 "Response to the Original Post"
Our dreams can come from two general sources. Either they come from inside the dreamer or they come from outside of the dreamer.More specifically, the sources or causes of most of our dreams probably fall into these categories: 1. Some dreams that are meant to be taken literally or almost literally. 2. I frequently use a Jungian approach for many of the dreams that I interpret. When I use this approach, I typically categorize the people, things, etc in the dream as coming from the unconscious. Some of our most powerful and memorable dreams contain symbols from the collective unconscious. 3. I also see a fair number of dreams where a house, car, landscape etc represent the dreamer. Sometimes it is the dreamer’s physical body but it is perhaps even more often a representation of the dreamer’s non-physical/spiritual body. 4. Some people will have spiritual dreams – perhaps a spiritual awakening. These types of dreams would probably also include shamanistic dreams. Or, the dreamer may dream of mythological or pagan deities. But, some of these dreams may also be appropriate for more of a Jungian interpretation. 5. Some dreams are probably OOBE. The dreamer may even meet others who are simultaneously having their own OOBE. 6. There are other dreams that have physical causes. For example, they might be due to the dreamer’s taking certain medication/drugs (legal or illegal). In a similar manner, Edgar Cayce stated that nightmares can be due to a spinal injury. 7. There are other dreams that are actually visits by spirits. The dreamer may encounter deceased relatives or even pets in these dreams. But, these spiritual visitors do not have to be friendly. Some people have probably encountered malevolent spirits in their dreams. The above list may seem formidable but I believe that the dream itself and the dreamer’s situation can usually narrow down the dream to a few possible meanings. &&&&& Once we have a feel for the types of dreams that we might have, we can get a better understanding of the language of our dreams. A good example of this is the Jungian approach to dream interpretation. In the Jungian approach, many of the people etc that we see in our dreams are actually symbols of archetypes from the collective unconscious. It is collective because it is found in all of us. It is unconscious because we can not consciously understand its contents. We often see symbols of archetypes in our dreams. There are a large number of archetypes. However, some are seen in our dreams more than others. The most common are probably the shadow and animus (or anima). But, these symbols are not always people. For examples, a circle or tree might be such a symbol, and sometimes the archetype could be an action – such as crossing a bridge. Many of the dreams of the more spiritual types will often have mythological people/deities or themes. For example, in a dream journey to the underworld, the dreamer may encounter Cerberus, the canine guardian of hell. &&&&& Another little tidbit that I have learned is that the sequence of events in our dreams is important. In the logic of our dream, one even can “cause” the next. Thus, if something positive happens in a dream, the next scene is usually positive. And the reverse is true for a negative event. | 
