FAMOUS FREAKY DREAMERS
THE BEAUTY QUEEN
Madame C.J. Walker (1867—1919), had a dream that resulted in a spectacular double whammy. She became the first female American multi-millionaire, and what is even more glorious and extraordinary, is that she was the first member of her family, all African slaves, to have been born a free woman. In the 1890s Walker was suffering from a common scalp infection which was causing her hair to fall out. She tried all the patented remedies available on the market to no avail. And then she had a dream:
One night I had a dream, and in that dream a big, black man appeared to me and told me what to mix up in my hair. Some of the remedy was grown in Africa, but I sent for it, mixed it, put it on my scalp, and in a few weeks my hair was coming in faster than it had ever fallen out. I tried it on my friends; it helped them. I made up my mind to begin to sell it.
And the solution worked. It’s remarkable that all the ingredients were dictated to Madame Walker in this incredible dream. Subsequently, she was able to build her own factory to make the formula and became famed for her work as an entrepreneur and social activist. She was also a much-loved philanthropist, able to do good because the dream recipe made her head of a multi-million dollar empire.
HAIR
Hair is a very important symbolic indicator. Having your hair cut? Then you’re saying goodbye to the past. If your hair is long and luscious in your dream, then you’re feeling sexually charged. If your hair is unkempt and tangled, however, the opposite is true and you feel your life is a mess. If someone is combing your hair, then you’re craving attention in your waking life. A dream of your hair falling out may be accompanied by the same sort of panic as a dream of losing your teeth (See THE AWARD FOR “MOST POPULAR DREAM” GOES TO…). It signifies a perceived loss of strength, control, and virility. However, if you dream that you have white hair, then you are finding inner wisdom.
HAIRBRUSH (See Broom)
HALL
Remember that houses and rooms represent, generally speaking, aspects of you. What sort of hall is it? Somber and business-like? Or is it full of people having a party? Whatever feeling your dream hall inspires is a reflection of you, so look closely.
HALLOWEEN
Halloween is a feast of the dead, set at the time of year when the “veil” between this world and the next is said to be at its thinnest. Some people believe that spirits communicate in dreams, too, and so there’s a possibility that Halloween dreams might contain messages from your own dear departed who are using the familiarity of the festival to get information across to you. If you’re not the sort of person that believes in such things, then the trappings of your Halloween dream (grinning pumpkins, apple bobbing, silhouetted witches on broomsticks) are a nostalgic reminder of the carefree days of your childhood, when anything seemed possible.
HALO
To dream of a halo means that you’re striving for perfection. If you’re wearing the halo, however, it indicates that you think you’re perfect.
HANDCUFFS
Restriction, restraining, imprisonment; handcuffs not only mean that your movements are restricted but that your communication options are limited, too; it’s hard to write and impossible to gesticulate. But to be handcuffed is also, in a way, to be absolved of authority. When we can’t intervene in a situation, we say that “our hands are tied.” Although to be handcuffed in your dream might be frustrating, there may also be a rather pleasurable element to it as well. Examine your waking life to find this frustration, and try to determine an upside.
HANDS
Another important bodily symbol, hands are great tools of communication, and of course dreams communicate with us in many diverse ways. Wringing your hands is a sign of anxiety. Hands covered in blood indicate guilt. If the hands are beckoning, then you’re being persuaded of something in real life. Waving hands denotes a greeting of hello or goodbye to someone in your waking life. Similarly, a handshake can signify an introduction, a parting, or an agreement. Hands are also used for sign language. If the hands in your dream are “signing” at you, then it could be that your subconscious mind is choosing to tell you something in a rather oblique way.
HARE
Full of magic is the hare. Because of her nocturnal habits, she’s associated with the moon and mystical feminine powers. So dreaming of a hare could indicate that you need to get in touch with the feminine or mystical side of yourself.
HARVEST
You might dream of the typical food harvest, but the real meaning is that you’re harvesting certain things in your life; the culmination of lots of hard work.
HAT
If the cap fits…Hats are a powerful symbol of the role or job of the wearer, and the hats that belong to different professions or vocations are instantly recognizable. Think of a chef’s tall white hat, for example; the cap of a sailor or the pointed headgear of a witch. The hat/s in your dream signifies different aspects of yourself but can also act as a disguise; we see the hat and what it signifies rather than the person who’s wearing it. If you’re wearing a hat that doesn’t suit your waking-life profession, you could be considering a new job.
