The Dream Dictionary from A to Z [Revised edition]: The Ultimate A–Z to Interpret the Secrets of Your Dreams

See also EXCREMENT, HOUSE.

BATTERY This suggests the energy or resources available to you and problems with the battery may depict poor health or even heart problems. If the battery is dead motivation is low or resources are run down.

BATTLE/BATTLEFIELD

See WAR (#litres_trial_promo).

BEACH A dream in which you are lying sunning yourself on an idyllic beach with rolling sand, gentle waves and warm tropical sunshine may represent simple wish-fulfillment and a longing to escape the daily grind of your routine and responsibilities. Another interpretation, the Freudian one, suggests that events on dream beaches can highlight your anxieties. For example, dreams of burying any authority figure in the sand may be symbolic of the Oedipal murder of the father figure, while castration may be represented by tall sand castles being washed away by the incoming tide of the feminine or maternal sea. If you dreamed of taking a dip in the sea, pay attention to how you felt.

Beaches are places where water meets the earth, or, in symbolic terms, where the unconscious meets the rational mind. If you dream of emerging from the water, for example, this may signal an end of a period of emotional conflict in your waking life. Do you feel emotionally stronger or emotionally battered by the experience? If you stayed on the shore, do you prefer to remain on the firmness of land and reason, rather than venturing into the perilous depths of the sea or the unconscious mind? Bathing while on vacation lends itself to a Freudian interpretation as a dream symbol of birth or of the desire to return to the mother’s womb. If the sea washed away your footprints in the sand in your dream, is there something in your past from which you wish to move away so you can make a fresh start? If the sand in your dream starts to shift so you lose your footing, could this mirror a concern that the foundations of your life are about to give way?

Vacation dreams can often contain romantic scenes in an arbor or other sheltered retreat such as a cave. Such dreams can suggest a longing for romance but they can also suggest frustration with aspects of your current relationship or love life, as well as a need for adventure and freedom of responsibility from daily chores. If you dream of a vacation from hell in which you are given poor accommodation, are double-booked or experience terrible weather or food, such a dream can warn against over idealism. It also suggests that negative thinking and pessimism will destroy the quality of your life if you allow them to continue. In dreams, desert islands may be symbols of loss or a general sense of emotional insecurity. Alternatively, they may also express a yearning for solitude, clarity, simplicity, and time alone to reflect and work out your priorities.

See also SEASIDE.

BEAR

See ANIMALS (#ulink_a775d833-9744-502e-abbc-300fad53f87e).

BEARD If a beard appears in your dream, this suggests feelings about masculine qualities within yourself. If the beard is cut off, it suggests uncertainty or lack of assertiveness while a long, thick beard suggests the opposite. Hairs can the chest or other parts of the body can also indicate male characteristics or expressions of sexuality.

BEAST

See ANIMALS (#ulink_a775d833-9744-502e-abbc-300fad53f87e).

BEAUTICIAN

See WORK (#litres_trial_promo).

BEAVER

See ANIMALS (#ulink_a775d833-9744-502e-abbc-300fad53f87e).

BED In dreams bed symbolizes intimacy and relationships, but also your need to get away from the world and withdraw into yourself to enjoy healing rest. Sometimes they represent sleep and dreams but consider also the well-known saying: ‘you’ve made your bed, now lie in it.’

See also FURNITURE.

BEDROOM To dream that you are in a bedroom signifies aspects of yourself you like to keep private. This room is where you rest, where you retreat, and where you sleep and dream. Bedrooms also suggest sex, love and romance, but typically reflect aspects of your life that are private to you alone.

See also HOUSE.

BED-WETTING This suggests anxieties over lack of control in your waking life.

BEE

See INSECTS AND ARACHNIDS (#litres_trial_promo).

BEER

See ALCOHOL (#ulink_b658dfd4-f36f-546a-bc9f-524002f70159).

BEETLE

See INSECTS AND ARACHNIDS (#litres_trial_promo).

