The Dream Dictionary from A to Z [Revised edition]. Theresa Cheung

to learn from the experience. And bear in mind that your unconscious may also use the dream images of smoke, ember, and ashes to warn you that you are at risk of physical or emotional burnout.

       ASS

      See ANIMALS.

       ASSASSINATION

      See MURDER.

       ASTRONAUT

      See SPACE.

       ATHLETE

      See ARCHETYPES, WORK.

      ATOM BOMB An atom bomb in your dream may be a symbol of the end of one way of life and the beginning of another. It may also represent fear of the irrational forces of life and feeling at the mercy of external and uncontrollable forces, or a lack of compassion and disregard for life.

      ATTACK/ATTACKER If you are being attacked in your dreams, this suggests you are feeling threatened in some way, perhaps by your own impulses, or perhaps by other people and their attitude or remarks to you. If you are the attacker in the dream, who or what are you attacking? Attack is almost always a form of defense, so may also suggest defensiveness about some issue in, or aspect of, your life. There is also a positive side to attack, as new ideas and positive changes can threaten our old way of life and habitual way of thinking about things. If you are attacked by an animal in your dream, this suggests anxiety about aggression in yourself or other people. If you are attacked by a shadowy or frightening figure, this may depict feelings of fear and pain associated with the past. How you deal with the attack is important. If you run from it, the trauma is not being dealt with in waking life.

      Dreams in which your anger turns into violence and you start attacking someone usually suggest hidden hostility toward someone or something in your waking life. If you do find yourself punching, kicking or fighting with someone in your dream, try to think about what triggered the violent attack. It is possible that your dreaming mind conjured up the image of an attack as a safety valve through which you can release your frustration. Another interpretation suggests that dreams in which you inflict violence on someone or something may be prompted by a sense of helplessness or resentment in waking life. Perhaps there is someone whose authority you find powerless to resist? If this is the case, your dream may be compensatory by allowing you to exact revenge against the person or object of your resentment. It is also possible that your unconscious was encouraging you to stand up for yourself.

      Alternatively, dreams which feature violence can symbolize your hidden desire for power and control in waking life. When interpreting this dream, try to identify whether the target of the violence represented an aspect of yourself, particularly if the victim was a stranger. Or could your unconscious have conjured an archetypal image of the stranger to bear the brunt of your anger?

      ATTIC To see an attic in your dream represents past memories and experiences. It can also highlight family patterns of behavior and attitudes that have been handed down to you. To see a cluttered attic is a sign urging you to organize your mind and thoughts, but an overly neat attic may suggest an approach to life that is too formal and timid. Ghosts in the attic represent memories that haunt you, while a jumble of unused clothes and equipment reflects unused energy. In some cases, particularly those in which your dream attic is radiant and heavenly, your attic may represent your higher self but in general, such dreams refer to stored material. Whatever your dream attic contains, consider it a clue to making your present circumstances more rewarding.

      See also HOUSE.

      AUCTION If an auction figures in your dreams, what was the identity of the object you, or others, were bidding for? Was it a position at work? Was it for a lifestyle change? Was your bid too low or too high, or did you pay more than the object was worth? If so, should you re-evaluate your ambitions in waking life?

      AUDIENCE To dream that you are in front of an audience suggests that people you know in waking life are paying close attention to your actions. It could also refer to your fear of having your private thoughts and feelings discovered or revealed. If you are part of the audience, you need to pay attention to the plot of the play. Symbolically, the stage is a representation of your own life play. By observing and being objective about the action being played out, you can gain a new perspective on your life.

      Who is the audience in your dreams when you receive or don’t receive recognition? Who is there to see you succeed or fail? How does their presence make you feel? Scared? Supported? Distracted? Proud? Are they cheering you on? Or are they holding you back? Typically the people we choose to watch and comment on our progress in dreams are those authority figures who exist in both our waking life and our memories. Parents and family members tend to be the most persistent authority figures in dreams about success and recognition. It is up to you to work out how much their values and dreams guide and nourish you, and to what extent they keep you from the finishing line. How often does your boss or a work colleague or an old teacher or friend from school appear in your dreams? Chances are when they do, your dreams are about proving yourself.

      Is your partner there cheering you on, or are they absent? Which friends are there to watch your moment of glory in your dreams? If it is someone who hasn’t been in your life for years, what do they stand for? We all have authority figures in our dreams and in our lives. They are necessary because they each represent something important. They can guide us, warn us, and give us the feeling that we are supported. On the other hand, they can also undermine us, hold us back when we need to be moving forward, or drive us harder toward impossible to reach goals.

      AUDITION If you are attending an audition in your dream, this could refer to feelings of insecurity about expressing yourself in waking life. You may also feel as if you are being put to the test in some way, or that you are in a vulnerable situation. The response of the audience will reveal how you feel others perceive you.

      AUNT For Jungians, an aunt may represent the anima (feminine aspect) of a male dreamer and the uncle the animus (masculine aspect) of a female dreamer. Uncles and aunts in dreams can also be symbols of your unconscious feelings toward your mother or father. The most general characteristic of dreams that feature your aunt is that they depict an aspect of yourself. For many people an aunt is a role model, so if she figures in your dream, she is commenting on the success or failure of certain strategies you may be using in your waking life.

      See FAMILY.

      AUTOPSY To dream of examining a dead body suggests a need to look within yourself or to search your past experiences for answers or insight. Alternatively, your dream could be urging you to examine what part of you has died or stopped functioning.

      AUTUMN Dreams dealing with the autumn mean that a series of ups and downs may be experienced, but the transformations that are felt may be crucial to your personal growth. This time may represent a maturing of your ideas. It is also a time when one cycle ends and trees bear fruit, so it may suggest the fruition of a plan. Autumn may also symbolize middle age. Bear in mind, too, that Keats’ ‘season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’ conjures up images of poetry even in dreams. If you dream of autumn, your dreaming mind is urging you to reap what you sow and appreciate your blessings.

      AVALANCHE This dream may refer to oppressive forces within your waking life that are threatening to overwhelm you – an avalanche of responsibility, for example, that accompanies the birth of a new child. Therefore if you dreamed of an avalanche, your unconscious is warning you that the foundations of your waking life are under threat. Or maybe you just feel snowed under by responsibilities, or overwhelmed by the avalanche of work your boss requires of you? If you dreamed of being caught in the middle of an avalanche, this suggests you are feeling overwhelmed by circumstances, but if you witnessed an avalanche, you are currently experiencing a destructive force in your life. The dream is urging you to assume control and take precautionary steps to protect yourself from danger.