Is it necessary to interpret dream signs?

A lot of my dreams contain shopping. In the past ten nights for example, shopping has come up six times. This is not really a concern at first, as it's a dream sign, but the minute I try to interpret it, I get all these things about having something missing in my life. Now, in my dreams I usually shop for lots of different things from night to night, hence were I to interpret all those I'd be missing a lot of things in my life.

I don't really believe this to be true, but some say you MUST interpret dream signs. What do you think?

In my opinion, unless it's a very different sort of dream or stirs someone up enough, it should be subject to interpretation. But daily dream signs and all, I don't pay much attention to. There isn't such thing as "must" in terms of interpreting our dreams.

To be continually shopping means you can't make decisions/choices or you are searching for something and not finding it.

Yeah lucidity ;)

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Originally Posted by cyanidebaby

A lot of my dreams contain shopping. In the past ten nights for example, shopping has come up six times. This is not really a concern at first, as it's a dream sign, but the minute I try to interpret it, I get all these things about having something missing in my life. Now, in my dreams I usually shop for lots of different things from night to night, hence were I to interpret all those I'd be missing a lot of things in my life.

I don't really believe this to be true, but some say you MUST interpret dream signs. What do you think?

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No "must" about it. There is so much not understood about dreams that if anyone offers you some kind of certainty about the subject, then resist.

I've been dreaming about camping a lot lately, which is weird as unlike you and shopping, I never go camping. Do I know what it means? Nope. Is my mind wandering into some imagery that has its roots in something else going on unconsciously? Probably.

In your case, does the interpretation seem right - the one about things missing in life? Because it might not be right. It might mean something else for you. Shopping for lots of different things might mean that you want to buy things you can't find in life for free. It might mean that you are attracted by the idea of newness, feeling that your life is getting rather tired at present. It might be metaphorical and you want to make new intimate relationships, or find new inspirations.

Do any of these resonate? Or perhaps you find a huge resistance to one of them, and that'll be the right one! (Which is why you dream it rather than think it).

Dear BU,
Camping can symbolically mean that you desire a more simple, grounded, and peaceful "back to basics" style of life. Camping activities usually contain a larger element of deliberate restful peace and a simplification of the basic activities of daily survival. Your food is cooked simply and tastes better out in the fresh air. Sitting around the campfire brings an inner peace and invites conversation/communion, laughter, and stories...or if alone.... a warm dancing quiet. Sleeping on the ground brings us an image of groundedness in this world. Walking in the woods can invoke a sense of God's presence, as it grows and developes without any input from man. The smells of the earth, trees, water, and the smoke of the campfire.......what does it say to you?

Depends, because I've realized today that all the things I'm shopping for are cryptically related to a very significant person in my life, someone who is currently far away, and I've been trying to LD with for a while. Firstly, I interpreted an item I bought simply, as an item, but is it possible it could be a name? Next I was shopping for his favourite sweets. What if this is just incubation gone cryptic crossword? I've been trying to dream of him, but instead I buy his favourite things and the ring he bought me in dreams. What do you think?

Other shopping trips have involved buying confectionery specifically to suit those with allergies, but I have also shopped for pets to share with people. The most resonating thing about these dreams is that my aunt or sister is nearly always with me.

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Originally Posted by underhiswing

Dear BU,
Camping can symbolically mean that you desire a more simple, grounded, and peaceful "back to basics" style of life. Camping activities usually contain a larger element of deliberate restful peace and a simplification of the basic activities of daily survival. Your food is cooked simply and tastes better out in the fresh air. Sitting around the campfire brings an inner peace and invites conversation/communion, laughter, and stories...or if alone.... a warm dancing quiet. Sleeping on the ground brings us an image of groundedness in this world. Walking in the woods can invoke a sense of God's presence, as it grows and developes without any input from man. The smells of the earth, trees, water, and the smoke of the campfire.......what does it say to you?

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Hey, thanks. I really want to go camping now!!! I like the idea of simplicity.

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Originally Posted by cyanidebaby

Depends, because I've realized today that all the things I'm shopping for are cryptically related to a very significant person in my life, so, I'm seeking to get closer to that person might you say? I'm also usually shopping with my aunt or sister, any ideas with that? Oh and I'm shopping for people with allergies a lot as well.

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Now, that IS an interesting observation. And do you think you want to get close to that person? Or are you trying to buy that person? Do you feel closer to that person by buying these items? (Don't think too hard - what comes to mind?)

Aunt or sister. Hmmmm. If you'd have said mother I'd have gone down the nurturing route. What do you associate with your aunt and sister?
Allergies? Never come across that one. What kind of things are you buying - medicines? Food? Hygiene stuff?

Hmmm, I updated my last post to make my thoughts more clear, thanks for all your help so far...What do you think now? As for my sister, she's a very lovely, sweet, kind person and I admire her greatly. My aunt is a little more difficult to pin down dreamwise, but she too is helpful, mild-mannered and self-sacrificing.

More specifically with the allergies, in the first dream, I was shopping with my aunt, and decided to buy a gingerbread man each for the rest of my family. Before I bought them, I realised that my sister was allergic, so I bought her a tiny, knitted gingerbread man instead. In another dream, I was buying chocolate for my grandma, who has the same condition as my sister, and I was carefully choosing which was the nicest one she was allowed. HOWEVER, the other significant person I was talking about before also has severe allergies.

Sweets can reflect temptation and can be a replacement for "love" (think of valentines day). It looks like you are expressing love to and "buying love" for the people in your life including the gentleman. The females are probably parts of yourself...wanting to be loved again. What do you think?

Thanks.

Some of that makes sense :)

I still wonder whether this could be a failed incubation that's gone wildly cryptic. Far-fetched, yes, but I'm really into incubation, and I've just realized one of my favourite songs contains the name of a very famous shopping centre in my home town, I've obviously also been thinking about my partner a lot since he went away, so there's a chance that his stuff has filled the shops there because I've had that song on repeat. I'm switching to more 'dreamy' songs tonight and I'll test.

PS. A lot of that might sound deluded, sorry :)

OK, so the allergy connection is as you say. Not sure how the knitted gingerbread man arises - sounds very specific and likely relates to something in your life (yes, it can be cryptic).

I'm not convinced about the shopping centre connection. Does it seem right to you? If so then it probably is. But unless that song, and that part of it, has some kind of significance to you it seems unlikely to be what's affecting the dreaming so much.

Underhiswing makes some good suggestions. I mentioned the "buying love" bit earlier and still think there's something in that. The females certainly are projections because that's what dreams are. The question is - why are you projecting these people? We seem to project onto others those attributes we don't see in our selves. So when you're shopping together, those attributes you listed earlier could well be those that you need but don't feel you already have (inner sweetness, or whatever). I suspect it's something to do with feeling secure.

I'm no expert at incubation. But what little I've tried has certainly manifested itself in ways I didn't intend, so the cryptic stuff you're getting doesn't surprise me.

I looked up gingerbread house and gingerbread in one of my dream dictionaries. There was no entry for gingerbread man specifically, but the man probably represents your man (or your concepts and thoughts regarding him) The definitions are listed here for you;
Gingerbread=consitutes a nourishing factor that serves to settle temporary emotional upsets.
Gingerbread House=warns of self induced perspective on one's personal life as being the epitome of sweet perfection. May indicate a tendency to overdo the ornamentation in one's life. Excessive affectations.

To knit can mean to fabricate (as in making something out of nothing much. ie. a sweater out of hair), or to blend/bind together (as in the healing process of broken bones are said to "knit together")