Road

To dream of a road usually depicts your prevailing direction in, or approach to, life – this direction/approach can be either self created out of your own actions or decisions, or arise out of other peoples or social influence. The road can also suggest things that are entering your life, depending on the dream.

The road or avenue can also indicate the norm in social behaviour, therefore the direction in life taken by many people; you predispositions; any direction you are taking, such as a love affair, a business, a new attitude; your public activities.

The size, richness, cleanliness, amount of people, and situation of the road shows how you inwardly see either the direction chosen, or the choices confronting you.

A road can also cut you off from your direction if it crosses your path.

Alley: Limited possibilities or horizons; present limited possibilities will be overcome with effort and initiative. Alley with dead end – Concern about a tight situation that appears to have no way out.

Bend in road: This can depict something new ahead that you couldn’t see until you make the change in direction. Taking a track to a side road can suggest you are being side tracked or similar to above; perhaps suggesting you are going off road adventuring.

Black road: This might link with feelings or fears about death or depression. It can, in some cultural symbols, point to difficult or ‘dark’ times – a  period on your life in which you pass trough trials.

Crossroad: Change; decision; indecision. See: crossroad.

Cross roads or deciding which road to take: Arthur’s dream in the second example shows cross roads as depicting his many choices. Arthur’s choice involves his attempt to include his wife’s needs.

Cul-de-sac/dead end: Feeling or intuition that your direction will not be rewarding or lead to openings or opportunity.

Detour: A unplanned direction.

Dirt road: A direction of a path that you or others do not use very often – a direction that is not popular enough to be made a proper road, but may be one that you are making in a new personal diretion.

Fork in the road: Something to decide; parting from accustomed way or relationship.

Going out from house into road: How others see you; being in public view.

Going the wrong way up a one way street: Going against prevailing attitudes; defying public opinion.

Known road: Feelings associated with that road; what you have already done; the past; habits.

Lane: Individual direction.

Many roads: Many avenues of experience, many new things or many choices, thus sometimes indecision or confusion.

Motorway: A major direction and quick route to where you want to go in life. For some dreamers it will represent facing more power or threat than they feel relaxed about.

One way road: Rules and regulations that are imposed on you.

Road ahead: The future; aspects of self not yet expressed; new areas of endeavour.

Road behind: The past; what you have already achieved or done.

Road being repaired: Activity to make the way you are going easier. It could also suggest it is difficult to travel in the direction now.

Road under construction: It can suggest si many things such as a rough road ahead, or that there are many obstacles to deal with. You might have to decide on a new direction, so continuing might be difficult. This might be a way for others to use also.

It could be that you will have to develop new ways of doing things, learning a different approach. May imply building new habits, new ideals, new patterns of mind; learning new ways to approach old, and so daring to travel new territory, and so a journey into the unknown.

Running into road: Danger.

Stretch of road: If it is behind you it suggests the ground you have already covered, so your past. If it is ahead it can be what is before you, or what you feel or fear you face ahead.

Unpaved road or track off to one side: Going off the beaten track or being side-tracked.

Idioms: On the road to recovery; road hog; end of the road; take to the road; middle of the road; the high road to.

Example: ‘My dream is of an eternal journey, that takes a road that turns into a circle or maze that is endless. Behind me is a large fat young man with blond hair. I can’t get along and he catches up with me, I say, ‘We can’t go back we must struggle on’. He takes my wrist. I am trying to hide my fear of him and the pathway, when I wake up.’ J. P.

J. P. feels her life is something she must ‘struggle on’ with, but it is an endless circle of confusion in which she gets nowhere. This illustrates the road as a symbol of ones approach to life. Perhaps it is her fear that creates this sense of life for her.

Example: ‘Janet my wife was cycling beside me. We came to the end of a short road. I said we should turn left, but Janet thought we ought to turn right. We got out into the middle of the road without turning either way.’ Arthur P.

Arthur feels he is unable to get along with his feelings about his wife wanting a different direction.

Example: ‘Walking alone along a road through a small town. I was heading for a place that a group of people, in a street parallel to mine, were also heading for. A person from the group tried to persuade me that the RIGHT way to get to the place was along the street the group was walking. I knew the street did not matter, only the general direction. The person was quite disturbed by my independence. It made him or her feel uncertain to have their leader apparently questioned. I felt uncertain too for a moment. Then I walked on and came to an open stretch of ground.’ Ivor S.

Ivor’s dream shows how roads can represent different sorts of social behaviour. To choose ones individual ‘road’ may be difficult, because others are so sure they know best. Patterns of behaviour such as needing an authority figure to follow, are also here depicted as a road.

See: Alley; Crossroad; Cul-de-Sac; Motorway-Freeway.