Dream
When I was very young I used to have very bad dreams that I was in a big field looking up at the sky big white clouds started to chase me so I ran and ran and kept running until I came to the edge which was a sheer drop with no bottom to it before I went over I would wake up crying although I don’t dream it any more I still think off it after 70 years.

Meaning
When we dream of the sky, we are considering our mind and how we use it to perceive the world around us. Dreaming about clouds indicates that we are reflecting on the thoughts that come into our mind. Sometimes these thoughts can be turbulent and stormy; sometimes they can just lazily drift through our minds.

The clouds in your dream represent your emerging self awareness as young child. Up until this point in your life, you would have had the impression that your thoughts came from somewhere else, but then you begin to realise that they actually happen in your own mind. The thoughts that appeared in your mind would rise up from feelings and impulses that you were experiencing. Some of these thoughts would arise from naughty impulses and would arrive in your mind like big white clouds.

You felt that these naughty thoughts were chasing you in some way, encouraging you to do bad things. Your fear was that if you acted on these naughty thoughts and did these bad things, then your parents would punish you and withdraw all their love and support. As a young child this would seem like the end of the world for you; a sheer drop with no bottom.

Dream
My mum keeps having the same dream in the dream she has three legs this third leg is coming out of her hip and she feels it hanging out of the side of the bed, also in this dream she keeps trying to get the leg back into the bed.

Meaning
When we dream about out legs, we are considering our ability to stand up for ourselves. Dreaming of a third leg shows that your mum has the capability to offer extra support for others. Like a tripod, these three legs provide a lot of stability, so there is a situation in waking life where your mum is being very stable and supportive. The fact that the third leg is growing out of her hip indicates that she is probably giving this stability and support to a family member.

Our beds are where we feel most comfortable and relaxed and your mum’s attempts to get her third leg back into bed show that she needs to look after herself as well as looking after other people. Although she may appear very capable and supportive, she needs to relax and have some time to herself, instead of looking after others all the time.

Her leg hanging out of the bed in her dream indicates that some of the people whom she helps may unintentionally take advantage of her good nature. Although she doesn’t want to withdraw her support for them, she needs to stand up for her own needs as well as standing up for the needs of others.

Dream
Hi, I have a recurring theme running through dream. I never find what I’m looking for; it can be a street, a car park, and even a railway station. I can be running through a town looking for these – and never find them.

Meaning
When we dream of running, we are thinking about how we can best use our individual talent to make progress in our lives. In waking life, running is the fastest, most self sufficient and personal mode of progression. Running in your dreams reflects your independent nature and shows that you have the energy and drive to make great progress in your waking life. However, never being able to find what you are looking for indicates shows that you are still unsure of your chosen goals in life.

The street, the car park and the railway station signify that you are searching for ways to make progress in your professional life. These places are all starting points for bigger journeys and you are considering the best ways to use your energies to realise your professional goals. Although you enjoy being active and busy in your work, you often feel that all this activity is not giving you the satisfaction you need.

What you are really looking for is your true vocation in life where you can do really meaningful work. You have the confidence and talent to do this, so stop running for a little while, stand back and decide what will be your dream job.

Dream
I have been having a recurring dream that I am on holiday and I can see a tsunami coming. Each time I have to run from the beach and up a hill. I have always had a family member with me. In one of the dreams the wave caught me but I was alive and rolling in the wave and I could see brightly coloured fish. I have no idea what this could mean.

Meaning
When we dream of a tsunami, we are often anxious about being overwhelmed by a huge wave of emotion that is sweeping through us in waking life. Being on holiday in your dream suggests that you are currently doing something a bit different in your waking life that is helping you to feel happy and relaxed. However, you are concerned that there is a big change on the horizon that will really stir up your feelings and emotions.

This major change may involve your job, a family member or a romantic relationship and although you are trying to resist this change, you know deep down that it is inevitable. The hill that you run up in your dream represents the major effort that you are making in waking life to avoid this disruption by trying to distance yourself from your emotions. The family member indicates that this upheaval involves something or someone who is close to your heart.

The fish in your dream are reflections of bright ideas and inspirational moments that will guide you through this period of change. Being alive and rolling shows that you will be able to ride this wave of change and emerge from it feeling that you are much stronger and wiser person.

Dream
Dear Ian, I read your article with great interest as I have had a repetitive dream for a long while. It is trying to make an emergency call….for many different reasons, some for ambulance/police and some just for aid. Every time I have just about dialled the number there is one digit missing or I miss dial. This goes on and on, sometimes I am really distressed sometimes just frustrated. I would really appreciate your thoughts on this dream. Thanks

Meaning
When we dream of making an emergency call, there is a situation in our waking life that is making us feel anxious or afraid. Although you are desperate for someone to come to your assistance, you end up feeling distressed and frustrated because you can never seem to communicate your real anxieties to other people. The one digit missing indicates that you just can’t put your finger on what it is making you feel so anxious.

