The ancient Jews strongly believed that God communicated with them directly or by way of angel/messenger through dreams. This contrast with the Greek concept wherein dreams originating from the realm of the dead.

There are many Cabalistic writings, Hasidic scriptures, the Babylonion Talmud and the Old Testament which contain many references to dreamsthat had divine revelation as part of their content. In the Talmud, for example, we find a rabbi interpreting a dreamof a man pouring oil on a palm tree as an indication of incestuous urges for his mother.

Some interesting dreams in the ancient past:

• Joseph intepreted the dream of a pharaoh, because of the failure of the Eqyptian interpreters to satisfy their king. This dream involved the replacement of seven fat sheaves of grain by seven withered ones, then of seven thin cows consuming seven fat cows. Joseph’s analysis was that there would be seven years of famine following the previous seven years of plenty. That is exactly what happened!
•  Jacob changed his name to Israel and eventually sired 12 sons. The 12 tribe of Israel were the descendants of these 12 sons. The dream Jacob had proved quite prophetic and changed the course of Jewish history.
• another great dream involved Moses. He woke up int he middle of the night after “wrestling with an angel” and cajoled his wife to circumcise their son. By this act, Moses and his son converted from being Egyptian to that of Judaism. Eventually, Moses would lead his people out of Egyptian bondage during the Exodus, bring the Ten Commandments to them as law and guid them to the Promised Land.

The head Druid priest in ancient Celtic societies would be instructed in his dream state to offer himself as a sacrifice to save his people in times of great danger.

It was their belief that by submission to a triple death- by strangling, cutting and either drawing or burning-his soul’s energy would be unleashed and assist with the community’s protection. This was achieved by his soul working in conjunction with the gods.

The Oneirocritica is a five volume work of the Greek Artemidorus (second century A.D.) which is the first significant published work on dreams.

Artemidorus wrote that:

• a dream was unique to the individual.
• dream is underlined with the principle of association - a dream image evokes some image or meaning in the conscious mind.
• stated that dreams are infused into men for their advantages and instruction

Dreams and Health:

Interestingly,Hippocrates the reknown physician (460B.C. -360B.C.) felt that the stars, moon and sun represented the organic state of the body in a dream. He felt that if dream stars shine brightly and follow their natural orbit, the dreamer’s body is functioning normally. If dream stars become clouded or fall from their orbit or a cosmic catastrophe occurs, some disease is taking shape in the body.

Prodromic dreams(other names like precognitive, prophetic, prognostic and theorematic) are those that reflect symptoms of an illness just before they actually manifest in the body. Hippocrates deduced that certain dream images of health such as white clothing, bright stars, radiant sunshine or mightly rivers, could be used to restore health. He based this approach on the accuracy of these Prodromic dreams.

In the ancient past in Rome, dreams were taken very seriously by the Romans and they literally helped shape history.

One such infamous character is Julius Caesar and his dreams.

(a) Julius Caesar had a dream during which he had intercourse with his mother. This occured on his way back from Gaul. The interpretation was that he was destined to conquer the ” motherland”. Caesar did take over as the emperor of Rome shortly after this.

(b) Caesar also dreamt that he had ascended above the clouds and shake the god Jupiter’s hand. This was accompanied by his wife’s equally precognitive dream of him in her arms stabbed as he lay in a gable ornament shaped like a temple. All of these signs including the famous “beware the Ides of March” were however ignored by Caesar and his assassination from the stabbing by several senators took place on the Ides of March in 44B.C.

In the ancient time, the Roman Catholic Church took a very narrow minded view towards dreams. Hence, the authorities saw to it that dreams were condemned. Dreams not sanctioned by ecclesiastical authorities were assumed to originate from the devil.

The Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches still maintain this stance.

In the ancient past, the Chinese felt that dreams occurred when the soul or called the hun temporarily left the physical body. This hun could converse with souls of the dead, the gods or other spirits.

As late as the 14th century A.D. all visitors to an important city spent the night in an incubation temple so that they could receive messages from the gods.

According to Islamic tradition, the Prophet Mohammed considered dreams a conversation between man and his God. However their attitude was quite contrast as unimportant people did not need to dream- a slave’s dream was really meant for his master, the child for its parent and that of the wife must be for her husband.

A prayer ritual or istipara was known in Islamic societies where a special prayer was recited just before sleep in order to elicit an answer to a difficult problem. Potion/drugs were sometimes used to induce dreams by the Dervishes(a Muslim ascetic order) and the people of Kurdistan ( a mountainous and plateau region in Iraq)

The Chester Beatty papyrus kept by the ancient Egyptian priests which dates back to approximately 2,000 B.C., is one of the earliest record on Egyptian man dreaming.

