The Element Encyclopedia of 20,000 Dreams: The Ultimate A–Z to Interpret the Secrets of Your Dreams

GIVING BIRTH

If you are a woman and you dream of giving birth, the first question to ask yourself is do you actually want to get pregnant? If you do, your dream may be an example of wish-fulfillment. The purpose of your unconscious was probably to fulfill your fervent desire for all to go well. There have also been recorded instances of women and men dreaming about the birth of a baby before they even knew they were expecting; somehow the dream was a response to the presence of an actual fetus, not yet detected by doctors and pregnancy tests. If you are pregnant and you dream that labor and delivery was difficult, it probably reflects anxieties about the impending birth. The same applies to dreams about giving birth to an animal; they are simply mirroring your concerns and anxieties. If you are a prospective father, your dream may also be depicting your hopes and fears for the welfare of your unborn child.

If you are not pregnant, birth dreams can indicate a desire for children but are more likely to represent something else in waking life. The birth of a child signals a new beginning and the emergence of new life; in dreams the meaning is much the same: a new way of life, a new attitude, a new discovery, a new project and so on. If you hear about a birth, or watch or witness a birth in your dream, this also suggests the beginning of a new and fruitful cycle in your life. Birth dreams therefore are an expression of big changes that have been occurring for a long period of time. Did the dream delivery go well or was it difficult? Again, the answer may indicate the likely ease of turning your hopes into reality. If this doesn’t apply, then dream births may symbolize your brain child, perhaps an idea or a project you are longing to complete successfully.

Alternatively, did your dream focus on one aspect of birth—the umbilical cord, for example? If the cord was wrapped

Birth dreams during pregnancy

Pregnancy is one of the most life-changing, and physically and emotionally demanding challenges a woman can face in her lifetime. Research shows that the dreams of pregnant women can comment on the physical, psychological and emotional issues she has to deal with. The most common dream themes at this time concern animals and water. In the early stages of the pregnancy, these dreams may be gentle and calming, but towards the end of the pregnancy they can be traumatic or even become nightmares. Such alarming dreams are considered a normal reaction to the anxiety every woman unconsciously feels about her unborn baby and about giving birth.

It is also very common for pregnant women to dream about having the baby and these dreams are again often bizarre and disturbing; for example, dreaming about a baby that is born dead, malformed or with a monster’s head. It has been suggested that such anxiety dreams serve a purpose: they release a lot of unconscious tension and fear, allowing the mother to be more relaxed at birth.

around the baby’s neck, this may indicate that your ideas are being strangled or in danger of being strangled. If the cord was neatly severed, this can indicate that your ideas have been cut free and are now independent of you. If there were problems cutting the cord, this could be a symbol of a grown-up family that is beginning to leave home. Or it may be that you yourself are finding it hard to fly the family nest and branch out on your own. If you are not able to see your baby after a difficult labor, this can indicate that you are laboring in vain in waking life and aren’t being rewarded by the sight of your mental offspring.

BABY

If a baby is born or appears in your dream, were you the proud parent? If you were, this suggests a budding talent or creative potential that is just emerging. If you give birth to two or more babies, this may symbolize groups of ideas or personal talents. On the other hand, it could also suggest that you need to lavish extra care and attention on your ‘brainchild’ if it is to be a success; if the dream baby is premature, this message is stressed further.

If you are looking after someone else’s baby in your dream, it could indicate that in waking life you feel as if you have been left ‘holding the baby’ in some way. Did you enjoy holding the baby or feel panicked by the responsibility? If you felt anxious, maybe you are worried about the responsibility that has been placed upon your shoulders in waking life. Pay attention to the behavior of the baby. If the baby is happy, this suggests that you are fulfilling the needs of your brainchild, but if the baby is distressed, this suggests that your idea, project or talent isn’t being developed or cared for.

If you lost or injured a baby in your dream, this can suggest a loss of confidence on your part and an inability to put in the hard work required to see a project to completion. If you are the parent of a young baby and you have this kind of dream, it could indicate that you are finding it hard to cope with the demands and responsibilities of caring for a baby in waking life. Your unconscious could also be highlighting your sense of guilt about not being a perfect enough parent and your desperate need for time to yourself.

