The Dream Book

Larry Page, University of Michigan Commencement Address, 2009: "You know what it's like to wake up in the middle of the night with a vivid dream? And you know that if you don't have a pencil and pad by the bed, it will be completely gone by the next morning. Sometimes it's important to wake up and stop dreaming. When a really great dream shows up, grab it."

More than a few symbols below speak of dire consequences. Remember, dreams foretell, they do not compel. A dire symbol is often a timely warning. Examine your planned activities and determine if anything you plan to do fits the danger forecast by the dream. If it does, consider changing your plans.

3: D

Dagger -- If you see a dagger in a dream is a sign of misfortune, if the dagger is yours and firmly in your grasp, it is a sign of certain success in a current venture instead.

Dais -- This is not a good omen. To dream of standing on a dais (small raised stage) with a canopy over your head is a sign of your imminent death.

Dancing – Watching others dance in a dream is a sign that sadness of some kind will descend upon you. Being the dancer in the dream means that a large inheritance is in your future.

Dancing Tights – If you dream of tights, the kind that are currently fashionable, or of dancer’s tights, it is a sign that you will be temporarily short of money.

Dates – Another dual sign; if you see dates, perhaps dried in a store or even on a date palm, there are good times and business profits ahead. If you are eating the dates in your dream you have an omen concerning a love affair—someone you love passionately will deceive you.

Death – It is not at all uncommon to dream of dying—and no—this does not mean that you will not wake up! Death in a dream is nevertheless not a good omen. It is a signal that bad news is on the way to you.

Debts – Similar to paying creditors; if you dream of paying off debts (and you actually owe money) it means (obviously) that you will be short of money in the near future. Even if you are debt free, this is a sign that funds will be hard to come by in the near future.

Delirium – If you see yourself in a state of delirium it means you will have a long life. If you dream of another person in such a condition it means that a series of anxieties will beset you.

Dentist – Dreaming of yourself undergoing dentistry you will be the object of interested and insincere flattery.

Deserter – If you dream of being in a conflict of some kind and see one of your number deserting the battle—or if you are the deserter—it means that you will soon make an important discovery.

Devil – Satan, The Devil, or devils of other cultures in a dream can mean several different things. If you are battling a devil and he wins you will be exposed to a temporary danger of some kind. If you are the winner, you will be successful in a current project or business venture. If you simply see a devil in a dream, it is a sign that death is near.

Diadem – See Crown above. Diamonds – These gems appearing in a dream are a sign of short-lived happiness. If you are selling the diamonds you are being warned of some imminent peril. If you are discovering diamonds—gems in the ground or found jewelry—it is a warning that financial losses and personal disappointment may be ahead.

Dice – If you dream of being in a dice game and you are throwing the dice the dream foretells adversity and deception on the part of others. This may also include business losses.

Disinherited – Great success is ahead in any venture, this is the result of dreaming of being disinherited.

Distaff – This is a device used in hand spinning in which individual fibers (flax or wool) are drawn out of a mass of prepared fibers held on a stick (the distaff), twisted together to form a continuous strand, and wound on a second stick (the spindle). It was used in the US prior to the mechanization of spinning machines. To dream of such an ancient device is an omen of great good favor with personal and professional projects and challenges.

Ditch – A dream that involves a ditch or trench in the ground signifies treachery on the part of those close to you at work, followed by shame and wretchedness.

Dog -- The Dog Like the Cat, a dog in a dream can have multiple meanings—most of them not favorable: To see a stray dog in a dream is a sign of bad luck. A rabid dog means that you will be exposed to time wasting silliness on the part of others or yourself. A barking dog foretells of quarrelling and bickering among work mates or family members. If several dogs are fighting in your dream you will be the victim of a theft, or you will find proof of the enmity of another. There are two positive omens, if the dog is a setter you have sign of hope with regard to the solution of personal problems. If the dog is friendly and caresses you, it means that a true friend is coming to your assistance.

Dolman -- A dolman is an outer garment worn by ladies, with wide cape like arrangements instead of sleeves. It was a favorite style of mantle worn by fashionable women in the 1870s and 80's. Fashion being the way it is there is a high probability to style will reappear. If you see such a garment in a dream it means you will be called upon to display courage and honesty.

Dome – You find yourself dreaming of a lofty dome arising on a building before you, perhaps something like the Capitol Dome or a dome under construction. This means that an enemy is at work behind your back at work or in a social setting.

