The Element Encyclopedia of 20,000 Dreams: The Ultimate A–Z to Interpret the Secrets of Your Dreams. Theresa Cheung
to keep up, you may not be making the grade in real life. If you know who your dream rivals are, their position in the race will tell you how you think you compare with them. If you aren’t working, racing dreams could suggest a long, hard struggle for success in love and life. If you win the race, this signifies that your potential will be recognized; but an overzealous will to win may reveal a needy desire for others to acknowledge that potential. On the other hand, if you lose the race, especially if you get pipped at the post, this signifies the frustration of understanding the limits of your potential. It can also suggest that lack of confidence is thwarting your progress.
RUNNING
To dream that you are running is considered a positive sign, as it suggests speed, energy and direction. If you are running forwards, this indicates confidence or taking responsibility. To be running backwards or away from something signifies fear, or an inability to achieve your goals. A spiritual interpretation of running dreams could suggest that you are trying to do something too quickly. To dream that you want to run but cannot suggests that your ambitions are harder to accomplish than you thought.
Running events
Hurdles: In your dreams hurdles represent the obstacles that hinder your progress. Did they knock you over, or did you knock them over? Did you navigate your way successfully over them without touching them?
Marathon: If your race was a marathon, this indicates that work or life has become an exhausting slog. If you win the marathon, this suggests you have the confidence to achieve your aims, but if you fail to finish, this suggests that insecurities in waking life are holding you back.
Relay race: In the relay race of your life, were you successful at passing the baton or did you fumble things and ruin your team’s chances?
Desperate for Success Scenarios
CHEATING
Are you cheating in your dreams in order to pass an exam or test? If you dreamed of running, did you take a shortcut in the race? What happened? Were you caught, or did you get the gold star? How you feel about all this is important. Often dreams in which we win by cheating are similar to gray areas in waking life. They are actions that express a lack of self-confidence. Why do you think you couldn’t win the prize without cheating? Why do you feel inadequate? Why are you afraid to lose?
In your dreams, winning by cheating may leave you with an empty feeling. If you get caught cheating in your dream, this can leave you feeling anxious as well, and these feelings are your unconscious reminding you that you don’t feel worthy of the prize. Sometimes, though, cheating dreams can be positive, indicating that you’re beginning to see yourself as a potential winner, but are not yet ready to recognize this inside yourself. The best way to make sense of these sorts of dream is to think about how you feel, and what situation in waking life they may be referring to.
DODGING
If you are dodging flying objects or balls in your dream, this could be an image of your ability to go out of your way to achieve
The audience
Who is the audience in your dreams when you receive or don’t receive recognition? Who is there to see you succeed or fail? How does their presence make you feel? Scared? Supported? Distracted? Proud? Are they cheering you on? Or are they holding you back?
Typically the people we choose to watch and comment on our progress dreamland are those authority figures who exist in both our waking land and our memories. Parents and family members tend to be the most persistent authority figures in dreams about success and recognition. It is up to you to work out how much their values and dreams guide and nourish you, and to what extent they keep you from the finishing line. How often does your boss or a work colleague or an old teacher or friend from school appear in your dreams? Chances are when they do, your dreams are about proving yourself, and either failing or succeeding?
Is your partner there cheering you on, or is he or she absent? Which friends are there to watch your moment of glory in your dreams? If it is someone who hasn’t been in your life for years, what does he or she stand for? We all have authority figures in our dreams and in our lives. They are necessary because they each represent something important. They can guide us, warn us, and give us the feeling that we are supported. On the other hand, they can also undermine us, hold us back when we need to be moving forward, or drive us harder towards impossible to reach goals. See also ARCHETYPES.
your goals. That is, until you have the confidence in waking life to follow your dreams.
FAME
Dreams of being famous or basking in the glory of fame usually reflect a need to be recognized and respected by those around you, but they could also be messages from your unconscious to have more self-belief, and to recognize and give yourself credit for your own abilities. In waking life, you may be a little shy, but your dreams have shown you that within you is the ability to achieve great things, if you have the courage to stand out from the crowd. Alternatively, such dreams could warn people in high positions that it is impossible to be at the top for any length of time and when the moment comes he or she needs to accept that fact with love and understanding. The dream may also imply that the dreamer must remember what modesty is and what things were like before they acquired their present status. Dreams of other people becoming famous suggest that the dreamer may soon receive help from friends who will offer it unstintingly.
RECOGNITION
We all need a pat on the back now and again for work well done. It’s normal to want validation for your efforts. If you are having dreams where you are hoping for and getting a gold star, or a grade A, an honor in front of your peers, recognition at work or reward from someone you want to impress, such dreams are subconscious messages that you’re feeling a bit underappreciated, neglected or unsure of how your efforts are being received. Sometimes this sort of dream can be a gentle reminder that a loved one has lost that loving feeling, and once we realize that, we can address the problem directly. If you receive the recognition in your dream gracefully, this suggests that you are ready to accept the positive aspects of yourself, but if you feel uncomfortable or someone else steals the limelight, then you need to work on your self-esteem.
TREASURE
Dreams of finding treasure or valuable objects or ordinary objects with magical properties have numerous variations, but the one constant theme is the discovery of something precious and magical. The psychological interpretation of such a dream urges you to seek out what is magical in your life, perhaps in the ordinary things you’ve been taking for granted.
TRIUMPH
Dreams are often the perfect forum for experimenting with courageous impulses. Triumphant or courageous dreams when you succeed in a task, pass a difficult test or win when you thought you would lose can bring a great sense of elation. If you have such a dream it could be because you undervalue your abilities. Is it a wish-fulfillment dream to compensate for failures and inhibitions in waking life? Or is it a motivating dream that encourages you to become more confident about succeeding in waking life by rehearsing your success in dreamland?
TRYING HARD
In dreams where you are given a challenge or task and have to work on it for endless hours, do you curse or do you give up? The number of times you attempt