Closed Signs: Are These “Signs” More Than They Seem?
When Your Dream is Trying to Tell You Something Important
I recently had a dream submitted that involved a very interesting dream symbol: Closed Signs. The dreamer pointed out that they are a recent college graduate who (like a LOT of young people) is struggling a little in their career.
Below is an excerpt from the dream:
2 nights ago i had a dream, i was with my friend in a condo and we were about to leave and i said to the other person in the same room that i will just bring my friend home and we walked towards to the elevator and we found out that the elevator is not working on that floor so we decided that to maybe go down to another floor to ride the elevator.so we did, we used the stairs and when we
reached another floor down there’s a sign on the door and it says “CLOSED” then, we went down again until we can enter a opened door. But as we go down again, We saw the “CLOSED” sign again and another floor down “CLOSED” sign was there again and then on the 4th floor down there i saw no more “CLOSED” sign and we entered then i woke up after that.
What a frustrating dream! This is one of those instances where the description of the dream (frustrating) sums up feelings the dreamer has recently experienced. It’s as though the subconscious mind uses the emotions of the conscious mind to “set the theme” for dreams. It picks up on the frustration and more or less runs with it – up elevators, down halls, up stairs, down stairs..
However, I think there might be a little more to it. While it’s clear why your mind created such a frustrating scenario in your dream, I believe it was – in the process – providing you with a little advice.
Before I get to what I personally think this advice was, I just want to reiterate something I frequently say on Dream Prophesy: Our subconscious mind is one of our greatest allies in life. It has access to all of our struggles, our strengths, our weaknesses, our problems – everything that is US and everything that is OUR WORLD. The subconscious mind knows everything our conscious mind does – but it has a “superpower,” if you will.
It doesn’t get in its own way!
That’s why it is so vital to interpret our dreams (or to have someone do it for you, of course). Our dreams are basically our subconscious mind painting a picture for us and, many times (if not most of the time), we can find valuable clues and priceless advice within the picture it paints.
In this particular dream, I believe the dreamer’s subconscious mind is saying, “Keep looking for the answer…” Furthermore, because of the nature of the dream, I believe the subconscious mind is also saying, “Look places you haven’t yet looked.”
We can EVEN go a little deeper. Because there were “levels” in the dream – clearly indicated by stairs and elevators – I believe the subconscious mind is encouraging the dreamer to “look up” and possibly even to “aim higher.” Why? Because all of the “downs” were closed!
When a dream presents us with clear options (up… down or hot… cold, etc), many times the clue to the dream’s interpretation is in the choice that was successful in the dream OR, by process of elimination, the choice that was unsuccessful in the dream.
Obviously, when you have a dream like this, it doesn’t mean to march into work on Monday morning and demand a raise. I’m pretty sure telling your boss, “But my dream said aim higher!” won’t win you the title employee of the month! However, a dream like this can serve as motivation and inspiration to aim higher, look up, and keep on keeping on.
The key dream analysis here is to look UP, aim HIGHER, and… whatever you do… don’t “lower” your expectations or get DOWN… because there isn’t anything for you there… it’s all CLOSED!
Thanks so much for submitting your dream – when dreamers do so, inevitably other dreamers are helped by their interpretation.
What Do Collision Dreams Mean?
Plus: Why Recurring Dreams Deserve Extra Attention
What does it mean to dream about colliding with people or things? I had my first dream like this about 3 weeks ago. I was driving a car on a street and suddenly a train (on the road for some reason) came right at me. I woke up right before it hit me. The next collision dream was about being in a grocery store when a store worker collided her huge cart with my grocery cart. The most recent one got my attention the most though. I was walking in a field when I suddenly realized that I was walking on an old railroad track. Just as my mind registered what it was, I heard a loud train whistle and looked up to see one coming right at me. My feet couldn’t run sideways – they had to stay on the old train track. I couldn’t even turn around to go the other direction. I had to run backwards trying to get away from this big train that was speeding at me. I woke up and sat straight up, breathing deep like I’d been running. It has left me shaken for days.
