The Element Encyclopedia of 20,000 Dreams: The Ultimate A–Z to Interpret the Secrets of Your Dreams. Theresa Cheung
and work, such as cities, towns and villages, refer to how you perceive yourself within the community, and how well you are fitting in. So if you dreamed that you felt happy and secure in your dream city, the chances are you relate well to other members of the community in waking life. But if the buildings on the sidewalk or pavement seemed to close in on you, or you were wandering around hopelessly lost, perhaps you are feeling intimidated by others in waking life and have lost your sense of direction, or even identity. If the city was abandoned like a ghost town, does this mirror your feelings of isolation in waking life?
COMPONENTS OF A BUILDING
If you dream of a balcony, ledge or sill, this suggests a need for support and protection in your life. An elevator or lift in a dream usually suggests how we deal with information. If the lift is going down, we may be going down into our unconscious for self-understanding, whereas a lift going up could represent moving towards greater self-understanding. Halls or passageways in a dream can, for Freudians, represent passages within the body, such as the vagina or penis. On a psychological level, they can suggest how we let others invade our personal space. On a spiritual level, passages can represent the different stages of our life. A hall is the center of a building and to dream of entering a hall may therefore represent the beginnings of a journey towards self-awareness. According to dream lore, to dream of a long hallway suggests a period of worry ahead.
Walls in dreams indicate potential blocks to your progress, or difficulties you may be up against in waking life. They suggest obstacles that are stopping you from getting what you want. This may be something from real life or something within yourself. Perhaps you are being like a brick by refusing to show your feelings, or have come up against a brick wall with a particular problem or issue. If the wall looks old, this suggests the problem is old. If the wall is made of glass, this suggests problems with perception. If the wall is closing in, the dreamer may feel trapped by their current lifestyle. A brick wall, rampart or dividing wall all suggest the difference between everyday life and the inner psychological state. According to dream lore, if you find a gateway through a wall, this is a sign of good fortune. See also entries for doors, rooms, stairs, staircase and windows in HOME.
Exploring a building
Dreams about exploring a building are encouraging you to explore your own personality or resolve an ongoing conflict. In other words, the dream is encouraging you to make more of your attributes and abilities, as unexplored potential and new ideas lie within you. This is especially true if you find yourself exploring unfamiliar rooms in a well-known house in your dream. If the building is run down or dilapidated, this may suggest a personality or body in need of attention, but if the building is well cared for and clean, it suggests confidence and good self-esteem. A building under attack may suggest that someone or something is trying to break in. If a building is under construction or being demolished, this refers to your own ability to construct and destroy your life. If the building is familiar, the reference may be to the actual building itself; for example, if you dream of a structural fault, you might want to get the design checked out. If the building you are exploring in your dream is a public building such as a factory, law court, prison and department store, the building often represents the function suggested by its nature, such as work, education and healing. Bear in mind, though, that if these images appear in your dreams, they will also have personal connections and feelings associated with those buildings. For example, if a factory feels like a museum, both associations should be considered. Finally, consider carefully how you react to the building in your dream. Were you intimidated by it or did you feel comfortable? If the former, your dream may be warning that you are over-reaching yourself in waking life. The latter is more reassuring.
FACTORY
A factory in your dreams is likely to refer to conformity with society, a typical reaction to a life that lacks individuality, productivity and work. In some cases, it can also refer to the automatic functions of the body, such as breathing and digestion. A factory on strike may suggest an obstacle to hard work, such as lack of discipline. An endless production line clearly suggests frustration with your career or relationships. A dream of waterworks can suggest associations with water and the womb, turning the dream into a gigantic representation of the mother figure in your life. A dream of being confined in a barracks may be a warning that your life is too restricted, and that you are too much under the influence of someone else. If you dream of a warehouse or other storage place, this suggests memories, past experiences or aspects of yourself that you have put on hold; for example, career ambitions whilst you raise a child.
FARM
If a farm appears in your dream, you may be longing for a more simple, down-to-earth approach to life. If there is manure in the yard, this may point to obstacles that prevent you realizing your dream. If you dream of a windmill, the windmill may represent your creativity as the windmill grinds flour for bread. If you are the family breadwinner, you might identify with this dream. Images of a stable in your dream may suggest repressed sexuality, as horse-riding is a Freudian symbol of sex. For Jung, the horse represents humankind’s harnessing of natural forces, making the stable a place where the dreamer can face these forces with confidence.
HOSPITAL
In dreams, hospitals can either mean a place of safety and healing if you have had a positive experience of hospitals, or vulnerability and disease if the experience was negative. Generally though, hospitals are symbols of healing, representing an aspect of yourself that longs to be pampered and cared for, relieved of the burdens of responsibilities in the waking world. If you find hospitals threatening in your dream, this may suggest that you feel apprehensive about putting control of yourself out of your own hands and into those of others in your waking life. If you are a hospital patient in your dream, this suggests a period of transition after something has not gone well, or a time of rest when you can learn from the experience and find new ways to get back on track. If you are visiting someone in hospital, is a part of you diseased, not well or in need of special attention? Either way, if you have a dream that focuses in some way on a hospital, this suggests that you are in need of some tender loving care, both physically and emotionally. See also SICKNESS AND HEALTH.
HOTEL/B&B/PUB
Dreams that highlight hotels, bed and breakfasts, and boarding houses suggest that you are not currently feeling secure in your situation. They can also indicate a short-term situation, relaxation and escape, or activities separate from home life. For business people, hotel dreams may refer to work. If you are about to take a vacation, your dream may simply reflect your excitement at the thought of the holiday. But if you are not going on holiday, the dream implies that you have reached a transitional stage in your life and the dream hotel mirrors how you feel about this change of circumstances. Perhaps you have recently moved to a new area, or a relationship has broken up and you are adjusting to your new single status. Was the hotel a bright, uplifting place or was it depressing and dirty? All these details will help you with the interpretation. Bear in mind, too, that hotels, although advertized as home from homes, are in fact impersonal places run by others—so do you yearn for anonymity or do you dread losing your identity? If the hotel has a gymnasium, this suggests challenges, finding ways to gain new skills, or concerns about your physical health and well-being.
If you were in a public house or bar in your dream, this suggests the sociable, easy-going side of yourself, as a bar or pub presents an arena in which you can overcome your inhibitions.