Dream Interpretation
I Tried It So You Don’t Have To
In my dream, I had to interview a moderately well-known celebrity at an end-of-summer festival in a seaside town. The guy was more or less a friend of mine, so I couldn’t exactly show up late, and it seemed only polite to do a little preparation beforehand.
As it turned out, a former colleague of mine was heading to the same event. The organizers had asked him to film the whole thing. So we decided to go together in one car. It would save some gas, and we’d have a chance to catch up on the way.
My colleague had some business to take care of at the local hospital first. While he was doing that, I tried to find a parking spot, with very limited success. By the time we finally set off toward the venue, we were running a little late. As a result, I managed to ignore a speed limit sign—which, in hindsight, was a mistake.
The road disappeared from under us in an instant, and after a brief flight through the air, the car landed unharmed on the rooftop terrace of a cathedral. The church wasn’t damaged. Neither were we.
I told my colleague to continue to the filming location. At least one of us should arrive on time. I’d stay behind and deal with this minor inconvenience.
As we headed down the stairs, we ran into the cathedral’s caretaker, who informed us with remarkable calm that he had already sent someone to fetch the mobile crane they used in situations like this. Apparently, cars landing on rooftop terraces were a fairly common occurrence. There would be some expenses involved, perhaps a small fine, but nothing serious. The important thing was that everyone had made it out safely.
By the time we reached the main entrance, the crane was already lifting the car down from the roof. I figured I should let my family know what had happened, so I wandered off into a quieter side street to make a phone call.
At the end of the street, however, I ran into my own wife. She had already read about the incident online and decided to come meet me so she could help however she could.
Fortunately, that was the point where I woke up. Since I rarely remember my dreams, this one stayed with me. For days. Eventually, I decided to find out what it might mean.
I started with Sigmund Freud. And that was a mistake.
According to Freud, dreams are not random collections of images. They are messages from the unconscious mind. The true meaning of a dream, however, is carefully hidden behind layers of symbols designed to keep it from reaching conscious awareness.
My dream, unfortunately, was not lacking in symbols.
Let’s start with the car. According to Freud, vehicles often represent the dreamer’s body or their sense of control over life’s journey. The fact that I was driving suggests a desire to direct events myself. Ignoring the speed limit sign indicates that my unconscious mind is rebelling against social rules and restrictions. So far, entirely manageable.
The problems began when the car took flight. According to Freud, flying frequently symbolizes liberation, wish fulfillment, and the free expression of instinctual desires. In other words, the dreamer is doing something they would never dare do while awake. At this point, I began to suspect that my unconscious mind was living a far more exciting life than I was.
The real breakthrough came with the cathedral. Freud notes in several places that tall towers, columns, obelisks, bell towers, and similar structures frequently appear in dreams as phallic symbols. In my case, the car didn’t merely pass by such a structure. It landed directly on top of one. At that point, I began to suspect that, according to Freud, this dream was no longer about what I remembered it being about.
The caretaker, who handled the entire situation with complete calm, could be interpreted as a manifestation of the superego—that part of the personality responsible for social rules and moral standards. He doesn’t punish me. He merely reminds me that actions have consequences.
The crane removing the car from the roof may symbolize the unconscious mind’s corrective mechanisms. The process through which psychological balance is restored. And, naturally, it is also a phallic symbol.
Finally, my wife appears. According to Freud, the appearance of a spouse often represents a desire for security, emotional attachment, and stability. Or simply the fact that the dreamer is married. Although Freud demonstrates a remarkable consistency in rarely considering that possibility.
Taken as a whole, the dream probably concerns repressed desires, instinctual conflicts, rebellion against social norms, sexual symbolism, and the restoration of psychological balance.
Then again, judging by his body of work, Freud would probably say the same thing about a dream in which I dive into a champagne-filled glass pool full of king crabs.
After the Freudian interpretation, I felt it was time to examine a more modern approach. That led me to Gestalt therapy, one of whose central ideas is that every person, object, and element in a dream represents some aspect of the dreamer’s personality.
The question isn’t what the cathedral means. The question is what the cathedral would say.
“Be the car,” my imaginary therapist said.
“I am the car.”
“How do you feel?”
“Like I’m being driven by a grown man who ignores speed limits. And that we’re both going to regret it very soon.”
The therapist nodded approvingly.
“Now be the cathedral.”
“I am the cathedral.”
“How do you feel?”
“Like somebody parked a car on my roof. And that this is already the third time this week.”
“Very good. Let’s continue. Now be the caretaker.”
“I am the caretaker.”
“How do you feel?”
“Like I’m going to have paperwork again.”
“What does the car represent to you?”
“Administration.”
“And the driver?”
“More administration.”
The therapist made another satisfied note.
“Now be the crane.”
“I am the crane.”
“How do you feel?”
“Like somebody has once again used a car incorrectly.”
“And what is your purpose?”
“To remove people from places they had no business climbing onto.”
I started to suspect that the therapy was eventually going to arrive at some uncomfortable conclusion. And honestly, I was beginning to get bored.
“Now be the speed limit sign.”
“Excuse me?”
