Lesley Dixon
[Appendix: Recurring Nightmares]
Knife
(See also: Mack the Knife, teen dance craze, penetration.) Knives symbolize power. The knife is a phallus. If you are cut with a knife, you are afraid of a man in your life. If you are stabbed with a knife, you feel intimidated by a work situation. If you are chased down an alley into a dead-end and stabbed with a knife, you are afraid of the death of your parents. If you cut yourself with a knife, you are looking for release. If you cut yourself with a knife and you do not bleed, you are lacking in vitamins. Moon Child suggests drinking tart cherry juice, and calling your father on the phone. Note: in non-American cultures, the knife may symbolize entirely different vital organs, and this guide should be translated into other languages only at great risk to the Dreamer.
Hands
(See also: spiders) If hands are chopped off, you feel powerless. If you chop your own hands off, you feel out of place and not yourself. The left hand symbolizes graciousness and your feminine qualities, while the right hand symbolizes masculine and active attributes. If you are attacked by a disembodied hand, you have issues with physical intimacy. If you have an extra hand, you are overwhelmed at work. If you have two or more extra hands, Moon Child recommends mineral baths and an overall reduction of life-stress. Note: this guide is not intended for Dreamers with less than two hands.
I have amputated my own left hand in the belief it will ultimately benefit me, but now I regret my decision. With growing horror, I hold the dead hand to the stump of my wrist and try to rejoin them. The tendons and nerves fizzle and feebly reconnect before my eyes, but I can only barely wiggle my fingers. Numbness pervades. The damage, it appears, is permanent.
Gun
(See also: poaching, red lipstick, Texas) Guns are a symbol of power. They are also a symbol of sexual aggression. If a gun appears as a phallus or vice-versa, you have been thwarted in your romantic endeavors. If you give birth to a gun, you are afraid of old age. If you are shot by a gun, you are avoiding a life-truth. If a gun is sitting on a table, you have something to confront. Moon Child prescribes St. John’s Wart and advice from a crystal practitioner.
Doppelganger
(See also: mirror, mother-daughter outfit, twins, zombie) Doppelgangers are a symbol of doppelgangers. If you see a doppelganger of yourself, it is a sign that you need to reexamine your ideas of happiness. If your doppelganger talks to you, under no circumstances should you talk back. If you talk back to your doppelganger, flee from your doppelganger, or stand next to your doppelganger, it is a sign of impending doom. If you see two identical people side by side, fear is ruling your life. If you are tricked by a doppelganger who looks like someone you love, you don’t know people as well as you think you do. Moon Child recommends a neti pot and no more than three hours of meditation per week. Note: this advice does not apply to time travel narratives.
In the garage I discover that my brother’s stomach is full of circuits. I confront my parents and they admit that he is an android and has been all along. I start crying and scream at them for their folly, their hubris, their disregard for the laws of nature. I condemn them for keeping such a secret from me. I rail and rave. I ask them how I can love a robot, how they can love a robot. What if it were me, I ask them, and they exchange significant looks. I realize that I am an android, and that I have been all along.
Spiders
(See also: hands) Spiders symbolize female power or an overbearing mother figure. A spider’s web means creativity, but that depends on the design of the web. If spiders crawl on you, you feel unsatisfied with your physical appearance. If you eat a spider, it is a symbol of power. If you dream of spiders, you are afraid of spiders. Moon Child reminds you that spiders eat bad things, including other spiders, so you shouldn’t fear them. Note: this does not include the spiders you should fear.
Man
(See also: phallus) A man at the foot of the bed represents financial anxiety. If the man is holding a knife or a gun he is a symbol of power. If you are holding a knife or a gun you feel powerless in your waking life. If the man is someone you know, the dream is about how you feel toward him. An old man means wisdom or forgiveness, but only if his hands touch yours. If the old man refuses to make eye contact with you, you have just overcome a difficult period in your life. Moon Child recommends wheatgrass and hand-wringing.
I am at the mall with my friends and we run into my ex-boyfriend. He is charming, as always, and I start to feel uncomfortable. My friends laugh at his jokes. The boy who bullied me in high school is with him, is best friends with him, and my friends aren’t even aware I’m there anymore. I start to panic. They have abandoned me to shop in one of the cool stores, and I can see them all through the glass, rolling around on the floor in a big happy pile, my best friends and my worst enemies united against me. I cry and cry.
Teeth
(See also: fangs, tusks, proboscis, circus rings) It is very common to dream of losing one’s teeth. Teeth are indicative of all our primal desires, including hunger, anger, fear, and lust. They are symbols of virility and youth. If all your teeth fall out, you are feeling insecure about your age. If only one or two teeth fall out, you are confused about a love relationship. If your teeth become loose in their sockets but don’t fall out, there are cumbersome elements in your life you must eliminate by any means necessary. If your teeth are rotting or crumbling, you suffer from an unknown illness. If you are in possession of another’s teeth, someone is looking for you. Moon Child suggests Tom’s Herbal Toothpaste and the consultation of a holistic dentist. Note: holistic dentists are not for everyone.
Animals
(See also: baser desires, wounds and licking of, toys) Animals are protectors in dreams. They represent who you once were or who you want to be. They can mean many things, from a feeling of comfort you once had but now lack, to a desire to run faster. A wolf represents nobility, a rat represents cunning. If you are bitten by an animal, certain secrets will be revealed to you. Multiple animals suggest you feel suffocated in your own house. An ox represents power. Moon Child recommends deep breaths and counting slowly backwards from 100.
I am strangling cats. This cat is sick, and must be destroyed. I am crying, and it takes so much longer than I hoped it would. The cat struggles pathetically against my hands, and I can feel its windpipe, slippery under my thumbs. Its eyes roll and the windpipe collapses with a crunch. I have done a noble thing, my father tells me, resting a hand on my shoulder. I tell him I don’t want to do this anymore, and he is sad and understanding, but there is nothing to be done. I start again.
Car
(See also: travel, falling, virginity) Cars symbolize change, and power. A minivan suggests torpor. A truck is not something you should be dreaming about. If you are the passenger in a car that is out of control, you lack control in your life. If you are the driver of a car that is out of control, control over your life doesn’t matter. If you are the passenger in a car that has no driver, you have lost someone you love. A haunted car represents unfinished goals. If you witness a car crash, you need to slow down. Moon Child suggests lavender oatmeal soap.
Death
(See also: becomes her, gaping maw of, the great equalizer) Dreams of death are multi-layered and very common. Dreams of death prepare us for actual death, as death is much like sleep. If you see dead loved ones in a dream, it means you miss them, or that a relationship in your life is doomed. To dream that you are faking your own death means that you are seeking a new beginning. If you die in a dream, it symbolizes depression, strangulation, or positive self-discovery. Moon Child has no recommendations, as dreaming about death is terrifying and completely natural. If you die in a dream, you do not die in real life. Note: this has never been proven.
I am in the house where I grew up, on the upstairs landing. It is dark. My mother is sitting on the couch in the dark but she is not asleep. The light switches don’t work and I am afraid. There is a howling noise outside, at the door, like a train whistle, like wind. It’s grandpa, my mother says, he’s come for you. He has been dead six months. The night howls, and I wake up whimpering.
