Baby: A baby is a new idea, relationship, event, direction, project, etc. The essential meaning of a baby as a symbol connects to the new life it represents. Babies grow up to become adult human beings, but in their infancy, they embody all the potential that has yet to be expressed. In this way, a baby in a dream is likely to be expressing some new chapter in your life that is just beginning and has yet to unfold into full manifestation. The age of the baby may give clues as to when the consciousness that it represents was born. A one-year-old baby may indicate a new shift in your life that began a year before you had the dream.
Backpack: Anything that allows you to pack certain items for transport is symbolic of having access to various tools for living. A backpack puts such helpful items easily at your disposal, with the implication of a journey on foot. Such a journey is symbolic of a trek into deeper places of your consciousness, and therefore the backpack is symbolic of the assistance you may need along the way.
Badger: The badger is a creature of the earth, so its power connects primarily to its ability to maneuver below the surface of consciousness. Badgers are tenacious burrowers, so part of their medicine is the ability to get to the bottom of things and keep going till a desired end is achieved. When a badger appears in a dream, it is time to get busy.
Bag: The interpretation of the image of a bag is directly connected to what is held by it. At the heart of it, a bag represents your ability to carry some object or objects with you. If you know what is inside the bag in your dream, use that to form your interpretation; in this case, the bag represents your access to the function of those objects and their potential use to you. If you do not know what is inside the bag, consider that any bag can hold the mysterious and perfect thing you may need at just the right moment. The structure of the bag may offer information about how strong your ability is to have resources nearby. A paper bag will not last as long as one made of leather. (See Luggage.)
Ball: The sphere is the purest shape that is easily understandable by the human mind. Anything round calls into consciousness this fundamental geometry that mirrors the globe of the Earth we call home and therefore symbolizes a sense of wholeness and integration. In the case of a ball, your dream may be connecting to a more playful part of your nature. A ball that implies a game ought to be played may be calling you to action, to participate more actively in the game of life. Balls can also relate to the testicles and symbolize masculine power and are more likely in a dream to be pointing to the masculine principle of doing things and taking action.
Ballerina: Dancing can be a metaphor for how we navigate life’s complexities, and a ballerina is an example of supreme skill at this endeavor. The ballerina as a character aspect implies that a great deal of discipline has already been exerted, though the dream may be telling you to get hard at work at the skills needed to exhibit more grace in complicated scenarios in your current life experiences.
Banana: Any food is connected to self-care and nurturance, and a banana’s nutritional value makes it almost a perfect food. Dreaming of eating a banana may point to a need or desire to increase your energy and strength. However, a banana has an additional meaning. The phallic shape of the banana brings an element of sexuality into the mix.
Bank: Thoughts around money, power, and financial security are coming up for you. A bank is a construct of modern society created around the concept of protecting the abundance of the average individual. When examined more closely under the scrutiny of symbolic meaning, a bank connects more to fears around money and the desire to hoard abundance to maintain a sense of security about future needs. You may be concerned with keeping your sense of prosperity safe and guarded.
Bar: You may be expressing a desire to escape your current stressful experiences if you have a dream that takes place in a bar. The primary focus of a bar is to consume alcohol, and thereby this symbol connects primarily to escapism. Because a bar is a public place and is rooted in the spirit of socializing, there is a second layer of meaning that connects with how we are interacting in our social environments in a spirited and uninhibited way. Your own personal relationship to bars and alcohol in your waking life will play a prominent role in how you would interpret a dream that took place in one.
Barefoot: You need to be more grounded in your life and experience a level of vulnerability around immediate choices in life. Feet connect to how grounded you feel. They can also indicate issues around how you are maneuvering through your current life choices. There is a direct connection between where you put your feet and where you go. If your feet are exposed to the elements, it leaves them vulnerable to injury, but can also help connect you more organically to the ground beneath your feet. This image also connotes feeling more down-to-earth and implies being laid-back and relaxed.