The ancient Eqyptian believed that:

• dreams were messages from their gods
• interpretations of dreams should be based on the theory of opposites for example say that a dream of death represented an omen of long life

The men selected to interpret these dreams in ancient Egypt were called ” Masters of the Secret Things ” or ” Scribes of the Double House”. A disturbed individual slept in the temple following the administration of a potion to promote dreaming. The priest would then interpret the dream and give advice of its cure.

Incidentally, the ancient Hindu scriptures known as the Puranas reported that dreams were also messages from gods. The Upanishad (approximately 1,000B.C) states that dreams took place in a land between the real and the promixed world. This dream would freed us from inhibitions to allow our true nature to surface.

Many scholars feel that the concept of a soul and its existence after death of the physical body originates from dreams of primitive man.

Apart from some dream symbols which are quite universal like the dove a symbol of peace but after, when analzing the meaning of a dream symbol is the way it relates to your own personal experience.More important is that the feeling, tone and setting of a dreams as well as its images and events all have to be taken into consideration when we are exploring the possible meanings of dream symbols and what they mean to us on a personal level.

Append below is a basic guide to Dream Symbols and its meaning:
School:

• a classroom typically represents learning but it can also mean competition or public esteem
• dreaming about being back in the classroom can indicate feelings of inadequacy especially if the dream centres around unpleasant school experiences.
• schools can also symbolize nostalgia, a desire to relive a feeling of ambition or joy from an earlier stage in life

Sea:

• large bodies of water generally represent the unconscious so the sea could indicate your emotional state
• are you feeling lost in a small boat or safe in large one? is the water calm or are you overwhelmed by hugh waves? are you afraid of monsters that lurk in the water/
• it is particular important to take note of the emotional atmosphere of the dream

Sex:

• a complex area with a broad range of meanings depending entirely on the individual
• generally having sex or seeing others having sex could be a straightforward expression of sexual desire, a desire to bond, or an indication of repressed desires for love
• dreaming about sex with someone “inappropriate” does not necessarily mean you harbor secret desires.

Slope:

• trying to ascend a slippery slope is a common dream which suggests that you are failing to progress in a certain area.
• stumbling or slipping down the slop may signify that you are forcing yourself to do things which go against your nature.

Stranger:

• in Freudian terms, meeting a stranger in a dream may symbolize meeting a part of your own unconscious personality.

Teeth (loosing):

• whether they fall out in one go or slowly crumble, dreaming of losing teeth is very common and slightly alarming.
• such a dream may reflect fear of ageing (and loss of sexual attractiveness) fear of losing poser and control or fear of change.

Tests/Examinations:

• in dreams examinations can stand for success or (fear of) failure in any area of your personal or professional life.
• sitting the examination for which you have not prepared or in a subject you haven’t studied is a classic fear of failure dream
• conversely passing an exam or test could be seen as a metaphor for having succeeded in something.

Tower:

• could be a symbol of caution and vigilance (symbolized by a watchtower) or imprisonment ( a guard tower ).
• it could also be an ivory tower representing arrogance and aloofness

Train:

• a missed train could symbolize missed opportunities in life as could being on the wrong train or missing a stop.
• travelling smoothing down the railway track may mean staying “on track” in life
• according to Freudian interpretation, the train represents the penis and entering the tunnel (representing the vagina) is a symbol of sexual intercourse.

Violence:

• horrifying scenes of vilence or destruction may represent an overwhelming fear of loss of power or control
• if you are been violent, this could represent a struggle for self-assertion or a deep-rooted anger and resentment.
• directed at you (rather than inflicted by you), violence often represents a sense of guilt and a desire for self-punishment.

Apart from some dream symbols which are quite universal like the dove a symbol of peace but after, when analzing the meaning of a dream symbol is the way it relates to your own personal experience.More important is that the feeling, tone and setting of a dreams as well as its images and events all have to be taken into consideration when we are exploring the possible meanings of dream symbols and what they mean to us on a personal level.

Append below is a basic guide to Dream Symbols and its meaning:
Falling:

• psychologists have speculated that fearful dreams are rooted in early childhood, when you learn to take your first steps.
• some scientists have offered a physiological explanation-that your muscles relax as you fall asleep and the falling sensation is the result of an involunatary muscle spasm, which become incorporated into a dream.

