Numbers in Dreams: Why the Number is Often the Most Important Thing!
Ask Yourself What the Number Represents to You
If you remember a particular number from a dream, rest assured that the number (itself) is important. In fact, it very well may be the most important thing about the dream. Think about it – each dream involves some type of number. For example, you may dream about 4 cats, 2 people, 1 cake, etc. But we don’t always place importance on the numbers, themselves.
Why? Most of the time, the number simply isn’t important to the dream’s meaning.
However, if you have a particular dream and, when retelling or reliving the details, you make a point of naming a certain number (such as a number of objects, a “head count,” a particular number of days….) – THEN the number is of importance.
In fact, it may be the most important thing about the dream.
A few examples:
- If you dream about the number 2, odds are the number has to do with a romantic relationship – one you either value, wish you had, are concerned about. or miss.
- If you dream about a particular number, it could stand for the number of children (or pets) you have.
- A number could also be the total of people in your immediate family – usually in your household.
- If you have a spouse and, say, 3 children, the number 4 could simply represent the total of people you care extra deeply about and worry the most about.
- The number 1 can have several meanings – it could mean everything from loneliness to a feeling of supreme confidence and cockiness! Only the dreamer can say for certain.
When you remember a particular number from your dream (that is to say the number “stands out” for whatever reason), the first thing you should do is ask yourself what the number REPRESENTS to you. Usually, the first thing that comes to mind is what the number truly represents to you.
After you have your source, look at the type of dream you had. Was it carefree, happy, peaceful, and fun or was it scary, chaotic, and unsettling?
Let’s say you realize that the number 3 represents the number of children you have. If your dream was chaotic and possibly even scary – this would indicate that you are (in some area) worried or concerned about these children. Possibly you had recently been thinking about the cost of college or the crime rate.
It could be that you were worried about them physically, spiritually, or emotionally. You could, also – of course – been worried about something happening to you…. wondering how they’d get along without you.
Finally, you could have been wondering if you you are doing all you could for them (after all, parents never think they’re actually doing enough!).
If the dream was unsettling, then it represents something unsettling in your thoughts during the hours leading up to the dream – not your overall thoughts. It could have simply been one fleeting thought you had during the day that simply showed up in the dream.
If the dream was carefree and fun, it was simply your subconscious mind celebrating a great day or “acting out” pleasant thoughts.
On my self help blog, I always talk about the importance of having a positive attitude. I frequently write about how vital it is to welcome and entertain only positive thoughts (as much as possible, that is). Your dreams are simply another reason why keeping an upbeat attitude is important. If your mind is troubled during the day, more times than not, your dreams will be troubled at night.
Try to remember that when your alone with your thoughts – they’ll probably revisit you in one way or another.
For more information about what numbers mean in dreams, including interpretations for specific numbers, please see Numbers in Dreams.
Dreaming About Fire: What Does it Mean?
If you dream of fire, a lot of the dream interpretation rests in the situation. For example, is the fire a “cozy” fire in a fireplace or is it a raging fire threatening anyone and anything in its path.
If the fire in your dream is a controlled fire (bonfire, fireplace, candles, etc) and there aren’t negative emotions connected to it in your dream, the fire stands for a type of renewal or regeneration in your life. Maybe you’re feeling better about a situation that had been troubling you or perhaps you’ve recently made a very important change that you feel good about.
In dreams, fire is often symbolic of cleansing and renewal. It is also symbolic of “warm” feelings and emotions. If you dream of a fireplace, these warm feelings are probably of a romantic nature. Many people believe that if you dream of lit birthday candles, you are excited about the future – maybe not, necessarily, your next birthday – but something in the future, or just the future in general.
If the fire in your dream is threatening or scary in any way, the symbolism is different. Rather than indicating renewal, passion, romance, and warmth, this type of fire represents a feelings frustration and of being out of control (more likely than not emotionally).
Many people, after an argument in which they acted out in a way that left them sorry and embarrassed will dream of a raging fire. Truth be told, it could also symbolize “cleansing” as they wish they could wipe the slate clean. They feel as though they lost control and are frustrated that they couldn’t extinguish their emotions before they took on a life of their own.
Many people who are overwhelmed at work or school will also have fire dreams – because often their lives feel somewhat “out of control.”
If you dream of a wildfire that’s out of control, you’d be wise to really examine what’s going on in your life because this is your brain’s most extreme dream symbol that something is out of control in your life. It’s pretty much telling you that you need to get a hold on the situation because it’s in danger of getting out of hand.
This is kind of cool: If you dream of a fireman, a firetruck, or anything associated with putting out fires, you have recently overcome a negative passion, habit, or thought and feel pretty proud of yourself!
Dream Analysis: Dreams About Losing Things
I’ve been having dreams lately about losing things. In my dreams, I lose my keys, my truck, my belt. In one dream, I lost my German Shepherd. I don’t really have a problem with losing things in my real life. Certainly not my dog and truck. What do these dreams mean? There have been about 8 of them and I always wake up feeling frustrated and annoyed.
Dreaming of losing things is often a signal that there are just too many things going on in your life. When you’re being pulled in a great number of directions and/or you have a number of people counting on you, sometimes you feel like you’re losing control.
