but are equally valid as symbols of sexual desire and arousal. If you’re a straight female and get turned on by a dream of glamour-model-perfect breasts, don’t be alarmed by such a reminder of your own sexuality. Dreams know no boundaries.
BRIDGE
Like the beach, the bridge symbolizes a state between two places, a suspension in the air between two landmasses. It could be that there’s a similar “bridge situation” playing out in your own life at the moment: a wedding (two families about to join), or a transitional time between homes, relationships, or jobs. Should your dream bridge be broken or otherwise precarious, the dream is simply helping you to express your own anxiety about the situation.
BROOM
(Or brush or besom) signifies the need for a clean sweep; not necessarily the domestic kind, but a clearing out of your life. Sweep away the dead wood! A hairbrush carries a similar meaning.
BRUSH (See Broom)
BUTTERFLY
In many cultures, the butterfly symbolizes the soul. Has someone died, or is someone about to be born? This soul could be bringing you a message. The Red Admiral butterfly that you dream about could be a reminder of this. But the butterfly is also a lighthearted creature, flitting from flower to flower, seemingly not taking anything too seriously. Its appearance could be a reminder that you might apply that same carefree attitude in your own life.
BUTTONS (See Beads)
C
CAGE
Some dream symbols are disguised, but sometimes they’re ridiculously obvious. A cage, of course, signifies a feeling of entrapment, restriction, and confinement. The frustrations and inhibitions imposed upon you by the cage could be to do with your work situation, your home situation, and your relationships.
CALENDAR
If you see a calendar in a dream, try to remember if you were shown a particular date. Bear in mind that the numbers and months might be scrambled. If no dates were shown, the calendar is indicating the passing of time. It could be that you’re working toward a deadline or that you’re worried that time is running out in a particular area of your life.
CAMERA
If you’re using the camera in your dream, then it could be indicating you need to look at things in a different way or that you need to look at something in more detail. If, however, someone is taking a picture of you, then it’s likely that you’re worried about the way you appear to others.
CANDLE
To dream about any kind of light source is a good, happy symbol. It means you are enjoying a time of illumination, and the dream is reminding you of that. If the candle is snuffed, however, then you might be having problems trying to get people to understand your point of view.
CANNIBALS
If there are cannibals in your dream, it’s probable that you will be trying to escape from them. The larger percentage of dreams stem from anxiety, and that would include the prospect of being boiled alive and served up as a stew! If you are invited to the cannibals’ feast, however, you’ll be asked to swallow something unacceptable. Does this reflect a situation in your waking life? If so, make moves to change that situation.
CAPE
If you’re wearing a cape, cloak, or any other similar covering, then you have something to hide.
CAR
An interesting dream to have, and there are lots of things you need to ask yourself. If you’re driving the car, then it means you’re in charge of your destiny. If someone else is driving the car, then someone else is the boss in your life. If you’re happy to be the passenger, then that is fine; if not, then the dream suggests that there is an imbalance in a close relationship.
If the car is rolling smoothly along the road, then you’re literally on an easy ride. If it’s bumpy, the opposite is true and you can expect to have to overcome some obstacles. If a car is broken down in real life, we expect delays and frustrations; in the dream, the same is true. Keep in mind that when something doesn’t go according to plan and we find ourselves unable to do anything but wait, we can be forced to think about things and perhaps find solutions to certain situations. If your dream car is broken down, then this could be your dream telling you to take time out, see things differently, and reflect on your life.
CASTLE
Goody! If you dream of a castle, then well-deserved praise and adulation is due to you. Real life and dreams don’t always match up, though; if your bank balance isn’t boosted within a few days, the dream still indicates you accomplished something noteworthy.
CASTRATION
If you’re a man and you dream of this, then chances are you feel that your creative forces are at an all-time low. If you’re a woman dreaming that you’re castrating a man, then the most obvious interpretation is that there’s a man in your life that needs to be taken down a peg or two!
CAT
Generally speaking, the cat is the symbol of feminine wisdom, mystery, hidden knowledge, and information. Bear in mind that animals in dreams often remind us about forgotten aspects of ourselves, and the feminine aspect of the pussycat can apply to male as well as female dreamers—guys, perhaps you need to get in touch with your female feline side? As well as belonging to witches, a black cat crossing your path is a symbol of bad luck in some places like the U.S., so it could be mirroring some difficult times in your life. In other places like the U.K., black cats are symbols of good luck, so it’s considered a good omen to dream of one there. If the cat in your dream is friendly, then your own catlike qualities are nicely integrated in your personality. If the cat is unfriendly or hostile, on the other hand, then it could indicate that you are neglecting your pussycat side.
CATERPILLAR
The caterpillar in your dream is telling you there is a long way to go before you get what you need to fulfill your true potential. But since this journey is all part of a natural process, the caterpillar dream is not a negative one.
CAVE
A cave, a fissure, an underground chamber or anything along those lines signifies the womb, and to find yourself inside a cave indicates a metaphorical return to the womb. You will go through a process of meditation or self-reflection followed by a glorious rebirth.
CELEBRITIES
Like it or not, our celebrities are not simply “normal” human beings. Their perceived traits, accurate or not, become amplified both by the media and our own personal perceptions. Therefore, if a celebrity or other public figure appears in your dream, then he or she represents whatever you believe those people to be. These are all qualities that are available to you whether you see them as good or bad; charm, irritability, beauty, sexiness, unattractiveness; it’s impossible to name every single celebrity and their characteristics that might appear to you while you’re asleep, but you get the general idea. If you dream of a celebrity that you admire, then those admirable qualities can be a part of yourself. If, on the other hand, your dream celebrity is a nightmare of vainglorious egomania and insufferably annoying behavior, you might want to check your own behavior for similar traits.
CELLAR
If the house represents yourself, then the cellar represents that part