Book Review: The Curious Dreamer’s Dream Dictionary
Author: Nancy Wagaman Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 IBSN:978-0-9985459-3-9
“The moment you wake up from a dream, you already know what it means. The answers lie deep within your consciousness where the dream and its symbolism were created, right where you left them when you woke up.”
Have you ever woken up from a dream in utter confusion, questioning what on earth was going on in your head while you were asleep? This is essentially how I feel every night. Dreams remain an elusive part of our psyche. Often you hear that dreams are trying to tell us something. But finding out what our subconscious is trying to say is a difficult task. Half the time I am not even sure what my conscious mind is trying to tell me, let alone my dreams
That’s exactly what The Curious Dreamer’s Dream Dictionary by Nancy Wagaman helps you do. When Nancy got in touch with us about reviewing her newest book, the idea of a dream dictionary drew us right in.
A huge part of not knowing is being overwhelmed with the idea of sitting down and interpreting my dreams, as there are multiple possibilities and it’s difficult to know where to start. When it comes to story creation and storytelling, there is nothing more powerful than our minds, specifically our subconscious minds.
Even when we are asleep, our minds are incredibly active! When in REM sleep, your brain exhibits mental activity similar to that of when we are awake. Clearly, our minds are diligently engaged in some sort of process. The difficult part is figuring out what and why. So to have a guide to translating them is exciting!
“The essence of the dreamer’s quest is to coax those secrets out into the light of day to reveal dream meaning.”
Wagaman’s Dream Dictionary is split into two major sections. The first provides highly comprehensive descriptions and instructions on how to go about interpreting your dreams. The second functions very much like a traditional dictionary, with the added benefit of having the look and feel of one too. A typical A-Z list of all elements of a dream, from people, animals, locations and moods. This is one of those books that you cannot really get the grasp of without having actually used it. So for the past five nights, my iPad has been placed on my bedside table, so that I can easily grab it when I wake up while the memory of my dream is still fresh.
Now, I’ll be honest, I can be a bit of a sceptic when it comes to certain practices regarding revealing your subconscious thoughts or such. What could I possibly achieve by interpreting my dreams? This is really one of those “try it to understand it” kinds of situations, and it definitely is not for everyone. However, I found it quite cathartic to be able to wake up in the morning and work through whatever was plaguing my mind throughout the night. It gave me a sense of clarity and direction to begin the day with which I thoroughly enjoyed, and is something I definitely suggest you do with the Dream Dictionary.
What was especially nice about Wagaman’s book was her emphasis that the Dream Dictionary offered only possibilities and not literal translations of your dreams. Your brain fills in things you already know and want, it just needs the right triggers to bring it to your conscious mind. Sometimes I find that I need help organising my thoughts, and I usually turn to my friends for that. The Dream Dictionary works almost like a substitute, a resource that triggers understanding and self-reflection.
“You are the authority of your own dream.”
Something I really enjoyed about Wagaman’s overlying message is that dream interpretation has the ability to help you in various ways. Whether it’s reducing stress, gaining clarity on some of the problems you’re facing in life, going on a fun adventure via tapping into your subconscious, or gaining a better understanding of yourself, the Dream Dictionary instills excitement within me.
A message she conveys often is that “you are the authority of your own dream”. This enables the reader to function in an autonomous way rather than relying exclusively on the text. Wagaman makes it clear that you must take a look at your own life context, be it the events, emotions, thoughts or experiences you have had. As a person who experiences vivid dreams almost every night, I have found it difficult to use the internet as a resource for dream interpretation: there are so many definitions floating around, with little direction as to how to use them. Thus, Wagaman’s Dream Dictionary is an extremely detailed resource, what with being all in one place. She uses various sample interpretations to give readers a structural starting point, making the process much less overwhelming.
At times it does present a frustration that the elements of interpretation are not more detailed and/or specific. However, it is also to its benefit that the elements can be taken to mean more to more people. By virtue of this, if taken only from the book, the interpretation will only ever be a general one if the reader does not put in the effort separately to interpret their dreams in relation to their life and context.
For the fellow sceptics out there: it is definitely important to take things with a grain of salt, but be assured that Wagaman’s tone is never an authoritative one. This is not a be-all-end-all text by any means – more of an aid. The book is structured very carefully in making sure all the steps and processes are explained prior to your journey of dream interpretation. Already in reading this text I am not just becoming more mindful of my dreams when I wake up, but being more mindful within my dreams. Which, if nothing else, is a seriously fun way to experience them.
Beyond that, Wagaman also reminds readers that dreams can have various interpretations that exist simultaneously. The Dream Dictionary enables its readers to become more analytical, mindful, and curious about one’s subconscious, reminding us that we can explore a world of endless possibilities.
~S & Z~
