Sacrifice: Many ancient cultures used the ritual sacrifice of a life to show devotion to the Divine. In this way, the essence of sacrifice is the exchange that is buried within it. There is a principle in dream work that when a death occurs, it is like a sacrifice, where the old way of being is released in order to birth something new. There is great power in this practice, so if a sacrifice is the scene in a dream, there is a profound level of change going on within your psyche. Something that no longer serves you is being released in order to create something new.

Safari: A safari is a Western-culture attempt to expose an individual to the energy that the African plain has to offer. In this way, it is a symbol of an attempt to cross over into foreign territory in order to be exposed to what that territory has to offer. Such territory can be a new or exotic approach to your current lifestyle. Since animals are the featured attraction of a safari, such a dream may be attempting to express a connection to your more instinctive nature and the spiritual power that the animal kingdom represents.

Safe: A safe is an impenetrable structure designed to keep that which you value safe and free from theft. As a symbol, it represents the desire to protect something you treasure and heighten your sense of defensiveness. You lock anything in a safe that you feel others might want to steal from you, and this can be anything on the symbolic level from love to your opinions and ideas. What are you afraid others will take from you if you are not extremely guarded?

Salesperson: This is the individual who helps when you are looking to make a purchase. As a character aspect, a salesperson is the part of your own personality that is designed to justify and make a case for a choice you are considering. Allow the context of the dream to inform you of whether the intentions of this aspect are to be trusted, for often a salesperson doesn’t always have the customer’s best interests in mind. Are you trying to convince yourself to make a choice that may not serve you?

Salon: A salon is a gathering of people led by an inspiring host, usually to uplift and inspire those who are in attendance. The concept has been adapted by the beauty industry, where those who gather are uplifting their appearance. As a scene in a dream, a salon connects to the collective ideas of beauty and glamour and the drive to conform to society’s ideas about what you should look like.

Sand: Sand is part of the land and as such relates to the conscious mind. The tiny particles that make up sand have an implication of the many thoughts that occupy the mind at any given time. Since sand is so unable to structurally support anything because of its inherent lack of solidity, the symbolic meaning of it relates to the danger of any shifting foundation. How solid is the ground on which you are currently building the structures of your life? Sand is a staple of the beach, where the symbolic consciousness of land meets the symbolic unconsciousness of the ocean. This is the very malleable structure of this ever-changing landscape, and your dream of sand may relate to this.

Sandals: Shoes relate to how grounded you are, what direction you are moving in, and how you’d like to express yourself about how you are going where you are headed. Sandals are the ultimate in casual effortlessness. Their open structure implies a desire to experience freedom.

Sandstorm: Sand represents tiny ideas in consciousness and a sandstorm is the negative consequence of too many chaotic thoughts. Wind is also a symbol that relates to the intellect, and when these two get together in an out-of-balance fashion, you may feel trapped and unable to move with any clarity. A sandstorm combines the power of wind and the structure of small bits of earth. The wind is symbolic of what happens when thoughts are powerfully directed. Sand in this case represents tiny little ideas that taken by themselves have little meaning, but when they are whipped up in a frenzy of directed thought, they can become blinding and destructive.

Santa Claus: This archetypal character connects to the innocent belief in the magical power of love. Christmas comes with the winter solstice, the time when the days are shortest in the Northern Hemisphere. During this darkest time of the year, we reminisce about the bounty of sunshine with a tree that is decorated with the symbolic fruits of spring. Santa Claus is the icon at the foundation of this mythology. He represents the magical power of love to transcend all darkness. This power is associated with the innocence of childhood, for once the belief in it is abandoned, it can be very difficult for people to fully believe in magic again. Somewhere along the line, parents began to use the promise of what Santa might bring to a child in order to manipulate the child toward good behavior. This was popularized by the famous lyric that indicates that Santa sees everything that children do, good and bad. While on the surface this is a charming notion, Santa’s voyeurism is a falsehood, so the spirit behind instilling this sort of fear into children is manipulative and judgmental. Look to see where in your life you may be overly concerned with whether you’ve been bad or good and what the consequences might be.

Satellite: As the human race has moved outward into space, our consciousness has expanded to include objects that orbit Earth. As symbols, these things are part of the global collective consciousness, and the fact that satellites are used for communication of different kinds supports this interpretation. If your dream features a satellite, you are connecting to this expanding sense of the collective. The context of your dream will help you determine what part of your personal life is being affected by global ideas.

Satellite Dish: This object on the ground connects your home to information that is available through the new global consciousness. The satellite dish as a symbol represents your personal ability to stay connected to the world at large. Because the primary focus of the information that comes to you through the satellite dish is entertainment, there is an added element of escapism associated with one.

Saw: A saw is designed primarily to cut through wood in order to create something of structure. The saw itself represents your ability to change the shape of some form of thought, idea, or consciousness. When put to use, such a tool can be highly constructive but also dangerous. Let your dream indicate which direction to take your interpretation.

Scaffolding: This outer structure is erected alongside a building when repairs are needed. When this exoskeleton appears in a dream, it is an indication that change and transformation are occurring, even though it may be hard to see the direct evidence of that. The change associated with scaffolding is certainly going to be an improvement of some situation in your life.

Scarf: Because a scarf is worn around the neck, as a symbol it relates to issues of communication and having a connection to your voice. One function of a scarf is protection from the cold, and as such, in a dream it may indicate a need to hold back expressions of criticism or disdain. As an adornment, a scarf can also be highlighting a need to become more expressive and free with how you speak. Consider the implications of wrapping the head and face in a scarf as possibly connecting to the religious connotation of humility as part of the interpretation of a dream that features a scarf.

Scars: A scar is evidence of a previous transformation or change that you have already experienced, the pain of which may not yet be healed or forgotten. When a scar is present, it always relates to some previous event that was damaging or otherwise altering. Sometimes the original wound is purposeful and connected to healing, such as with surgery. Other times it can be the result of an attack of some kind. We use the term “emotional scars” to represent memories of things in our past that stand out as particularly painful and worth avoiding in the present. No matter what the backstory is, the presence of a scar today means something powerful and invasive happened yesterday.

School: School is a place of learning and advancement of intellectual pursuits. In a dream, school represents the need and desire to grow and expand in wisdom. One of the most common recurring dream images involves returning to the school of one’s youth, and such a dream relates to anxiety around responsibility and being held accountable for what you know. If your dream does not take you back to your earlier life, a school can be an indication that there are life lessons to be learned.

School Bus: The vehicle that brings people to and from school is the symbol for the access to learning and expansion of consciousness. If you are riding a school bus in your dreams, you may be on your way to learning something new.

Scorpion: The principle of death and rebirth is what is represented by the scorpion. In the astrological zodiac, the scorpion is the only archetype that can kill, so Scorpio relates to death and rebirth, the occult, and the mysterious realms in life. The totem of the scorpion relates to the ability to transform any situation and create great change.

Scrubs: Due to the proliferation of medical dramas in the media, the visual image of scrubs has become part of the modern vernacular. They are the symbol of a character aspect that is connected with healing. If you are wearing scrubs in a dream, you may be taking on a new level of mastery over your health, whether literal physical health or metaphorical health.

Scuba Diving: The ocean represents our deep unconscious mind. Just as with the unconscious, there are realms of the ocean that are available for exploration if you are prepared properly to dive beneath the surface. Scuba diving is the symbolic experience of investigating elements of your own unconscious mind that are generally hidden and out of view, but are accessible through various means of self-investigation.

