Red, as a color symbol, can represent many things. Generally speaking, Red represents warnings and negative emotional loads such as jealousy, treachery, anger….

However, Red as a surrounding color takes on yet another feature: Letting go. A need to release, not revisit, get over or get away from a certain aspect generally identified as the object surrounded. There is a dream I will use to exemplify how this works. Be sure to read the "Drowning the Bluebird of Happiness" dream.

When something in a dream is wrapped in red, whether it be cloth or paper or whatever, it is that something that needs to be let go of. This is not a bad thing, this just means that one has done all they can on that aspect and they need to move on. If the symbol wrapped in red represents a person, the dreamer needs to look at what role they are taking in that person’s life, and perhaps take a step or two back and let that person take control and responsibility for their own life.

When a person is grieving over the loss of a loved one, there comes a time when that grieving process is impeding the growth, progress or other major important work that the dreamer must attend to. A healthier balance of emotional, physical and spiritual nature is important in overcoming the challenges of life and death. Our dreams tell us when we need to move on, for our own sake and that of those around us.

Drowning the Bluebird of Happiness

"I found myself in a room and saw that on the bed was a bluebird, wrapped in red cloth. The bird looked so helpless, so I fed it a blueberry. It began to tear and shred the berry between it’s beak and one of it’s feet. The next thing I fed it was a grape, and it tore at that even more violently. I thought to myself that it was being very violent towards fruit, but figured that is how bluebirds eat.

"Next thing I realize that the bluebird is in the toilet, and it is drowning. I reach into the bowl and pull it out. I tried to dry off it’s wings, warm it up, but it looked awful. Before I knew it, it was in the toilet again. I woke up as I was trying to rescue it again."

My first question to this dreamer was: "Whose life do you know that is always going into the toilet?" The dreamer realized that she knew exactly who this was, and that this person was always grieving broken relationships by hiding in her room, staying in bed, to the point that her young daughter would not see her for days, weeks on end.

The dreamer in this case, was the best friend of the woman, and found herself consistently in the role of rescuer to the point that she felt that all her work of cheering up, reviving and supporting this friend was just energy going into the toilet as this friend was doing little or nothing to rebuild her own self-esteem, get over it, and move on.

The Bluebird in this case, was a friend who was crying the blues over a romantic crash landing, in a series of crash landings. Being wrapped in red indicated that the dreamer was beginning to resent this pattern of helplessness, and the cycle of rescuing from the toilet only to find it all in the toilet again.

Toilet, as a symbol, can represent emotional venting, such as anger, rage, jealousy. (Not to be confused with other instances where the toilet can represent disrespect or a partner with a less than hygienic sexual history. Those are generally toilets that are being used by many, or toilets that are dirty)

For the sake of the dreamer, it is time for her to break the cycle of rescue and relapse, and allow this friend of hers to take responsibility for her own healing and emotional growth.

Her dreams are telling her to let go.

Knives

Knives in dreams are warnings on all levels.  They can show you where your pain is coming from, emotionally or physically.  Knives in dreams most often  are seen as in someone's hand, threatening the dreamer.  One dreamer kept dreaming that she and her mother were in the kitchen and her mother suddenly started putting knives in the dreamer's back! 

"It didn't hurt, but it hurt," she said.  "Most of all, I was embarrassed that these knives were sticking out of me."

Turns out that her mother was routinely humiliating her in front of her friends and co-workers, with either bizarre behaviors, or telling stories that were inappropriate and that made the listeners very uncomfortable.

Knives indicate deliberate pain inflicted or felt on the emotional level.  Humiliation and betrayal that can "cut like a knife". 

Physical ailments often show up as knives coming at the dreamer in slow motion.  Often mistaken for "spiritual attacks" these knives are there to show a person where the problem lies.

 

Ugly Babies

We have discussed the meanings of babies in the dictionary section of this website.  How babies can represent plans and dreams and projects.  Ugly babies are quite different in that they show the dreamer that what they are doing or planning will turn out "ugly", indicating violence or great loss financially or emotionally, if the dreamer pursues the course or attitude they are with anger or disrespect. 

