Portland 6/23/2015 1:52:26 PM
Issues of Race in Dreams Are Highly Personalized Says Dream Analyst David Rivinus
If someone has a dream in which race becomes a symbol, the
meaning is determined by the individual life experiences of the dreamer, says
dream analyst, David Rivinus. Unlike the meanings of many dream symbols that are
similar from dreamer to dreamer, issues of race expressed in dreams vary widely
in their purpose and message. “While there are many exceptions, if a dreamer
dreams about a telephone, that might symbolize something about communication or
outreach,” says Rivinus. But no similar generalizations can be made about race.
Rivinus offers the following example: A retired Caucasian
male living in Phoenix, Arizona might dream of a white policeman. “To him, that
policeman might be a symbol of security, safety and peace of mind,” observes
Rivinus. But suppose that same police officer appeared in the dream of an
African American living in Ferguson, Missouri. “The same visual image in a
dream might conjure up the opposite feelings: fear, injustice and brutality.”
According to Rivinus, race plays many important roles in
dreams. “Dreaming of another race in a dream is often a sign that something in
the dreamer’s life is moving beyond the status quo,” he says. Suppose a Hindu
from Mumbai dreams of a Russian Cossack carpenter building a structure. “To the
East Indian, the Cossack would probably seem really exotic,” Rivinus explains.
The fact that the Russian is a carpenter might imply that some building is
going on in the Hindu’s life. “The message might be that whatever the East
Indian is building in his or her own life, will be approached from a different
perspective—a foreign or unusual point of view.”
Based on the life experience of the dreamer, race has many
connotations in dreams. “Suppose a dreamer has a dream in which there are a
dozen people. All of them are of the dreamer’s race, with one exception.”
According to Rivinus, it would be fascinating to interview the dreamer and
discover the dreamer’s attitude, not only about the individual of the different
race, but about the dreamer’s own race. “The dreamer is clearly exploring
something in his life from a different perspective. But why?” Says Rivinus,
only the dreamer himself could answer that.
David Rivinus is a respected dream analyst with over four
decades of experience. He is the author of the book “Always Dreaming.” For more
information, visit www.teacherofdreams.com