Face: You meet the world with your face, and everything that is occurring inside of your consciousness is either revealed or hidden there. When your face or the face of another is featured in your dream, consider any interpretation you make through the lens of how authentic you are being in your daily life. Whatever is occurring to a face in a dream will add layers of distinction to your interpretation. Marks, scars, pimples, or boils are all examples of ways in which the face inadvertently reveals things that are below the surface of a darker nature.
Facebook: The new world of social media offers an experience of instantaneous expression of elements of your daily life. Facebook is a community where you get to choose what you present to the world, so as a symbol it connects to this idea of controlling how others see you and how they may perceive your life. Facebook also represents a desire to feel connected to others without really experiencing the vulnerability of true intimacy.
Faceless: The face connects to the concept of the persona, the part of who we are that we readily show to the world. We hide our true self behind our face and choose what we want to present to others. This process can be oppressive, and a dream image of being faceless may indicate the consequences of either holding back too much authenticity or, conversely, exposing more than we are comfortable with. While your actions identify what you are committed to, it is through your face that you reveal your motivations. Without a face, the assimilation of an identity is impossible. An aspect of your personality that has no face may connect to a new way of being in the world. Lacking a face may indicate that this new way of being is not yet fully formed as an active part of your outward persona.
Facelift: Any alteration to the face is akin to exerting some measure of control over the mask we show to the world. When this alteration is reflected as surgical in nature, the resulting change is manipulated and inorganic. Plastic surgery is usually chosen in an effort to appear more attractive, desirable, or acceptable than one already feels. Ask yourself how authentic you are being in your interactions with others. This dream could point to something out of balance with how you feel and what you project.
Factory: A factory is ultimately a building in which something is built or made. The building itself then is a symbol of a clear foundational structure of thoughts, ideas, or a belief system that exists within your psyche. What is created in the factory provides an important distinction when considering such a dream. Whatever the factory makes offers the primary clue to your interpretation. Then recognize that whatever meaning you attribute to that, there is a great deal of permanence to that belief system or idea.
Fair: A fair is a public display of joy and frivolity that has its origins in agrarian society, where farmers showed off their accomplishments and a community joined together in celebration. In this way, there is a very grounded and earthy sensibility to the fair as a dream image. Dreaming of a fair or fairgrounds may be indicating that it is time to slow down and find joy in simple things.
Fairy: The tradition of fairies is quite ancient and ubiquitous in most mythologies in some form or another. Fairies have evolved and are fully present in modern media. They are very small magical beings who are thought of as harmless and even helpful in children’s material of today. However, they originated as beings who were often tricksters and filled with malice and ill intent. If such a creature appears in a dream, be careful to see what its actual desires are. A fairy could represent a thought or idea that looks harmless but actually may mean you harm. Look to where in your life you may be falling victim to magical thinking.
Falcon: All birds connect to the essence of messengers, but the falcon has a very special medicine. Fierce and powerful, this bird has a rich history in a number of mythologies. Its vantage point is considered visionary, and when one appears in a dream, you are being guided from a very high place. You can be led to your life purpose through the vision of the falcon. These birds are also associated with hunting and warlike aggression, so not only are you being guided by the falcon, you are also being given the power to go after what you desire.
Falling: This is a dream about the loss of control. A fall is one of the most frequently occurring dream images, and all human beings have experienced this at one time or another. A fall can be very frightening; however, the real danger is not the fall itself, but the sudden stop that is likely to follow. Therefore, the real source of the fear associated with this symbol is what may occur, and the anxiety about not being able to directly impact the outcome of a situation. The deeper meaning of falling dreams is that the highest road to take in any difficult situation is to surrender yourself to the lack of control you are experiencing. In any situation where there is no control to be had, letting go is the only powerful choice to make. Most dreams of falling do not end in landing, further cementing the symbolic connection of this image with surrender. Where and how you land will be directly tied to the quality of your descent. The more graceful the fall, the more likely you will benefit from where you wind up. The context will offer you subtleties of meaning by examining the way you are falling in your dream. Falling backward indicates not being able to see the direction you are taking. Facing forward might enable you to see what you are facing, but your fall still indicates lack of control. Spiral twisting is an even stronger loss, as in spiraling out of control. The amount of fear felt in the dream is the barometer of how much unconscious fear is being suppressed. A fall that is easy and flows with a sense of surrender might be telling you that you are ready to let go of control in some situation. Falling in a dream could be compensating for some area in your life where you are reaching higher than is appropriate to your current circumstances or level of development.
Family: All the people in your dreams represent aspects of you, the dreamer. When they are known to you, the dream can also be reflecting your outside relationships in the waking world. However, the most value in interpreting such a dream still connects to how the people represent aspects of yourself. This is the most difficult to do when the people in your dreams are members of your family. You are who you are in life as a result of the role you played in the dynamics of your family. As you grow and mature through life, you will have a sense of your identity changing. However, if your family of origin creates the setting and characters of a dream, you can interpret such a dream as relating to your personality and identity as it relates to your first few decades of life.
Family Members: All people in a dream represent aspects of your own personality. This is also true of family members, although such dreams may also be reflecting your waking-life relationships as well. Your first relationships in life are with the individuals who make up your family of origin, and all the relationships you have for the rest of your life are reflections of these original dynamics. When interpreting a dream that involves a family member, consider the qualities of that person first and the relationship you have to the person second. Each person in your family lives inside you as an aspect of your personality based on these qualities. Parents relate more to a sense of personal authority. Siblings connect with different choices or behaviors in your waking life. When a family member appears in a dream, ask yourself what quality the person embodies that might be called for in some situation or circumstance in your waking life at the time of the dream.