Dominoes – If see yourself or anyone else playing dominoes in a dream it is a sure sign that you will be cheated by fraud.

Donkey -- The Donkey is a complex symbol with many meanings both good and bad. To simply see a donkey in a dream is an indication that a major quarrel with someone is in the offing. This also means that sorrow (perhaps resulting from the quarrel), will quickly dissipate. Here are some of the other most common meanings. If the donkey is:

Loaded with goods – good luck and personal or business profits. The size of your good fortune will be proportionate to the size of the load on the donkey’s back.

Lying on the ground – you will enjoy quiet times in the near future.

A running donkey – many disappointments ahead.

A braying donkey – shame of some severe nature threatens. A white donkey – good luck for your entire family.

A black or brown donkey – significant riches are in your future. A dead donkey – prepare for an early death.

A gift donkey – your prosperity will increase (in proportion to the ‘beauty’ of the donkey).

Some other Donkey omens – If you see yourself riding a donkey – a partner of the opposite sex will bring extreme happiness. If in the dream you have been given a donkey or you have purchased a donkey and you are leading it home, it is a sign of great luck and fortune in the near future. If you dream of bringing home a stray donkey, you have an omen of unexpected joy and delight in the near future. If you dream of drinking milk from a donkey this omen signifies an illness in the near future—but also that you will survive it and recover quickly. If you fall from a donkey in a dream you will suffer want in some form. If you are pulling a donkey behind you with a halter, good fortune will follow.

(While anyone can dream of a donkey at any time, this important symbol harks back more to an ancient time when beasts of burden were far more important than in the present. Frater Angelicus).

Door—To see a broken door in a dream is a sign of imminent death. To simply see a closed door in your dream indicates worries ahead.

Dough – Kneading dough in a dream (as in making pizza or bread) is a general sign of good fortune and financial, physical and mental improvement.

Doves – A sure sign of success. When doves appear in a dream, either singly or as a flock it is seen as a sure sign of success in personal or business affairs—most especially if the doves are all white.

Down – White down (as a noun, something soft and fleecy as in down feathers) is a sign of success through the help of a friend. If, however, the down is dark colored or black, it is a sign of loss of property or money.

Dragon – To dream of a mythical monster such as a dragon is an omen of imminent disaster in some personal or business concern (unless you have been binging on Dungeons & Dragons).

Drama – See also Soap Opera below. If your dream that you are watching a dramatic episode in a play, soap opera or a movie—scenes where there is much blood and thunder—it is a token of peaceful times in the near future.

Drawing – If you are drawing in a dream, making a sketch or picture on any kind, it is an omen of serious losses ahead, either financial or personal property of value. It you simply see a drawing of some kind in the dream is a sign of worrisome episodes ahead.

Dreams – Many people actually dream in their dreams. If you are dreaming and then are aware that you are dreaming again inside the dream it is an omen that you will be deceived or cheated in a serious way.

Dregs – Dreaming of drinking the dregs of a bottle, a glass or a cup, whether it be wine or your favorite latte, is an omen of coming poverty.

Dromedary – A dromedary is a camel with a single hump. To see one in a dream is to receive an omen of success in a venture that leads to wealth and good fortune. If (as in seeing a herd of camels above), you see a camel with two humps, the fortune and success will be limited.

Drowned – This a great example of where lucid dreaming (dreams in which you know you are dreaming and are able to change the dream) would be a wonderful advantage. If you dream that you are drowning it is an omen of absolute poverty ahead—but if you dream of someone else drowning—it is an omen of great good luck.

Druggist – This would be a “Chemist” in Europe. To dream of a druggist, usually in a pharmacy setting, is a sign that a baby will soon arrive in your immediate or extended family.

Duel –If you dream of fighting a duel it means that an anticipated pleasure of some kind will not materialize.

Dumbness – To dream of being dumb, unable to speak, is an omen that a child to about to be born into the immediate or extended family will be deformed or afflicted in some way.

Dung Hill – Animal dung, or a dung-hill (or compost pile) in a dream is a token of great business profits or personal gain.

Dwarf – Dreaming of a dwarf in any kind of setting (unless you have just watched Snow White), means that someone’s hatred is at work against you. Such an omen is a warning to protect yourself (remember there was a wicked stepmother in Snow White).