A few weeks ago, I found The Element Encylopedia of 20,000 Dreams by Theresa Cheung in the bargain bin at Borders, and purchased it in an effort to understand major themes and symbols that have surfaced in my dreams lately. A clear pattern has emerged from my research…

Three nights ago, I dreamed of getting money and my beloved iPhone stolen from a school desk – after cross-referencing some of these themes in the book, I came up with this interpretation: school signifies my everyday concerns over work, and the loss of money signifies a loss of self esteem and feeling of being undervalued. The lost/stolen phone represents my inability, or unwillingness to communicate how I feel (compounded by the school desk, which apparently is a symbol of my “most private self”), and signifies that I’m reaching a “crisis point in waking life.”

The next evening, I dreamed of filling out job applications (pretty cut and dry) and last night, I dreamed of living in NYC on the weekends to earn extra money by working at Starbucks, but since I was on the outskirts of the city, I felt like my job prospects (and tips) would improve if I was more centrally located. At one point, my best friend from college was there, and she fell to the ground and said she was bleeding, but I couldn’t see any blood. The book suggests that cities can be an “expression of your work and career aspirations” and “can remind dreamers that the path to happiness is not to be found in the city but within yourself.” Blood apparently symbolizes the soul, physical strength, and rejuvenation, and bleeding signifies a loss of moral strength and need for emotional nourishment. So I assume not being able to see the blood represents feeling disconnected from my soul, and since she fell to the ground shortly after I mentioned improved job prospects, maybe all my striving and getting nowhere is more emotionally draining than I realize, and the dream is encouraging me to do some soul searching instead.