Barn: A barn is a building and in its essence is connected to some construct of your consciousness. Since a barn is found on a farm, there is an organic sensibility to its meaning. In waking life, a barn can have many functions, but it is generally used for the storage and housing of crops and livestock, both of which are deeply associated with sustenance, nurturance, and self-care. A barn in a dream is calling you to pay attention to grounded and down-to-earth matters, getting back to basics. The resources you need right now are natural and organic.
Bartender: As a person, a bartender is a character aspect of your own personality. As the keeper of the liquor, this is the part of you that has access to the desire to medicate against difficult feelings or stress. Your relationship to this person in your dream is asking you to examine your relationship to escapism.
Baseball: Life is a game, and a dream that features baseball is asking you to recognize this. Hitting a home run in baseball has entered the zeitgeist as a standard expression to represent a successful endeavor, such that baseball in a dream may connect to such a desired outcome in a future event in your waking life. There are a number of sexual connotations connected to baseball, including the phallic shape of the baseball bat. Also, getting around the bases has long been analogous to various elements of foreplay. “Playing the field” is a phrase connected to being sexually active with a variety of partners. Consider your dream’s context in order to understand how to interpret a dream with baseball in it.
Basement: A dream about the basement is connecting you to deep secrets, hidden or unconscious thoughts. A house represents the self, and therefore the basement would be the self below the self. As such, any dream of a basement connects with unconscious material and anything that lurks below the surface of your psyche. Since many basements are dark and gloomy, they can have an aura of menace about them. This notion is exploited in the media—such as scary basements in films where no one escapes unharmed—making the symbolic meaning of this image connect to the shadow and those things we are afraid of in life.
Basket: A basket is a container, and the purpose it exhibits is the essence of the symbolic meaning. When you put things in a basket, you are more able to take them with you. In this way, a basket is a symbol of organization and efficacy around keeping with you what you desire. In a dream, a basket is asking you to consider how well you are able to contain all that you need. There is also an implication with this image that something will be or has been transported.
Bass: This musical instrument is responsible for keeping rhythm by expressing the lowest notes of the audible sound waves. Any musical instrument is ultimately a symbol related to the desire to be creative and expressive. However, the distinctions of the bass connect it to the grounded rhythms of life. When a bass is featured in your dream, you are being called to express yourself, but to honor the organic rhythm and not move too fast or too slow. Listen to your heart beat.
Bat: You are exploring the darker, more hidden side of your nature. The bat is capable of navigating through the night and without the benefit of sighted vision; as such, the bat represents your consciousness of what can be found when you trust the darker side of your nature. In dreams, the shadow (as represented by nighttime) is the most valuable area for truly understanding who you are, so the presence of a bat in your dreams indicates that this exploration is getting assistance from the unknown.
Bathing Suit: At the heart of it, the bathing suit is about modesty. The very act of swimming, immersing oneself in water for sheer pleasure, brings with it a likelihood of nakedness. Culturally, however, we are compelled to cover up. In this way, a bathing suit is a symbol of that modesty and the desire to keep a certain amount of protection. There is also an implication associated with this symbol of a connection to water that may not be present in the dream itself. If you are wearing a bathing suit, then you have in the past or may in the future connect yourself to water, the ultimate symbol of emotional expression.
Bathroom: A bathroom represents the consciousness of individuation and privacy. It is the room where we get to shut the door and be with ourselves in total intimacy. It is also a symbol of freeing ourselves of waste and toxins. Many dreams that feature a bathroom find us searching for one. Such a dream is about searching for the freedom to be our authentic self, often with the caveat of reaching that authenticity by releasing that which no longer serves us or is detrimental if we continue to hold on, such as resentment or other poisonous thoughts. A bathroom inside a home connects with personal issues, whereas one that is more public is revealing information about your outside interactions. A toilet is located in a bathroom. As such, it can relate to relieving yourself of the “shit” in your life that you no longer need.
