DREAM INTERPRETER

Dream meanings - enabling you to interpret your own dreams

Tony Crisp

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ALCOHOL An influence which changes the way you feel, moving you toward negative or positive feelings. It is therefore often used to represent ?the spirit? or a power that changes ones heart and mind. It can also be a prelude to friendliness or intimacy; an allowing into your life of another influence you do not immediately feel is your own conscious will. It can indicate sociability; dependence; alcohol dependence and the loss of ones control over oneself. In an inner sense the wine or spirit represents a life changing influence, an influx of power or potential - i.e. a deep self acceptance allowing new and often life-changing experience and energy both from within and from other people and events. In this sense the alcohol or spirit is probably used by the unconscious because the conscious self often feels helpless, or has to surrender control, in order to allow the upflow of what is potential or innate within you to emerge. It therefore relates to drunkenness - drunk with the spirit. See last example below.

I believe there is an obvious difference between dreams that warn us of overindulgence or dependence upon alcohol, and those that use it as a symbol of an influence emerging from your infinite potential. In the former, negative feelings of one sort or another appear in the dream. In the latter some aspect of a transforming influence is seen. See first example below.

Beer Social relaxation; social acceptance - 'with a glass in my hand I'm one of the lads'; mood change; sedative to drown loneliness or emotional pain.

Champagne Luxury; richness; worldly success; celebration or prelude to sexual relationship.

whiskey or spirits Similar to beer or wine. May be used to refer to the inner power that can spontaneously express through one.

Wine Sociability; relaxation; social pleasure; the strange mystery behind the existence of self-awareness; blood or the flow of life force. The possible reason that wine, especially red wine, has become a symbol of the human spirit is most likely due to its method of production. The separate 'lives' of thousands of grapes were squashed so their life blood would pour into a common vat. This then underwent a magical transformation by yeast which turned it into alcohol. The connection here is that people who have a direct experience of God or of the spirit, experience it as a unification of all that has lived and is living. The experience of countless human lives has been linked and transformed into a vast sea of wisdom and heightened awareness. It is this we 'drink' when we touch our own union with the ocean of awareness that is our spirit. See: blood; Example under Buddhism and dreams.

Example: We went to the same restaurant. This time it was narrower. We drank red wine from large goblets. On reaching for my goblet I knocked it over. The wine spread rapidly and I thought it was blood. I felt fear and ran from the dining room. Next I was sitting on a camel, being led by another girlfriend of mine. It was down a street where I had worked. It is called Hope Street. H. B.

The dream shows the connection the unconscious often makes between wine and blood. It shows how the alcohol produces transformations that lead the dreamer to experience fear. In other words the dreamer fears what emerges as the changes occur. Even so there is then the emergence of hope.

Example: I was sitting in a boat. It was a small sailing boat, on the sea. In one hand I was holding an ash tray with a joint, in the other hand was a glass of wine. I realised I couldn't steer the boat while I was holding both. Bitz.

This dream clearly shows how the dreamer's habits of drinking and smoking leave him unable to steer the ?boat? of his life properly.

Example: And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.

And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. The King James Bible. Acts 2:2

Alcohol can represents the activity of a transforming process upon you. One that can change the way you act for better or worse. You need to consider your dream to see which of these it is. Also represents stimulation, relaxation, and a way to face inner anxieties, even if only temporarily. It can also refer to the way you deal with difficult feeling, by drowning them in drink. Or it might relate to sociability in some way, or the escape from the humdrum events of life. See: Coffee.

Useful questions are:

Is this dream about a transforming influence, or a dependent need I have?

If this is about a transforming influence in my life, can I identify it and use it?

What does the action of the dream suggest about the influence of the alcohol in my life?

What effect is the alcohol having on me in the dream?

If no alcohol is being drunk in the dream, what is the dream indicating about it?

DREAM INTERPRETER

Dream meanings - enabling you to interpret your own dreams

Tony Crisp

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ALCOHOLISM See: Addicted.

ALIEN - This usually indicates urges or feelings you find difficult to identify with; feelings of being an outsider in a group or society. The alien can also depict something very new and previously not experienced in regard to your own potential or mind. Frequently the alien in your dream represents aspects of your mind that have not previously been consciously experienced. Considering that estimates suggest that we only use one tenth or less of our potential, it is not difficult to see that a large mass of our own inner functioning and experience are normally unknown to us. When some part of this unknown area of yourself emerges, or presses for attention, one may depict it as an alien. Quite often in dreams, or in UFO sightings, the meeting has strong religious feelings. I believe, through investigating this experience, that feelings of awe and veneration often occur when fear is absent and we meet a vastly bigger intelligence or vision of life - even if it is our own unconscious content we are confronting. So much of our inner enormity is held back by the way we live and our cultural attitudes, that when it does press to emerge it might very well be depicted by our dream making process as an alien of a flying saucer. Nevertheless, often in dreams we feel the alien as an enemy or something to be frightened of. This is not correct, for this is like saying there is reason to fear oneself. In the short term this may be rational as some of our own urges may not be dealt with well, and so may be dangerous. But in the long term we can meet ourselves. See: love of self.

Devoured by aliens: Forces, fears, neuroses, at work in you that use up your potential energy, and stand in the way of easy self expression.

Example: I had been told by a woman I used to work with, that I was to photograph a wedding near the Aldwych in London. I went there but there was no wedding. I was then in an underground series of tunnels, helping to paint the floor of the large rooms. Then someone killed the woman friend because she would not tell them the short cut through the tunnels. The short cut was then open and people were coming through to where I was painting. I looked to my right through the doors of the large room and saw strange alien type creatures. I felt a bit anxious. They were like skinless creatures. Now I was walking out of the town. It felt like the end of the world, or the end of society. I was walking through lots of churches standing on a hillside, surrounded by grass. They were of all types, strongly built but empty now. I walked past a married couple who were walking up the hill too. As I passed I heard them say something about a shepherd. Looking up the hill I saw the sheep, then The Shepherd. A beautiful aura of many colours surrounded The Shepherd. I looked and felt joy and exuberance rise in me, and I ran to the couple saying it was THE SHEPHERD. Peter M.

