The Element Encyclopedia of 20,000 Dreams: The Ultimate A–Z to Interpret the Secrets of Your Dreams. Theresa Cheung

       CHANGE AND CONFLICT

      Dreams about change are common because the experience of change is an inescapable fact of life and whether the change is minor, such as a new hairstyle, or major, such as getting married, all change involves both loss and gain.

      Dreams about conflict are also very widespread. This is because, in the same way as with change, we all experience conflict to some degree in our daily lives. We do not, as a result, spend all our lives feeling hostile, but every one of us experiences varying degrees of tension and anxiety.

      Understanding conflicts and changes can help us manage them better, and many dream researchers believe that dreams are an invaluable tool for self-understanding. For example, Freud believed that dreams reflect hidden conflicting aspects of our personality, whilst Jung believed that the process of adapting to change or conflict was vital for survival and dreams offered an insight into that process. Adler believed dreams could solve problems, and theorists from the Gestalt school believe dreams increase self-understanding.

      Dreams about change and conflict should therefore be listened to closely. They are a way of processing the thoughts and feelings surrounding that change and/or conflict and by so doing they can lead us towards psychological healing and personal growth. See also STAGES OF LIFE.

      Change Scenarios

      CELEBRATIONS

      Dreams about birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and any other rite of passage ceremony all contain symbolism associated with change. Notice how you felt in the dream. How did other characters react to the change event? Was there a sense of happiness or sadness in the air? Did obstacles prevent the ceremony from running smoothly?

      DISGUISES

      Dreams of yourself or other people in disguise can often suggest change. The wearing of a mask relates to the appearance you present to others (as well as to yourself), and sometimes it is hard to remove the mask, perhaps because you are being forced to wear the mask by others. This may be a warning that you risk losing all sense of self. Notice who was disguised in the dream and what they were disguised as. If they were disguised as something sinister, perhaps this suggests fears in your everyday life. If they were disguised as something light-hearted, perhaps this is an element of wish-fulfillment, reflecting a desire to drop pretences and replace them with more fun and spontaneity in your life. According to Jungian symbolism, wearing a veil over your head indicates a desire to be invisible and to withdraw from the outside world.

      FERTILITY

      Given their associations with fertility and growth, dreams about the birth of a baby or animal, or of tending gardens and vegetation are associated with new beginnings and positive change for the dreamer. Dreams that involve other new beginning such as new jobs, new houses and new relationships are also symbolic of aspects of life change. To understand the meaning of the dream—and what particular change it is pointing to—you need to pay attention to how you feel in the dream, as well as noting any details within in.

       Dream change in art

      The subject of dreams and change has often been portrayed in art and culture. For example, in his classic novella Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka used this notion of change when Gregor Samsa awakes to find himself transformed into an insect. Surrealist artists, in particular Salvador Dali, used images of dream change to inform their work. For example, Dali’s ‘Metamorphosis of Narcissus’ is based on the myth of Narcissus, who fell in love with his own reflection.

      GOODBYE

      Dreams that contain images of death, or of saying goodbye or farewell to family and friends, also suggest times of change. Such dreams do not mean that someone is going to die or that certain people are going to leave you, rather that a particular phase in life is coming to an end. The dream should contain clues regarding which phase in life is being referred to. If you are the dead person or the dead person is unknown to you, then some aspect of your personality or some issue in your daily life needs to be left behind. If a friend dies in your dream, perhaps that friendship has run its course, or perhaps your friend is about to get married and the nature of your friendship will change.

      LABYRINTH MAZE

      According to Jung, the enclosed labyrinth is a symbol of the unconscious, and a dream of entering a labyrinth represents rapid change and a journey towards self-discovery. As in the Greek myth of Theseus, who entered King Minos’ labyrinth in Knossos to kill the Minotaur, descent into the unconscious may sometimes involve confronting impulses we would rather ignore because they challenge or threaten us. If you see a maze in your dream, it may also indicate the need to find direction in life and the skills needed to negotiate change. If a map or chart of a maze appears in your dream, this may be a reassuring sign that you are on the right path.

      RUIN/DESTRUCTION

      If the dream centers on some kind of radical change such as revolution, war, fighting or combat, this suggests some kind of conflict in your life. Images of destruction can also relate to life changes that quite literally break with the past. A house left in ruins, for example, may suggest a family broken by divorce; fallen trees may symbolize a move to a new location. See also TREES.

      TRANSFORMATION

      Dreams in which obvious changes occur, and people and things are transformed into something or someone else, suggest changes in awareness. A landscape might change from dark to light (negative to positive), a person may change from male to female, or objects may take on human characteristics. These changes are often depicted as occurring immediately in dreams, like a speeded-up movie, and they reflect changes in waking life.

      Bizarre transformations of objects into living things, such as a pencil turning into a snake, a doll into a donkey or a table into a swarm of wasps, suggest untapped potential within you that can help you cope with change. To clarify what this potential is, refer to the symbolic interpretation of the objects that have been transformed. Shape-shifter dreams, in which people you know suddenly transform into something else, typically a monster or beast, represent unpredictable people in your waking life. For example, someone might be kind and caring towards you until they transform under the influence of alcohol. On the other hand, the shape-shifting may be some kind of moral test. Can you uncover the beauty behind the monster’s mask? What lies below the outer skin of the dream beast? Try to make a connection to your waking life.

      Sudden changes from winter to spring in a dream, or from night to day, may also suggest new directions and developments in the dreamer’s life. If the other way round, and the switch is from day to night, or spring to winter, this may suggest the need to confront and deal with dangerous impulses. If the landscape suddenly becomes unfamiliar in your dream, this can point to an unwillingness or an inability to cope with the new. However, if the new environment is welcoming and friendly this is a positive sign. A return to the comfort of the childhood home or a familiar environment is widely interpreted by Freudians and Jungians as a desire to return to the security of the womb during times of change and conflict.

      If something is transfigured in a dream, such as when an