Bathtub: The bathtub is used for relaxation as much as for cleansing the body. In this way, it can symbolically connect to either, depending on your personal associations with it. From a structural standpoint, because a bathtub contains a small amount of water, it is also an emotional symbol and should be considered from the perspective of containing small amounts of emotional expression that can either relax you or overwhelm you, depending on the dream context.
Battery: The primary purpose of a battery lies in its capacity to store energy for use at a later time and in a way that is portable. In this way, if a battery appears in a dream, it may connect to a need or desire to conserve your energy for use at a different time. A battery is also symbolic of the ability to bring energy to places that might otherwise be lacking it.
Battle: There is a distinction between war and battle. War implies an ongoing state of flux, whereas battle is the actual shift taking place in a small increment of upheaval and change as part of an ongoing period of transformation. If you dream of being in a battle, look to where in life your defenses might be running on high. Also consider where changes in boundaries are imminent, both in your outside world as well as within, as many battles are with yourself.
Beach: Land represents your conscious mind, and the ocean connects to your unconscious mind. Where these two forces meet is the ever-shifting shoreline. A dream that takes place on a beach indicates the meeting up of these two vastly different elements of the human experience. You can also think of the land as your rational, thinking mind and the ocean as the irrational, creative mind. The changing tides are your emotional moods and fluctuating cycles of expression, so a beach dream can connect to extremes of emotional change in your life. The sandy edges are the parts of your conscious awareness that are constantly changing shape as you learn more about who you are. The things that wash up on a beach are the repositories for that which was previously unknown to you but can appear suddenly from the depths of your hidden self. Anything that happens in a dream on a beach is to be considered even more significant because of the symbolic nature of the beach as the mysterious place where that which is conscious and that which is unconscious come together. Of course the beach is a primary destination for people to relax and let go of daily stressors. A dream that takes place at a beach may be connected to this desire.
Beams of Light: You are focusing your thoughts to create more penetrating energy in your life. Light is energy in motion. We generally think of it in terms of that which illuminates and makes things visible. However, light is actually a wave of energy, only a small fraction of which is visible to the human eye. In this way, the light we can see represents thoughts we are conscious of. Various forms of light can represent different levels and intensities of thought. A beam is a focus of light that has the ability to illuminate a particular area or object and is therefore symbolic of concentrated thought.
Bear: You need to be patient and conserve your strength for now; the time to act will come after a period of hibernation. Bear medicine is about the long stillness that is necessary in order for true strength to be wielded appropriately. When the time to act comes, the power of the bear in you will give you incredible resources. A dream with a bear in it is asking you to consider whether it is time for aggression or time to retreat and wait for the right season.
Beard: A beard is generally worn by older men and is a symbol of age and intelligence. In this way, a beard in a dream can be a symbolic expression of maturity and wisdom. A beard also blocks much of the face and in this way can connect to a desire to hide your true feelings.
Beast: The generic beast of the dream world is expressing the more animalistic aspect of the human condition. Since a specific Earth-dwelling animal will carry with it the meaning associated with its very nature, the beast as an archetype connects with the shadow side of this—the irrational, aggressive, and instinctive elements of who we are that we disown or prefer weren’t so. Remember the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, as these two opposing archetypes must be integrated in order to find balance and true happiness. It is very important to honor the beast within you in order to find your own true humanity.
Beast/Human: When the qualities of an animal are mixed with a human being, you are expressing the integration of primitive traits into your consciousness. Mythology is filled with creatures that combine physical attributes of various animals and the human body. These magical man-beasts appear in many cultural histories, and even the most bizarre dream-related combination may actually have a predecessor in the mythology of an ancient civilization. The interpretation of this symbol should start with the energy associated with the animal that appeared in the dream. Examining historical references that match your dream image can yield a treasure trove of information that your unconscious mind is attempting to convey to you.
Beaver: The beaver is industrious and skilled in a way that relates to working with earthly structures to create a watery home. This puts it in a symbolic relationship with the management of emotions. Many animals that relate to water also connect to our dream states, especially when a land animal interacts well with a watery environment. Thus, the beaver is present to bring you wisdom from the dream state. The beaver also assists us when we need to make sense of our emotional life and shift how we are feeling about some situation.