Sculpture: A sculpture is a three-dimensional piece of art. Part of what is available through such an object is the ability to consider it from all angles. Any work of art is a symbol of your creative expression, and to be able to look at it from all perspectives allows you a greater ability to understand this part of your humanity. If the sculpture in your dream is of a human form, it can also have an additional layer of meaning that relates to the notion of a moment of expression being trapped in one form, revealing a level of limitation and feeling bound.

Sea Lion: The sea lion is a playful and expressive animal and can easily dive in and out of the ocean, the symbolic representation of the unconscious mind. This aquatic mammal reminds us to not take life too seriously and to be willing to go to deeper depths when needed, but remember that the journey is a lighthearted one if we so choose. Sea lions connect us to our emotional life, not with a heavy intensity, but rather with a light and deft ability to move in and out of different emotions with grace and delight.

Sea Monster: Sea monsters are mythical in nature and were created by seafarers of old telling tall tales. Any creature that lives in the deep ocean is a product of the unconscious mind. In the case of a mythological creature that might fall in the category of sea monster, what is being expressed relates to overblown fears of your own creation.

Seagulls: These birds are the guardian messengers of the shoreline, the symbolic realm where the unconscious and the conscious minds meet. As such, seagulls offer a message that important information is about to be revealed to you.

Seatbelt: Cars represent how you are moving down the path of your life. Since a seatbelt is located in a car, there is a direct correlation to this symbolic meaning. This object of restraint increases your safety, which is symbolic of protecting yourself against the challenges and obstacles that you meet on your journey through life.

Security Camera: The essence behind the meaning of the security camera is the discretion with which it captures things that occur; its presence is usually hidden, discreet, or ignored. In this way, security cameras often capture events that people don’t intend to make a permanent record of. In a dream, they connect with a sense of being watched and potentially judged for choices you are making. They loosely relate to a sense of conscience. What would you do or not do if you thought you were being watched? Such a dream may indicate a violation of privacy in some area of your life.

Seeds: This is one of the most potent symbols that represent potential and possibility. From something very small and unremarkable, spectacular expressions of life force can emerge. In and of themselves, seeds are unimpressive. But place them in the right environment and a miracle occurs. One of the most significant things about seeds is their specificity. Each type of seed will transform into one expression only. If you plant a radish seed, you cannot expect a carrot to grow. Every seed has a consciousness about this; as long as it finds itself in the proper conditions, it knows what it is and knows what to do. The essence of the universal meaning of a seed is in its potential, but the less obvious meaning connects to the independence of its development. You could hardly expect your garden to grow if every day you dug up the seeds you had planted to see how they were coming along. Seeds must be left alone to do what is innately inside of them to do. In this way, patience for the possibilities to come is also indicated by this symbol.

Seizure: A dream that features a seizure is an expression of an intense and debilitating confusion about some aspect of life. A seizure is a neurological phenomenon where cells in the brain and the nervous system begin to fire rapidly and out of control. While there are a number of different causes of seizures, the net result is often dangerous. On a symbolic level, anything that involves the brain connects with how we think. The chaotic nature of a seizure represents a kind of thinking that is confounded and confused to an extreme degree. Where in your life are you suffering from confusion, chaos, or anxiety? If you are the one having a seizure in your dream, then look to where confusion may be hurting you on a deep level in your life. If someone else in your dream is the victim, then use that person as a character aspect of the part of your personality that is suffering due to confusion.

Semen: Semen is the fluid that emanates from a man’s body in order for him to pass along his sperm in the act of procreation. At the heart of this as a symbol is this connection to the masculine principle around creativity. However, semen itself has many sexual and erotic connotations as well that link it symbolically to virility and the expression of power. The context of the dream and your waking-life gender must factor into how you interpret this image in a dream.

Seminar: A seminar is a gathering designed to disseminate a particular piece of information or knowledge. In a dream, such a setting may indicate a moment in life when you are expanding your understanding of some aspect of your experience. The type of seminar or the content of it can be helpful in your interpretation, if you know it.

Sentencing: The sentencing portion of a trial experience is about consequences. Your dream may be pointing to some experience from your recent past that is requiring you to take responsibility for choices that you have made.

Sequins: A staple for a certain kind of glamour, the sequin is a shiny and reflective object that creates a vibrant effect that is considered slightly vulgar. Wearing sequins or having them available to be worn or affixed to an article of clothing reflects a desire to be noticed for a superficial presentation and a need for attention.

Serial Killer: The serial killer is driven to commit murder over and over again. Consider that in the world of dreams, a death is an act of sacrifice where something that no longer serves you is being released in order to make room for something new. The element of murder means this transformation is happening because of some measure of choice. The serial killer that lives inside your psyche is a beneficial archetype that, though it lives in the shadow, is ultimately a part of your long-range growth and expansion. Such an image might be very frightening in a dream, but it must be examined through the lens of the universal principles it is expressing.

Seven: After all the work in the external world that brought you to the concept of partnership, you are now prepared for a more elevated experience of human expression. Seven is the number of spirituality and higher thought, which are only possible after the basic human needs are met. You are now free to contemplate your existence in a more esoteric manner. Meditation and any consideration of the interior landscape of our humanity is governed by the number seven. This includes thought, contemplation, mysticism, prayer, faith, psychology, and any endeavor that seeks to understand life from a higher perspective. This is a number we are all familiar with as significant: seven days of the week, seven deadly sins, seven notes in the diatonic scale, etc. The shadow challenge associated with this vibration is to get lost in the ethers and lose contact with life on the ground.

Sewer: A sewer is a subterranean construct designed to take waste away. In this way, it symbolically connects to the desire for unwanted material to be easily removed and kept out of sight. A sewer is primarily under the surface and also connects with elements of life that are generally thought of as repulsive, so this is a shadow symbol. If your dream takes place in a sewer, you are exploring the underbelly of your psyche and considering the more disowned parts of yourself. Such a dream may be reflecting a desire to be free of things you prefer not to look at. There is an added meaning to sewers from the notion that through them, you could move from one area to another without being seen, as long as you were willing to navigate the underbelly of your psyche.

Sewing: Sewing joins fabric together with small, delicate yet very strong stitches. It symbolically connects to the precision that is sometimes needed to construct ideas, choices, and the expansion of your consciousness. There is the big-vision part of your experience, but without the tiny incremental steps, nothing will stay cohesive and it is this that any type of sewing connects to. If you are sewing with a machine, there may be more power, force, and conformity associated with what you are up to. Sewing by hand indicates a moment when there is great individuality being expressed and there may be a need to pay greater attention to the details in something you are creating.

Sex: Perhaps the most misunderstood symbol in dreaming, sex is ultimately about connection and integration. When sex appears in a dream, it is imperative that you put your personal reactions to sex and sexuality aside in order to arrive at an accurate interpretation. Detaching from the thoughts and feelings triggered by the characters involved in the act of sex in your dream is even more crucial to this process. This can be difficult for many people to accomplish. Sex in dreams can be an area of great concern for many people. While some sex dreams are experienced as pleasurable and erotic, more often than not people report dreaming of sexual encounters as troubling because of the nature of the sexual act they dreamed of or the partner with whom they were engaged. However, once examined through the language of symbols, sex loses its potency and charge, while revealing so much more. When two people have sex, on at least some level they are trying to get as close to each other as they possibly can. The act of sex can be defined symbolically as two separate energies attempting to merge into one. Therefore, sex is symbolic of the process of integration. If you remove any personal projections that come up around sex and how it was played out in your dream, the interpretive meaning rises above any potential embarrassment or shame. Though sometimes more difficult to accept, this also applies to sexual encounters that have societal taboos associated with them, such as those involving incestuous relationships or illegal activities. Whoever you are having sex with in your dream represents a character aspect that your unconscious is telling you needs to be integrated into your personality. If you are witnessing a sexual act, then you will need to consider what character aspects of yourself are being expressed by the people having sex. The message of integration still applies, but it will connect more to parts of your personality that need to join forces. Perhaps a life situation is demanding different areas of your skill sets that, if combined, will empower you to be effective in a way that is currently eluding you.