Having an ugly baby near you can also indicate that your behaviors, as seen by others, are very immature and make you look bad.  Time to find a new approach to communicating with others.  Time to grow up.

Sex Dreams Dreams of famous People Dreams of familiar People Common Sex dreams are among the most misunderstood of  dreams.  Sex dreams seldom have anything to do with attraction to another person, sexual preferences or even the “act” of sex itself.  Sex dreams can be about sex, but seldom are.   Chances are, if you have dreamt of having sex with someone you would not think of having sex with in real life, or don’t even find attractive, there are a couple of things you should be looking at. 1.     What do you find most interesting or annoying about that person? 2.    What level of mental stimulation comes into play when you converse with or about that person? The term “intercourse” is more often applied to “social intercourse” meaning conversation, than it is to the physical act itself.  If you have had a mind-expanding, or stimulating conversation with someone, regardless of their age or gender, and you shortly thereafter have sex dreams about them, not to worry! You are merely replaying and organizing the information you exchanged in conversation, into the mental/emotional and/or spiritual facets of your being. You have made a mental/spiritual or emotional bond with the person you have shared ideas with.   Quite often, clients/patients who are in therapy become attached to or even attracted to their therapist/doctors  This is known as “transference”.  It may be caused, in part, by the dreams that the client/patient has had about their therapist or doctor.  As they reach new awareness of their own healing process, it is a mind-expanding experience and often, in dreams, relates as a sexual experience.   With that being said,  it makes it all the more important that the sexual experiences one has in waking life take into consideration the value of the experience as being “fulfilling” and “energizing” as well as “bonding” on a higher level.  That would perhaps be the ideal.  Take it or leave it.   Having a sex dream and realizing what it actually relates to gives the dreamer more insight into the matter of conversation or ideas that were exchanged. If the dreamer enjoys the experience, then the ideas are fitting well into the waking life values and processes. If the dreamer is uncomfortable or is being brutalized in the dream, it means that there is a person who is bullying them, or not listening to them, or disrespecting their ideas, or telling lies. This puts the dreamer on alert that this person from the dream, or the topic of the dream (more abstract) needs to be looked at in real life with more scrutiny.   Dreaming about Famous People Often it is that famous people star in our dreams.  Too often this is mistaken as a sign that they are interested in us!  People will pursue to the point of stalking, people who are famous or have shown up in their dreams.  This is a big misunderstanding!  Famous people, movie stars, rock stars, celebrities of all sorts, even politicians can act in a stimulating movie, or say or do something that is thought provoking and makes us see ourselves as having more potential, more abilities than we thought possible.  Our self-awareness becomes stimulated and we have our dreams to help sort this information and these feelings.  So, if you had a conversation with the office geek, or someone of the gender  NOT of your preference, and you find your dreams show you sexually engaged to some degree with these people, fear not!  You are not going off the deep end! And, if you derive pleasure from these dreams, it merely means that you are comfortable, happy or inspired by what these people have presented to you. Having sex dreams about people you are attracted to: Okay, so you are infatuated with this person or that person and they show up in your dreams in a sexual way.  This is your dream theater either showing you what you are hoping for, what you expect or what you want to be in waking life.  Dreams are often our “work theater” for us to see if this or that idea or even fantasy would be what we really want.    Despite all the fun that this might lend to you, remember that the basis for it all has more to do with your mental side than your physical side.  Don’t confuse your desires, regardless of how many dreams you have, with what is “meant to be” between you and another person.  Believe me, if it is meant to be, it will happen without anyone driving it into existence.  Never confuse these dreams that are merely telling you what you need to know, as applying to anyone’s life but your own.  Never assume that a sex partner in a dream will be in love with you in waking life.  In other words, don’t confuse theater with life nor actors with their roles.

 

Ex Lovers showing up in our dreams..... next episode of "Sex Dreams"

 

 

 

 

Here now!  SPIDER DREAMS!!! (What's bugging you?)

 

Page updated: 5.22.02

 

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