Your anxieties and fears in waking life may be about what seem to be apparently trivial matters to others. However, your urgent requests for assistance show that what you really need is some form of reassurance and comfort from someone who is significant to you in your waking life. The misdialing in your dream indicates that you are not really sure how to push this person’s buttons to make them respond in the way that you really need.

In waking life, you probably appear to be strong and independent and don’t like to voice your anxieties in case it makes you appear vulnerable to other people. However, being honest about your fears and not being afraid to show your vulnerability will instantly bring the reassuring responses that you really want to hear.

Dream
Dear Ian, Every night I am dreaming of people from my past but it is different people each night and I would like to know if this has any meaning as this has been happening for a few weeks.
Would you please advise me if this has any significance? Thank you!

Meaning
When we dream of people from the past, they often represent aspects of our own character that were important to us in the past. The reason that you are reflecting on your past is that there is probably a situation in your current waking life just now that is reminding you of some past experience. This current situation may appear to be a little bit confusing or uncertain but your dream is reminding you of how you dealt with it in the past.

The different people in your dream show that you are examining your present situation from a variety of perspectives as you work out the best way to deal with it. Although what is happening in your waking life may seem to have no connection with your past, this situation is triggering feelings and emotions that you have experienced before in other situations.

The people from the past in your dream are reminding you that you have accumulated wisdom and experience during your life. You now have the power to use this wisdom in whatever challenges that you may encounter in waking life. Even though these challenges may seem unusual and unfamiliar, your older, wiser self intuitively knows how to make the most of them.

Dream
Hi Ian, I keep dreaming that I have cancer of the mouth. The cancer cells keep growing in my lips and my tongue until they fill my whole mouth and I cannot breathe. I wake up screaming and shouting and gasping for breath. In real life, I keep going to the doctor and the dentist for check ups but I always get the all clear. Also, I don’t smoke. Please can you help me?

Meaning
When we dream about any illness or blockage involving our mouths, it is often because there is something that we really need to say to someone in our waking lives. However, we are usually afraid that there will be a negative and unhealthy response if we actually do say it. There is something that you desperately need to express to someone but are frightened to do so. Your fear is that by speaking out and saying how you really feel, you will create a situation that will rapidly grow out of control.

The fact that you wake up screaming and shouting shows how desperate you are to speak your truth and say what really needs to be said. The reason that you are frightened is that you know something will come to an end if you actually say what you feel. This situation may be a job, or a friendship or a romance that was once healthy but has now become toxic and painful.

In the same way that a surgeon removes a cancerous tumour, you need to remove yourself from this unhealthy situation by saying exactly what you feel. Don’t let the conversation grow out of control. As soon as you have said what you feel you need to say, close your mouth, stand back and hear what the other person has to say.

Dream
Hi Ian, Could you explain my dreams? I dream I am getting bit by various animals but always a snake.

Meaning
When we dream about animals, we are thinking about the more instinctive and impulsive aspects of our nature. Although we may like to consider ourselves as creatures of reason living in a civilized society, we all have urges and drives that are natural expressions of our physical needs. In our dreams, animals usually symbolise aspects of our personalities that are trying to make themselves known in some way.

Being bitten by various animals suggests that there is a situation in your waking life where you are trying to control an impulse to act or an instinctive response to a recurring situation. You feel that you may have a painful experience if you just go ahead and respond to your instincts. It may be that you are anxious about a particular situation in your waking life and all these bites reflect all the little anxieties that you feel are gnawing away at you.

Snakes often represent our ability to grow and mature in waking life. In the same way that a snake sheds its skin, we also help our own healthy growth by discarding aspects of our characters that are no longer useful to us. Being bitten by a snake suggests that you need to leave behind past experiences so that you can move easily into a better future. However, you are concerned what people might think of you as you make this change and are concerned that they will make hurtful remarks.

Dream
Hi, I keep dreaming about water and boats but I do not know why could you please try and explain what this means? Thank you.

Meaning
When we dream about water, we are dreaming about our feelings and emotions. We hear this in our everyday day language when we use expressions like ‘a wave of emotion swept through me’ or ‘I was in floods of tears’. Your water dreams reflect the fact that you are an emotional and instinctive person who is probably very empathetic and understanding. However, you may sometimes find yourself being overwhelmed by your emotions and unsure of what to do.

Boats are vehicles of the water and they symbolise how you can navigate through the currents and tides of your own feelings. If you dream of sailing along on a tranquil sea then are you are probably feeling at ease with your emotions. If you dream that you are trying to sail across a stormy ocean and your boat is leaking, then there is some situation in your waking life that is giving you a sinking feeling and causing you anxiety.

The best way to work with your emotions is to establish some boundaries around them, in the same way that the banks of a river guide its water back to the sea. This will allow you to powerfully channel your feelings as you flow unstoppably towards your goal.