Shadows: The shadow is one of the most powerful elements of depth psychology and dream work. It relates to the parts of your psyche that you wish weren’t so, prefer to keep hidden, or feel shame about. If your dream contains the image of a literal shadow, consider the thing that is creating the shadow. Whatever the object is, think of the shadow as the darker side of whatever the thing itself means to you.

Shark: The ultimate predator, this is a very common image in a dream that represents fear and anxiety. As a totem, the power of the shark is phenomenal. Sharks represent our capacity to be single-minded, unstoppable, and driven. And yet, when they appear in a dream, they are often reviled and feared. When the shark appears in your dream, you must ask yourself what you are afraid of. Such a dream may be calling you to step into your personal power in a bigger way. Focus, self-determinism, and being utterly free of distraction are part of the medicine that the shark has to offer. But first you must get out of the way of your own fears in order to accept such power as your own.

Shaving: Removing unwanted hair is a ritual for both men and woman and is, for some, an essential element of personal grooming. For a man, facial hair is related to masculinity, so there is a symbolic element of softening that when shaving appears in a dream. For many men, the act of shaving is a grooming staple, and in this way shaving may indicate the preparation to present yourself in a way that suggests readiness and competency. For women, shaving the legs and underarms has connotations about the readiness for sexual intimacy, so in a dream such desires may be being expressed.

Sheep: Innocence and vulnerability are the hallmarks of the sheep as a symbol. If the sheep appears in your dream, you are getting in touch with the more tender side of yourself. Be careful, however, of giving up your will, as the sheep is also a symbol of following the herd without individual mindfulness. There is a strong association with sheep and sleep or meditative states with the phrase “counting sheep.”

Shelf: The purpose of a shelf is to hold things. Consider the various reasons one might do so. Most objects put on a shelf are for display or to have ready access to. In this way, a shelf in a dream may connect to accomplishments and a sense of pride in things you have done and wish to be able to remember easily or share with others. There is an adage “to put on the shelf,” which refers to things you prefer to handle at another time, so such a dream may point to avoidance.

Ship: A ship is a vehicle that travels on the ocean. The ocean represents the unconscious mind, and a ship traverses the very top layer of this mysterious place. In a dream, a ship implies an investigation of matters of an emotional nature. The state of the ship in your dream offers distinctions around this exploration. A sinking ship implies that your feelings are overwhelming you in a profound way. A more powerful ship, such as one that is run by steam or motors, suggests that there is more strength around what you are exploring. A sailing ship implies a simpler or personal search, but also one that relies on things beyond your ability to control. How well the ship you are on is handling the water that surrounds it could point to how well you are managing a difficult emotional situation in your life.

Shipwreck: The implication with a shipwreck is that some difficult experience has already happened. The event is likely to have been emotional in nature and has thrown you off in your daily routine in a considerable way. As a result of emotional turmoil, you are finding yourself in new territory that must be explored.

Shirt: An article of clothing is always connected to self-expression. The torso contains all of the vital organs and therefore relates to the way you process emotions and deal with vulnerability. A shirt is the symbol of protecting yourself while simultaneously expressing your individuality. Consider the phrase “the shirt off your back” as relating to your personal sense of values that can be changed or exchanged with another’s.

Shoes: The feet ground you and also point the direction in which you are moving in life. The shoes in your dreams can illuminate how well you are walking your walk. Since shoes adorn the feet, they represent personal self-expression and choices around where you are headed. The phrase “walk in someone else’s shoes” may be important to consider in a dream with shoes in it. Trying on new and different shoes can connect to a need to discover new ways of moving about your life. Different shoes or mismatched pairs are expressing confusion about where your steps may lead you. Lost shoes indicate a need to find ways of grounding yourself and call you to inquire about the ways in which you may not be fully prepared to move in new directions.

Shopping: Shopping is the activity that supports getting your needs met. As a symbol, it relates to being willing to take the actions that will result in self-care, abundance, and sustaining yourself. This can be either in balance and healthy or out of balance and reflecting a level of avoidance and escapism. The nature of what you are shopping for and the sensations around this image in a dream will help clarify your interpretation.

Shopping Cart: The shopping cart is primarily a tool for collecting those things that you are purchasing at a grocery store, and in this way it is a symbol for your ability to contain abundance and make choices that support self-sustenance. Shopping carts have a secondary meaning that is actually more prominent in the collective as an indication of homelessness and the despair that connects with losing everything. If your dream features a shopping cart in this way, then you may be expressing poverty consciousness. A person pushing a shopping cart in your dream is a character aspect of low functioning and a fear that you may lose everything.

Shower: If you are dreaming of taking a shower, then you want to cleanse something in your recent past and let it go. If someone in your dream is taking a shower, consider what aspect of your personality the person represents, as that is the part of your psyche that has something that needs to be released and cleaned up. A cold shower is a symbol for balancing out an overabundant sex drive. A shower that is too hot indicates that the need for purification is at an even higher level.

Shrinking: In the world of symbols, smaller is representative of feeling less than or insignificant. Something that is shrinking and steadily losing size is being diminished in power. Consider what is shrinking in your dream, as that is what is losing its ability to influence you. This may be beneficial or harmful, depending on what is shrinking. If a person is shrinking, then it is a personality trait that is either lessening or needs to be moderated downward. If it is you that is shrinking, look for ways in which you need to hold back or where you may feel disempowered in your life.

Siblings: All people in dreams relate to some aspect of your own personality. If you dream of your actual brothers or sisters from your life, the character aspects that they represent as part of your psyche should be investigated in the same manner as those of any person known to you who appears in a dream. However, because of the powerful dynamic of family systems, the relationships between siblings will connect to various roles that the members of the group often find themselves locked into. When a sibling appears in a dream, there is a great deal of complexity to explore, from your current relationship to your childhood history and even how parenting styles affected each family member. With careful and unbiased investigation, a sibling dream can offer a penetrating snapshot of where you are in your development as an individual, separate from the limitations of your personal history.

Sidewalk: Streets are symbolic of moving through your social and community experience at a fairly fast pace. The sidewalk is a similar symbol for your movement through your community, but at a more intimate level. It also represents the limits placed on you as you move about the world by being told where you must walk, so in this way it is symbolic of social restrictions. What you are doing in relation to the sidewalk in your dream is reflecting your relationship with these limitations and social conventions.

Silver: This secondary precious metal represents wealth, abundance, and prosperity. Because many sacred objects are made of silver, this metal itself connects to the desire to elevate the mundane. Consider the object made of silver in your dream; whatever interpretation you would ascribe to it, the stakes are raised if it is made of silver.