HAWK
Dreaming of a hawk means you need to be on your guard about something in your life. Proceed with caution.
HEAD
This symbolizes the intellect, the conscious mind, authority; to be the “head” is to be the boss. A severed head blasts all these symbolic meanings, and yet the head itself still retains a strong feeling of authority. Just to see a head on its own in a dream would imply that it’s floating or possibly even severed in some way. Are you perhaps seeing the severed head of an enemy? Wishful thinking. It’s still your enemy, and you need to deal with this relationship properly since the person isn’t going to go away. There are several myths from around the world in which an unattached head speaks great wisdom. If this happens in your dream, pay close attention to what it’s telling you.
HEADLINE
As with any sort of prominent text appearing in a dream, this is your subconscious mind trying to get a message through to you as clearly as possible. What better way than a newspaper headline? Pay attention, but be aware that the message might be given to you in an oblique manner!
HEARING AID
Dreams often compensate for what we’re lacking in our everyday life. Therefore, if it’s you that’s wearing the hearing aid in your dream, then you need to listen more carefully. Someone is trying to tell you something, and you’re not paying attention. If it’s someone else, then you may feel you’re not being heard by this person, and you might want to try a different approach.
HEART
Context is all when you dream of a heart. Are you seeing a symbolic heart, chocolate-box style? This means you’re looking for love in your life. If you’re seeing a grizzly heart operation, like a transplant, then there are dramatic changes in matters of your own heart, and you’re aware that it might hurt.
HEAVEN
Are you having idealized visions of heaven in your dream? This could indicate that you are dissatisfied with certain aspects of your waking life and you’re imagining how they could be in an ideal world. Well, heaven might be lovely but bear in mind it’s a one-way location, so to speak. Look to what’s good in your life already and you might find that an imaginary vision pales in comparison with the gritty reality of real life.
HEDGE
Vegetable borders appearing prominently in your dream? A hedge can be a boundary marker, or it can be a secure fortification. Only you will know which one applies to your life.
HELL
Some people might say that a dream vision of hell means that you are being taunted by demons. However, it could also be that your dream might represent an aspect of your waking life, something that seems hellish to you, and that you have no control over (job or living situation, perhaps?). However, nothing is generally as bad as we think it is!
HERBS
Can you remember the herb/s that you dreamed about? Herbs are powerful both in magic and medicine, and it might well be that the dreamed of the herbs you need. Otherwise, to dream of herbs is to be made aware of your own capacity to heal, either using herbs directly as medicine or as food.
HERON
If you dream of two herons flying together, this means that your relationship is harmonious and happy. To dream of a lone heron, however, is to face the side of you that is happy with a “hermit” existence.
HIDE-AND-SEEK
If it’s you that’s doing the hiding and you’re playing indoors, take notice of the rooms that you’re hiding in; if you’re tucked in a tight space, then this indicates you feel you have severe restrictions in your life. If you’re hiding in the top of a house, like in the attic, then you could be hiding your emotions behind your intellect. If you’re hiding in the basement, then this means you don’t want to face up to past events. If you’re hiding in the kitchen, then you’re afraid of certain social situations. If the game of hide-and-seek is taking place outdoors, you might find refuge in a crumbling old building or shed; this dream is about your need to face up to events in the past that might be coming to the fore. If you’re hiding in luxuriant vegetation, you’re coming to terms with the earthier side of yourself. If you are the seeker, then in your waking life you’re looking for something that’s elusive; this elusive item could be something small, such as a lost object, or something bigger, like a partner.
HITLER
An icon of our times, the distinctive figure of the Führer stands for everything that’s evil. It stands for fear, hate, and the horror of a totalitarian regime led by one single charismatic and powerful individual who somehow had the wherewithal to convince millions of people to carry out his insane visions. It’s also scary to think that this capacity for evil is available to all of us. Strong icons in dreams often represent a side of us. If in your dream you are Hitler, then you’re frightened of your capabilities in real life. If you are fighting Hitler, than you are struggling with your own power. Remember that, like electricity, power can be wielded for a number of purposes, not all of them bad.
