Lavender Sleep

Sensations.
Everyone has physical dreams. During these dreams you may experience very real sensations, such as biting or itching. Disembodied voices may speak to you, or you could find yourself souring weightlessly over rooftops. Hippocrates, the famous Greek philosopher and father of medicine, said, ‘Some dreams are divinely inspired but others are the direct result of the physical body’. Recent research into the fields of psychology, physiology and the paranormal seems to come close to agreeing with him.

When we fall asleep, our active, day-time self is unconscious – but still capable of responding to outside stimuli. Once we have entered the dream state (or rapid Eye Movement stage of sleep) our bodies are remarkably active. This extraordinary flickering movement of the yes takes place beneath closed lids – accompanied by other physical changes including irregular breathing, increased heart-rate, and blood rushing to the brain. In addition, we lose muscle tone all over the body. This, it is though, accounts for very real feelings of paralysis in dreams, as part of the mind becomes aware that it cannot move normally.

Memories.
Memories of babyhood – long forgotten by the conscious mind – can arise in our dreams as sensations. Babies’ senses are incredibly clear, for they are free from years of absorbing information. Dreams involving colour are highly symbolic, and may be harking back to the first colours you ever saw – and the sensations that went with them.

The commonly-experienced sensation of flying is a mystery to interpreters of dreams. Psychologists call it depersonalization and others say it is a race-memory going back to the dawn of time when we inhabited the sea or were airborne creatures. Mystics maintain that we are actually flying in all our dreams, when the astral body leaves the physical one at night and goes travelling.

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Biting.
This dream often indicates a highly-strung personality, possibly frustrated in its ideals, with a tendency to regard the future with considerable trepidation. Biting into a piece of bread, on the other hand, shows some kind of threat to those nearest and dearest to you. Biting into fruit is a sign of tact and diplomacy. Biting someone else shows that arguments and lies may disturb your relationship with your partner, despite both of you declaring your love.

Blindness.
Going blind yourself shows that a lover may be in some kind of danger from someone else and suggests that there may be disappointment in love on the way. Dreaming about a blind person asking for money is a warning to be cautious in something you are involved in, and a blind person with a guide dog is a bringer of interesting news.

Climbing.
Climbing a mountain in a dream suggests that you have worries and preoccupations which seem to be insurmountable, but it is more than likely that you are exaggerating their importance. If you try to reassert the calm, clear-headed side of your nature, you will see everything starting to turn out for the good. Climbing a ladder indicates that you are ascending the ladder of business success, and is thus a favourable sign – so long a s you do not set your sights unrealistically high. Seeing a climbing plant such as ivy or runner beans in your dream suggests long-lasting, faithful friendships: do not be discouraged by any minor hiccups in these relationships.

Darkness.
If you find yourself in darkness in your dream – for example in a cave or a tunnel – there may be a major emotional upset on the way in which your inner strength and out ward decision-making ability will be tested to the full. However, if you manage to escape from the darkness back into sunlight, this promises success in your work and happiness in love. Fear of the dark in a dream suggests that you have very major obstacles to overcome in your life. A dark shadowy person or thing you cannot quite identify indicates a subconscious fear that needs to be brought out into the open and rationalised. Someone being kept in the dark, figuratively or literally, means that relationships with your loved one, or someone close to you, may be difficult.

Deafness.
Being deaf in a dream is not a particularly good sign. There is news on the way which you will not like and which may leave you feeling depressed. A dream about trying to make yourself understood to a deaf person means you are deluding yourself in matters of love.

Drunk.
Seeing someone drunk in a pub in a dream shows that you are in poor physical condition. Getting drunk yourself indicates that small gains are heading your way. To dream of a drunk in the street suggests careless spending on your part, while seeing a drunk lying on the ground means your health may be at risk. A sleeping drunk is a symbol of your excessively hard work, while to dream of a drunk who is singing indicates that you have little confidence in your abilities. Getting ‘high’ or ‘drunk’ on a piece of music, a sunset, a painting or something similar in a dream indicates that you are highly sensitive.

Echo.
Dreaming about an echo indicates that you will receive a favourable response to a proposal, either from a would-be lover who is proving elusive or, less romantically, from a business acquaintance.

Falling.
This is one of the most frequent experiences in dreams. It indicates some kind of loss, especially in love or money matters. If you dream of falling out of bed, this indicates that you are highly sensitive to your environment and the behaviour of others, while falling into something unpleasant, such as a dung-heap, indicates new prospects at work.

Floating.
A large area of water in a dream usually signifies danger of some kind. However, a much more favourable sign is if someone or something is floating on the water, because it indicates that you will overcome future obstacles. It can also herald success and major financial or other gains.