Bed: This object is the home of both sleep and intimacy. It is a powerful symbol of the sacred acts of rest and sexual expression. Many dreams take place in the bed in which you are sleeping. When that is the case, there is immediacy to the experience of interpretation; you are dreaming of your current state of consciousness and the actual idea of exploring that state in a significant way. The bed is a symbol of personal security since you are so vulnerable when sleeping, and in this way your own bed in a dream represents this safety. Conversely, a strange bed can be symbolic of a fundamental lack of safety. The state of a bed in a dream may be a comment on matters of security, sexuality, and restfulness in your waking life.
Bedroom: A home represents the consciousness of your sense of self and the bedroom relates to privacy and intimacy, as it’s usually the most private room in one’s home, where intimate acts occur. Because of its association with nakedness, sex, and the vulnerability that comes with being asleep, the bedroom represents the parts of ourselves that we are aware of but generally keep hidden and separate from our social and public life. On a primal level, the bedroom is the one room in a home where an individual’s scent is most prevalent. We humans are the only animals that compulsively remove our own scent. This deepens the personal nature of this symbol.
Bee: One of the most communal of all animals, the bee is a master at communication and community organization. Through a complex societal structure, bees produce one of nature’s most exquisite creations: honey. The medicine that bees offer as a totem connects to this precise, organized structure that they create combined with the effort they expend in creating something so profoundly sweet. When the bee appears in your dream, you are being asked to deepen your willingness to work in a structured manner in order to create enormous levels of abundance and prosperity.
Beehive: The bee is an animal that is associated with organization, communication, and the power to create great abundance and sweetness. Their home, or hive, is the central locus of this ability. The beehive in your dream is the home for your thoughts about the sweetness of life, but approaching it with too cavalier an attitude can have consequences.
Beer: Ultimately a symbol of escapism, beer can also be thought of as representing the desire to celebrate, kick back, and relax. Beer is the original fermented beverage and connects to processes that happen behind the scenes and slowly change and transform into something surprising and delightful. Good things take time, and this hidden meaning may be expressed in a dream about beer, especially if the dream includes the process of making this beverage.
Being Chased: Something in your life is creating a fear-based response to a threat. That threat may be real or imagined. When a person feels exposed at a very primal level, the built-in survival mechanism of the fight-or-flight response occurs. You may be running in terror without knowing that the secret enemy you are running from is yourself. If you do not know your assailant, it may simply be you trying to catch up to you with something important that, if embraced, would allow you to feel more complete. If you know who is chasing you, the person may have more to offer you if you let him or her catch you. Even if being caught ends in being killed, that death could be a symbolic transformation of such significance as to be the very thing needed to bring your greatest heart’s desires into reality. That is, of course, if you have the courage to stop running and turn around. Sometimes it is part of human nature to be afraid of success, and a dream of being chased is alerting you to stop running from your own magnificence.
Belly: Your instincts and emotions are being expressed by this dream. It is in our belly that we experience our feelings and our gut instincts about what is happening inside us and in our environment. When this is working well, the relationship you have with your belly is your great ally in navigating the world and knowing if you are safe in any given moment. When the belly is compromised, such as being layered in fat, it is your instincts that are being blocked. If you are sick in the belly, there are consequences for past inauthenticity or holding back anger, rage, or sadness.
Bellybutton: The bellybutton is proof of your humanity, the constant connection to multi-generational continuity. It is through the bellybutton that we are forever connected to our mothers and therefore back into time and to infinity. This is the part of the body that remains as proof that we once lived in a state of grace where every need was met at the instant of the thought of desire; the womb is the closest we will ever come to the Garden of Eden. Consider the context in which you are dreaming of this part of the body for a more detailed interpretation of your dream. Your own bellybutton relates to your own personal sense of connectedness and continuity. If the bellybutton in your dream is on another person, consider the character aspects of that individual as your focal point for the connectedness you are searching for.
