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
fire × house
Passion arriving in the structure of the self. If welcomed, transformation of the deepest patterns. If feared, an old form of self resisting its own ending.
chase × forest
The shadow pursuing through the unconscious. Whatever is chasing you in the dream is in the same psychic territory as you; you can turn there.
Each symbol, Artemidorus
forest
elements, landscape
If favorable: An open grove is the place of contemplation; nymphs and the gods of place favor it.
If shadowed: A dark woods you cannot find your way out of warns of confusion in counsel.
key
things in hand
If favorable: To receive a key signifies you have been given authority, especially over a household or a small office.
If shadowed: To lose a key foretells the loss of authority or the breakdown of a trust.
school
where the dream is set
If favorable: To teach in a dream is to be respected for your learning.
If shadowed: To return to school confused is the warning to revisit a fundamental matter you have skipped.
falling
what's happening
If favorable: To land softly is to be caught by friends or fortune.
If shadowed: A sudden fall foretells loss of position; falling into water is recovered, falling onto stone is not.
house
where the dream is set
If favorable: Your own house in good order is the augury of inner balance.
If shadowed: A ruined or unfamiliar house warns of trouble at the foundation of your affairs.
fire
elements, landscape
If favorable: Fire upon a hearth signifies the household alive and well; small flames in a lamp are auspicious news.
If shadowed: Fire devouring the house warns of conflict or loss, anger badly used.
teeth
the body, parts of self
If favorable: Strong, sound teeth foretell relatives still living. To clean them carefully is to attend the family well.
If shadowed: To lose teeth predicts the loss of relatives, the front teeth, the younger ones; the molars, the elders.
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.
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 →