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

this could highlight intelligence but it can also highlight anxiety about getting older or not thinking you are intelligent enough.

      BALL/BALL GAMES These suggest challenge and competition in the game of life, but they can also be associated with aggression or sex, as in a man’s balls.

      See also TEAM GAMES.

      BALLET If ballet or ballet dancing appears in your dream, or if you are performing ballet, this suggests a search for poise and balance in your waking life. The ballet dancer symbolizes music and the inner aspect of feeling. You may be aware of the creative side of yourself and feel the need for controlled movement to express it. Dreams of ballet may be wish-fulfillment if becoming a professional dancer was, or is, your dream; alternatively, they may refer to losing or keeping your balance in some waking situation. They may also be encouraging you to persevere with artistic skills, or they may be a general comment on your attitude to work that demands discipline.

      BALLOON This image suggests there may be something to celebrate in your waking life. It is also associated with new projects that need life breathed into them, or the fear that everything may suddenly deflate. If a balloon is released this suggests the testing of an idea or letting go of someone or something important in your life and a desire to coast along for a while.

      BANANA A dreamtime banana is usually interpreted as a symbol of an erect penis, but it may also be reminding you of an area of your life you may have been denying, or suggesting that you are too easily shocked. Dreams of peeling a banana may have a considerable erotic charge. A banana skin lying in your path on the ground in your dream may represent your misgivings about taking a particular course of action.

      See also FRUIT.

      BANK Banks and vaults in dreams represent your psychological potential. Your unconscious may be urging you to start using your inner reserves and energy rather than locking your talents away. On the other hand, your dream may simply be highlighting your need for financial security. If you dream of robbing a bank, it may suggest that you are depleting your inner resources. If, in your dream, you were depositing money in a bank, this suggests feelings of security in waking life, although such a dream may also contain an element of wish-fulfillment. Banking in dreams can refer to something you are storing within yourself; perhaps you are withholding emotion or important information.

      BANKRUPTCY Dreams in which you are bankrupt or heavily in debt may reflect real-life financial concerns, but there are other explanations that have little to do with money. A dream debt may, for example, be a debt of gratitude that you need to pay to someone. Is there someone to whom you feel indebted? Dreams of going bankrupt or ending up in poverty often refer to the loss of personal qualities rather than to financial disaster. Ask yourself what your lost finances could symbolize: the love of your partner, for example, the respect of your colleagues at work, or your own physical energy. Whatever it is you have lost, your dreaming mind is urging you to take the appropriate steps to prevent a breakdown or crash in your waking life.

      See also MONEY.

      BANQUET If you were attending a banquet or feast in your dream this suggests you may be feeling comfortable with yourself and your life right now, but if you were being force-fed or the food was taken away, the opposite is true.

      BAPTISM To dream of being baptized suggests a new influence is entering your life. You are leaving old attitudes behind and opening yourself up to new possibilities. Is there an idea or a concept that is about to be presented to an appreciative audience? Or perhaps your unconscious is urging you to transform your mindset radically and make positive changes to your lifestyle? If godparents appeared in your dream, were they people you knew? If they were, perhaps your unconscious is suggesting that they are the ones you should turn to for help. If you didn’t know who they were, you should seek out the necessary help and support.

      If you are baptizing someone, this means you are ready to pass on your knowledge to others. There is also a possibility that you may be having religious beliefs imposed on you if you have this dream. Baptism is symbolic of many things: rebirth, regeneration, and renewal, and the common theme for all these is the sense of optimism surrounding them. If you are a Christian, baptism is associated with a washing away of original sin and the start of a new life as a Christian; your dream may have been denoting your wish to be reborn or – depending on who is being baptized or christened – your desire for someone else to undergo a transformation of some kind. On the other hand, your unconscious may also be recalling a baptism you witnessed in waking life.

      BAR In dreams, bars, pubs, and taverns are places in which you can overcome your inhibitions. What is the atmosphere like? If it is friendly, your dreaming mind may be urging you to overcome your isolation. If the atmosphere is pleasant and upbeat, this suggests you are feeling optimistic about your future, but if drunkenness or a brawl occurs, are you about to boil over with uncontrolled anger, or is a situation in your waking life getting out of control?

      BARBED WIRE Hurtful remarks are preventing you from moving forward and reaching your potential.

       BARBEQUE

      See COOKING.

       BARBER

      See HAIRDRESSER, WORK.

       BARK

      See TREES.

       BASEBALL

      See TEAM GAMES.

      BASEMENT Even though basements are becoming less common in newly built houses, they are still common in dreams. To dream that you are in a basement symbolizes being deep down in your unconscious mind, in the psychological ‘storage space’ where you sort through things you are finding hard to understand. A basement is the place where you’ve shelved aspects of yourself that aren’t matching your ambitions in waking life. A basement can also indicate the power that is available to you provided you are willing to make use of it, or the way in which your current attitudes are derived from past assumptions and family legends.

      To dream that the basement is in disarray and messy signifies some confusion which you need to sort out. It may also represent your perceived faults and shortcomings. Wine is traditionally kept in the cellar and the contents of your unconscious can similarly harbor special treats that you can bring out on special occasions. Try to decide if your dreaming mind took you into the cellar to confront an issue in your life or to make good use of talents you have been suppressing.

      See also HOUSE.

       BASKETBALL

      See TEAM GAMES.

       BAT

      See ANIMALS.

       BATH/BATHING

      See CLEANING.

      BATHROOM To dream that you are in the bathroom relates to your instinctual urges. You may be experiencing some sort of burdensome feelings and need to ‘relieve yourself’. Alternatively, it may symbolize purification and self-renewal; you need to cleanse yourself, both emotionally and psychologically. To dream that you cannot find the bathroom signifies that you are having difficulties in releasing and expressing your emotions. You may also have overcommitted yourself and are neglecting your own needs.

      According to Freud, bathroom dreams are associated with what he called the anal phase of a child’s psychological development. In Freud’s opinion, if parents didn’t handle their children’s potty training well it might mean that these children feel shame about these natural functions and become ‘anally retentive’ in their adult life. The act of excretion in a dream can therefore suggest expression and creativity that