Belt: A belt is designed to hold up the pair of pants that it is wound through. In this functional way, a belt is a symbol of support. However, belts can also be used to adorn and express, which adds a creative flair to the symbolic meaning they possess. If a belt is too tight, the constriction that results is also a symbol for limitation and feelings of restriction.
Bible: The Bible is a fundamental symbol of the word of the Divine made manifest here on Earth. Your relationship to this as a symbol must be rooted in your personal associations with it. This can be complicated, because for some the Bible is uplifting and powerful, while for others it is a powerful tool used to inflict hatred and separation. As a book, the Bible relates to thoughts that are made permanent and a part of the foundations of your beliefs. Add to this your personal associations and you may arrive at a satisfying interpretation.
Bicycle: Any mode of transportation is about how you are moving through your life. In the case of a bicycle, the speed is fairly close to being on foot, but certainly faster. There is an element of joy to a bicycle as well as the requirement of balance in order to get around effectively. Such a dream may be a throwback to a childhood sensibility unless you are an avid cyclist, in which case the dream may be about the desire to enjoy what that pastime brings you. A dream of a bicycle is about moving a little faster, but still in an organic way.
Bills: You are considering the cost of the freedoms that you enjoy. There is a price to pay for every choice we make, and bills connect to the sense of responsibility that comes with that freedom. If you are overwhelmed with your own finances in your waking life, you may dream about your bills as a result of that stress. If you are paying your bills, you are dreaming of taking responsibility for your choices. If you are avoiding paying your bills, your dream may be expressing your avoidance. If the bill you are shown in your dream does not belong to you, you may be feeling responsible for something that is not of your own making.
Birds: Birds are messengers, and a dream with birds in it may be trying to get you to recognize some information that is flying around in your consciousness, just waiting to be recognized. Birds also connect with a vantage point and the ability to see farther by virtue of their unobstructed view of things. They can also fly directly to a location without the impediments of obstacles on the ground. A dream with a bird or birds in it may be asking you what you would see if you could see farther than your limited viewpoint allows and where you would go if you weren’t hindered by perceived obstacles in front of you. The type of bird will have additional meaning for you.
Birthday: This milestone marker is something everyone has each year, and it comes with a variety of strong feelings. Your personal associations with your own birthday must be considered in interpreting a dream that has a birthday in it, especially if it is your own. Such a dream may reflect feelings you have about aging. If the dream birthday celebration is for someone else in the dream, consider this to be an anniversary marker of an ongoing cycle as it relates to the quality of your personality assigned to the person whose birthday it is.
Black: The darker sides of life connect with the color black. Though it is thought of as the absence of color to some, in the world of physics, black is actually the presence of all colors in the object that embodies it. It is the color that absorbs the most light, retains heat, and is associated with death, as it is the opposite of life-affirming white. As the color of mourning, black clothing represents the social construct of receiving consolation in some cultures. When we are in mourning, we are surrounded by people who share in our sadness. In the same way that a black shirt will absorb all wavelengths of sunlight, a person in mourning wears black in order to absorb the light from those who surround him or her. In the world of fashion, black has a connotation of being trendy and sophisticated. Nighttime is when blackness reigns, bringing secrecy and the ability to hide into this color’s symbolic meaning.
Blanket: A blanket protects against cold and offers comfort, and is most associated with bed and sleeping. As such, its primary symbolic meaning connects with being able to offer us these two fundamental qualities. A blanket that falls short of this by being too small or worn out reflects an inability to comfort yourself in times of stress.
Blind/Blindness: You may be unable or unwilling to see something clearly in your life. By dreaming of the inability to see, you may be expressing areas in your life that you may be blind to. We also use the term vision to express where we see our lives heading in terms of goals and desires. If you are experiencing a loss of vision in your dream, you may be expressing an unconscious fear of being unable to see what is coming next in your life. Consider that a person who is blind represents limited sight but also the increase of other senses, especially intuition. Being unable to see exactly how things are going to manifest is often the very ingredient necessary for them to do so. Blind faith is one of the most powerful energies there is. (See Disability.)