Silverware: Silverware is a symbol of civilization and sophistication. Food is what sustains us and represents nurturing and self-care. By using an implement to connect to our food, we add yet one more separation between ourselves and animals. The meaning attached to silverware must combine the primal instinct to eat for survival with the restraint of social acceptance and grace. Parents struggle to get their children to use silverware for both these reasons, so that they will be able to feed themselves and simultaneously fit in with society. The more sophisticated the circle one travels in, the more silverware there is to contend with. This illuminates the symbolic association of silverware to civilization and cultural hierarchy. Using silverware in a dream connects to your sense of propriety and conformity.

Singing: Singing is an ancient, primal expression of passion. When words are not enough, singing becomes the next heightened form of communication. The ability to sing is so revered that we elevate superior voices to high status in our media and culture. Technically, singing is merely a sustained extension of speaking; the basic principle here is the power and passion of the expression. If someone is singing in your dream, the message that is being communicated is very important—so important that the spoken word was not enough to carry the force of the weight of that message. Therefore, it is important to consider what is being sung and incorporate the message into your interpretation. Losing your voice in a dream might correspond to a feeling of a lack of passion in your waking life or a loss of expression due to some challenging circumstance. If you can sing in your waking life, your personal relationship to your singing is crucial to consider. If you are critical of your singing, you may be connecting to being judgmental of your passion, or lack of it. If you cannot sing as well as you wish you could, you might be longing for more passionate encounters by dreaming of being able to sing in your sleep state. Singing before an audience may connect to a need to rally inner resources behind some common desired aim or goal. If someone else is singing in your dream, use the character-aspect technique to determine what part of you is expressing a passionate need to get your attention.

Sink: The symbolic meaning of a sink relates to its capacity both to draw water to you and to take the waste water away. In this way, a sink is ultimately a reflection of civilized living. The fact that it is a structure that helps move water connects it with the world of feelings and emotions. Consider the type of sink and the state that it is in; both should be utilized in your interpretation. A bathroom sink relates to matters of intimacy and privacy. A kitchen sink connects to how well you are engaged in self-care. An industrial sink has more to do with your social experience.

Sister: See Siblings.

Six: Six is the number of partnership, marriage, creative collaboration, and balance. After the freedom of five, there is a need for stability, which is provided by the even number six. This energy can also be seen as a pairing of two threes. If three is about primal creativity at an individual level, then combining two systems of three allows for six to engender worldly partnerships and the concept of marriage and union. The number six represents partnership on every level: business, social, educational, and spiritual. In the personal realm, the number six represents the happy union of opposites within us and the integration of our own opposing forces, such as containing two powerful emotions that contradict each other. The shadow challenge of the six energy connects to responsibility and a sense of burden.

Skateboard: The skateboard puts wheels on your feet and increases your mobility exponentially. In a dream, a skateboard represents a desire to move faster and also to connect to a sense of rebellious youth. If you are someone who skateboards in your waking life, there is less emphasis put on this image in a dream.

Skeleton: You are looking under the surface of things, at the hidden structure of an idea. Skeletons support the physical body and are not readily visible to the outside world. They are the foundation on which everything else is built. In the dream world, they represent this same underlying structure of our bodies and our lives. A skeleton is the invisible underpinning of any physical, conceptual, emotional, or spiritual construct in our waking lives. The skeleton of our lives is the structure of ideas, beliefs, and myths around which we superimpose our sense of self. When you can see the skeleton of something, you have a better idea of what is supporting it or holding it upright. If you dream of this image, you might be getting a message that something in the structure needs to be examined.

Skin: The largest organ in the human body, the skin is ultimately about protection. It is extremely vulnerable, so a dream that features skin may reflect this sense of vulnerability. The exposure of skin can be very erotic in nature, and this may be reflected if there is this sensibility associated with the imagery in the dream. The skin is very expressive and will reveal things that are going on beneath the surface, so emotional and psychic transparency may be what such a dream is about.

Skunk: The skunk and its odor cannot be separated. When faced with fear, the skunk emits a musk that most predators find objectionable, thus protecting it from danger. In this regard, the symbol of the skunk connects to the ability to keep danger at bay. When the skunk appears in a dream, your mechanisms of self-protection are being stimulated. It is up to you to decide whether this defensive posture is for your own true good or an overreaction.

Sky: The sky is the enormous part of our world that is everything that the earth is not. In this way, the sky is a symbol for the endless capacity of the human imagination. For some, this expansiveness is so enormous that it includes the concept of God. Anything that involves the sky in the landscape of a dream represents this upward-soaring element of the human psyche. Consider what is happening in the sky in your dream, and add that quality, experience, or sensation to your aspirational sensibilities. What is happening in your highest thoughts will be happening in the sky of your dreams, whether positive or negative. Remember that things can “fall out of the sky,” which represents sudden, unexpected experiences; again, those can be either positive or negative.

Skydiving: The essence of skydiving is the adrenaline rush associated with the risk of falling to the earth. If you are skydiving in the dream, you may be looking to increase your sense of excitement in your life. The power of this thrill is the relinquishing of control as you descend. In this way, the symbol of skydiving may indicate a need to let go of something you are attempting to control.

Skyscraper: This image indicates expansion to higher levels of conscious awareness. Any building is a reflection of the consciousness of human beings. If a house in a dream symbolizes your personal sense of self, each successively larger building can be thought of as an expansion of this consciousness. In this way, a skyscraper is the ultimate expression of human consciousness, reaching from the ground to the heavens. The skyscraper is also a very American icon and is directly connected to the explosion of urbanization that marked the movement into the current modern era. When steel began to be mass-produced, it paved the way for the bustling city environment to push upward. This ascension then is symbolic of the consciousness of humankind erupting toward higher levels of awareness and intellectual functioning.

Slave: A slave is a character aspect of part of your personality, one that is persecuted and held in bondage. The dream context will help you determine what area of your life has you in chains. Consider that you may be working too hard and that your life is out of balance because of that. If not work, what are you a slave to?

Slavery: Slavery is a cultural institution, and as such, in a dream it represents a pervasive atmosphere in which one element of your consciousness holds another element of your consciousness back, so much so that you are unable to function properly. Such a dream may be asking you to examine your ideas that are more rigid than is beneficial to you.

Sled: This is a vehicle designed for mobility over frozen ground covered with snow. In this way, there is a primary symbolic meaning associated with a grace and ease of movement in your life when there is a lack of emotional and psychological warmth. If the sled in your dream is more of the childhood variety, the dream may be expressing a desire to release complex emotional challenges in order to experience a moment of relief and playfulness.

Sleeping: Sleep is a state of consciousness that is below the waking state. To be sleeping or to dream of someone being asleep in a dream first and foremost relates to the way in which consciousness is experienced in layers. This is not dissimilar to the notion of a dream within a dream, but it also connects to the idea of “being asleep” as a synonym of being less than consciously aware of things. Where are you missing key things about your life because you are asleep to the awareness you could be having? If someone is sleeping in your dream, there is a part of you that needs to be woken up. If it is you who is asleep, the same applies, only in a more general way—it’s time to wake up to more awareness or action.

Slide: A slide is a play structure that offers a short burst of speed and momentum. First you climb and then you drop. In this way, it symbolizes the release that can happen after a small amount of effort as well as the need to return to a more childlike state of mind.

Slippers: Anything connected to the feet has to do with being grounded and the way you would like to express yourself with regard to your walk through life. Slippers are the ultimate in relaxation and retreat from responsibility and effort. Wearing them in a dream represents a desire to feel freer. If someone in your dream is wearing them, then the character aspect in you that the person represents needs a break. Slippers that are not being worn are asking you to consider being more at ease.

