The ancients were the first to ascribe meaning to dreams and humanity as continued the pursuit. Whether it's a divine prophecy or a wish fulfillment fantasy or a evolutionary rehearsal of survival behavior in an unconscious mind, we still find our dreams moving.
I believe that dreams are the consolidation of emotional leftovers played out in the puppet theater of our minds. They shouldn't be interpreted literally because their very nature is the antithesis of literal interpretation - instinctual, subconscious and emotive. Punch and Judy aren't about plot, they're about character.
The best interpretations draw emotional parallels and bring the unconscious to the cognizant arena. Dreams come from an older part of our brain that was less concerned about keeping the lawn mowed and more concerned about surviving a primitive world. Though the dream images may be modern, the emotions and conflicts reflect universal human experiences from any time. Dreams remind us that despite the evolution of society, at our core we are still tribals surviving in a natural world.
This is my dream from last night:
I'm outside the city and I'm going on a journey. Looking away from the Israeli landscape back toward the edge of town, a group of people gather around a statue with a red drape covering. They're well-wishers and they give me little gifts for the road ahead. One gives me a walking stick, several give me fruit, someone gives me a river stone.
I'm gracious in the polite way people are supposed to be we receiving a gift from a stranger or an in-law. I smile and bow slightly, showing my teeth and offering my hand. My final gift is the statue. Someone pulls off the red drape. Lot's wife stands frozen in salt with her head cocked back. She's looking at all life owes her.
The crowd awes and I'm sure I smell rain coming.
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