First of all, let’s look at what collision dreams mean. Ancient dream guides say that dreams like the ones named here are omens to slow down. The thought is that if your mind is “set” to this type of panic mode, it’s because it is over-stimulated and in need of a rest.
Generally speaking, I read old dream guides with a measure of skepticism – after all, most of them talk about “foretelling” and “omens,” as though dreams are psychic and we don’t have a lot of say in the matter. I’m certainly not on board with that line of thinking, so I never put FULL trust in ancient dream guides. However, when it comes to dreams such as this – I think they’re right on the money.
A stressed brain will “conjure” up far more stressful dreams than a well-rested, peaceful brain. The same can be said for a dreamer’s brain when the dreamer is sick, injured, or under any sort of grief or prolonged sadness.
Dreams of colliding with other people or objects generally mean the dreamer is “on guard” about something in his/her life. There is something in particular that they’re “watching out for.”
I’ve heard of people who have been very unlucky in love having these types of dreams when starting a new relationship. Bad things have happened in the past and, in an effort to protect themselves, they now “watch” for warning signs.
It doesn’t just have to romantic relationships, of course – it can be jobs, friendships, finances, health, etc.
Only the dreamer can say for certain, but more times than not, a collision dream indicates that the dreamer is anticipating something coming at them that they want to “brace” against.
The fact that this is a recurring dream, in my opinion, makes it even more important. When a dream’s “prophecy” is something the dreamer’s brain deems extremely important, it will put the message in reruns in an effort to get its point across. Very often, simply consciously confronting the dream’s meaning will be all it takes to end the recurring dreams.
It’s as though the brain realizes that it got its message across, so it relaxes. I certainly hope that’s the case because a relaxed brain’s dreams are FAR less disturbing!
What Does it Mean When you Dream About Losing Your Glasses (Or Contacts)?
This Dream Interpretation Differs from Most “Lost Dreams”
We’ve looked at “Lost Dreams” before on Dream Prophesy (Lost Key dreams, for example). People frequently dream about being lost or about having lost an object or objects. Generally, when the object is something like a book, keys, or other “impersonal inanimate object,” the dream interpretation (analysis, meaning…) is pretty basic. More times than not, the dreamer is afraid of losing something in their “real world” and a scenario of losing is thereby played out in their “dream world.”
Naturally the thing they’re afraid of losing isn’t actually the book, keys, or object that’s lost in the dream. The same object (or person) COULD show up in the role, but it’s very rare.
However, when it comes to dreaming about losing your glasses (or contact lenses), the dream interpretation goes deeper. Of course, we’re talking about vision-correcting glasses, not sunglasses, drinking glasses, or other types of glasses. All of these would fall under the previous category of impersonal inanimate objects.
Eyeglasses (also: contact lenses) are one of the most personal possessions an individual can have. For those who wear vision correcting lenses, they’re the difference between sitting in a room with no windows to the outside world and sitting in a room filled with windows.
In many ways, our eyeglasses are our windows to the world and we rely and depend upon them more than anyone could imagine.
When you consider their importance and think about their vital role in the wearer’s quality of life, you can better understand WHY dreaming about losing your glasses is an intensely deep dream.
Basically, if you dream that your glasses (or, again, contact lenses) are lost or missing, it means that you are experiencing great amounts of either helplessness or self doubt in your real life – maybe even more than you realize.
Here are a few examples:
- “James” begins a new job as principal at a local middle school. Though he has the required schooling for the job, deep down he has a couple of doubts. He fears that, maybe, he isn’t experienced enough for the job. The self doubt leads to a dream where he has lost his glasses and can’t find them. He looks all around his house as well as the school. In the dream, teachers (and even a few students) tell him that he should keep up with his glasses. One student even asks, “What were you thinking?!” He awakens nearly in a panic because the dream seems so real. The rebuttal from the teachers and students is the self-rebuttal that he, himself, feels…. even down to the, “What were you thinking,” something he has probably asked himself.