Slot Machine: A slot machine is about intermittent variable reward, one of the most addictive systems in life where you may or may not win something so you feel compelled to continue trying. In what ways are you continuing to focus on something because there is a very slight chance of a big payoff? This dream may be pointing to a way in which you are tied to the habit of hope at the detriment of other aspects of your life. Of course, some gambles do pay off, so such an image in a dream may also be asking you to take a risk.

Slow Motion: You may be dreaming about a desire to slow things down a bit in your life. This could be to reduce stress, but also to be able to look at something more closely. Consider what was occurring in your dream during what felt like slow motion. The context will offer you insight on how to interpret such an image. (See Running.)

Slum: The geography of a slum is about the desire to keep certain unsavory elements of the social strata in a separate area, away from the mainstream. The same is true of a slum in a dream, only now the geography is a symbol for some area of your consciousness. To visit a slum in your dream is to be exploring the parts of your life that aren’t being tended to and need some loving attention.

Smells: There are dreams in which the sense of smell is activated. Smell is the most primitive of all of the senses, and there are powerful sense memories that are evoked when certain smells are present. This type of deep memory-response may be what is triggering a dream in which smell plays a role. If there is something specific that is being smelled in the dream, use that to inform your interpretation.

Smile: A smile is a reflex that is connected directly to feeling a sense of joy. Sporting one is a contagious experience, and when one person smiles, it often sparks a smile in another. In this way, the symbolism of smiling relates to both of these notions: that joy is present in abundance and that when it is felt and processed, it can spread with ease. If you are smiling in a dream, then you are expressing an overflow of joy or the need and desire for more of it. If someone in your dream is smiling, consider the character aspect of your personality that the person represents and understand that that area of your personality has the capacity to increase your joy quotient.

Smoke: Something is changing but is currently obscured or unclear. As the saying goes, “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.” Since fire represents drastic change, smoke is an indication of the occurrence of transformation without necessarily having the ability to see the actual source of the shift. Smoke can cause asphyxiation by blocking the lungs from receiving oxygen, so dream smoke may indicate a suffocating life situation about which your unconscious is sending you an alarm. A smoke screen is a mechanism for keeping something hidden. It is a battle technique that was developed in World War One, associating it with danger and violence. It has entered our language as something that indicates a deliberate desire to obscure a person’s true intentions or create a diversion in order to perpetrate some act of betrayal. If your dream smoke obstructs your sight in any way, you may want to consider what current difficulty in your life may be blocking your view of things as they really are. Ask yourself if you are focusing on what’s really important and not being distracted in some way.

Smoking: Cigarette smoking is a hotbed of controversy in today’s society, such that the symbolic meaning attached to it can be complicated. The media has always portrayed smoking as glamorous and sexy, though that is changing. Those who smoke may have a relationship with their smoking that runs the gamut from frustratingly addictive to apathetically indifferent to the consequences. Health-conscious nonsmoking individuals can be quite virulent in their objections, and many states and cities have banned smoking in public places altogether. Given these radically different perspectives, if a cigarette features prominently in your dream, you must use your own associations with smoking to arrive at an accurate interpretation. No matter what your personal focus is, the health risks associated with smoking make the symbolic meaning connect to making choices that are not impacted by your knowledge of the consequences. The factor of addiction is an important element to consider. Smoking can represent any choice in life that is not healthy, but is difficult to avoid.

Snail: The general association that most people have with the snail has to do with its very slow pace. A snail in a dream may be asking you to consider the value of moving slowly.

Snake: There is a significant amount of change or transformation in your life if you dream of snakes. Snakes can inspire great and varied personal emotions and therefore can ultimately connect to very different shades of meaning based on your associations. But first and foremost, snakes represent change and transformation. This connects to the fact that they shed their skin in their growth process and that many of them are capable of causing fatality to their predators, implying the symbolic rebirth that follows any death experience. There is a healing element to this, as many snake venoms can also be used as curatives. This may connect to the two snakes that appear on the physician’s caduceus, representing the challenge to life and the response of the healer to match it. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the snake bears the responsibility for tempting Adam and Eve. As such, a snake can represent a confrontation with a change in your value system. It is important to remember that Adam and Eve’s yielding introduced the human race to the knowledge of mortality and the birth of consciousness. A serpent in your dream may actually represent a major shift in your awareness that may bring about the death of an old paradigm that brings you into a whole new world. In Eastern cultures, the awakening of spiritual power is often referred to as a snake. Known as kundalini, it is experienced as an incredible energy that undulates up the spine. Stimulating this can induce a tremendous healing force that has the ability to purify the nervous and glandular systems. The practice of yoga is designed to awaken the snake that lies dormant at the base of the spine. As a dream symbol, a snake could represent the potential for power and energy if properly channeled.

Sneakers: All shoes relate to how grounded you are feeling in your life and also the choices you are making about where you are walking metaphorically. Sneakers imply a readiness for effort and exertion and a need to be grounded enough to work hard. There may be a literal call toward physical exercise in a dream that features sneakers in it.

Snow: You may be experiencing some emotional disconnect around some area where you are lacking warmth. Snow is frozen water. Water represents emotions. Emotions that are frozen imply a disconnection from authentically experiencing them in their raw, wet form. When snowfall is particularly heavy, it can impede visibility and render you immobile or housebound. When seen through the perspective of emotional avoidance, it is easy to see that a large dose of emotional expression that is not being dealt with can seriously limit any forward movement in your life. Since snow melts, facing the underlying issue is inevitable. The snow just postpones the confrontation and does so with beauty and the promise of temporary peace.

Soap: You may feel a need to cleanse yourself of some troubling thought, idea, pattern, habit, relationship, or experience. If you are using the soap in your dream, you may get a clue as to what is troubling you by virtue of what part of your body you are washing. Soap cleans things up in the present; that which you want to clean up was created in the past. Therefore, soap in a dream may be responding to a desire to take care of some shame or regret from your past.

Solar Power: To dream of tapping into the technology of solar power may allow you to recognize that every human being has a birthright to an endless supply of abundance and limitless life force.

Soldier: An archetypal character aspect, the soldier resonates with the warrior. The job of this particular archetype is protection and aggression, but primarily through the ability to divide all things into the two categories of either right or wrong. A dream with a soldier in it may be asking you to tap into this inner wisdom to face a life circumstance in a very black and white way. Since we live in a time in which war is a very present reality, a soldier also connects to sacrifice at the community and global levels, as they are the individuals in society who are willing to risk their lives to fight for high ideals. If there is someone in your life who is a member of the armed services, such a dream image may be more personal.

Soul Mate: A soul mate is the embodiment of an idea that there is a very particular person you are fated to connect with in intimacy and partnership. As a symbol, this is really an inevitable expansion of your total self, and the kernel of the meaning to soul mating is in its feeling that it was destined that the two of you meet. While such a dream may feel like it is connected to this search in your waking life, on a certain level such a dream is part of your journey toward integration. Searching for your soul mate indicates that wholeness and/or the blocks to wholeness have not yet been identified. A successful connection with your soul mate may mean that integration is at hand. If there are challenges to connecting with your soul mate in your dream, those challenges represent the obstacles to wholeness in your current life.

Soup: The original comfort food, soup in a dream may be expressing a desire to nurture yourself at a fundamental level. Since the making of soup can be improvised with whatever ingredients are available, this dream may also connect to a spontaneous need for sustenance that goes beyond planning or preparation.