“Be the speed limit sign.”
“Fine. I am the speed limit sign.”
“What would you like to say to the dreamer?”
“That I’m not here for decoration.”
At that point, I ended the imaginary session. I had no desire to discover what would happen in the next round, when I would presumably become my own wife and say to myself: “I told you this would happen someday.”
Since I had become somewhat saturated with analyzing my unconscious mind, I looked for something more entertaining. I picked up Cassandra Eason’s dream dictionary.
The operating principle of dream dictionaries is wonderfully simple. They don’t overcomplicate things. They aren’t interested in the deeper layers of the unconscious mind, and they don’t ask me to imagine myself as a speed limit sign. They simply tell me what the dream means. Or at least pretend to with tremendous confidence.
The first important symbol is the car. According to the dream dictionary, the car represents control over one’s life, personal ambitions, and the road toward the future. If we’re driving, we’re in charge of our destiny. If we’re driving fast, we’re energetic and goal-oriented. That seemed encouraging.
The next element is speed. Driving too fast may indicate that the dreamer is rushing an important matter and should proceed more carefully. That was somewhat less encouraging.
The cathedral, however, is highly favorable. Most dream dictionaries describe churches and cathedrals as symbols of spiritual growth, wisdom, protection, and good fortune. People who see a church in a dream are often approaching positive changes in life. The problem was that I didn’t merely see the cathedral. I parked on it. Surprisingly, the dream dictionary had very little to say about that possibility.
The crane was also interpreted positively. It symbolizes help, support, and unexpected solutions. People who arrive at exactly the right moment to help us through difficult situations. That part at least seemed accurate.
The appearance of family members generally represents security, love, and emotional support. My wife’s appearance therefore suggested that I could rely on the people closest to me.
Up to this point, everything was proceeding quite nicely. The problem began when I attempted to summarize the results. According to the dream dictionary, the car represented successful progress. The speeding warned me to be cautious. The cathedral promised good fortune. The crane signaled help. And my wife symbolized love and support.
All in a single dream.
If I understood the signs correctly, a major positive change was about to occur in my life—provided I didn’t rush it, listened to my inner wisdom, accepted help from others, and appreciated the support of my family.
Which was more or less the same advice I might have received from an average fortune cookie. The fortune cookie, however, is less likely to account for the possibility of someone ending up on top of a cathedral in a car.
It was time to examine my dream from a spiritual perspective as well. I chose the most dangerous method available.
I looked it up on the internet.
Twenty minutes later, I was completely convinced that I was the victim of an ancient Mayan curse.
But I refused to give up. I wrote a short summary of the dream and submitted it to the Ezo-Dream Online Dream Interpretation Service.
The response arrived almost instantly.
The first thing I learned was that the car was not actually a car. It was the vehicle of the soul. The spiritual vessel through which a person travels their earthly path.
Then I learned that speeding was not really speeding. It was a sign that I was attempting to advance too quickly along the path of spiritual growth and was failing to respect the natural rhythm established by the Universe. Apparently, the Universe operates according to traffic regulations.
The cathedral was even more interesting. According to spiritual dream interpretation, the cathedral symbolizes higher consciousness, inner wisdom, and divine connection. Which means that my car landing on top of the cathedral was not an accident.
It was ascension. A shift in consciousness. A symbolic journey of the soul rising above the material world. Personally, I remembered ignoring a speed limit sign. According to the spiritual literature, however, I had transcended.
The caretaker’s role was equally significant. He was the Wise Guardian. The spiritual guide who appears when the student is ready for the next stage of the journey. The fact that he calmly informed me of the anticipated fine was presumably part of some profound symbolic lesson.
The crane, naturally, was not merely a construction vehicle. The crane represented the corrective energy of the Universe. The cosmic force that returns a person to their proper path whenever they stray from it. Or, in some cases, removes them from the roof of a cathedral.
The most fascinating section involved childhood trauma. According to the author, every dream of this kind contains traces of early-life experiences. Losing control of the car suggests that I may not always have felt completely safe as a child. The speeding indicates difficulties with personal boundaries. The cathedral reveals spiritual deficiency. The accident represents repressed anxiety. The crane symbolizes healing. And my wife embodies what is referred to as supportive feminine energy.
At this point, I began to feel that the dream was no longer about me at all, but about someone whose problems were significantly more interesting than mine. The final summary, however, made everything worthwhile.
According to the interpreter, the dream clearly indicates that I stand on the threshold of a major spiritual transformation. Old patterns are collapsing. I must establish healthy boundaries. I need to process childhood wounds. I must learn to accept help. And I should trust the guidance of the Universe.
At that point, I very quickly put the analysis aside before I accidentally misunderstood what spirituality was supposed to be about.
Because it increasingly seemed to be about this: “If you explain anything for long enough, sooner or later you can fit the entirety of human existence into it.”
That was where I finally gave up. After three hours of research, I had learned that my dream simultaneously referred to repressed desires, spiritual transformation, upcoming financial success, childhood trauma, boundary issues, and a potential parking violation.
And I could see only one possible escape from the situation.
That in the future, I should avoid eating anything heavy before going to bed.