- “Dottie” has been married for 45 years to “Thomas.” Sadly, Thomas has been diagnosed with diabetes and the doctors are having a horrible time regulating his sugar levels. She’s devoting most of her days trying to help her husband eat right, stay on top of his medications, and exercise – all while trying to “ride out” his unpredictable moods. Because she is so busy thinking about her husband, she doesn’t fully realize just how helpless and overwhelmed she actually feels. One night, however, she has a dream that her glasses have disappeared and everything around her is nothing more than a blur. She can’t make out her husband or children’s faces, can’t see the flowers in her flower garden, and can’t see to cook. She frantically searches for her glasses but they’re nowhere in her home. As soon as she wakes up, she reaches over to the table beside her bed to make sure her glasses are there. The dream leaves her shaken – even more shaken than she believes a dream could have the power to do.
In both instances, the dreams, themselves, aren’t what left the dreamers so shaken or panicked – it was the emotions revealed through the dream. The dreams simply pulled back a veil that let each dreamer see how fragile and raw their emotions were at this time.
I always point out that dreams (or, more to the point, their meanings and interpretations) can be VERY helpful to us. These cases are perfect examples because each individual – after their dream interpretations – realized they needed to make a few changes. “James” began telling himself that he was getting the best kind of “experience” available.. on the job experience. He also began to focus on the fact that he was hired over every other applicant – and if they put that kind of trust in him, he should put it in himself.
“Dottie” began taking more time to unwind. She found solace in reading novels in her backyard – surrounded by her 3 beautiful Dalmatians.
These are classic examples of ways our dreams can lead to better self understanding and, oftentimes, even a better life.
The People in Our Dreams
Why Does Our Mind Choose the People it Chooses?!
A question I’m asked a lot has to do with the people who show up in our dreams. Questions like Why Do We Sometimes Dream About People We Haven’t Thought of In Years? and Why did (a particular actor/actress) appear in my dream are a couple of examples.
While there are instances where the individual or individuals are a part of the dream interpretation or meaning, itself, most of the time, the individual is used simply because there was a role to be filled in the brain’s “movie” and it’s a one organ casting department. More times than not, the brain will “cast” someone who’s name it heard or who’s face it saw during the pat 48 hours.
A perfect example actually happened to me a few nights ago. While my husband and I were watching a great college basketball game on television, the announcers brought up a recent Luke Bryan concert. One announcer said that his favorite Country artist was Toby Keith. In a dream, that night, none other than Toby Keith was the barista in a coffee shop my husband and I went to. In all honesty, I’m not that familiar with Luke Bryan and I’m only about 45 % sure I could pick him out in a lineup.
On the other hand, Toby Keith is one of my favorite artists ever – Country or otherwise.
The funny thing is, I had not thought of Toby Keith for weeks when the announcer brought up his name. What’s more, I was so invested in the ballgame, I only barely “registered” what he’d said. In fact, I didn’t think about it the rest of the night. However, my brain had taken note of the name and had it on “standby” when it came time to cast the barista!
Because I had not given this particular singer any thought in weeks and because the mention of his name barely even registered on my radar, I know that he had nothing to do with the interpretation of the dream. He was simply a “handy” name (with a face my brain would recognize) when a barista was needed.
Sometimes your brain will “pull” someone from the “casting pool” that you saw (and possibly barely recognized) on a magazine cover, in a commercial, online, or in a movie. Other times, like Toby, it’ll simply be the mention of a name that’ll earn them a spot in your dream. Zero meaning, zero significance.
It may seem strange for someone who studies dreams to admit this, but sometimes even our dreams hold no real meaning. I refer to these as “throwaway” dreams. They’re the type of dreams that simply don’t hold any significant meaning, premonition, reflection, or depth whatsoever. Ironically, the dream I mentioned earlier was, itself, a “throwaway” dream. Coffee is a HUGE part of life in our household. We are serious, serious coffee drinkers. We talk about coffee, we brew coffee, we go out for coffee, we drink coffee, we think about coffee… and so on.
