Thread: Please allow me to introduce myself

Hi babylemonade,



This is a great website, and I think you'll love it here.

Plus I think most of us are agreed that all those Dream Dictionaries etc are just full of crap - dream symbols are very dynamic and responsive to you and your personal situation at a given time... a cat can mean one thing to you and something else to a different person - it can mean something completley different to you at different times or in different contexts. I mean, this is true about any symbol... in any situation - not just dreams. Words for instance... look how they can be manipulated to mean so many different things according to context.

Not only that, but those dictionaries and websites assume that symbols are pretty static and simple. Example, what if you dream of 20 cats - one is a favorite kitten you had when you were 12 who died and lef you heartbroken, one is a mean scarfaced cat who attacked you last year, and the rest all have totally different meanings to you as well. How does a list of symbols help you make meaning of that?

Although I want to add, it's not a bad idea to look over what they say some of the symbols mean, sometimes they may be close or help you to reach an understanding of some dream symbol you're struggling with. Just don't assume what they say is always 100% right and you'll be fine.

Hi again Darkmatters!

You just perfectly stated why I've had misgivings about Dream Dictionaries. A dog may mean something happy and fun to one person, but I had a phobia of dogs for years, so seeing a dog can mean something completely different to me. That's why I've decided dream journaling would be much more beneficial.

...I'm a GIRL of wealth and taste. Well, taste anyway.

lol way to spell girl in all caps

*shrug* I just wanted to make a distinction from the original lyric (It's from "Sympathy for the Devil")

Originally Posted by babylemonade

Hi again Darkmatters!

You just perfectly stated why I've had misgivings about Dream Dictionaries. A dog may mean something happy and fun to one person, but I had a phobia of dogs for years, so seeing a dog can mean something completely different to me. That's why I've decided dream journaling would be much more beneficial.

Absolutely! If you're interested in dream interpretation, you might also want to look into the theories about it by Freud and CG Jung - and I"m sure there are more modern theories based off their pioneering work. Of course, Freud has been largely deposed because of his ideas about all dreams being wish fulfilments and all stemming from childhood sexual trauma etc - but I've read his amazing book On The Interpretation of Dreams and, as long as you understand these problems with his concepts, there's no better guide (that I'm aware of) to HOW to read a dream and understand what it means.

Jung came after Freud and started as his desciple but turned away due to the aforementioned problems and IMO (as well as a lot of other peoples' - like for instance the entire psychotherapy institution's) improved greatly on Freud's work. Really though, because Freud's book was so amazing in most respects, I don't think Jung ever wrote his own re-covering the same ground, just published his own related theories in some of his own books, so I'd recommend reading Freud and Jung both.

That's if you're really interested and committed and have a lot of reading time on your hands and want to devote a lot of time to understanding it (like I did!)

Hi and welcome!

I wouldn't totally disregard dream dictionaries, because every once in a while you might read something there that makes a lot of sense, especially with recurring dreams.
I used to dream that I was driving a car but I would always crash it into something, or that I wanted to stop it but instead it would only go faster, or it wouldn't go the way I wanted, etc.

I was curious if this could have a meaning so I looked it up. Turned out it did have a meaning and it made a lot of sense. The way they put it is that the car represented me or my life and the fact that I kept crashing it or going the wrong way meant that I was not satisfied with the way it was, or that deep down I believed it was heading down a wrong path.
To be fair, I didn't exactly need to read that to know I was not happy with some things in my life lol, but it did make a difference to me because I started to act on it, began trying to change what I felt was wrong.

Like the example I gave there were other things that I researched and that made sense. There were also other things that were ... hum... crap.

Hi babylemonade, and welcome - I'm new around here too.

As for dream signs, I think DarkMatters was pretty much spot on - look at the suggested meanings and adapt it to fit you personally, if they make any sense at all.

How's it going, babylemonade? Welcome to Dream Views. I think Darkmatters covered it pretty well. I think nothing can really pin down what symbolism means to someone else, subjectively. For example, if you take someone who lives in upstate New York, and someone who lives in Alaska, they are probably going to have different reasons for dreaming about subway trains, ya know?

I think you'll like it, here. This is a great community, and you can probably find pretty much anything you might need to know about dreams and lucidity. I would definitely advise starting up a dream journal, so it's good that you're considering it. Heh.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask around, and enjoy your stay!

Welcome!

You'll find people here to be very helpful and friendly. I'm also new to the site and to lucid dreaming. Start up a dream journal and feel free to ask any questions you may have. I've found there is always someone with a good suggestion or idea.

If you need help with Dream Interpretation my suggestion is look up a Dream Dictionary (there are several so find one you like or cross-reference when lost) and just work at extracting the symbols and examining them yourself. If you ever need help and DI isn't being helpful feel free to PM me (I don't usually wander from Off-Topic threads so probably wouldn't see your post)

Originally Posted by babylemonade

...I'm a GIRL

Oh for fuck's sakes, like we need any more of those around...

Originally Posted by babylemonade

My waking life has been really wonky lately,

^ Turned my otherwise shitty day around. Wonky. Lulz. Sentence fragment. semi-colon;

Anyway, welcome to DV, babylemonade. =D

Puffin's Beginner's Guide To Lucid Dreaming is a great place to start learning about lucid dreams. You should also browse the Tutorial section when you get the chance, it's full of information, tips, and in-depth guides. On top of that, you can also visit the DV Academy for further guidance - the DVA Professors will teach you everything you'll ever need to know about lucid dreaming.