Fire:

• a complex symbol meaning many different things including passion, anger, illumination and danger
• Fire can purge as well as consume, purify as well as destroy
• an out of control fire in a dream could be a sign of unbridled passion or ambition

Fish:

• large areas of water represent the unconsciousness so any creature living in water can represent a message or insight from the unconscious.
• fish explore the depth of the ocean and are therefore positive symbols for anyone wanting to explore their own depths

Flower:

• is a natural symbol of beauty,fragility, harmlessness and the attraction of bees to nectar
• in Asian yoga teaching flowers represent the psychic centres, or chakras on which to focus meditation.

Flying or Floating:

• one of the most common explanations of a flying dream is that it represents an ability to cope with life, rising above it and viewing it from an objective standpoint
• could also indicate a love of risk-taking and adventure
• if you are flying in a bed or an armchair or even on a carpet this suggest a desire for adventure but within the confines of comfort and security.

Forest:

• a dark forest is a symbol of the unconscious so venturing into a forest can be seen as an exploration of the unconscious mind
• a forest can also represent a refuge from the demands of everyday life.

Giant:

• a giant can be a friendly or scary symbol either helpful and protective or terrifying.
• because of its size, a giant could represent something large or overwhelming in the dreamer’s life, a gigantic obstacle that needs to be overcome.

Horse:

• this powerful animal represents noble action.
• in general it is a symbol of humankind’s harnessing of the wild forces of natures
• if you are riding a horse in your dream it could indicate that you are in control of your life
• it could also represent your own emotional state if the horse is running away with you or if you are reining it in your dream.

Hospital:

• is a place for healing and getting back into the flow of life.
• could suggest that you may need to pay some attention to your health.

House:

• usually interpreted as representing the dreamer.
• the living rooms of the house represent everyday life, the attic represents the higher self and the cellar represent the unconscioous.
• the state of the house is also relevant-is it dark and cramped or light and airy? is it untidy? do you get lost in it? Is is undergoing construction? is it being decorated?

Interviews:

• having to undergo an interview in a dream can induce the same feelings of anxiety as sitting an examination.
• the people on an interview panel could represent aspects of the dreamer, suggesting self-dissatisfaction or judgement

Island:

• finding yourself on an island in a dream may mean that you need peace and solitude
• also suggest that you are afraid of venturing into your unconscious mind ( represented by the surrounding water) and prefer to stay on firm ground.

Mirror:

• a classic identity crisis dream is one in which you look into a mirror and see someone else’s face. The reflection may give you a clue to the nature of the identity problem.
• a cracked or clouded mirror reflects the distorted face(or image) you may be presnting to the world.

Monster:

• appearance of a monster in a dream is usually caused by repressed emotions and fears.
• could also represent a part of your personality that you consider unpleasant or ugly.

Mother:

• symbolically a mother presents giving life, love and nourishment.
• being the mother in a dream denotes taking care of yourself or of a significant relationship in your life.
• the meaning of a dream about your own mother would depend entirely on your relationship with her although the dream be telling you something about that relationship.

Mountain:

• climbing a mountain and reaching the top could be a symbol of achieving your goals in life
• surveying the landscape from the top of a mountain could represent looking at life objectively or assessing it without emotional attachement
• descending a mountain could mean letting go of insurmountable issues.

Nakedness in Public:

• depends on how it feels to you.
• if you experience feelings of embarrassment, shame and exposure then this may reflect problems you have with feeling shy or socially inadequate.
• if however, no-one seems to notice or care it could mean that you are happy to reveal your “real self” to others

Office:

• if you dream about your office, this could simply be an indication that you are bringing work home with you annd into your dreams
• an office can also symbolize authority or your professional position in the world.

Paralyzed:

• being rooted to the spot but feeling desperate to escape is a fairly classic anxiety dream.
• the physical paralysis could be a reflection of an emotional paralysis-perhaps you feel unable or reluctant to make changes in your life or to make a decision or maybe you are frustrated about a situation over which you feel you have no control.

River:

• as with the sea, a river is a large body of water and generally represents emotion.
• watching a river flow passively may indicate that life is passing by without enough direction
• if the river is bursting its banks, you may feel out of control
• crossing a river by a bridge may symbolize a change in life or avoiding a flood of passion by observing the water from a safe position.

Road:

• in dreams road represent a direction or goal in life
• if the road is straight and narrow, you may feel that you are on the right path
• if it is winding or bumpy, your plans may be vague or you may be meeting with unexpected changes or obstacles.
• if you never get to your destination, something could be preventing you from reaching your goal.