Dream Themes & Symbols: Houses

Houses are a very common dream theme that most often represents the self, but houses in dreams can also convey messages regarding material and financial stability, security and basic needs, personal values, or the condition of family and home life. To understand the meaning of a house in a dream, it's important to consider the other dream elements surrounding this symbol such as what is happening in or around the house, what rooms are involved in the dream, etc.

The upstairs of a house tends to refer to intellect and spirituality, while basements tend to refer to the subconscious. A bedroom often refers to parts of the self that you keep private, and can also convey messages about sexuality or intimate relationships. The livingroom of a can be about the way you present yourself to others, socializing with people you allow into your private life, or your basic beliefs regarding home and family life. The kitchen can represent spiritual and emotional nourishment or can convey messages connected with mothers/motherhood and nurturing. A bathroom conveys messages about your private or hidden self, and because water is a significant aspect of a bathroom, it often refers to emotions and spirituality (generally of a private nature). For example, a bathtub or shower can represent spiritual and emotional cleansing while the toilet often conveys messages about emotional release, believe it or not! Attics tend to express old memories, the past, or intellect and spirituality (the same as upstairs). Closets represent hidden or repressed emotions and memories, and can convey messages about holding onto things which are unnecessary. Corridors can convey messages about the way you go about things or your personal progress, and secret passages often mean finding new or exciting methods, opportunities or perspectives that usually make life easier for you. Stairs are a very significant message as well, representing growth and opportunities. Going up stairs is a message about your spiritual and emotional journey, achieving a higher level of understanding, etc and going down stairs is often about exploring the subconscious. Falling down stairs is typically a message about unconscious fears or obstacles preventing you from emotional or spiritual progress. Floors represent emotional or spiritual foundations, or the division between the conscious and unconscious mind. Ceilings and roofs can represent the connection between intellect and spirituality, the higher self, security and protection, or even barriers or obstacles regarding spiritual development or connection with your higher self (it all depends on the way the ceiling or roof is perceived or what is happening regarding this symbol). Windows tend to refer to perspectives on the world or your self--if you are looking out the window it would usually represent your perspectives on your life and events around you, while looking in a window is a message about introspection, soul searching, your beliefs or perspectives regarding yourself, or self discovery.

A glass house is a very complex message with many possible meanings. It can represent that you feel uncomfortably exposed or that your personal boundaries (your walls) are too fragile. It can also mean you feel no need to hide or keep parts of yourself private from others, or that you need or feel inspired to share parts of yourself or your life with others. Your emotional reaction to the glass house will be the key to understanding the message it conveys.

As with all dream symbols, there is never just one meaning or one interpretation that is always true! It's important to examine what is happening in the dream regarding that symbol, your emotional reactions or perceptions of the symbol, and any connection to your waking life that is relevant.

A client told me about a dream she had regarding the renovation of a friend's house. One part of the house was old, in a general state of disrepair, and was infested by rats. The newly renovated part of the house was clean and luxurious. Her dream conveyed messages about the financial stability (particularly improvements) of the person her dream was about. The rats represented financial fears and small, pesky problems (again of a financial nature) that would be easily overcome. In her dream, the angels were conveying an overall message that her friend would experience improvements and success in his financial life as long as he kept working at it.

Another client told me of a dream she had regarding buying a house. Her dream also included a journey by train to her new house, which was significant in the overall message. I will share her dream and the interpretation of the symbols as an example of how dream symbols interact and come together to express messages from the angels.

Last night I dreamed about buying a house. It was a small but comfortable house, although it didn't look very pleasing from the outside. I also paid attention to the fact that there was no fence around the yard, though this didn't make me feel insecure. Inside it was cozy, with a spacious and practical kitchen and pleasing decorative features. The master suite was located on the second floor and seemed to be the only thing on the second floor, and there were several luxuries upstairs. In addition, there were many belongings inside the house, which I found particularly intriguing. These things were a large collection of decorative bottles or glass containers, which seemed excessive in their numbers and were placed nearly everywhere, especially on the main floor. Also there were a great deal of house plants, all in great need of TLC due to being neglected. In the dream I watered all the plants and they seemed to thrive with just a little bit of attention. Other details that might be important are the price of the house was shockingly low and the seller kept hinting that the price he ultimately wanted to agree on was even lower than the listed price. Travel to the new home involved a somewhat uncomfortable train ride (mainly because the toilet was clogged and I couldn't use it), but there was a lot of nearly decadent food available for free on the journey. I had the strong sense I could take any of the food I wanted, without restriction or concern for diet.

To better understand this dream, it's important to take into account that the dreamer is presently working hard to build a new life in a new location. She has a great deal of emotion, as well as finances, invested in this endeavour, and recent set backs have caused her some intense depression despite her nearly relentless optimism. In addition, the changes she's making in her life were inspired by earlier guidance she received from her angels.

Buying the house is a message from her angels that she will succeed in her endeavours: she will be able to enjoy a comfortable life in her new location and the emotional and spiritual cost (represented by the price of the house in the dream) will be less than she expects. The train ride to the new house represents her personal journey. It will be a relatively smooth journey (as train rides often are), but repressed emotions (the problem with the toilet) will make it a bit uncomfortable for her. The food available on the journey represents the help and nourishment available to her from her angels: it's abundant and absolutely free, she can take as much as she needs without any fears. In her dream the house doesn't have a fence around it and she feels fine about that, which is a message that there will be no significant barriers to achieving her goals of a new life, and no restrictions on her self. The exterior of the house is the way she presents her self or her new life to others: because the exterior is "not very pleasing" it means she will not be prone to bragging about financial or material comforts and may even falsely represent her financial status as being less than it truly is, not as a means of deceiving others, but by being extremely modest. The interior of the house is very pleasing to her, which means she will be satisfied with her new life and there will be things she really enjoys, small touches she didn't expect but definitely notices! She paid particular attention to the kitchen and the upstairs master bedroom, and I feel this means her new life will provide a great deal of spiritual and emotional nourishment and her private and romantic life will be particularly fulfilling. She mentioned "luxuries" in the bedroom, which takes up the entire upper level of the house and this means she will be particularly satisfied and delighted in her emotional and spiritual experiences, and will most likely find a romantic relationship that far exceeds her expectations. I feel the decorative bottles represent blessings she will receive in her new life, which are very abundant! She referred to them as decorative, which leads me to believe most of her blessings will be of an emotional nature; although bottles do have a practical use and she is likely to experience financial prosperity as well, she will place the greatest significance on the emotional and spiritual blessings. The house plants represent her spirit, which is currently neglected and wounded (her depression), but with a little nourishment and care she will experience miraculous healing and be able to continue her emotional and spiritual growth. Her angels are telling her she will succeed in her endeavours, that they are ready and willing to help her along her journey, and that she will experience healing, joy, and blessings that she didn't even expect!

Think about the dreams you've had involving houses. What are the angels trying to tell you about your self, your financial stability, or your family and home life?

~*~Monica Who~*~