HILL
A hill, or a mountain, signifies achievement and success. If you are climbing the hill, then you’re on your way to such wonders. If a hill or a series of hills keeps appearing in your dreams, then it’s showing you the obstacles ahead of you in your waking life.
HOLY GRAIL
The Holy Grail symbolizes an idea, something perfect and quest-worthy. This could indicate that you’re on a quest for something equally elusive in your own life. Before you begin your journey, though, make sure it’s not right under your nose.
HOMOSEXUALITY
Are you straight, and dreaming that you’re homosexual? If the experience leaves you feeling weird, disoriented, and anxious in the morning, then it might be that you need to experiment a little more in your life—not necessarily in a sexual way. Dreams about homosexuality could indicate that your real-life attitude has become a little stale and mundane, and the dream is your subconscious mind trying to remind you that there’s a whole big world out there.
HORSE
A typical dream dictionary will tell you that a horse symbolizes power and energy, and this is absolutely true. After all, we still measure the performance of an engine in terms of “horsepower.” But did you also know that the horse is a powerful symbol of sex and death, particularly if we’re dealing with a stallion (which is effectively the most extreme example of a horse; like a “horse plus”). It’s hopefully obvious to you why a stallion should be an erotic symbol, but why should a horse also stand for death?
The thing is, many of our most important symbols ARE so vital because they’ve been lodged away as such for thousands of years, before we had invented the written word. Many of these ancient images might seem irrational at first glance, but if we dig a little deeper, the reason for the meaning becomes obvious. The horse has been a crucial animal to humankind for thousands of years. Its domestication for man’s use meant that we could cover ground very fast, carry goods easily, and also, of course, become more efficient farmers. Effectively, our equine friend was useful to both the hunter and the gatherer.
How about the death thing, though? Again, we’ve got to look to our collective ancestral memory to find the reason. If you’ve ever had a horse or been horse riding for any length of time, you’ll know all about the close relationship of trust that builds up between human and animal. The horse acts as both friend and ally. So it makes sense to suppose that such a trusted companion would be with us on that final journey into the unknown. In every single society around the world, the horse is what’s known as a “psycho pomp”—that is, the horse guides us at the time of death into the next world. And our subconscious minds have way more than a residue of this original emotional attachment.
It’s worth mentioning, too, that death, in a dream, never means a plain and simple ending. It means a change. The speed and power of the horse would imply that the change could be both dramatic and powerful.
HORSESHOE
A symbol of luck and also of marriage—seeing the horseshoe in your dream could mean that you’d like to have one or both of these things in your life soon!
HOUSE
An important dream symbol, the house represents aspects of your own psyche as well as the state of mind and your attitudes to certain ideas and concepts. You are the house, effectively. Knowing this, and applying as much objectivity as you possibly can to your dream, makes a house dream relatively easy to analyze. Are there lots of hidden room and secret passages? This would imply that there are aspects of your character that are equally hidden, such as undiscovered talents. Is everything in the house in perfect condition? This indicates that you’re very efficient and frequently take care of details, large or small. However, if the house is messy and disheveled, then you need to get yourself in shape, and it’s likely that this will be physical as well as mental. If the house is haunted in your dream, then there are certain issues you need to confront and let go of; a personal exorcism.
HURRY
Generally a sign of anxiety, if you are hurrying in your dream, then this means you sometimes worry about things unnecessarily.
HUSBAND
A prominent male character appearing in a dream represents the male side of yourself; the husband in particular is “married” to you, you have chosen one another, and the relationship is freer than that of a blood relative. The husband in the dream represents the male side of you that’s a result of your own life choices and decisions.
This dream spouse is a reminder of these choices, and an opportunity to examine them. If you dream of your actual husband, this could be a strong affirmation of the description above. If you see your actual husband engaged in an activity that you wouldn’t expect, then you should similarly expect some kind of surprise in your waking life.
HYPNOTIZE
Sometimes dreams allow us to experience behaviors that don’t reflect our normal lives. They act as subconscious suggestions or mental breaks. For example, if you’re happy to be hypnotized in your dream, this generally indicates that you are a control freak in your waking life. If you’re the hypnotist, you need to be more of a control freak in your daily waking life.
“I dreamed of a children’s story that features an amazing creature that’s half-butterfly and half-mermaid. She’s called Buttmaid. Why do I never have dreams that are going to be obvious best sellers?”