Blood: You may be connecting to a deeper sense of life force within you and an expression of passion for living. However, depending on how the blood is appearing in your dream, this could be a dream about the loss of such passion and energy. If your dream includes receiving or losing blood, this may reflect a message that you either are in need of more energy or are being depleted by some situation. A wound inflicted by another may reflect an external struggle, whereas a medical procedure connects more to an internal process necessary for healing.
Blue: Blue is the color of communication and connects to the body through the throat and the thyroid gland. There is a connection between our metabolic activity, which is regulated by the thyroid, and the effectiveness of our communication. Through our voice, we communicate with others, but it is through our energy levels that we commune with our immediate environments. Other communication concepts associated with this color are the blueprints that communicate the structure of something not yet created. The call of a hospital emergency is known as a “code blue.” Before a brochure or magazine page is printed, the early version used to finalize the design and layout is known as the “blue line.” When blood circulation diminishes due to a drop in body temperature, the lips will turn blue and communication will be hindered. These are but a few examples that may not relate to a specific image; however, when the color blue is prominent in your dream, incorporate issues of communication into your interpretation. (See Colors.)
Blue Jay: All birds are to be considered messengers from higher consciousness and other dimensions. The blue jay specifically is one of the more talkative birds, so its meaning connects with communication. Its blue color aligns it with the throat chakra, further emphasizing this communication sensibility to the medicine that it offers. When the blue jay visits you in dreams, it is time to take a powerful look at how you are communicating. (See Birds.)
Blueprint: A blueprint relates to the structure of something and the intention to bring an idea to fruition. What are you in the planning stages of in your life? A dream that features a set of blueprints may be illuminating issues around what you desire to create.
Board Game: You are looking to resolve conflict through structure and control. In a dream, a board game may be an analogy for the “game” in life it is designed to represent. Popular board games are created to convey certain themes of life experience through the process of playing them. If you are winning a board game in your dream, you may be expressing recent experiences of successful negotiation of life’s complexities. If you are losing, the dream may be reflecting back to you where you are blocked or challenged.
Boat: You may be skimming the surface of deep emotional issues below the surface. Any vehicle in a dream refers us to our paths in life. A boat travels over water, the universal symbol for anything that deals with the emotions. The size and type of boat in your dream will illuminate your current ability to navigate emotional issues based on resources and levels of skill. The water itself connects with the nature of the emotional territory in which you currently find yourself. The destination of your trip will offer insight into what may be causing an upsurge of emotion and what you hope the outcome will be if you are successful in arriving at your intended destination.
Bobcat: All cats connect to the feminine principle in action. The larger the cat, the more powerful the medicine it has to offer. Bobcats are solitary in nature and are patient, stealthy hunters. When the bobcat appears in a dream, you are being asked to combine focused intention with great patience in order to get what you most desire.
Body Parts: The parts of the body all have meanings based on the basic functions of those parts. The feet represent feeling grounded, while the toes are about maintaining balance. The legs connect with freedom, choice, and movement. The knees are the symbolic home of humility, subservience, and/or surrender. They are also the place where you hold your fears. The hips are the center of the core and therefore represent the integration of systems and all the elements of your life that have to interact with one another in order to function. The ribs are about vulnerability and protecting yourself from emotional pain. The ability to withstand pressure and fulfill the needs of others is associated with the shoulders. The arms are the structures that allow you to take action and accomplish your goals and desires, while the hands give you the creative ability to do so. The individual fingers are how you relate to details and life’s complexities. The spine is your moral center and where your values are located. The neck, though a part of the spine, has the distinction of providing you with discernment and choice. The skull is related to your beliefs, ideals, and opinions, and the bones that support your face connect with community and the desire to connect with others.