If, however, procreation in waking life is not at the forefront of your conscious mind, dream babies may be an expression of an unconscious counterpart trying to acquaint you with the baby, or your own inner child, within. This is an aspect of yourself that is dependent on others for financial or emotional support, or the part of you that longs to be reborn and relive your life again. Or perhaps this ‘baby’ is a part of the personality or aspect that has not been ‘born’ or expressed before. If your dream baby is born with an adult body and a baby head, this suggests an approach to life that is still immature. If your dream baby is born with a baby body and an adult head, it suggests adult intellect but emotional and sexual immaturity. If the baby is beautiful, gifted or remarkable in some way, this represents the emergence of personal insight and previously unconscious elements of yourself.

A baby boy in your dream suggests the birth of a new phase of self-expression and new activities and achievements, whereas a baby girl suggests new aspects of feeling and relationships with others. If the baby is crying, this indicates that your fundamental needs for love, support, comfort and happiness are not being met. Is there something distressing you at a feeling level that you are not acknowledging? If you drop a baby in your dreams, this suggests carelessness in dealing with your basic needs, especially as it concerns connection with others. It can also refer to a mistake or missed opportunity, or a feeling that someone has dropped or lost interest in you. If the baby is smiling, this suggests a deep level of comfort, security and satisfaction.

HOLE/TUNNEL

Some dream researchers believe that birth dreams lead us back to life in the womb and the traumas associated with our own experience of birth. The psychoanalyst Nandor Fodor has written extensively about the subject of birth dreams, and gives the example of a woman who was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck and who, in adult life, frequently dreamt of being strangled. She also gives an example of a person who received a head injury during birth, and in adult life frequently dreamt of being scalped. For example, dream attempts to escape from a tunnel, especially if small and dark, may refer either to memories of birth or to strategies you need to develop to reach inner resources. Seeing or going into a hole in your dreams may refer to a place, such as the womb, into which you might fall to feel protected.

FOSTERING AND ADOPTION

Dreams of fostering and adoption suggest a new approach to life, or taking on the responsibility of someone, or something, that needs your care and help to grow. If you fostered or adopted a baby in your dream, did you welcome the child into your home with love and gratitude? If you are thinking about adopting or fostering, your dream could reflect your feelings about this, but if this isn’t in your plans, the dream may be showing you how satisfying it can be to offer love and guidance to someone who needs your care. Do you need to find an outlet for your urge to love and nurture selflessly in waking life? This doesn’t have to be a child, but perhaps a partner, a pet, a friend, a project or a charity. If you dreamed of fostering or adopting someone you know in waking life, perhaps you long to lavish attention on that particular person.

BAPTISM AND NAMING CEREMONY

To dream of being baptized suggests a new influence is entering your life. You are leaving old attitudes behind and opening yourself up to new possibilities. Is there an idea or a concept that is about to be presented to an appreciative audience? Or perhaps your unconscious is urging you to transform your mindset radically and make positive changes to your lifestyle? If godparents appeared in your dream, were they people you knew? If they were, perhaps your unconscious is suggesting that they are the ones you should turn to for help. If you didn’t know who they were, you should seek out the necessary help and support.

Baby extras

Breast-feeding

To dream that you are breast-feeding symbolizes tenderness, love, nurturing and motherly love. It indicates your unconscious connection with the nurturing principle. To see someone nursing or dream that you are nursing suggests that you are nurturing, or need to nurture, aspects of yourself.

Cradle and cot

To see a cradle in your dream represents a new project or a fresh start. As a precognitive dream it may represent pregnancy, and in a man’s dream it can represent the need to be protected and cared for. Your dream may be telling you to regain some control and independence in your life. An empty cradle suggests fear about not having children, or fears about the responsibility of becoming, or being, a mother. If you are rocking the cradle, this may be a reference to your power: think of the saying ‘the hand that rocks the cradle’.

Dummy/feeding-bottle/nappy/pacifier/rattle

If you are pregnant, any baby-related items that appear in dreamland may be reflections of your current preoccupation with all things baby. If you are not pregnant or thinking about starting a family, baby-related items in dreams link in with the birth theme of new beginnings and possibilities. They can also represent your desire to be supported, loved and protected. If you dream of a baby sitter or nanny, this may be a warning or a comment on your own security and ability to handle things by yourself.

