| DREAM SYMBOLS: THE EARTH ELEMENTS IN YOUR DREAMS |
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| -- Dreaming Air | ||
| by Susan Harkins, AKA Rabbit |
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Have you ever seen an old story written in its original Old English or Middle English? Most likely,
you couldn't read a word of it. Well, imagine that your superconscious mind speaks in Old English
and that your subconscious mind speaks in Middle English. Now, is it little wonder you don't
understand your dreams - they're in another language! Unfortunately, there's no dream-to-conscious
dictionary you can purchase. If you want to better interpret your dreams, you need to learn the language of symbols. Generally, the meaning behind any given dream symbol is specific to the dreamer. That's because symbols have different meanings for different people. To you a dream about a giant snake might be a nightmare; a healer or snake-charmer might interpret the same dream as a very good omen! There are some universal dream symbols, however. The most common symbols are the four earth elements: air, earth, water, and fire. As physical beings, we're completely dependent on Mother Earth. So it is with our dreams. The very essence of a dream lies in the way our subconscious portrays the earth elements. Once you understand the meaning behind your dream earth elements, you'll have a good grasp of the nature of the message as a whole. More specifically, the elements point to the dreamer's state of mind. Since earth elements are present in all dreams, they're usually the best place to start when interpreting a dream. So, let's take a look at the earth elements and how the subconscious builds upon them. The most common earth element is air. By its very nature, air is in every dream - it is assumed. It only makes sense - in waking life you don't think about the air you breath as you work and play, so why should you in your dreams? But, if the air suddenly disappeared, you'd die. So, just because your subconscious isn't blowing up a hurricane doesn't mean you can ignore the air element in your dreams. In the dream world, air symbolizes collective spirit and intellect. By collective, we mean everything that's separate from us, or our ego. In other words, air represents everything about us that isn't physical. For instance, if a strong wind rips your front door off its hinges, what does that mean? It can mean many things. Most likely, the door represents that which you can open and close at will to let in or shut out the rest of the world. A strong wind most likely indicates a spiritual or intellectual delima that's leaving you exposed. On a more pleasant note, air can represent our psyche, or spirit, in its most free state. The air gives these aspects flight, the ability to take wing and fly, to soar, to reach heights impossible in the waking world. These dreams - the dreams of free-flying - are delightful and almost everyone's favorite. (Some believe flying dreams are out of body experiences, but for our purposes, we'll deal with the psychological meaning behind flight.) Simply put, if air is the spirit or intellect, and you're happily flying right through it, carefree, then something wonderful is going on in your spiritual life. You've broken free of a physical or earthly restraint and you're now totally free to become one with the spirit (or intellect, but flying dreams most often represent spirit). You've escaped an element that has kept you earthbound. Now, as we mentioned earlier, if the air about you is still, calm, and you take no notice of it in the dream, you're still getting a clue to the state of your spirit. At the very best, it represents a balance between ego and spirit. Whereas, a strong wind may represent a strong spiritual force that threatens the ego. That's why storm dreams are often so frightening - the ego is afraid. Fortunately, these dreams often herald positive spiritual change. You see, the ego fears these changes and will try to convince you not to change! When interpreting the air element, you must also consider other factors. We've already taken a look at the state of the air. Temperature is also a clue. For instance, cold air may represent a lack of emotion or a feeling of isolation; hot air may represent carnal, passionate or creative emotions. Is the air thick and hard to breath? Or is it thin? If so, you may feel overwhelmed by too much or a lack of some spiritual influence. Also, is the wind blowing about any physical debris? For instance, is the wind blowing dust in your face? If so, you may be suffering from a conflict between mind and matter, and the source is right before your eyes. Or, some earthly or physical matter is affecting your judgment. Often, as we've just seen, the elements intermingle. That's why it's so important to consider them all when interpreting a dream. Next month, we'll review the earth element itself - the element that represents the physical realm in our dreams. Good luck! |
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