You might also want to get into the habit of performing reality checks (maybe two or three) throughout your day, you'll eventually start doing them in dreams and become lucid. I usually count my fingers but feel free to look up other methods and see which works best for you. I'd also recommend keeping a dream journal; regularly recording your dreams is a great way to improve to improve recall and you'll be able to notice common themes and patterns which can further help you attain lucidity.

We also have an off-topic section as well where you can discuss anything from books, movies, tv shows, philosophy, current events, etc so be sure to visit that part of the forum as well. If you ever get bored or need to kill time, visit Senseless Banter. It's full of nonsensical threads like forum games and the SB frequenter's are a friendly bunch so feel free to drop in sometime. We also have an IRC Chat Server which can be found near the top of the forum index. 'tis lulz.

Also, if you're a fan of My little Pony: Friendship is Magic, I'll totally let you be my BFF. Hell, I'll probably let you be my BFF even if you don't watch the show and you loathe those ponies with a passion; I just really want a BFF.

Double also,



Don't do meth.

You were right to capitalise girl. It should've been the first thing I said when I registered.

Originally Posted by GavinGill

Oh for fuck's sakes, like we need any more of those around...


^ Turned my otherwise shitty day around. Wonky. Lulz. Sentence fragment. semi-colon;

Anyway, welcome to DV, babylemonade. =D

Translation = guy is horny.

Puffin's Beginner's Guide To Lucid Dreaming is a great place to start learning about lucid dreams. You should also browse the Tutorial section when you get the chance, it's full of information, tips, and in-depth guides. On top of that, you can also visit the DV Academy for further guidance - the DVA Professors will teach you everything you'll ever need to know about lucid dreaming.

You might also want to get into the habit of performing reality checks (maybe two or three) throughout your day, you'll eventually start doing them in dreams and become lucid. I usually count my fingers but feel free to look up other methods and see which works best for you. I'd also recommend keeping a dream journal; regularly recording your dreams is a great way to improve to improve recall and you'll be able to notice common themes and patterns which can further help you attain lucidity.

We also have an off-topic section as well where you can discuss anything from books, movies, tv shows, philosophy, current events, etc so be sure to visit that part of the forum as well. If you ever get bored or need to kill time, visit Senseless Banter. It's full of nonsensical threads like forum games and the SB frequenter's are a friendly bunch so feel free to drop in sometime. We also have an IRC Chat Server which can be found near the top of the forum index. 'tis lulz.

Also, if you're a fan of My little Pony: Friendship is Magic, I'll totally let you be my BFF. Hell, I'll probably let you be my BFF even if you don't watch the show and you loathe those ponies with a passion; I just really want a BFF.

Double also,



Don't do meth.

It is probably better to do math instead of meth?

Originally Posted by SuperMunkey

You were right to capitalise girl. It should've been the first thing I said when I registered.

Why?

Originally Posted by eldante

Why?

Have you ever been to a bar? It's kind of like that. But on the internet. On a forum. About lucid dreaming. Yeah.

I totally called the beginning, well except the GIRL part...

Originally Posted by GavinGill

Have you ever been to a bar? It's kind of like that. But on the internet. On a forum. About lucid dreaming. Yeah.

Should I be worried then?

I agree that dreams are highly symbolic, but deciphering that symbolism takes more than a one-size-fits-all online dictionary. Hopefully, a dream journal can help keep track of what different symbols mean to you, individually.

Originally Posted by Robot_Butler

I agree that dreams are highly symbolic, but deciphering that symbolism takes more than a one-size-fits-all online dictionary. Hopefully, a dream journal can help keep track of what different symbols mean to you, individually.

Even then, things change and evolve. For instance I dreamed once I was in a tornado. I was like about 4 years old and I thought the tornado was some sort of animal and huge and destructive. 7 years Later I dreamed a tornado took me away from my home and dropped me to die. That was because my parents died and I was taken from my home. In that dream I managed to land in a large haystack and stay alive.

Thanks for all your tips, guys! I'm glad I joined.

I started a dream journal this morning in a notebook. I'm wondering if there's any specific details I should be writing down? I wrote about what I saw, where I was and how I felt. What else should I focus on?

Originally Posted by babylemonade

Thanks for all your tips, guys! I'm glad I joined.

I started a dream journal this morning in a notebook. I'm wondering if there's any specific details I should be writing down? I wrote about what I saw, where I was and how I felt. What else should I focus on?

Personally, I would just say to go with the the flow of what just seems natural for you. Everyone is unique.

Originally Posted by babylemonade

Should I be worried then?

Unless you're on meth, then you have $15 to look forward to. :]

Originally Posted by babylemonade

I started a dream journal this morning in a notebook. I'm wondering if there's any specific details I should be writing down? I wrote about what I saw, where I was and how I felt. What else should I focus on?

Whatever seems relevant or important to you. After a few entries, you should start noticing some patterns or common dream signs and once you do, try to focus on these things and describe them with as much detail as you can. Other than that, like eldante said, just go with the flow.

Hi there lemons.

Originally Posted by babylemonade

I started a dream journal this morning in a notebook.

Just thought I should point out that if you don't want to make your dream journal entries public, just don't publish them. Save them as drafts instead of clicking "post now," that way you're free to write about all the filthy things you get up to in your dreams without having to worry about anyone finding out.