DREAM SYMBOLS LETTER A
abacus keep counting; it is simple to calculate; there are many ways to add things up. What do you need to keep track of?
abnormal something is out of the ordinary; you are an exceptional person. What isn’t right in your life?
aboriginal look at the beginning; your native country; primitive. What is original in your life right now?
above as above, so below; thinking you are better than others; someone lording it over you. What’s up?
abuse hurting yourself; time to say no; speak up for yourself. Who is angry and at what?
accident consider the accident a stern teacher; not paying attention to matters that are important; check your body and car for potential problems. Where do you need to be more careful?
accounting something isn’t adding up; unbalanced; there may be an error in your financial planning. What are you not being accountable for?
ace number one; the best; needing reassurance; one quick stroke and you can win. Who has recently been “shot down in flames”?
Achilles in Greek mythology, a hero of the Trojan war; his mother dipped him into the river Styx when he was a baby, making his body invulnerable except for the heel where she held him; he died from a wound to this heel; any handsome young man; not totally invincible; know your weak spot. What part of you have you left unprotected?
acorn abundance; spiritual growth; stating small but good potential. Who is corny?
acrobat you are turning yourself inside-out; trying too hard; relax; believe more in your abilities to perform; your expectations of yourself are a little extreme. What are or who are you falling for?
actor acting a part; time to be authentic; you don’t have to tell everyone everything about yourself; be truthful and honest but protect your boundaries; describe the actors in your dream and ask yourself who they remind you of. How are you not acting like yourself?
Adam the first man is not always the one; not knowing something; naive about women; something stuck in your throat. How does your dream Adam remind you of your father?
add you need more of something; put it all together; advertise what you have. What doesn’t add up?
Adonis in Greek mythology, a beautiful youth loved by Aphrodite and Persephone; he spent the winter with Persephone in the underworld and the summer with Aphrodite; any beautiful young man. What two women do you love or who appears to be “Mr. Perfect”?
adultery something in your life has been made less or adulterated; betrayal; being cheated; a marriage that is not healthy. Who is doing the cheating?
adventure change indicated; take the risk you have been considering; explore new ideas; meet new people before making the jump. How could you make your life more adventurous?
affair time to remember something; going to a fair; a fair person coming into your life. How might you bring more excitement into a committed relationship?
afghan covering things up in a very fancy way; feeling old; needing to get cozy. Who is hounding you?
afraid life may be too dull for you; some dreams test our fears and give us ideas of how to cope. How did you handle it?
air conditioner someone needs a breath of fresh air; conditions on an inheritance. Who needs some cooling-off time?
airplane you are in the clouds; flying high; you get a higher perspective of the situation. Who has been feeling down?
airport fast change may be indicated; someone still waiting for something. Who is leaving on a jet plane and doesn’t know when they’ll be back again?
album old memories coming back; looking at the past; keeping track of things; Al, the bum. What have you stuck down and forgotten?
alcohol a changing state of awareness; “drinking in” something that changes your viewpoint; overindulgence may be indicated; caring too much about what other people think. Who has been using alcohol to get away from it all?
alien feeling strange or different; changing your self image; disconnection from the people around you and your community; a loved one may be acting strangely, as if from another planet. What part of yourself feels strange these days?
allergy something not agreeing with you; start deep-breathing exercises; watch out. What are you doing that you don’t like to do?
alley a long narrow place in your life; don’t let others bowl you over; relax and play a little; you have a friend that believes in you. Do you remember that special alley?
almond ovaries; poison; lacking in protein; a beautiful almond-eyed person. Who is “nuts” in your life, or who are you nutty over?
alone think for yourself; be still and listen; too many people around; the need to socialize; being alone doesn’t mean being lonely. Who have you cut yourself off from?
alphabet out of order; too orderly; learning; start at the beginning; sending or receiving an important letter. Where in your life do you need to get back-to-basics?
altar trying to change things; worship; something sacred; making a sacrifice; wanting to be married. What do you need to change?
altar boy you can’t change him; let the boy help out; victimized boy child. What is it that you don’t like about yourself?
aluminum foil vanity; distorted view of self; something being reflected back to you. What is your dream reflecting back to you about vanity?
