a pretentious façade and living beyond your means.
CASTLE/CITADEL/FORTRESS
If you dream of any of these, it suggests a defensive attitude. Do you have a real fear of being overwhelmed or defeated by a group of schoolmates or colleagues? Or are you feeling so vulnerable that you are putting up emotional defenses to protect yourself? The symbol of the castle is that of a place where you can defend yourself from attack, so it may represent the methods you use to protect yourself from ‘attack’. On the other hand, your dream may highlight your self-imposed isolation from others, and the sense of security you get from being self-reliant.
If your stronghold came under siege, did you identify the faces of your attackers? Are these people you know in waking life? And did your dream defenses hold firm? If they did, this suggests that you are successfully fending off attempts to wound or get through to your emotions. If you are a man who dreamed that you are laying siege to a castle, the Freudian interpretation is that it expresses your desire to have sex with a woman who has resisted your advances. The castle is also a place of historical interest, so it may suggest a need to look to the past for inspiration. It can also represent a mandala, a symmetrical pattern that symbolizes the psyche. If a courtyard or moat appears in the dream, this again refers to protection or the desire to feel safe and secure. The shape of the moat or courtyard will also be relevant.
CITYSCAPE
Did you dream that you were wandering around a city, either familiar or unfamiliar to you in waking life? If you did, were the streets friendly and welcoming, and the buildings clean and bursting with life and activity, or did you feel unwelcome, jostled about and intimidated by the place? According to Jung, places in dreams where people group together to live and work, such as cities, towns and villages, refer to how you perceive yourself within the community, and how well you are fitting in. So if you dreamed that you felt happy and secure in your dream city, the chances are you relate well to other members of the community in waking life. But if the buildings on the sidewalk or pavement seemed to close in on you, or you were wandering around hopelessly lost, perhaps you are feeling intimidated by others in waking life and have lost your sense of direction, or even identity. If the city was abandoned like a ghost town, does this mirror your feelings of isolation in waking life?
COMPONENTS OF A BUILDING
If you dream of a balcony, ledge or sill, this suggests a need for support and protection in your life. An elevator or lift in a dream usually suggests how we deal with information. If the lift is going down, we may be going down into our unconscious for self-understanding, whereas a lift going up could represent moving towards greater self-understanding. Halls or passageways in a dream can, for Freudians, represent passages within the body, such as the vagina or penis. On a psychological level, they can suggest how we let others invade our personal space. On a spiritual level, passages can represent the different stages of our life. A hall is the center of a building and to dream of entering a hall may therefore represent the beginnings of a journey towards self-awareness. According to dream lore, to dream of a long hallway suggests a period of worry ahead.
Walls in dreams indicate potential blocks to your progress, or difficulties you may be up against in waking life. They suggest obstacles that are stopping you from getting what you want. This may be something from real life or something within yourself. Perhaps you are being like a brick by refusing to show your feelings, or have come up against a brick wall with a particular problem or issue. If the wall looks old, this suggests the problem is old. If the wall is made of glass, this suggests problems with perception. If the wall is closing in, the dreamer may feel trapped by their current lifestyle. A brick wall, rampart or dividing wall all suggest the difference between everyday life and the inner psychological state. According to dream lore, if you find a gateway through a wall, this is a sign of good fortune. See also entries for doors, rooms, stairs, staircase and windows in HOME.
Exploring a building
Dreams about exploring a building are encouraging you to explore your own personality or resolve an ongoing conflict. In other words, the dream is encouraging you to make more of your attributes and abilities, as unexplored potential and new ideas lie within you. This is especially true if you find yourself exploring unfamiliar rooms in a well-known house in your dream. If the building is run down or dilapidated, this may suggest a personality or body in need of attention, but if the building is well cared for and clean, it suggests confidence and good self-esteem. A building under attack may suggest that someone or something is trying to break in. If a building is under construction or being demolished, this refers to your own ability to construct and destroy your life. If the building is familiar, the reference may be to the actual building itself; for example, if you dream of a structural fault, you might want to get the design checked out. If the building you are exploring in your dream is a public building such as a factory, law court, prison and department store, the building often represents the function suggested by its nature, such as work, education and healing. Bear in mind, though, that if these images appear in your dreams, they will also have personal connections and feelings associated with those buildings. For example, if a factory feels like a museum, both associations should be considered. Finally, consider carefully how you react to the building in your dream. Were you intimidated by it or did you feel comfortable? If the former, your dream may be warning that you are over-reaching yourself in waking life. The latter is more reassuring.
FACTORY
A factory in your dreams is likely to refer to conformity with society, a typical reaction to a life that lacks individuality, productivity and work. In some cases, it can also refer to the automatic functions of the body, such as breathing and digestion. A factory on strike may suggest an obstacle to hard work, such as lack of discipline. An endless production line clearly suggests frustration with your career or relationships. A dream of waterworks can suggest associations with water and the womb, turning the dream into a gigantic representation of the mother figure in your life. A dream of being confined in a barracks may be a warning that your life is too restricted, and that you are too much under the influence of someone else. If you dream of a warehouse or other storage place, this suggests memories, past experiences or aspects of yourself that you have put on hold; for example, career ambitions whilst you raise a child.
FARM
If a farm appears in your dream, you may be longing for a more simple, down-to-earth approach to life. If there is manure in the yard, this may point to obstacles that prevent you realizing your dream. If you dream of a windmill, the windmill may represent your creativity as the windmill grinds flour for bread. If you are the family breadwinner, you might identify with this dream. Images of a stable in your dream may suggest repressed sexuality, as horse-riding is a Freudian symbol of sex. For Jung, the horse represents humankind’s harnessing of natural forces, making the stable a place where the dreamer can face these forces with confidence.
HOSPITAL
In dreams, hospitals can either mean a place of safety and healing if you have had a positive