Nursery

A nursery full of babies suggests that starting a family may be high on your agenda, but it can also mean that you may be thinking about keeping a pet, or nurturing a group of people or a project. If the nursery is badly run, this is a reflection of your anxiety about leaving your children or a sick family member under other people’s supervision. If the nursery school in your dream is full of very young children, this suggests that your ambitions will take you far, but if the nursery is empty or deserted, your plans may be unrealistic and you should review them before proceeding further. If you dreamed of being back at kindergarten, or some other environment strongly associated with the early years of learning, it may be that your unconscious is transporting you back to that time in order to remind you of a valuable lesion that you learned, or failed to learn, there. For example, did your kindergarten teacher encourage you to join in with the activities, and have you been aloof in waking life recently? On the other hand if you dreamed that you were playing around with your friends and driving the teacher to distraction and received a bad report as a result, could this be a pattern that is being echoed in waking life? By reminding you of the relationship between cause and effect, your unconscious may be urging you to stop using immature strategies to gain popularity or impress others, and start applying yourself instead. See also SCHOOL AND WORK.

If you are baptizing someone, this means you are ready to pass on your knowledge to others. There is also a possibility that you may be having religious beliefs imposed on you if you have this dream. Baptism is symbolic of many things: rebirth, regeneration and renewal and the common theme for all these is the sense of optimism surrounding them. If you are a Christian, baptism is associated with a washing away of original sin and the start of a new life as a Christian; your dream may have been denoting your wish to be reborn or—depending on who is being baptized or christened—your desire for someone else to undergo a transformation of some kind. On the other hand, your unconscious may also be recalling a baptism you witnessed in waking life.

Childhood Scenarios

ABANDONED BY PARENT/CARER

You may have a dream in which you are a child again and are being left at school, in a shop, in the street or park by your mother and running after her, perhaps not being able to reach her or not being heard. To be abandoned by a parent or carer in a dream—or to be separated from them so you feel lost and vulnerable—may represent a sense of not being wanted when you were young. This may not actually have been the case, but you may feel that way. Alternatively, such a dream might also suggest that you are searching in waking life for the emotional freedom to be yourself and to be independent. On another level it may be pointing to your need to find guidance or help from others; many people have dreams of childhood abandonment after the death of a loved one. If you are trying to attract your parents’ attention but they cannot hear you, such a dream may be saying that you feel neglected emotionally and you need to express your feelings and be understood by others.

BOY/GIRL

If the child in your dream is a boy, you know the dream is commenting on your feelings about the boy but referring these things to yourself. For example, if the boy is disruptive, it may depict your own desire to cause disruption of some kind in waking life. It may also indicate a male child in waking life who is giving you cause for concern. If you do not recognize the boy, it suggests that you need to be a little more adventurous and bring excitement to your life. In a man’s dream, an unknown boy can represent new potential and the part of himself he needs to ‘father’ in order to grow and mature. In a woman’s dream, an unknown boy can suggest your developing ability to express your feelings in actions.

If the child in your dream is a girl, this may be a symbol of your spontaneous, vulnerable side trying to emerge, regardless of whether you are male or female. In a man’s dream, it can refer to feelings about a daughter, or emotions and sexual feelings towards the opposite sex in general. In a woman’s dream, the girl can represent a sister or a daughter, but can also represent aspects of the dreamer portrayed by the girl. According to ancient dream oracles, threatening a girl or boy in a dream is an ominous sign that indicates you should take extra care of your health in the weeks ahead.

CHILD

A dream about a child (under the age of thirteen or so) may be a dream about yourself. If you are having a wonderful time playing and dressing up, the dream may be encouraging you to have more fun in your adult life. A dream about a child refusing to share or being inconsiderate may be a comment on your own weaknesses. Has your recent behavior or approach to life been a little childish? If you are the child in the dream, this can suggest a need to shed some of your current responsibilities in real life or express your real self.