Spark: Fire is a symbol of great change and transformation. Since a spark is essentially a tiny amount of fire, the spark is a symbol for the impetus for change to take place. This may take the form of the initial idea that indicates that a sense of great vision is to follow. It sometimes takes many sparks before an actual fire starts, so such a dream may be an indication of the current availability of inspiration in your life.

Special Powers: This symbolizes a desire to increase your confidence through enhanced abilities. Most special powers can be related to one of the four elements of fire, air, water, and earth. A power associated with heat or flames should be considered as a function of combustion and the transformation that fire can generate. Any power associated with water connects to emotions; the use and manipulation of water relates to channeling the power of emotion, whereas transmuting water to either steam or ice has the impact of altering emotional energy for one’s use. The grounded element of earth is represented by anything rock-like or by strength-oriented power. Air is the element in question when powers such as invisibility or flight are concerned. If your special power does not conform to one of the elements, the key to your interpretation will lie in discovering the underlying use and essence of the power you possessed in the dream. Ask yourself what area of your life needs amplification based on the area of your skills and abilities that was amplified by the increased power.

Speech: Making a speech has two perspectives, because on the one hand it has a universal meaning that connects to the projecting of a single focused thought in an effort to create mental agreement. The person making the speech is a part of your consciousness that has the main idea. Those listening represent other thought patterns that are being exposed to the singular idea. What are you trying to convince yourself of? On the other hand, since many people have strong feelings about public speaking, a dream about a speech could indicate that you are preparing to face something in a public way that frightens you.

Speeding: The speed limit is a set of suggestions that are based primarily on community safety. Driving represents the movement through life, and speeding suggests that you are moving fast and taking risks in order to do so. Consider the sensation of the dream to inform your interpretation. If you feel euphoric, you may desire to increase the exhilaration in your life. If the speed frightens you, the speed of things in your life is overwhelming. If you are being pulled over for speeding, you are paying the consequences for risky behavior.

Speeding Ticket: A speeding ticket is a symbol of the consequences around choices you have made with regard to behavior that is risky or dangerous. Since driving is a public experience, the part of your life that such a symbol relates to is your social life or community experience.

Speedometer: Anything that relates to a driving experience is symbolic of how you are moving through your life. The speedometer is your mechanism for managing the speed with which you are moving in order to allow you some measure of control. A broken speedometer indicates a loss of your ability to regulate some aspect of how something is unfolding.

Sperm: Sperm is the male side to the ultimate in human creativity. As a symbol, sperm is the most fundamental element of the creative process from the perspective of the masculine principle. The masculine principle is the realm of action and decisiveness. If sperm features in your dream, you are looking to increase your own power to create through doing.

Spider: The spider spins a web and then waits patiently for its prey, trusting that all it needs and desires will come to it. In this way, the medicine that the spider carries is of creativity and patience. This is a powerfully feminine symbol. Many, if not most, people have an aversion to spiders, which makes them a creature of the shadow. A spider bite may indicate that an infusion of the feminine principle may be in order for your current dealings to succeed. The irritation, illness, or death that is possible from a spider bite indicates the level of sacrifice that will be required of you on an emotional level at this time.

Spider Web: Profound abilities in the area of creativity are represented by the spider web. A spider’s webbing is a miraculous feat of engineering and unparalleled beauty. Its purpose is twofold. On the side of nurturing, it is a home. However, it is also a weapon of prey—a trap set to capture, kill, and eat. A spider web may point to creative ideas that are currently being spun. This also indicates that a period of waiting must follow in order for success to be achieved.

Spine: The spine is the center of the physical structure of any mammalian body, and as such, it is symbolic of the core around which all else is organized. When the spine is in alignment, all movement works well, and when it is not, breakdown begins to occur. In this way, anything that is happening with your spine or the spine of a person or animal in your dream is asking you to consider what is at the very center of your thinking about something and how well it is supporting you. Look at your beliefs. To be spineless is to lack all conviction, so if this is featured in your dream, you may want to consider that your belief system is in serious question.

Spiral: The spiral is actually the truest shape with regard to the movement of all life. Plants, flowers, and even the solar system itself move in a spiral-like direction. If you are dreaming of the shape of a spiral or movement that appears to be unfolding in a spiral, you may be dreaming of the sacred geometry of life itself. A new level of psychic energy may be being released in your experience. The context of the dream will indicate whether you are feeling in control of this burst of energy or overwhelmed by it.

Splinter: A splinter is a very small object that causes a great deal of discomfort. In this way, it is a symbol of something innocuous that is bothering you in a constant and irritating manner. What annoyance needs to be plucked out of your life?

Sponge: The essence of a sponge is its ability to absorb. We use this simple plant life as a metaphor for learning at an aggressive rate, as in soaking something up like a sponge. In a dream, a sponge may indicate a desire or present circumstance in which there is a lot for you to take in. The context in which the sponge appears in the dream should offer some clues about what area of your consciousness is currently expanding.

Spoon: A spoon is an implement that assists in taking in nourishment through eating. In this regard, there is an implication that such an image in a dream may point to needing to sustain yourself more efficiently. Spooning also has a strong identification with its use as a euphemism for a particular kind of physical intimacy where two people fit together in a very comforting way. If this is the image in your dream, this need may be expressing itself. Both uses imply taking in certain sustaining ideas; where in your life do you need more care?

Sports Car: A car in a dream is a symbol for the way in which you move through your life. In the case of a sports car, your dream may be expressing a desire to increase the speed and exhilaration with which you create your life. A sports car is an indication that more power is needed in order to fulfill the needs your journey is presenting you with.

Spotlight: A spotlight in a theatrical setting is designed to pull focus on a particular point, usually a person. In this way, it connects to the desire to be noticed and highlighted out in the world for some particular accomplishment or a need to prove yourself in some way. What do you want other people to know about what you are doing?

Spray Paint: A staple in the graffiti art world, spray paint allows the immediate and portable use of the paint that is inside the can. As a form of expression, spray paint may highlight a desire to be more creative in a rebellious fashion.

Sprinklers: Controlled dissemination of water is what sprinklers offer. If the sprinklers in your dreams were for the purpose of gardening, your dream is reflecting a desire to make sure that something you are in the process of creating will get a consistent amount of the attention necessary to complete the project or idea. A sprinkler system that is designed to help put out fires is about the desire to keep sudden and unexpected changes at bay. Change can be overwhelming, and the presence of a sprinkler system in a dream indicates precautions against too much change too fast.

Squirrel: The squirrel knows how to prepare for the future by putting aside abundance today. In this way, the squirrel relates to practicality and prudence. However, this is not to be mistaken for a fear-based sense of hoarding. The squirrel is extremely playful and carefree, reminding us that we can prepare for the future without fearing that our needs will not be met.

Stabbing: Something is making a deep and penetrating impact on you, perhaps a betrayal of some sort. The act of stabbing creates a very narrow, deeply penetrating wound that can do a surprising amount of damage by compromising a fairly small amount of flesh. In other words, a little goes a long way. Harsh or sharp words can have the same effect. The right phrase, delivered with the proper tone, can cut very deeply and wound a person at a surprisingly deep level. In fact, any penetrating action that occurs suddenly and contains a touch of violent intention could be represented by stabbing in a dream. A sudden change in loyalty is often referred to as a stab in the back. Unexpected news can feel like a stab in the heart. The nature of a small wound that produces a great deal of blood symbolizes the devastation that can follow even the smallest of hurts.