Bomb: When a bomb appears in a dream, things are changing drastically, very fast. A bomb creates an enormous amount of energy in an instant, and an explosion is a powerful symbol of great change. In this case, the changes that are taking place are likely to be creating a great deal of chaos and challenge. A bomb that hasn’t exploded indicates changes that may or may not happen. The results of a bomb blast symbolize the havoc that is wreaked when enormous changes take place.
Bones: You are trying to connect with the underlying structure of things in your life and how you are being supported. The skeleton at the core of our bodies is the foundation on which the whole system is built. Since most of the human body is soft and moist, we rely on the solid, durable, calcium-based bone structure for what little solidity we feel. Nothing can be any stronger than the foundation that supports it. This foundational structure is normally invisible to us, so to be dreaming of bones is to be getting a glimpse of issues that are normally hidden but are now visible. Old bones might connect to issues in your past.
Book: The answers you seek are to be found in the intellect. Books relate to knowledge that has already been recorded, so this dream is not looking toward new information to be made known to you. Rather, the message of the dream is that the knowledge you seek is already within your awareness. The more books there are present in the dream, the more likely that this is a call to express your desire to learn and grow in ways of the mind.
Bottle: A bottle is about the ability to contain a small amount of something, usually liquid refreshment. If the symbolic meaning behind what’s in the bottle is to nurture you or please your palate, then the meaning of the bottle is your ability to contain that desire in a portable way and enjoy it at your leisure. An empty bottle relates to something you had in the past being unavailable to you now. A bottle that is broken indicates an inability to contain something pleasurable. If you know what is in the bottle, add that for a great distinction of your interpretation.
Boulders/Rocks: You may be blocked in your life by things from your past. Rocks act as the primitive memory for our planet, and to dream of boulders and rock formations is to be connecting on some level to primal imagery rooted in the distant past. On a more mundane level, the past that is being represented by this image may be your own personal history. Rocks or boulders can represent obstacles or challenges if they obstruct your way or present you with some amount of danger. If this is the case, what may be blocking you in your waking life could be material that is deeply imbedded in your unconscious. Examine areas where you may be holding fast to old ideas that no longer serve you. Painful memories can often seem like insurmountable obstacles or enormous boulders that appear to be immovable.
Box: A box is about containing something or compartmentalizing elements of your life. When this image is featured in a dream, look to where in your life you may be keeping certain things separate and potentially hidden. This may be a benefit if chaos or challenges require you to maintain structure and organization in order to get through some significant shift. However, it can also reveal a deeper pattern indicating that things currently hidden may need to be revealed or elements of your life that you are keeping separate might be better if integrated.
Bracelet: Any adornment is ultimately about drawing attention to yourself. In the case of jewelry, the meaning is found by examining the part of the body that the item features. The hands are about creative expression, and the wrists add an element of flexibility in that arena. A bracelet in a dream is about highlighting a desire to be more creative and expressive.
Breaking Up: Something in your life is changing or may need to come to an end. This can be literal and connected to a phase of life or an actual relationship with another person. However, it can also be that you are ending a relationship with your own behavior. Perhaps you are “breaking up” with a habit or pattern that hasn’t served you and it’s time to move on.
Breasts: You need to find a deeper connection to the feminine resources inside of you and your ability to nurture. This can relate to self-care or to taking care of something in your outside world. Breasts are also a powerful erogenous zone and are therefore part of sexual expression and physical pleasure. Dreaming of breasts often connects to the level of self-care of the dreamer, whether the person is male or female. Even erotic dreams involving this symbol should be viewed through this concept. Breasts that are not real might indicate that the nurturing you are giving yourself as an adult is somehow false and not truly nutritious. Older or sagging breasts would indicate a resource that is no longer full. Breasts on a man could indicate a need to cultivate more sensitive and nurturing qualities.
Breathless (Out of Breath): You are having difficulty connecting with your life force. Underlying feelings of anxiety or panic may be inhibiting you from being fully functional. The breath of life is also the physical representation of our level of serenity. When breath is slow and nourishing, we are at ease. Any elevation of breath indicates that we are either in a state of fear, emotional reactivity, or intense physical activity. Being out of breath in a dream may indicate a heightened fear reaction.