Amazon female strength; feminism; conflict; a big book order. Who is the warrior woman in your life?
amber caution; slow down; you have all the time you need; a woman who reminds you of amber. Who is the fossil?
ambulance emergency; illness; health issues to look at; rushing somewhere. What is a matter of life and death?
ammunition building up stories you want to throw at people; be prepared; don’t call people names. Who is being so defensive?
amputate not all there; a piece missing. What part are you prepared to cut off to save the whole?
ancestors your past can teach you something; look at how you are similar to, or different from, the ancestors you met in your dream. What “old news” has come up again for you lately?
anchor time to stabilize; don’t make any impulsive moves right now; something weighing you down. What is anchoring you to your commitments?
angel communication with one who has passed away; giving; kind and considerate of others; you have assistance when you need it; divine protection; being very sweet. How are you inspired?
anger don’t hold all your anger in until it turns to rage; find a way to express your anger; angry with someone or something; being angry, instead of sad or afraid. What have you lost?
angle try another way of coming at it; nearly falling over; trickery; fishing. What are you trying to get?
animal listen to your instincts or intuition more; a message about your body; describe the animal. What part of yourself does the animal remind you of?
ankle attach yourself to whatever grounds you; something is bothering you that won’t go away; being stopped from moving forward. How flexible is your stance?
anniversary something important that happens once a year; buy yourself some flowers. What have you forgotten?
ant you are either working too much or not enough; industry; working hard; diligence; goal-oriented; feeling self important. (See aunt) Who is feeling “antsy” to get away?
antenna you know what’s happening; your feelers are out. How could you get “better reception” of an idea?
antique quality; solid; family history; old valuable things are coming up for you; out-of-date. What is valuable that you have been thinking about from your past?
anxious fears and worries that may lead to nothing; a feeling that matches with a waking life situation. What is it that you want so much?
apartment feeling separated; put in your place; someone who lives in an apartment; a part of your life. What have you meant to take a part in?
ape imitating someone; be yourself; swinging around. Who are you going ape over?
Aphrodite in Greek mythology, the goddess of beauty, fertility and sexual love; named Venus by the Romans; the name of a butterfly; love yourself. Who is the lovely in your life?
Apollo in Greek and Roman mythology, God of the sun, poetry, music, prophecy and healing; an extremely handsome young man. Who is handsome yet untouchable?
applause meeting a goal; achievement; needing approval; appreciating others. Who isn’t paying any attention to you?
apple you are being tempted; needing more information; you have the knowledge to do whatever you need to do; the “apple of your eye”. Who is seducing you?
appliance needing a tool for something; things running smoothly. What are you not applying or what doesn’t apply to you?
appointment meeting someone; furnishing your place; stop pointing fingers at others; a new position. What are you appointing yourself to do?
apron mother; nurturing; dependency; time to untie or cut the strings that bind you. What is being covered up?
aquarium feeling exposed; being confined; limited; needing to set limits; living without privacy. Where is something “fishy” going on?
archer poor aim, not sending your message to the right place; a person born between Nov. 21 and Dec. 21. (See arrow) Have you missed the mark or have you hit the bull’s-eye?
arena competition; playing a game and winning; feeling pressure to perform; some arena in your life needs attention; performing for someone rather than being yourself. Who isn’t being a good sport?
argument using reason; getting your own way; putting your point across. Who has to be right all the time?
ark your energy is streaming; piece of a whole; life-saving vessel. Who has been throwing you a “curve ball”?
arm give someone (or yourself) a hug; holding someone at arm’s length; power; authority. What do you need to “take up arms” for, or against?
armour exposed; vulnerable; changing career paths; hiding from something; in need of protection. What part of yourself are you covering up?
army you need to find support; get others on your side of the issue; conforming to tradition; being ordered around; getting your marching papers; leaving a job. Who is doing all the ordering around?
arrow honesty; fairness; goals indicated; a good time to change direction; someone on the straight and narrow; getting pierced. (See archer) Who needs to improve their aim?
art think about your problem in a different way; unconventional; unusual; needing to express something; you like what you like; Art may come for a visit. How are you stifling your creativity?
Artemis in Greek mythology, virgin goddess of the hunt and of forests; the moon and wild animals; strong feminine element; assertive; bold; directed. What valuable lesson is this dream huntress teaching you?
Arthur legendary king of ancient Britain who gathered about him the famous group of Round Table knights; honourable leadership; compassion; understanding; young male indicated; a good night; someone named Arthur. What honoura ble man has been deceived by his wife and best friend?
artificial something not real for you; false; get back to the natural way. Who is being fake?
ashamed doing something wrong; speaking before you think things through; taking too much responsibility for others’ actions; looking at what you feel guilty about and making amends; asking for forgiveness. How do you feel about your body?
ashes ending; sadness; cleansing of old wounds; all burned up over something; time to quit smoking. What have you discarded lately, but are having trouble letting go of?
assassin getting rid of something important; desperate. Who are you getting to change you?
assault feeling under attack; surprising anger from someone; someone giving you a hard time; check your salt intake. What problem do you need to attack in your life?
assembly line repetition and boredom; a chane may be indicated; looking at your role in putting something together. What needs to be put together, or taken apart?
astonished you have great gifts; don’t be surprised at how well you do; there is wonder all around you. What do you think can’t happen?
astronaut getting away fast; ungrounded; spending more time traveling in inner space; needing to protect yourself from something in your environment. Who is the “space cadet”?
asylum confinement; not fitting in; social rejection; starting another crazy project; over-protecting someone. What are you running away from?
