just look at logos in advertising and you get the idea. Look on the back of an American dollar bill, and you see symbols of the above mentioned eye, inside a a pyramid or triangle which, in Christian art spanning the centuries, has symbolized God the Father in the Trinity; as well as other symbols of Americana such as the American Bald Eagle.
How many people world-wide recognize the logo/symbol for Disney World or Coca Cola, who otherwise do not speak a word of english? Symbols reach across language barriers and are recognized by our subconscious minds. Indeed, symbols are the language of the subconscious mind. That is why the term "universal symbols" exists...because they are generally recognized all over the world, by many varied cultures. Basic symbols are usually universal, such as the sea/water, earth, the sky, fire, etc. Those types of symbols common to mankind everywhere are generally accepted to have a particular meaning, although each dream must be taken in it's own context and judged soley by the individual dreamer him/herself.
And that is where dream symbolism enters the picture. Our mind's dreamspeak is symbolic, using metaphors and puzzles complex enough to stump a mensa candidate sometimes, but once that language is understood or you find the answer key, you can unlock the code and decipher your own mind's symbols. It sounds much harder than it actually is to do. All you need are the right tools...keeping your own dream journal, finding good symbol books, and utilizing your own gut-instincts. It's a learned skill, like reading or writing. You can become your own best dream interpretation expert, which will help you cut through any daily confusion and help you make informed choices about your life.
I hope this article on how to choose a dream symbol book is helpful to you, and lessens some of the confusion over which book to choose; as well as hopefully giving skeptics out there the idea to give the thought of responsible dream interpretation another whirl.
+++ Part ONE [Non-framed] +++
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