Bridge: A bridge is essentially that which makes a connection between two separate entities. You are seeking to make connections within your own consciousness. A dream about a bridge indicates that some sort of transition is taking place or that you are in search of a solution to what feels like an insurmountable problem. Since a bridge takes you from one place to another, it also carries the meaning of a transition in life. Since many bridges are suspended over water, an emotional issue is often the underlying conflict being expressed by this symbol.
Briefcase: This is a symbol that represents having access to certain important elements of your life, usually associated with work and responsibility. If you have lost it in the dream, you may be feeling unable to meet your obligations or take care of business.
Broken Bones: You are dreaming of a loss to the foundational integrity of some aspect of your life. Bones as foundational elements indicate that the essence of the stressor that is being expressed has to do with how something is structured or being supported. If you dream of a bone being broken, it tells you that some area of your life is on shaky ground. The solidity or strength beneath that which is creative or expressive is what is compromised. If your dream included the injury itself, add the means by which your bones were broken to your interpretation, including if there was another person responsible. The more creative you are with your rumination of these symbolic meanings, the more successful your interpretation will be. (See Bones, Body Parts.)
Broom: One of the fundamental tools for keeping house, a broom relates to a need for cleaning up life’s messes. There is a media-driven association with brooms and witches, so if the dream’s context indicates this perspective, a broom might represent an ability to introduce magical thinking into a situation that needs attention.
Brother: See Siblings.
Brown: While most colors are found in the spectrum of natural light, the color brown is a mixture of many colors that results in something that is generally thought to be dull and lacking in vibrancy. This is the direction to go with your interpretation, especially if the object or environment that is brown is unnaturally colored in that way. However, also consider that brown is the color of earth, and so what you perceive in this color in your dream could indicate a need for a more grounded approach to some element of your waking life.
Buddha: See Jesus, Buddha.
Buffalo: One of the most sacred animals to most Native Americans, the buffalo connects to gratitude, abundance, prosperity, and provision. When the buffalo appears in your dreams, you are being called to recognize the amazing way in which your life rises up to meet every need you could possibly have. The spiritual principle of gratitude is connected to this majestic beast.
Bugs: See Insects.
Bull: Sometimes the greatest display of power is stillness, and the bull reminds of this. The bull is a mighty animal that spends most of its time not moving. The medicine involved here is to know your own strength and trust your ability to take powerful action when the timing is right. The bull is also connected to prosperity through several traditions, most notably Western astrology, where Taurus the Bull rules money and comfort.
Bus: You are undergoing a slow transition in your public or social life. As with any mode of transportation, a bus connects with one’s path through life. When you ride a bus, you turn the reins of control over to another, take a seat, and go along for the ride. The type of bus offers shades of meaning. A school bus may indicate regression to an earlier mentality, whereas a public transit bus could point to a need to follow a course that requires being patient with the paths of others. A private bus, such as a tour bus, may indicate levels of abundance and the need to gather creative resources for future use. However, if the bus was used in place of a car, feelings of lack and limitation may be indicated.
Business Card: A business card is a form of identification and is therefore symbolic of the very thing of which it is symbolic in waking life: a person’s business persona. It is a tool for connection and solicitation, and in a dream it is connected to the person to whom it belongs. If someone gives you a business card in the dream, consider the character aspect of that person and what he or she might have to offer you. The business card itself and the act of passing it along represents your ability to call on those character traits to assist you in some venture. If the business card in the dream belongs to you, this may connect to a desire to expand your reach in some arena of your life.
Butterfly: The medicine of the butterfly is resurrection and the capacity to undergo enormous change and transformation. The caterpillar relates to the binds and heaviness of a previous consciousness, whereas the butterfly embodies the freedom possible when we surrender to the unknown factors that precipitate change. When the butterfly appears in your dreams, you may be being asked to trust the changes that are happening, for freedom is just around the corner.