Two traditions of dream reading
Dream Journal
Write what you remember of a dream below. We will pull out the symbols we recognize, read each one in the tradition you choose, and surface any pairings the tradition has notes on. For a full written interpretation by Dylan, see the instant interpretation.
The 2nd-century Greek master of dream interpretation. Artemidorus collected thousands of dreams and tracked which ones came true under which circumstances. His rule: a symbol's meaning depends on who is dreaming it, what they hope for, and what is happening in their waking life.
Or tap symbols — pick as many as you like
When these meet
bird × sea
Spirit over the depths. The intuition is reading something the conscious mind hasn't named yet; trust the gut before the argument.
Each symbol — Artemidorus
chase
the dreamer's condition
If favorable: If you turn and face the pursuer in the dream, you will overcome the thing that has been pursuing you.
If shadowed: To be caught is to be confronted by what you have been avoiding — sometimes a literal creditor or claim.
sea
elements, landscape
If favorable: A calm sea is the augury of safe ventures and good return.
If shadowed: A stormy sea foretells turmoil in affairs, particularly trade and travel.
bird
creatures, instincts
If favorable: Birds in flight bring word from afar; a bird in the hand foretells a small good fortune already arrived.
If shadowed: A black bird settling on the roof was considered ill-fated — death in the household or grave news.
Go deeper
For an interpretation that ties these symbols together into a single woven reading, written for you — drawing from both Artemidorus and the Jungian frame — let the dream be read whole.
Instant interpretation →