The Element Encyclopedia of 20,000 Dreams: The Ultimate A–Z to Interpret the Secrets of Your Dreams. Theresa Cheung
to the lack of creativity in your waking life and the need for more color, variety and stimulation. A curious superstition claims that if you dream you cut new teeth, it is a sign that you will hear of the birth of a child who will do great things in theatre.
VENTRILOQUIST
To see a ventriloquist in your dream symbolizes some sort of deception in your waking life that is affecting you in a negative way. If you are the ventriloquist, there is a part of yourself that you are not revealing in waking life.
WRITING
If writing figures in dreams, this is an attempt to communicate information when spoken words are inadequate. Your dream may be reflecting your true thoughts and feelings. If you are writing down names and addresses in your dream, this may be a reminder to remember your friends and take note of your enemies. It also suggests a need to reflect on something, or sort out your ideas and decisions. Perhaps the instrument with which you are writing is significant. For example, to write with a pencil or chalk would suggest the information is less permanent than were you to write with a pen or fountain pen, and a typewriter or word processor would suggest that the information is connected to business, rather than personal, issues. Writing a novel or writing in general can also suggest a desire to leave your mark on the world in some way. If the writing is by someone you know, this refers to their influence over your life and thought processes in waking life. If you are writing to someone you know, he or she may represent the nature of the issues you are trying to express. If you dream of someone else writing, this can show an aspect of yourself that is seeking to express itself.
Crafts and Creativity Scenarios
HANDICRAFT
In dreams, doing any handicraft, from embroidery to pottery, suggests that we have situations in hand, but also that we need to take responsibility for our actions. Pay particular attention both to what is being made and to how well it is being made, as it will reflect a situation in your waking life.
KNITTING
If you were knitting or doing crochet, the symbols may be indicative of some waking situation. For example, if you dropped a stitch in the dream, have you been tactless in waking life? If there was a break in your yarn, have you argued with someone? Wool has from the earliest of times represented warmth and protection, and if you are knitting with wool or see wool in your dreams, it can suggest gentleness or motherly qualities within yourself. Be aware, too, of the phrase ‘pulling the wool over someone’s eyes’. There might be things that you don’t know about or don’t wish to see at the present time.
MAKING A SCRAPBOOK
If you are making a scrapbook in your dreams, or looking through one, this is about making memories. Are you taking the time to treasure the uniqueness of each new day in your waking life?
NEEDLEWORK
If you are sewing in your dreams, your dream may be suggesting that your waking life has been taken over by boredom and routine. This is because sewing requires constant attention to detail and much of the work is repetitive. Your dream may be urging you to broaden your horizons. If you are sewing pieces of fabric together in your dream, this may suggest that you are bringing aspects of your life together.
PLANTING A SEED
A dream of a seed or a pip may suggest the germ of an idea that will grow into something important, if you find the determination and patience to follow it through. A dream about spreading manure carries the same implication, suggesting that an idea or notion needs feeding and nurturing. See also NATURE AND THE SEASONS.
POTTERY
If you are a creative person, a dream about making a pot may refer to another aspect of your life that is just as important as your creative work. If you are not creative, such a dream may suggest the need to find ways to express your creativity in waking life. Try to recall every detail of what you are making. To see, or work with, clay in your dream represents the ability to change or shape your mind. Alternatively, it indicates your need to set some goals and plans for yourself. You have some growing-up to do and need to plan for the future. According
Mending
To dream that you are mending a garment symbolizes your attempts to fix a problem or situation in waking life. In your dream, are your attempts successful or are you frustrated by lack of resources?
Buttons
Buttons hold things together and are used to open and close garments. In your waking life, are you opening or closing yourself to others?
Needle
In dreams, needles signify the power to heal through penetration. In other words, some concept or knowledge has to be introduced from outside. This may feel uncomfortable at first but it will eventually make us feel better. Depending on whether or not you are using the needle or it is being used on you, the ability to have penetrative insights can come from within or without. From a Freudian perspective, the needle can also suggest masculine sexuality.
Pins
If you dream that you are pricked by a pin, this signifies a difficult situation or relationship. You may be feeling anxious or feeling the need to hold together a particular relationship. Consider the pun of someone who may be a ‘prick’. Alternatively, to see pins in your dream may suggest you are feeling stifled or trapped, as indicated by the phrase ‘being pinned down’. If a pincushion appears in your dream, this can indicate stinging or hurtful comments in waking life. You may be feeling manipulated or attacked in waking life, or perhaps you are being hurtful to someone else. For particular materials used in mending, for example, cotton, linen, silk, see also CLOTHES AND IMAGE.
Scissors
In dreams, these can suggest cutting remarks or decisiveness and taking control. They can also suggest separation or independence—as in cutting the umbilical cord—or the need to get rid of someone or something out of your life that isn’t working anymore. The type of scissors may be important for the dreamer. Surgical scissors, for instance, could suggest the need to be more precise. Kitchen scissors might suggest a need to be more practical. If the scissors are blunt, this suggests you may be creating problems through speaking bluntly. If you are sharpening scissors, this suggests the need to be more tactful. If you dream of a hairdresser using scissors, this could refer to your fear of losing authority and status. In folklore, clean scissors suggest that you have nothing to fear from your enemies. If the scissors are rusty or broken however, this is a less favorable.
Tape/thimble/thread
Tapes are used to measure things in waking life. In your dreams they can suggest a need to measure and