How weird is weird when it comes to dream symbols? Everyday things like a picture frame, a purse, or a paperclip may not be weird in themselves, but weird in the context in which they appear in a dream. A picture frame would be a weird symbol to meet in the middle of a desert, for example.

One approach to working out the meaning of an everyday item in a weird dream is to imagine explaining its use to an alien. For example, “A picture frame is used to enhance your view of a picture, to draw your attention to it, and to get you to focus on it.” From this, you might decide the picture frame in your dream was a perfect symbol for ‘focus’, drawing attention to something in the dream you needed to focus on.

Or you might explain the use of a purse to an alien, saying, “It holds valuable personal things you need to keep safe, like your ID and credit cards, and the key to your car and home.” In saying this, you might decide the purse in your dream was a perfect symbol for ‘protecting my personal identity’ or ‘protecting the key to my personal life and who I am’.

Now it’s your turn. Have a go at describing the use of a paperclip to an alien. Different people will come up with different descriptions, but if you have actually dreamed this symbol, and it is fresh on your mind, you will discover that the words you choose provide an amazingly accurate clue. Here’s my take on a paperclip, “It’s used to hold pages together in an order that can be changed later.”  If I had dreamed of a paperclip, I might conclude that it was a perfect symbol for ‘temporary arrangement’ or ‘something that can be changed later’.

The alien might still be scratching his head, but you stand to gain new insight into this everyday world you thought you knew so well.

[Extract from 101 Dream Interpretation Tips, Jane Teresa Anderson, pub 2007]

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