Flying.
Flying is one of the most common sensations in dreams and it can have various meanings. Flying across the sea means you are far too conceited and confident for your own good, while flying over an abyss means insufferable, annoying behaviour on your part. Flying at a very low level indicates setbacks in love.

Growing Taller.
Someone else growing taller in a dream indicates a fear of what the future may have in store, but you yourself growing shows that your self-confidence and self-respect are increasing daily. A house or other building growing taller means that financial improvements are on the way, and a plant or tree increasing in height also suggests a forthcoming state of prosperity.

Itching and Scratching.
Itchy feet in dreams, as one might expect, signify a yearning for new opportunities and new places to live; itching hands indicate that money is on the way. If your nose itches, you should be careful because you are at a stage in your work where you could easily make mistakes, and you should therefore think very carefully before you do anything that might jeopardise your position.

Scratching oneself in a dream normally indicates inner insecurity and lack of satisfaction. Scratching your face reflects a temporary setback, and scratching your hands suggests you are being unfaithful in a relationship. Scratching your legs means you have serious doubts about something, but if the dreaming involves scratching your head, an unexpected boost in your spirits is indicated.

Mood.
Paradoxically, being in a good mood in a dream suggests that you are tired and unhappy in real life; you should try not to get too wrapped up in yourself and try not to be so difficult with you partner. If you dream about being in a bad mood, you can expect major problems involving the law in some way.

Noise.
If you dream about children making a noise outside your house, you should keep your cool and be patient while waiting for the news you are eagerly expecting. Any noise at night in a dream means you need much more rest and relaxation than you are getting, but traffic noise indicates success in your career.
Hearing a person or an animal roaring in a dream is not a good sign; there is an unpleasant surprise in store which will upset you more than you might expect it to. If the wind roars in your dream, you will lose or waste a substantial amount of money, but if the roar is made by water, you will have an unpleasant experience with the opposite sex.

Nudity.
This very common theme in dreams is primarily an ill omen; if you dream about walking around nude, you are having quite severe emotional problems, possibly due to a failure at work, while sleeping in the nude means you may be cheated by someone you thought you could trust. Seeing someone else naked means you are anxious about the welfare of somebody. If it is a man you see naked, there will be setbacks in your relationship with your partner; and if it is a woman, you are under stress.

Pain.
Any dream involving pain indicates that you are experiencing small, short-lived problems and irritations. If your eyes hurt in the dream, it is because someone in your family is ill or off-colour; an earache heralds the arrival of unwelcome news and a headache means that for a while things will go against you to a certain extent.

Peace.
Feeling at peace with your self and others in your dream means that you are quite opposite in real life; you are being plagued by doubts and suspicions which take a long time to go away. A period of peace after anything from a minor quarrel to a major war in a dream means that you are entertaining impossible, unrealizable hopes. Peace which is broken, perhaps by a loud noise, indicates anger.

Pinch.
Pinching someone else in your dream indicates that your mood at the moment is a confused, distracted one and you are finding it hard to keep things in proportion. You should try to sit back and calm down, as you have weighty problems to face up to which can only be solved by a calm rational approach. If someone else pinches you, the indications are that your health is going to suffer, but you can lessen the impact of the illness, or even avoid it altogether, if you look after yourself properly.

Pregnancy.
Dreaming that you are pregnant suggest that you are going through a hard time. If a girl dreams about being pregnant, she will have no trouble surmounting her various problems because of help from other people, but if an older woman dreams she is pregnant she needs to be vary patient before she can achieve her aims and ambitions. Strangely enough, it is not unusual for a man to dream he is pregnant; it also suggests he needs to fight long and hard to achieve the success he is hoping for.

Remembering.
Remembering a promise in a dream means you are being too obstinate; while remembering a birthday demonstrates that in real life you are showing over-sensitive behaviour caused by an unanticipated disappointment connected with someone of the opposite sex. If you remember somebody’s name in a dream, you are feeling very lively and very much in control of the way your life is going; remembering a debt owed to you means a short period of dissatisfaction and unhappiness. Remembering money that you owe someone else means there are contacts to be taken up again after a long absence.

Repulsion.
Dreaming of a man who is repulsive signifies a financial venture going decidedly wrong, and a repulsive woman suggests that things are reaching a crisis point in your life. A repulsive old man means slow but constant progress in your career. If you find the food you are eating in your dream repulsive, it is because you are about to get involved in painful arguments with your partner; if something you smell is disgusting, it means you will be the object of criticism and slander.