Although the drama in the dream does not present a clear and obvious story, the dream does have symbols of unity in the wedding, of the unconscious in the underground, of the previously unmet aspects of self in the aliens, then the meeting with the religious feeling in the Shepherd and Peters joy. The end of society and the empty churches were representative of the changes going on in Peter's attitudes and understanding of himself in relation to his own mind and religion.

Example: I left the house and went to the church nearby. I opened a door on the left side of the church but shut it quickly because 'something' was there. Five or six priests came and knelt down at the front of the church. The Reverend from my local church started talking and I hurried out, not wanting to get involved in the service. I then went to the side of the church and opened the door where the 'something' was. I could now see what it was. It was a being from another planet, completely human, but with a furry body and tail. It had a son with it. I slammed the door because I was afraid, but the catch did not connect and the door opened again. I threw a book in for the aliens to read. They threw out a book for me to read. It had loose pages - like my ready reckoner. I put them in order and read the story and lived some of it. As I read some of the words were in alien symbols, but I could understand them. Gradually the book changed to alien words. I/it progressed. All the lines sloped down from left to right. Now the sky was like a vaulted or squared ceiling. The two aliens looked down from one of the open squares and called. There was an answering call from two others of their kind. I knew these were the only ones on our planet. I also knew that they had to completely be themselves. I wondered why, and they told me it was because their whole race was within them. Peter M.

This is a dream of Peter's that occurred at later date and shows his religious feelings, the church, directly presenting him with something alien. This new experience is gradually seen as himself - 'I now looked within myself and also began to see all of them within, and was becoming like one of them'. Not only is Peter accepting this aspect of himself more fully, thus not seeing it as completely alien, but also it presents him with a new type of awareness - a feeling of connection with all of his race. In fact Peter had been a loner and very independent, feeling disconnected from society as a whole. This massive change, with very deeply felt fears and joy, is depicted in the two dreams.

Useful questions are:

What is happening in my life that I don't connect with, understand or feel is alien to me?

If I identify with the alien creature or thing, what feelings or facets of myself do I encounter? (For help doing this see Stand in Role under peer dream work.)

Can I recognise from the dream the feelings or fears I use to avoid or meet with this alien facet of myself?

DREAM INTERPRETER

Dream meanings - enabling you to interpret your own dreams

Tony Crisp

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ALLERGIC/ALLERGY This may be showing you an actual allergy you have. Or it might be used symbolically. In this case you need to consider what the allergy in the dream depicts. Look it up in the dictionary if possible.

Useful questions are:

What event, food or other substance might I be having trouble coping with?

Is there something I have a strong feeling reaction to that I need to be aware of - aware that is of how my strong feelings affect me?

If the dream involves people am I not seeing what a bad reaction I have to someone or something?

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. See: Road.

Useful questions are:

What situation in my life does this describe - limited opportunities, lessened horizons?

What is the main action in the dream and is there any connection with situations in my life?

How would I describe my situation in the dream - i.e. happy, lost, searching, etc. - and in what way does that link with my waking life?

ALLIGATOR See alligator

ALONE - Being alone in a dream expresses your sense of isolation, feelings of loneliness or independence, depending on dream feelings.

Idioms: Go it alone; alone together; alone = all-one.

Useful questions are:

Do I feel okay about being alone in the dream or in waking life?

Are any feelings or fears about independence indicated or relevant?

What is the theme and drama of the dream adding to the aloneness? See: drama.

ALPHABET May refer to something basic to learn, being learned, or that you learned in childhood. It can also link with separate things that when put together in the right way can lead to an understanding or meaning.

Useful questions are:

Could this be about 'lessons in life'?

Am I or do I need to learn something from the beginning?

Are you feeling like a child in some way?

If you put the pieces of your experience together can you arrive at a clearer understanding?

ALTAR Symbolises the sense of awe in face of life, nature or God. Also willingness, in face of this, to sacrifice some personal desires, to that of a universal desire. Schweitzer has said that a man who picks a worm out of a puddle is acting for life as whole, not just personal self.

The altar may also depict a meeting place between your conscious personality and the forces of life - God.

Self giving - this can be a very positive action, or a sort of self punishment out of guilt. The altar can also represent standing before what you feel is of immense importance in life.

Altars can link with a place of death, but also of rebirth, and thus a meeting with the universal life of which you are a part, and are in connection with it through self sacrifice or surrender.

The altar may be used to represent your feelings about other people sacrificing you to their needs. In which case you need to define what your needs are.

Standing before the altar is something we do on special occasions such as getting married, communion, birth or dying. So depending on the contents of the dream, there may be a reference to one of these. In this sense the altar is a link between the visible and invisible, conscious and unconscious elements of you.

Like the sarcophagus it can also represent death and rebirth. As such it is a place of change, and may be a play on the word 'alter'.

What is on the altar: As the altar is basically a point of transformation and sacrifice, what is on the altar may suggest what you give the highest value to in your life, and what you worship; perhaps what you are sacrificing.

See: death and rebirth under archetypes; church.

Useful questions are:

What am I 'giving up to God', or some higher power?

What in fact do I consider is the primal cause of my life, and does the altar represent this?

Does this represent something I hold in the most high esteem?

Is there a transforming influence in my life?

What is being altered?

Do I feel I am sacrificing myself in some way?

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