If you are caring for a child or infant, and not really wanting to, perhaps someone in waking life is being demanding and requiring too much attention. If you want to have a child and dream of one, you may become a parent in the not-so-distant future. If you lose a child, whether your own or an unknown child, you may be anxious that you have taken on responsibilities you cannot handle. If the child is one of your children, look up son and daughter. If your dream did not evoke specific memories of your own childhood or an unknown child appeared, your unconscious may have summoned up an archetype in the staring role—that of the inner child. Whether your inner child was portrayed by you or by another character in the dream, he or she represents the part of you that, Peter Pan-like, has never grown up, or a part of you that you have banished from your waking life, but longs to be rediscovered. Your unconscious may therefore be highlighting your own immature behavior, or else your longing to recapture childhood innocence. Once again, the clue lies in the child’s behavior.

If the child in the dream is bullying another child, this could be related to how you are cruelly treating someone in real life. If, however, you are the victim in the dream, do you feel vulnerable, abused and powerless in waking life? If the child in the dream is happily playing with their toys, do you long to return to the optimistic, childhood state of mind before the realities of life closed in avenues of opportunity? Do you long to return to a time when anything seemed possible? Try to remember the child’s behavior—was he or she friendly or unfriendly, smiling or throwing a tantrum and consider whether the dream is commenting on your own current life and behavior. Do you have a tendency to fly into a childish rage when you don’t get your way in waking life?

CHILDREN

Children in a dream are symbols of joy and warmth, or of your desire for joy and warmth in waking life. If children are giving flowers, fruits or sweets, this suggests unexpected success or happiness. If, however, the children are quarrelling, this indicates domestic problems. Children in dreams can also represent feelings about your childhood, or current feelings of dependency or vulnerability. What is happening to the child in the dream will help you determine the interpretation.

If the children in your dream are boys, they symbolize high energy levels and new beginnings. If the boys are playing, this suggests the resolution of domestic or financial problems. If, however, the boys are quarrelling, this dream may be a warning to listen to the advice of people around you, especially if they are older than you. Perhaps you have been acting rashly. If one or more of the boys are injured, it is a serious warning to take a sober look at how you run your day-to-day life.

If the children in your dreams are girls you know and they are smiling, friendly or affectionate, this suggests that your general attitude of honesty will be much appreciated by those around you. If you don’t know the girls, this can suggest the beginnings of a new relationship. If the girls are untidy, disruptive, crying, angry or abusive, this could be a warning to show more understanding to your partner and those around you to avoid arguments and unnecessary misunderstandings.

EXAMINATION

Fear of failure can often originate in childhood and stem from fears of abandonment, so dreaming you are a child sitting for an examination or revising for a test and worrying that you won’t pass may express a fear of failure. Dreams of being late, unprepared or failing an examination show that you feel unprepared for the challenge life is currently throwing at you. Examinations are stressful and they can highlight your shortcomings. Your dream is urging you to stop fearing failure, to emphasize what is right and not what is wrong, and to give yourself permission to succeed.

Childhood Dreams

The following dreams are typical of childhood and mirror the stresses, experiences and questions associated with this stage in life. It is possible, however, to have one of these dreams at any stage in your life. See also STAGES OF LIFE.

BECOMING A SUPERHERO

In this dream, a child may find themselves faced with an evil force or power and, as in the breathing underwater dream, just when the situation becomes desperate or hopeless, they find that they transform into a superhero with extraordinary powers. As a superhero, they destroy their enemies and resolve the conflict. Not surprisingly, this dream is more common with boys than girls, perhaps because from an early age boys are influenced by superhero role models, such as Spiderman or Power Rangers. The dream may also continue into adulthood.

The child who has this kind of dream tends to be coping with some kind of problem or obstacle; for example, financial hardship, or family tensions and conflicts, and the dream may reflect these tensions. The child may feel that they are trapped by the situation and are helpless to do anything about it; the dream refers to their desire to make problems disappear magically. But this kind of dream may point to more than a wish for magical powers, as it also shows the dreamer that within them these magical and unique powers are just waiting to be discovered.

BREATHING UNDER WATER

In this nightmare with a happy ending, a child may dream that they are drowning and unable to reach the surface to breathe. Then, incredibly, just as they realize they are going to drown, they continue breathing and can breathe underwater in their dream. Like the dreams of flying, this dream is also about discovering abilities during times of crisis or when thrown into a particular situation. The water theme suggests a sense of being overwhelmed and vulnerable to the situations that surround us. It shows that a sense of panic is not only natural but necessary to discover the ability to breathe (survive) in a new environment (underwater).