Resting.
In dreams, as in real life, working for long periods without having a rest inevitably leads to physical and mental stress: you should try to find new interests to stimulate your mind and lead you away from this over-zealous preoccupation, or there is a chance you may lose your job by wearing yourself down. Resting in an armchair in a dream shows that a difficult situation is just around the corner, while taking a quick nap on a bed means that you feel confident in yourself and have a sense of responsibility.

Reviving.
Reviving someone who is unconscious in a dream means you have been placed in a very responsible position at work; if they were near death before you tried to revive them, it shows you are being careful and considerate in your actions; and if they were drowning, you are lively and full of initiative. Resuscitating a child means you are sensible and intelligent. If it is a man who is being revived, you need to put right an error made in your work before it produces repercussions, and if it is a woman, you will be involved in an argument about money.

Seeing.
To dream of seeing something but not being able to tell what it is suggests you need to clear up a complicated situation before it gets even worse. Seeing something in the distance but not being able to reach it indicates that you plans for the future may be over-ambitious and you should scale them down to achievable proportions.

Sleep.
It is quite common to dream about seeing yourself sleep or seeing someone else sleep. If it is a restless sleep, your health is less than perfect at the moment, but if it is a deep sleep, it indicates that you will make new business connections. If you dream about waking up after a long sleep, you are likely to be full of energy and vitality. Sleeping with someone else in a dream means you are both optimistic and trusting.

Smell.
Sensations are often felt even more vividly in dreams than they are in everyday life, and this is equally true of smells. A strong smell means new friendships are coming which will stand you in good stead in the future, but a more delicate one means bad advice is being given to you which should not be accepted.

An unpleasant smell is a warning that you should take more care of yourself: you are taking on too much responsibility and working too hard. A pleasant smell such as that of perfume signals an estrangement from a colleague at work or from someone who is not doing you any good is imminent, while an odour of flowers means disorder and chaos in your life. The smell of alcohol signifies intense but short-lived pleasure and an inevitable aftermath of regret.

Stumbling.
If you fall over in the street in your dream, it might be a good idea to put off making an important decision for the time being. Stumbling on a flight of stairs suggest that you have a distorted view of things, and tripping over a stone indicates obstacles are looming and need to be avoided and that you will make costly mistakes.

Touching.
Touching a man in a dream signifies that you are keeping promises while touching a woman reveals your need to be more flexible. Touching a child indicates both a sense of responsibility and a state of mental poise and tranquility. Touching an animal suggests you are in good health and can expect to stay that way for a long time to come.

Vision.
Dreaming about having a vision – seeing a ghost, for example – is not normally a favourable sign. It reflects a vain, selfish, personality which is unsociable and unenthusiastic about everything: unless you can do something about this aspect of your character, it will lead to some unpleasant consequences in your social and emotional life.

Voice.
A high voice in a dream indicates that you are temporarily in a bad mood, while a softly-spoken person, paradoxically, indicates that you are harbouring aggressive intensions. A loud voice heralds a period of happiness, and a nasal voice suggests that you might have ridiculous pretensions. If someone speaks with a gruff or hoarse voice, it means you are being too hurried in making a decision. If you hear your own voice in a dream it suggest that you should be careful not to make any false moves, because they could be very harmful to your career at this time. Losing your voice in a dream means you are wasting time gossiping.

Colours:
Two of the colours which appear in dreams and are most often remembered are red and blue. Both have a very precise meaning, both in popular tradition and also in the light of what modern psychology has told us about the human mind. Green in a dream is less clear cut.

Green.
Dreaming about a green field suggests that a welcome invitation may be in prospect; green cloth signifies projects which you are enthusiastic about. Green clothes in a dream indicate your involvement in long and complicated negotiations or discussions, and a green plant signifies that you have gained well-deserved recognition. Green, damp wood means you are being too extravagant and letting your imagination run away with you.

Red.
Red is a symbol of aggression. This is not necessarily a negative characteristic: in fact it can have a very positive meaning, suggesting that you need to make your mark on the world rather than letting others take the lead and instead of being lazy and afraid of facing up to problems. So dreaming in red often means vitality, a desire to act, be positive and get things done. Statistically it has been shown that women dream in red more than men do. Dreaming of red clothes of any kind indicates passion and sensitivity in emotional relationships; a red thread means a desperate need for love and affection; and a red pencil or crayon an ability to support and sustain others in their hour of need. A red car or other vehicle reflects a craving for novel and interesting things to happen.

Blue.
Blue reflects a feeling of contentment and a need for peace and tranquillity. A person who often dreams in blue, or about blue things, is likely to be generous, understanding of others, and someone who will help his fellow humans, without expecting a reward for doing so. The colour blue also indicates a forceful but balanced personality. Paradoxically, red and blue are colour which complement each other in dreams, one appearing as the other disappears, for most people have the characteristics represented by both colours.