We asked bestselling author, dream specialist and creator of Dream Decoder Theresa Cheung to analyse dreams belonging to Laurence King staff. We were bowled away by her insightful interpretations, which were as inspiring as they were revealing.

 

People have always looked to their dreams for hidden meanings and messages. Ancient Egyptians and Greeks thought these messages were from supernatural realms, making dream interpretation a highly valued skill, sought after by nobility and leaders.

Today, following on from the insights of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung in the last century, dreams are interpreted psychologically, making interpretation an even more relevant source of guidance, inspiration and creativity from the deepest part of ourselves.

We were over the moon when Theresa, whose books have been translated into 40 different languages, agreed to personally analyze our dreams for us. Read on for a glimpse into how you might also gain insight from your mind's nighttime wandering, using Theresa's new offering, the Dream Decoder cards.

 

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I had a weird dream about my cat Sammy the other day. His two front legs were separate from his body, but he could still lean on them for support. It was a recent development, so I was really worried that he wouldn’t know how to use them, and would try and jump, etc. without them… There wasn’t any blood or anything, his whole body was completely furry.

The weird thing is that Sammy has been dead for five years.

Katherine Pitt, Senior Editor

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T.C.: When cats appear in dreams they symbolise independence, creativity, and feminine power. From a spiritual perspective cats represent the ability to see clearly what others cannot and what is hidden or your intuition. The cat is a deceased pet and your dreaming mind chose this symbol because of the powerful emotions of love and loss it would stir in you so that you are more likely to recall the dream and try to find out the meaning. 

Your dream is therefore powerfully drawing your attention to the voice of your intuition which is symbolised by the cat. The cat is without legs and legs in dream represent support and movement or taking steps forward so this suggests that you are worried about losing your independence, creativity, femininity or personal power and freedom in some way. However, you also notice that the cat in your dream seems to be doing absolutely fine suggesting that if you follow your intuition and be true to yourself your fears will be unfounded. In other words, if you trust your gut and don’t lose your independent and creative spirit you won’t lose your way.

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I had the same dream for various years throughout my childhood and teens that involved my two older cousins. They are staying over at my house which is quite a usual occurrence as my family is quite close. My cousins and I decide to steal my mum’s car whilst she’s sleeping and drive around my local area. I am the youngest but somehow the one driving and without any difficulty.

Eventually the police see us and we are then caught in a police chase. Even to this day I remember the panic I felt waking up! I rarely remember my dreams, but this one stuck around for years.

Yadira Da Trindade, Digital Coordinator

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T.C: Whenever a dream is recurring, your dreaming mind really wants you to get the message and you will continue to have that dream until you have understood and acted on the meaning.

In this repeating dream you and your cousins steal your mother’s car and you are the one driving. Cars in dreams represent the direction your life is heading in and the fact that you are driving suggests that you likely have a powerful influence over the lives of your cousins and your mother. They are impressionable and/or look to you for direction, inspiration or motivation in some way. A part of you relishes this mentor role but another part of you is concerned that you are not enough.

The appearance of the police car suggests your fears and insecurities are unfounded. Dream police cars symbolise making the right decisions and being on the right path. In other words, you are a good example to follow and the influence or power you have over others is positive as long as you remember that with great power comes great responsibility.

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I had dream that I was working on a DIY project in a garden with a friend. After several hours of working we stopped for a break and a cup of tea. When we stood up to get back to work, it became apparent that we had totally miscommunicated our plans for the project and her half of the structure was a something akin to a playhouse while mine was a cattle trough. We found a way to make it work and invented a new structure that served many purposes, although I can’t remember what they are. 

Then we sat down again and I felt something in my mouth. Upon taking it out, I saw it was a girl scout/brownie badge, the kind that you sew on to your sash. I kept taking more badges out of my mouth until I had a series of them laid out before me. 

Jantien Abma, Senior Digital Marketing Executive

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T.C.: Dreaming about gardening and DIY suggests the freedom to express yourself or be yourself. Your friend represents the part of you that wants to have fun, enjoy life and be original whereas in your dream the structure you build is a cattle trough.

Cattle in dreams represent important issues in your life that you approach with a passive or functional attitude. Somewhere along the line you’ve lost your sense of humour and passion and things didn’t start out that way. The positive sign is that in your dream you find a way for the overall structure to work in the end which means that for things to flow again in your life you need to be more proactive and inject some fun, passion and creativity into areas of your life that matter greatly to you. 

The dream concludes with badges coming out of your mouth suggesting that the way forward for you is to live life to the full. Badges are associated with identity and recognition so experience as much new things as you can to find out who you are and what truly fulfils you. The badges come out of your mouth so fulfilment for you is likely to be associated with or found in the world of communication. 

Dream Decoder is written by Theresa Cheung and illustrated by Harriet Lee-Merrion.