The Secret Language of Dreams: A Visual Key to Dreams and Their Meanings (Paperback)

~ (Author) "We live in two worlds, the waking world with its laws of science, logic and social behaviour, and the elusive world of dreaming, still shrouded..." (more)
Key Phrases: dream scenery, archetypal dreams, dreaming mind, Divine Child, Great Mother, Holy Grail (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

-- NAPRA Trade Journal, Holiday 1994
If you're not already aware of your Dreamtime world, this tactilely and visually stimulating gem will likely get you going, helping you to understand what your subconscious might be trying to communicate. Instead of reading like a dictionary, though, The Secret Language of Dreams is organized by themes, states of being, types of interactions, and, of course, symbols. This broader perspective opens doors for self-interpretation that otherwise might be lost with symbolic interpretations only. There is a new genre of books being created that epitomize "walking the Beauty way" down to the smallest detail. This is one of them.

--Linda Castrone, Rocky Mountain News, September 1995
Everyone can benefit from studying their dreams, says David Fontana, a Welsh psychologist and dream scholar, because "they are like a conversation between our conscious and unconscious minds."

And since we are the authors of and actors in our own dreams, we also are the best judges of their meanings, he believes. Rather than tell us what they mean, he prefers to teach us how to do it ourselves. In The Secret Language of Dreams, he includes a directory of common dream themes:

A house. This usually symbolizes the self. Study the details. Are there rooms you can't go into? They may represent aspects of your personality you aren't comfortable with.

Cars. "Traveling seems to symbolize our journey through life," Fontana says. "Dreams about it may provide us with clues about how to get around obstacles."

-- New Woman, December 1994
Anyone who has ever kept a dream journal knows that dreams can be rich and uncanny sources of insight. They can put you in touch with your deepest wisdom. And they can sometimes be very funny. But they can also be hard to remember and their messages downright elusive. Along comes David Fontana's beautifully illustrated The Secret Language of Dreams to the rescue, with its companion , a blank diary for recording dreams.

The Secret Language of Dreams is a visual dictionary of common themes and symbols that compose our dreams, and an excellent introduction for those who want to begin doing dream work. The surreal quality of these exceptional illustrations and arrangement of material make this an enticing and accessible book for beginning the journey. There is background information on dream interpretation, discussion of the seven major archetypes and various case files of dreams and their meanings. Since recording dreams as they occur is an integral part of the process of remembering and paying attention, the Dream Catcher journal was created as an accompaniment, with pages designed to write down dreams and sketch symbols. Dreaming is a place where ultimate truths can be had, free from our waking agendas of perception. As a directory to understanding these messages, this book is a good jumping off place. Once we are able to decipher the language, we can move to a higher awareness of self. -- From The WomanSource Catalog & Review: Tools for Connecting the Community for Women; review by Ilene Rosoff

Product Description

Using Jungian, Freudian, and personal theories, the author provides a visual approach to dream interpretation with easy-to-follow dream directory organized by thematic and symbolic headings, accompanied by advice on fostering self-empowerment by utilizing dream interpretations. Original. IP.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; First Edition edition (November 27, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811807282
• ISBN-13: 978-0811807289
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 8.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #824,943 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dream Interpretations, October 18, 1998

By A Customer

A wonderfully illustrated book! An imaginative approach to dream interpretation. Includes a 100 page dream directory. Also offers construcive advice. Well written and insightful.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grab this one now!, January 2, 2000

By A Customer

This book is quite a find when it comes to all of the mediocre lierature on dream interpretation. It's wonderfully thorough in that it touches upon the history of dreaming, the science of dreaming, case files, major approaches to dreams (Freud, Jung, Perls, Boss), a "dream directory" for searching for the meanings of particular symbols, and a section on working with and remembering your own dreams. This book doesn't try to use dreams to "predict the future," but simply to help its readers understand them and begin to access their unconscious. On top of all this, it is breathtakingly beautiful!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars more than a dictionary, August 15, 2003

By	carfree "geckosong" (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

this book works with the more mystical aspects of dreams by using great visual imagery. great book to learn more about the spiritual world, Freud and Jung.