Athena in Greek mythology, goddess of wisdom, arts, industries and warfare; associated with the Roman goddess Minerva; she sprang fully armed from Zeus’s forehead; “daddy’s little girl”. Who is the creative, wise and disciplined woman that you know?
athlete exertion; physical strain; working too hard; pay attention to your physical condition. Who is being competitive and pushing themselves to the limit?
atom bomb uncontrolled anger and aggression; threat to your well- being; unreasonable; needing to leave a violent person; something feels like the end of the world. What would you like to “blow up”?
attack victimization; unfairly judged; vulnerable and afraid; you just might need to attack that problem head-on; afraid of facing something. How are you acting too passively?
attic don’t depend on your mind for all the answers; keeping something to yourself; it’s time to tell someone about it; secrets hidden in your mind. What memories do you need to dust off and have a look at?
auction someone else judging your worth and it feels uncomfortable; something sold to the highest bidder. Who are you ready to forgive?
audience feeling unappreciated and ignored; someone is starting to pay attention to the work you have contributed; show off what you have done; listen to others; being watched; performing. Who always sits passively on the sidelines, waiting to be entertained?
audition performance anxiety; concern about remembering your part; you are better at something than you think you are; trying to please someone. Who is your competition for the leading role?
auditorium listen to your inner voice; enlarge your physical, emotional and spiritual space. Where are you having trouble listening?
aunt female member of your family; someone who is like your mother, a kind friend who will listen; ruining the picnic. (See ant) Who acts like Auntie Mame?
author being directed by others; needing to pull back and write your own life story; time to update those old life scripts; you are the author of your life. What needs to be recorded about your life, besides your dreams, of course?
automatic not conscious of what you are doing; losing yourself; not thinking. What are you doing without thinking?
automobile moving automatically; acting like you should, instead of how you want to act; get into “the driver’s seat”. (See car) How are you acting like the automobile in your dream?
autumn finishing something that you have enjoyed; falling off; preparing for a time of hibernation; a time of maturity. Who is ready to go back to school?
avalanche overwhelmed by emotion; overworked; buried under a lot of feelings that are difficult to express; something roaring down on you fast; it might be time for you to get moving. What is out of control and about to bury you?
Avalon from Celtic legend; an earthly paradise in the western seas to which King Arthur and other heroes were carried at death; making your life a paradise; a trip to England may be indicated. Where is your paradise?
avenue approach or departure; passage to fame; right angles to another approach; dress up and show yourself off. Which other avenue could you explore?
avocado not eating enough of the right kinds of fat; something rich and smooth; give yourself a facial. Who is rich and full of potential?
award success; winning at the game of life; gaining recognition that is long deserved; receiving a prize; persevering; an award is due. Who is the hero?
awkward young; feeling unsure of what to do; embarrassed. Where do you feel out of place?
axe losing a job or an important position; fear and rage; you have been “grinding that axe” long enough, let it go; a “battle-axe”; trying to hack off part of yourself. What part of your life are you ready to hack off?
“There is no wrong way to dream.”
Joan Duncan
Letter A
I am having dinner with my daughter. I say to her, “You’re not going to drive to Toronto with your brakes in that condition are you?” Next, I am observing. My daughter and son-in-law are driving to Toronto and they are involved in a bad accident. I wake up with strong emotions of panic, anxiety and a sense of urgency. By Georgina 
When I looked up dinner, nurturing seemed to be the right association for me. For daughter I felt the dream was pointing to my waking life daughter, rather than a younger part of myself. For brakes, the question stood out, “When did you last have your brakes checked?” I looked up observe and felt that this might be a warning dream. Under accident, I found another warning to check one’s car for potential problems. Then I looked up emotions because they’d been so strong upon awakening and read “a call to action”. I didn’t need to look up any more words. Because I had just had the brakes done on my own car, I knew I had to take action and mention this dream to my daughter.
The next day, Sunday, I was babysitting for my daughter and son-in-law. They had planned a 60-mile drive on a six-lane highway. Although I wanted to say something about their brakes, I felt a little silly since it was only a dream. “Would they think I was nuts?” I wondered. But whenever I tried to dismiss it from mind, the emotion of that dream would resurface and I’d feel an even stronger urgency to speak. Finally, I asked my daughter if the brakes were okay on both their cars.
On Tuesday, my daughter phoned. “Thanks Mom,” she says.
“What for?” I ask.
In my Dream Journal, I wrote a note of thanks to my self. I now had a heightened respect for the wisdom of dreams and resolved to be more open to other possible dream warnings. I believe dreams reveal to us a possible future but it can be changed by our response/actions that we take to the dream.