Stadium: The power behind the stadium in both waking life and as a symbol is the sheer number of people it can hold. First and foremost, people in dreams represent thoughts and ideas. When thousands of these are gathered, it is a symbolic representation of agreement and the momentum that is created when great enthusiasm is put behind a single notion. What are you gearing up for in your life that requires an intense focus?

Stage: A stage is a structure for presentation. As a symbol in a dream, the stage suggests a moment in your life when you either desire to or are being required to present a certain idea, concept, or new direction in your life in a very public way. Because what is presented on a stage is a manufactured reality, this image in a dream may be asking you to consider how authentic you are being in your life right now.

Stain: A stain is evidence of some sort of accident or unintended occurrence that has happened in the past and has shifted or altered how you think about a person, place, or thing. In this way, a stain connects to regret or shame about something you cannot undo that is having a residual impact on your memory.

Stairs: You are in the midst of a transition in life, perhaps directly connected to personal growth or assessment. Climbing up stairs should be interpreted as ascending to higher levels of consciousness. Going down stairs connects to revisiting places or moving into lower levels of thought, such as anger and envy, or facing your own emotional development by revisiting old issues. Where the stairs are is important to consider. A stairway in a home is about personal transitions, whereas stairs in public environments reveal issues around how you operate out in the world, in full view of others. There may be literal elements of this image in a dream, as a dream that takes place on a stairway at your workplace will likely connect to issues that are work-related. A stairway in a public park may reveal shifts that involve issues of relaxation and leisure.

Stars: Stars are the tiny impressions made by gigantic objects of great magnitude that are vast distances away from us. They are the constant reminders of the enormity of the universe in which we find ourselves. In a dream, stars may be expressing your highest, most aspirational consciousness. Stars often remind people of the concept of fate, that certain experiences are “in the stars.” If this feels in alignment with the context of your dream, you may be experiencing a powerful sense of inevitability about something that is unfolding.

Statue: The power of a statue is in the stillness of the object itself. Many statues are works of art that depict the human form. In this way, a statue can represent the sensation of feeling stuck in one particular form of expression.

Stealing: You may be expressing a desire for things that are not rightfully yours. The objects of theft are often things of value. Therefore, the symbolic meaning implies resources or levels of abundance that are being coveted and then taken without permission or regard for consequences. The reverse side to stealing is being stolen from. This interpretation features the same themes and adds the elements of violation and loss.

Stepfamily: The stepfamily has the same meaning as a family of origin with the added element of fate thrown into the mix, as a secondary family by marriage indicates a choice that brings with it a multitude of relationships. If you have a stepfamily in your waking life, the people who make up that family represent character aspects of your personality and also reflect the primary relationship that connects that stepfamily to you. Such a dream may be reflecting both your own consciousness as well as the waking-life interactions of the individuals involved. (See Family Members.)

Stepsiblings: If your waking life includes a stepfamily, your dreams may reflect this by those individuals showing up as characters. If this is the case, the stepsiblings in your dreams are acting as both character aspects of your personality as well as reflections of your archetypal consciousness as defined by the family. (See Family Members, Siblings.)

Stepparents: If your waking life includes a stepfamily, your dreams may reflect this by those individuals showing up as characters. If this is the case, the stepparents in your dreams are acting as both character aspects of your personality as well as reflections of your archetypal consciousness as defined by the family. (See Family Members, Parents.)

Stigmata: A mystical expression of the Christ consciousness, stigmata replicate the bleeding at the hands and feet of the crucifixion wounds. If they appear in a dream, they may be a symbolic expression of a powerful initiation and you may be moving to a higher level of your spiritual awareness. If you are a Catholic, there may be a more personal association with the stigmata as an outward sign of your inner devotion.

Stock Market: At the heart of the stock market as a symbol is the notion of taking enormous risks with the possibility of a high return on investment. The very essence of speculation is the notion that nothing in life is certain, and if the stock market is featured in your dream, some element of your life is feeling the acute challenges of the nature of life to move up and down in quick succession. What are you willing to risk?

Stockings: Though stockings are a little out of fashion at the moment, their primary purpose is to give the illusion of beauty and glamour to a woman’s legs. In this way, they also have a measure of eroticism associated with them. The legs do the walking, so consider how you are walking the walk in your life when stockings are featured in a dream. The context of the dream will offer distinctions for your interpretation.

Stones: A stone is a small piece of rock. Rocks are connected to memory and things that are part of the past. A stone in a dream is like an old idea that you either have been carrying around with you or are being invited to pick up and take with you from a current experience. (See Diamond, Emerald, and other specific stones.)

Store: A store is a place where a specific need is met. Consider the type of store as part of your interpretation and understand that this symbol indicates your ability to get that need met. (See Market, Hardware Store, Groceries.)

Storm: A storm is a symbol of an emotional disturbance, since in most cases water is involved, and water is the ultimate symbol of emotions. Rain symbolizes tears and grief, and wind connects to thoughts and intellect. When these two elements of the human condition combine in very violent ways, a storm is born. A storm in your dream is evidence that some challenging situation in your life is either coming soon or just about to pass, as all storms move on eventually.

Stove: The implication behind the stove as a symbol is that something may soon be cooked. Since cooking food is directly connected to sustenance and nurturance, the stove in your dreams relates directly to the shape of your relationship to self-care. A working stove indicates that all is functional, whereas a stove that is broken or otherwise compromised is indicating that something about how you are providing for yourself needs to be examined.

Stranger: A person unknown to you is still representing a character aspect of your personality, even if his or her identity is concealed or the person is a stranger. When making an interpretation about a person you don’t know, you must focus on what you actually do know. What the person is doing in your dream and how you feel about that will give you the essence of your interpretation. Whatever message your dream is presenting you with, the fact that it comes from a stranger or a person with a concealed identity indicates that the unconscious is not quite ready to reveal what is being called into action in your current situation. More will be revealed; we learn in stages and increments and often resist change, so be prepared for initial levels of fear to come up around this type of imagery. The unknown assailant who chases us may simply be trying to give us our forgotten lunch money or an umbrella because it is raining. When there are clear personality traits apparent and the person’s identity is unknown to you, it likely points to an area of development within your own personal makeup. An angry or aggressive stranger may point to an integration of that energy into consciousness. A more helpful or gentle stranger indicates that softer elements are being called into prominence. Whatever end of the continuum your dream stranger is on, be prepared to consider the necessity and power of the energy he or she is embodying in the dream. A deliberate concealment of identity can also indicate a matter of the unconscious tricking the conscious into hearing a difficult piece of information; for just as in life, it is sometimes easier to hear impactful news from a stranger than from someone we love.

Strangling: You are feeling constricted in areas of communication. Since strangling involves cutting off the air supply at the neck, communication is the focus of the interpretation of any dream with this image in it. It is important to recognize that there is a specific intention associated with strangling, which is to cause death. Any death in a dream should be considered a transformation of such magnitude that an inevitable rebirth must surely follow. Strangling necessitates that two people are involved, which means that you should consider the other person as a character aspect of yourself. If you are the aggressor, then the person you are choking is a part of your personality that you are attempting to or needing to stifle.

Street: A street is part of the construct of a city or town where there are buildings on either side, as opposed to a road, which can be more rural in nature. All roads are symbols of your movement through life, so a street in a dream is more about places where you may actually stop and create some lasting element of your social experience. Consider the phrase “on the street where you live” as an indication of this symbol connecting to home or your community.