So the fact that we were in a coffeehouse in a dream is absolutely no surprise. The fact that the barista was someone who’s name I’d heard a few hours before – also no big surprise.
A throwaway dream… although it did make me wake up at 3:00 am craving coffee in the worst way!
Confusing Emotions in Dreams
Sometimes, Nothing is As it Seems
Dreams don’t always make sense, do they? Sometimes you’ll dream of hurting someone you love or you’ll dream of loving someone you’d kind of like to punch.
If you’ve ever had these disturbing dreams, maybe it’ll help you to know that you’re not alone. I hear from a lot of dreamers throughout the week and many are troubled by just these types of conflicting dreams.
I always feel bad for anyone who has been kind of turned inside out by a dream because, really, there isn’t a lot you can do about it. It simply takes the mind a little time to recover from especially unsettling dreams. I’ve heard instances of people taking months to get some dreams out of their systems, but the norm is closer to about a week.
One of the most disturbing types of dreams I hear about are those that involve the dreamer harming someone they love. Someone who.. in REAL life… they wouldn’t hurt for anything. The most unsettling dreams I ever heard was from a mother who dreamed of hurting her little boy. Her agony came through in her e-mail and I spent over an hour replying because I wanted so desperately to help ease her mind.
In dreams of this nature, the dream interpretation is almost always the same: If a dreamer dreams of hurting someone they love, they feel (in their subconscious) that something they are doing – or not doing – could actually bring harm to this person. I’ve had instances with dreamers where this particular “thing” was smoking (harming them with secondhand smoke), not enforcing seat belt usage, etc. Some parents even experience dreams like this when they take their children to school for the first time!
Many times dreamers will dream of harming someone they love because they have a secret they fear will be exposed.
Finally, we sometimes take on the “guilt” of hurting them when we don’t deserve any whatsoever. A dreamer may dream that they harm someone they love simply because they question whether or not they’re doing all they can to protect their loved one from harm. This was the case with a father who dreamed of hitting his son relentless in his dream. It turned out that the son had just gotten his driver’s license and the father wasn’t convinced he’d prepared him ENOUGH to drive safely. Through reasoning that could only come from a parent, he was prepared to take on the guilt if anything ever DID happen to his son.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read words such as, “I was so angry in my dream! Why was I so angry?!” The anger simply represents intense emotion – sometimes even intense love. When we love someone, the thought of them being hurt causes us intense emotions, so the fact that they’re represented in dreams by one of the most intense emotions we possess (anger) isn’t really surprising.
The flip side of this dream is nearly as disturbing to dreamers: When they dream of being in love with and/or affectionate with someone they “hate.” I’ve gotten a lot of dream interpretation requests and questions along the lines of, “Why did I dream that I was kissing my ex-boyfriend?! I HATE him so much!”
Some will go so far as to say, “Please tell me I don’t still have feelings for the creep!”
Again, these intense emotions and actions in dreams simply stand for intense feelings in real life. I honestly have no idea why the sleeping mind won’t allow someone to simply give their ex-boyfriend a slap in the face in the dream (it’d be infinitely more satisfying, right?). Somehow, our sleeping mind simply sees the need to symbolize “intense emotion” and pulls one from its file.
It isn’t always accurate, that’s for sure.
When you have emotionally conflicting dreams like these, remind yourself that, as far as the sleeping mind is concerned, emotions are emotions. In these instances, think of your “dream brain” as a librarian trying to pull a book off the shelf in the dark. She knows she’s in the “Fiction” section but doesn’t know if she’s pulling an old Agatha Christie mystery or a Stephen King novel off the shelf .
Just as there’s a world of difference between these two authors, sometimes there’s a world of difference between your dream emotions and your real emotions. Needless to say, the latter are the only ones you really need to worry about.
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