Dreaming of a Name

In my dream I lived next door to a man. In real life, it was an old boyfriend, but in my dream he went by the name of Charles Lieberman. In the dream, he was more of a neighbour figure. He had a large house with a hot tub and a big tree. I knew I recognized him from before but I accepted him as this new, unknown person. He said, "Call me Chuck."

There have been a few times in my life where I have dreamt of a name. Usually, when I look it up, however, I can't see the connection. Sometimes it's a full name but other times all I get is an initial or the beginning of a name. (For example, E.... like Ed? Edward? Eric?)

Do Names in Dreams Have Meaning?

We know that in dreams things are never quite what they seem. An image of someone you think you know might actually stand for someone else. Or the person you see in dreams may be a composite of many different people. (When I dream of a man it will often switch between my ex-husband, my dad or a boyfriend and I take that to be "a male figure of importance".) So, it might not seem to matter what your dream image's name is. However, I feel like when the name is emphasized, like you can see it in writing, how it's spelled, that is an important aspect of the dream to remember.

Some Examples of Names in Dreams

Sometimes, names are given to you by someone in the dream. As seen in the photo above,  the angel Gabriel came to Joseph in a dream and told him to call Mary's baby Jesus. The name Jesus literally means rescuer or messiah. I would say the first step in deciphering what a name means, if it does not have an obvious connection to your life, is to look up the meaning of the name. There are all kinds of lists online that will give you some suggestions. Maybe the name in the dream is referring to a quality you or someone else embody? Like Audrey (bravery), John (grace), or Lucifer (the devil) for example.

Also, when a dream images introduces itself to you by name, that's important. The most well-known example that comes to mind is from The Christmas Carol where each ghost that visits Scrooge introduces himself by name -  "I am the Ghost of Christmas Past....". In the story, this helps to set the stage for Scrooge (and the readers) to give it context. And aren't dreams essentially just stories we are creating in our head to make sense of life?

Names give us, and other people, identity. If you dream that you or someone else has a different name, maybe that means the identity has changed or is in transition?

The Meaning of the Name

 I looked up the meaning of the word Charles - it means free man! (I guess that might means he's still single:) I love the urban dictionary definition of the name: "awesome, fucking awesomest person the world, attractive, smart, loyal, best friend you could ever have..." Sounds like the perfect neighbour, right? And the nickname he gave, Chuck, makes him even more so! Then I looked up the last name, Lieberman, which means dear or beloved. Wow, could this guy be any greater!

The reason I am writing this blog post is because when Googled the name I was given in the dream, Charles Lieberman if you remember, I was a little surprised to see what it said. The first person listed ended up being a famous ENT (ears, nose, throat) specialist in the States. This may not mean anything to anybody else but, since I have been struggling with undiagnosed ear issues for a couple of years now, I found it very interesting! I admit I was taken aback actually because my dream was not specifically about my ear issues nor I had even been thinking about them. It was kind of like a gift my dream gave me (so maybe dreams aren't just stories after all?).  I now need to explore this theme and the writings of the real C.L. further. Maybe my reading will lead me to find a cure for my condition? Or maybe I need to investigate the idea of hearing/not hearing more within the dream?   I will keep you posted!

Dreaming About a Party

I dreamt I was hosting a Christmas Party at my house. I invited m ex-boyfriend and his children but they avoided me all night. Then my dream switched to a different scenario where they didn't come at all. I spent the party feeling anxious and wondering why. I thought he would at least text if he wasn't coming. Did something happen to him? Or was he just not interested?

Symbolism of a House

I have written quite a few blog posts about the house symbolism in dreams - Dreaming of a House, a Basement and Hell, Dreaming of a House Surrounded by Water, Dreaming of a House. Basically, a house is a symbol of yourself. Different rooms represent different areas of your psyche.

Symbolism of a Party

A party is a celebration. It indicates that life is good! Having it in your house means you might have the need to celebrate yourself.

However, if you are not enjoying yourself at the party, it might indicate that you have doubts about your social situation and life in general.

Having a party at your house is essentially inviting people into your psyche, your very personal space. A party represents the social aspects of your personality.

What Does My Dream Mean?

So knowing what the party theme symbolizes, I think that in my dream,  I was inviting my ex to have a look at my new life - a life I am proud of and want to celebrate. But although I tried in two different scenarios, he just wasn't interested. In the second scene I was even trying to make excuses for him that may or may not be legitimate. However, I take this dream s a very clear sign to move on with my life.

Dreaming of A Baby

image from wikimedia.org

A friend told me this dream: I dreamed I had a baby I was taking care of. He was covered in excrement. I was trying to clean it off.

When people dream of a baby the temptation is to take the dream literally, especially if you're a woman. Does it mean you're going to have a baby? Not necessarily because the baby symbol can also be interpreted metaphorically.

A baby can symbolize new birth or creation of something new in your life.

People often refer to a project as "my baby" inferring something near and dear to their heart. To dream that the baby is your own suggests you have control over the project. To dream you are taking care of someone else's baby implies that you feel burdened with responsibility that is not your own.

The behaviour or needs of the baby suggest what aspects you may be experiencing with your project. For example, an crying baby could mean you should attend more closely to the project. A baby covered in excrement could represent the feeling that the project needs to be "cleaned up" in some way.

If you've ever had a "baby" dream please comment and share below.

Dreams About Aliens

image by Really Japan.com

In my dream I am in a basement bedroom that looks like it belongs to a teenage boy. I am with some other people. In front of me there are three small aliens (the grey men kind). I know they are threatening so I pull out a large, black gun. I point it at them and try to shoot but nothing happens. I'm not sure if I'm doing it right so I try again and again. Still nothing. Maybe the gun isn't loaded? Nothing works. A girl beside me then points out that the stuff I was doing with the gun actually vapourized the aliens and they are now gone. I'm relieved.

I have to preface the dream intepretation by saying that I do think this dream was composed of a few different images that I had recently seen in real life. The aliens resembled the ones in the movie "Escape to Planet Earth" which I saw on the weekend and the part about the gun seemed like it was taken from "Stand By Me" that I just watched yesterday. Some people think that is all dreams are - just a series of random images from your daily life that float around in your unconscious at night.Personally, I think that our minds are always trying to create a meaningful story so that's why I still think this dream has something to say to me.

Aliens have become kind of a modern archetypal image. Freud himself might have coined the concept as he discussed the idea of "alien" as whatever is unfamiliar, foreign or uncanny. Jung had a huge interest in the whole alien/UFO phenomena, putting forth the idea that the symbol of aliens is a modern archetype that has superseded the archetypes of angels or demons of the previous Christian Era. In a sense, aliens are our new gods and we project our feelings of insecurity, fears and wanting to be saved on to them.

Dreaming of aliens might mean you actually feel "alienated" or disconnected from people in your life. If you find the aliens threatening, you could be afraid of losing your home or feel like you are being "invaded" on a personal level.It usually has to do with getting in touch with the part of yourself that doesn't feel like it belongs.

The number three is an important symbol in dreams that I have discussed previously. It means a unity of body, mind and spirit.

Freud famously had alot to say about guns being a phallic symbol that could represent power or impotence depending on whether or not it goes off. Generally, a gun represents feelings of aggression/passive agression or authority/dependence. You feel like you need to defend yourself or act agressively towards someone or a situation.


My dream suggests that I felt like I had to confront some "alien" aspect of myself which was hard to do. Even though I was trying to conquer this thing, I didn't feel like I was getting anywhere. But it turns out that what I was doing actually worked or else that the threat went away by itself. I like dreams where I have to confront something and I'm successful.

Have you had any alien dreams? Feel free to share them below.