Strip Club: A strip club is an interesting location for a dream because it simultaneously represents elements of both the masculine and the feminine principle in action. It is a place that celebrates the female body and in this way expresses the power of the feminine. The objectification that goes on there indicates elements of the masculine principle in an undeveloped form. Issues of sexuality, seduction, and eroticism are the focus of such a dream setting; however, be willing to also consider that this energy is not in alignment or true integration. Sexual feelings may be pulling at you in an unbalanced way.

Stripper Pole: The pole around which a stripper dances is a symbol itself for the penis, and the dance itself is a seduction of the feminine principle interacting with the masculine principle. This dance can be symbolic of an erotic or sexual desire, but it can also be a symbol for stimulating the life force and creative impulses within you.

Stroke: You may be harboring destructive, negative thoughts, and they are having a dangerous impact on you. A stroke is caused by some sort of disturbance in the integrity of the brain. Caused by a blood clot or the eruption of a blood vessel, the damage that results from a stroke can range from innocuous discomfort to death. The brain is the symbolic center of the intellect and thoughts. When thoughts are compromised by some sudden challenge, a symbolic dream-stroke may occur if the cause is severe enough.

Stuffed Animal: One of the first staples of childhood comfort, a stuffed animal is primarily a symbol for affection and warmth. Your personal relationships with stuffed animals from your childhood should feature into your interpretation, as a person with a deep connection to such things may be activating a sense memory of such comfort. Also consider the animal itself; there may be a connection to the power that the animal represents and the need to have a portable availability to such nurturing energy.

Submarine: A submarine is capable of diving to extreme depths and navigating the world far below the surface of the ocean. As the ocean represents the unconscious mind, the places where a submarine can go are akin to parts of the psyche that are absolutely down in the depths of the unconscious, but that ultimately can be explored in a limited fashion—like the thoughts, memories, and material that are usually buried but occasionally are investigated and made known. A submarine in a dream indicates that a deep investigation is underway, and anything else that such a dream expresses could be important information.

Subway: An underground world of its own, the subway system in any city can get you from one place to another without seeing the light of day. Any travel from one place to another in a dream represents a change or transformation. Since a subway ride is relatively short, the scope of the change it represents is also relatively minor. The idea that is being represented the most by this image in a dream has to do with being just under the surface of your consciousness. Such a dream indicates that you can learn something by doing a little investigation of what is lurking below and find yourself in some new territory as a result.

Succubus: The succubus is a mythological creature that is itself a feature of dreams. The succubus is the female version of this mythological creature, and it is thought to be a phantom that removes life force from its victim and is often a feature of night terrors. If you are visited by a succubus in your dream, look to where in your life some woman or other experience is draining you of passion and power. (See Incubus.)

Suit: Any article of clothing relates to your personal expression and the persona you are choosing to present to the world. Wearing a suit indicates a connection to more formal activities as well as to the workplace for many people. If you are wearing a suit in a dream, you may be calling upon a more serious aspect of your expression.

Suitcase: See Bag, Luggage.

Sun: The sun is the source of almost all life on Earth. The power contained within the sun is so enormous, it is almost unfathomable. To dream about the sun is to connect to this level of power within you.

Sunrise/Sunset: A sunrise may point to a new beginning, just as a sunset may indicate an ending of some sort. If your dream-sun is blocked by clouds, you may want to consider where in your life your personal power is being limited or held back.

Surgery: A healing is underway, though it is potentially disruptive and violent in nature. Surgery is usually thought of as a painful and invasive procedure undertaken when some form of healing needs to take place. In its essence, healing is a process that fundamentally alters the structure of some part of the body. All surgeries can be categorized as either removing or adding something to the body. If something is being removed, begin your investigation in areas of your life where you are facing loss or release. If you are being surgically enhanced with new material, such as replacement joints or a pacemaker, look to ways in which you are currently taking on new paths or ways of being that are foreign to you. No matter what the surgery is, there is an implication that some area in your consciousness requires dramatic healing.

Sweat: This is evidence of some underlying fear, shame, guilt, or stress. On a social level, sweat is sometimes evidence of inner stress. This can reveal the presence of guilt or panic that betrays the person. If you feel this may be the case in your dream, your interpretation should involve investigating secrets or issues in your waking life that you would rather keep hidden.

Sweating: You are working to restore balance because of stress, fear, or guilt. There are both emotional and physical correlations to sweating and the appearance of sweat. However, the essential meaning assigned to sweat must connect with its most basic and primal function: to regulate the temperature of the body. We would die if this process did not operate effectively. If you are sweating in your dream, your interpretation may uncover an unconscious message that some life experience is posing a threat to your equilibrium and balance. Heat represents a visceral reaction to perceived danger in the form of anger or aggression. Sweating represents your desire to restore balance from whatever might be the cause of those feelings of threat. Sweating also serves to rid the body of toxins, so dream-sweat may point to the presence of underlying thoughts, ideas, or behaviors that are ultimately poisoning your sense of well-being.

Swimming: You are navigating the waters of your own emotional journey. Water represents the emotional realm of our feelings, both conscious and unconscious. Swimming is specifically about progress and making your way through the emotional territory in your life. The effort of propelling yourself forward is completely self-motivated and generated exclusively by your own body. This reveals how effectively or ineffectively you are pushing yourself through an emotional challenge in your life. The ease, pace, and depth of your swim offer a great deal of texture for you to investigate. The harder you have to work, the more effort is required to arrive at your destination of emotional growth. How fast you are moving will inform you of the speed of the process you are undergoing. The level of immersion communicates the emotional territory through which you are traveling; being on the surface reflects the emotions you are aware of, whereas swimming underwater implies deeper feelings that reside in your unconscious mind.

Swimming Pool: Water connects to emotional issues. A swimming pool is a humanmade construction that contains a small amount of water that is used for recreation and relaxation. In this way, a swimming pool in a dream relates to a manageable amount of emotional expression that feels beneficial and not overwhelming. Swimming in a pool might relate to being in a comfortable emotional state or a need to control your emotions. To avoid jumping into a pool reflects a desire to rise above emotional issues. Drowning in a pool is to be overwhelmed by emotional issues of your own making.

Swimsuit: A bathing suit implies that the act of swimming has recently or will soon occur. Any image involving water in a dream relates to your feelings and emotions. Taking a swim is an act of immersing yourself in your emotional nature, so the bathing suit in your dream indicates a readiness to explore your emotional nature more deeply. There may also be an aspect of experiencing your feelings in a more playful and restorative manner indicated by such a dream.

Swings: Swinging is one of the first ways in which a child feels a sense of freedom and exhilaration. In this way, a swing is a symbol of both this sensation as well as the childlike innocence that allows for such easy access to those feelings. In a dream, a swing set indicates a longing for this aspect of your consciousness. If the swings in your dreams feel dangerous or are connected to an injury, then you are processing some stress around needing more freedom in your life.

Swing Set: A childlike sense of play is what is reflected in this image. The idea that something so simple can generate an enormous amount of joy is presented by a dream with a swing set in it. If you have personal associations with a swing set from your childhood, those should feature in your interpretation. Sometimes the most joyful images can show up with a sense of distortion in a nightmare. A nightmare simply means the stakes are higher; such a dream may be calling for more of this playfulness in your life as something more important than you might think.

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