For example, I once heard from a man who had similar dreams. Turns out he was working a full time job and raising two sons by himself. Teenagers, at that. He said that he’d recently been given more responsibilities at work as well. When his dreams caused him to step back and realize that he was losing touch with what mattered most, he cut back on the overtime he was getting and boldly went to his boss to explain the situation. When he pointed out that he felt his sons needed him more at home, he says his boss was actually very impressed and helped him out a great deal.
Without taking away his recent pay raise! Cool bosses are so rare.
Take a good look at the way you described the feeling you got from the dreams: Frustrated and annoyed. We can learn so much about our lives and mindsets from simply looking at the feelings our dreams give us. You have undealt with frustrations in your life and I’d almost be willing to bet they stem from not having enough time to do everything you want to do.
Take steps to slow your life down and I promise you the dreams will leave as quickly as they came.
Good luck!
What We Can Learn From the Things We Say and Do in Our Dreams
Did you ever have a dream where you did or said something completely out of character for you? I’m sure you have, in fact, we probably all have at one time or another.
- A shy, soft-spoken person will dream of telling off an obnoxious co-worker.
- An extrovert will dream of a situation in which she was shy and unsure of herself.
- A daredevil will dream of being terrified.
- A total chicken will dream of soaring to new heights.
- The quietest man in the office will dream of being the life of the next office party.
And so on. In our dreams, we often “dare to go there.” The reason is this: Our inhibitions are totally down and the fears and reservations we experience in our daily lives simply don’t exist. We are invincible!
While the occasional dream may not carry much in the way of a life lesson, if we regularly dream of stepping outside of our comfort zone, our subconscious may be dying to do just that. Every now and again, examine your dreams for a pattern – especially if you possess traits in your dream that you seem to lack when you are awake. It may be time to open up a different side of yourself and take a few chances.
Our subconscious often craves the unexpected from us. The same-o, same-o can drag on and like a long-winded high school teacher. If your subconscious seems to be telling you to loosen up and “step livelier,” take its breath away by doing a dance.
Dreams of Being Lost – What Do These Dreams Mean?
A Recently Submitted Dream for Analysis:
I always dream about not being able to find my way somewhere, or not being able to find something that I knew was there before. I either can’t find my way home, or can’t find my way out of a house, or can’t find the proper road, etc. Last night’s dream – I put my bag in a post office box (that was on the outside of the post office for some reason), and then when I went to find it, I couldn’t. I went up and down streets looking for the box I put my bag in, but couldn’t find it. One other time, I was trying to find my way home and kept walking on different roads that kind of looked familiar, but were not the roads I needed to get home. One other was I was in a house with many rooms, and could not find my way out of it. All my dreams are like this, and I wake up before I find my way. What does this type of dream mean?
Fascinatingly enough, your dreams are actually covering several areas. They’re taking you by the hand and pulling you in several directions. It’s a wonder you aren’t completely frazzled!
Dreams of Being Lost
The key symbolism for dreams in which we lose our way (or can’t find it in the first place) is frustration. It’s a pretty common dream theme, simply because all of us are familiar with being frustrated. Whether it’s in school, at home, at work, or in a relationship – we all know the feeling of wanting something to go THIS way as we sit and watch it defiantly go THAT way instead!
Many Christians will experience dreams such as this when they feel that they’re “losing their way,” or that they aren’t reading their Bible often enough, praying enough, etc. I interpreted a dream for a lady,once, who had gone to her Catholic church for over 20 years. An injury at work left her unable to leave her house for a couple of months. She had dreams just about every night of losing either her teeth, her hair, her clothes, etc. Her church was such a huge part of her life that she felt like she was actually “losing herself.” I suggested that she call up members of her church and invite them over for coffee. When they found out how much she missed them, a few ladies began automatically coming by after each service – bringing her cookies, drinking coffee with her, and telling her what had gone on at the service. Is that sweet or what?! The dreams ended because she didn’t feel the loss so much any longer.
Dreams of Losing Objects
When we dream of losing something, it’s an indication that we feel we have, indeed, lost something. Parents who have young children suddenly enrolled in school (whether it’s first grade or college) will have frequent dreams like this because they subconsciously feel that they’ve lost something. Soon, however, they realize they haven’t lost the child at all and the dreams fade away.
On an even deeper level, many people who have made compromises in relationships (personal or professional) will have these dreams because they feel that they’ve lost a piece of themself.
I’d say that your dreams are definitely trying to tell you something. Any time dreams recur like this, there’s an underlying issue or emotion. I like to think of these hidden emotions as unopened e-mail. You know when you log in to your e-mail, it’ll tell you when you have unopened mail? Recurring dreams serve the same basic function – alerting us that we have undealt with emotions.
When we click on the unopened mail, the message goes away. We’ve dealt with it and there’s no need for it to bring anything to our attention any longer.
Think of your dreams along these lines. Spend a little time with yourself (no distractions) and ask yourself what losses you feel – whether they are literal, physical losses or emotional. More likely than not, you’ll get in touch with feelings you didn’t even fully realize you were having.
Good luck and sweet dreams!
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