BEGGAR In dreams, beggars are symbols of low self-esteem as they depend on others for support. They may also represent a form of self-abasement and can remind you of the vanity of material concerns. Beggars, hobos, and vagrants may also send a caution that you need to change some aspect of your life or you too might end up with nothing. In most cases, this nothing will not refer to material concerns but rather to emotional loneliness or to the fact that you have starved a part of your personality into destitution. The clue may lie in the identity of the beggar in your dream. If the beggar is someone you know, have you been denying that person affection? If, however, the beggar is unknown, then perhaps you have been neglected your essential need for stimulation or affection in waking life.

Tramps share a similar symbolism to beggars but also represent a desire for freedom from routine; gypsies are a more powerful representation of this yearning for change, travel, adventure, and a change of routine. The appearance of a dream fortune-teller may suggest unexplored creativity.

See also ARCHETYPES.

BEHIND (SOMEONE) To be behind someone in your dream suggests feelings of inferiority.

BEIGE

See COLORS (#litres_trial_promo).

BELL Hearing a doorbell in your dream indicates something new coming into your life; this can be negative or positive, depending on the dream. It could also suggest the desire to hear from someone or make contact with them.

The ringing of an alarm clock in a dream indicates the need to get up and do something; it may also be a reminder of something or someone you have neglected. The ringing of a school bell or the timer on a cooker, kettle, or any kitchen appliance in a dream may also be prompting you to move forward with an idea or gain a new experience in the world. If you are undecided about whether to commit to a person, dreams in which bells feature or you hear bells chiming appear to be hinting at marriage or a deeper emotional commitment. You may, for instance, have a dream in which the door bell rings and your prospective husband, wife, or partner is at the door. Pay attention to your feelings in the dream as they can help you see your potential partners and your feelings for what they really are. So if you have a feeling of dread when the door bell rings, this probably is not a good sign.

BELOW

See POSITIONS (#litres_trial_promo).

BELT

See CLOTHES (#litres_trial_promo).

BEREAVEMENT Dreams in which you woke up crying or feeling sad because you have had a dream in which you were bereaved can be a cathartic experience, helping you work through grief toward accepting the loss of a loved one in real life. If, however, you were grieving for someone who is still alive and healthy in your dream, have you neglected your responsibilities toward that person, or is your dreaming mind using the death of a loved one as a symbol of something that needs to end in your waking life? What is it about you or your life that the deceased person in your dream could be representing? Inhibition or recklessness, perhaps? Or could the deceased represent a quality that has departed from your life, such as fun or relaxation? You may also fear that your relationship with this person might actually end in waking life. Whatever the identity of the deceased person, dreams of being bereaved also bring up issues of loneliness. Perhaps you feel that your partner is neglecting you, or you feel you are losing touch with your friends. Such dreams may be urging you to make a conscious effort to reconnect with other people.

A house is often interpreted as a symbol of the dreamer and represents the place from which you withdraw to live your inner life. A dark, cold, or empty house can symbolize a profound sense of loss, suggesting that you feel deprived of emotional warmth. Images of ashes and dust in dreams are also often associated with the loss of a treasured person or thing in waking life. If you dream of an empty purse, you are mourning – through a classic symbol of death and bereavement – for the comfort and happiness we all crave. On a literal level, however, it may signify that you overvalue material things in life.

BERRIES There are many berries that can appear within a dream, but they all possess significantly different meanings. Raspberries suggest that a dangerous but entertaining relationship may be on the horizon. If you are eating raspberries in a dream, it may be a reference to some sort of distress that you will feel because of unkind words that may be floating around about you. Blueberries in a dream refer to the dreamer’s youth, as well as to a desire to return to youthful ways. Blueberries are also a symbol of eternity and an optimistic future. If you are gathering gooseberries in a dream, you will experience happiness in the future. To dream of mulberries represents an illness that may prevent you from achieving the goals that you have set for yourself. If you are eating mulberries in a dream, you may be experiencing bitter disappointments in life. The delicious strawberry is a symbol of both temptation and sensuality.

See also FRUIT.

BESIDE

See POSITIONS (#litres_trial_promo).

BETRAYAL To dream that you have been betrayed represents your suspicions about a particular person, relationship or situation. This dream often occurs when you are having feelings of insecurity and are faced with major responsibilities in your life at the same time.

See also CHEATING.

BETROTHAL

See RELATIONSHIPS (#litres_trial_promo).