Dreams, patterns and your personal symbol language

Alongside everyday signs, there's a more personal symbol language. One that shows up in dreams, in repeated images, in things that keep catching your eye.

This lesson is about building your own dictionary, instead of borrowing someone else's.

Dreams

Dreams are strange, wonderful, and often completely nonsensical. Sometimes they're just your brain sorting through the day. Sometimes they seem to hold something more. A feeling, an image or a message that stays with you.

The difference often isn't in the dream itself. It's in how it sits with you afterwards.

• Did it leave a strong feeling?
• Did an image keep coming back?
• Did it seem to connect to something going on in your life?

If yes, it's worth writing down. If you woke up and forgot it by breakfast, let it go.

Patterns

A single coincidence might mean something or nothing. A pattern is more interesting.

If the same theme, image or idea keeps coming up, in dreams, conversations, cards, things you notice, that's worth paying attention to.

But here's the important bit: make sure it's actually a pattern. Write things down. Look at whether it's really happening as often as it feels like it is. Our memories love to exaggerate patterns.

Building your personal symbol dictionary

Over time, you'll notice certain symbols seem to carry particular meanings for you. A certain animal. A colour. A number. A type of place.

Start writing them down with what they seem to mean for you. This becomes your personal dictionary. Far more useful than any generic list, because it's built from your own experience.