Fan: The purpose of a fan is to cool the temperature around you by moving the surrounding air faster in order to create a breeze. In this way, a fan of any type has a primary symbolic meaning connected to the desire to reduce heat. That heat can be thought of as literal temperature or the heat of passion or anger. In a contradictory fashion, using a fan to move air can actually increase heat by speeding up the flow of oxygen toward a flame, as in “fanning the flames.” A hand fan can also symbolize eroticism in this same way, symbolically heating and cooling ardor by using it to extend gestures as a language of seduction.
Fangs: The animal kingdom has many examples of fang-bearing creatures, and in almost all cases, the purpose of the fang is to hold on to prey. In snakes and spiders, there is the added distinction of injecting venom. The canine teeth of humans are not considered fangs, but in vampire mythology these teeth are elongated and are that creature’s tool for extracting the blood he or she needs. If some animal, fictitious creature, or other human being is exposing fangs to you in a dream, you may be expressing fears of being dominated and consumed in some way. If you are the one who is sporting fangs, you may be expressing a voracious appetite that either needs to be expressed or is being expressed in the world. If the former idea resonates, look to where you can increase your passions. If it is the latter that feels true, you may be hurting others with your words or actions.
Farm: A farm represents the production of food to provide nurturance through abundance on a large scale. Evoking images of serenity and simplicity, farms harken back to a connection to the land that is all but forgotten in our current culture and history. Working on a farm points to a call to action to dig deeper and take responsibility for getting your needs met. Owning a farm connects to how responsible you are to your self-nurturing and perhaps to the dependence of others upon you for such needs. If you can eat only what you plant and tend, then farms connect to taking (or not taking) responsibility for your personal needs and how you get them addressed. A specific farm crop could add some texture to your meaning. A dairy farm might connect to emotional matters, maternal concerns, and thoughts around children. A farm that slaughters animals suggests more substantial issues around taking care of sustenance. Slaughter and sacrifice relate to having to let go of something in order to receive something else and thereby achieve balance. An organic farm points to radical measures urging you toward a healthier approach to meeting your needs.
Fart: This is an unintended slip expressing some small, hidden feeling of shame or embarrassment. If the release of gas is very large, you may be dreaming of finally letting go of something you have been holding on to that you have been afraid to express. If you are holding back from this in your dream, consider that there may be a need to release something that you would rather not be made public.
Fast Food: Any food connects to how you are nurturing and sustaining yourself and fulfilling your own needs. Fast food is nutritionally worthless, and a dream that features this as an image may be asking how well are you taking care of yourself.
Fat: We have very powerful associations with fat in our culture, but at the heart of this symbol, fat relates to increasing your level of protection and number of provisions for your needs to get met. At its most fundamental level, fat is the mammalian body’s way of creating stores of energy to be tapped into during times of lack. For most people, being fat is associated with sloth, blame, and shame. The media virulently reinforces this perspective. Therefore, your personal relationship with regard to fat as a symbol must connect to your own experience of your body shape and size. Gaining weight in a dream could point out an unconscious need to protect yourself from emotional stress. It can also indicate a need to put a protective barrier between yourself and the outside world. Losing weight could represent either a shedding of old defenses or a depletion of resources. Look to areas in your life where you may be feeling a sense of lack or fears of future limitation.
Father: See Parents.
Faucet: A faucet is the access point to running water, a symbol of civilization, convenience, and abundant living. Water connects to the emotional elements of the human experience, and in this way a faucet represents what can be done when your emotional life is harnessed for good. In the Western world, we take this for granted, but as a symbol a faucet is expressing the rather amazing access you can have to the flow of your emotions and the ability to be productive with it. Something inhibiting a faucet in a dream is reflecting an imbalance in how you are sustaining yourself, keeping filled with life force, and possibly cleansing your emotional experience so that you can continually start fresh.
Feather: The feather is considered a sacred object by itself, and one of the reasons for that connects to what it originally is part of. Feathers are an integral element of a bird’s wings and as such are a reminder of the power associated with flight. To find a feather in your dream is to remember your higher aspirations. If you have something created out of feathers, such as an outfit or object, then this aspirational consciousness is taking an even more significant form.
Feces: See Defecation.
Feet: The feet are the part of the body that make the most contact with the ground, and as such they are symbolic of how grounded you are. They also point to the direction in which you are walking through life. Dreams that relate to the feet are pointing out elements of your relationship to the earth and your sense of stability. The feet also connect to how well you are experiencing living in the present moment, for that is something that is experienced right where your feet are.
Fence: Fences mark the boundaries that we set in the world, and any dream that contains this symbol can reveal current issues as they relate to the boundaries in your life, both those that you set and those that are set for you by others. The size of the fence and the material of which it is made add texture to any interpretation of a fence in a dream. The more impenetrable the material is, the stronger the boundary is. Which side of a fence you are on in a dream will figure heavily in how you examine such a dream. A flimsy wooden fence could indicate that you are too exposed, while a high concrete wall may indicate shutting the world out for fear of being vulnerable. A break in a chainlink fence could indicate a weak spot in your ability to protect yourself in some area of your life. If the fence contains barbed wire or some other harmful material, this could represent the consequences of taking the risk to shift boundaries in some life situation.
Ferris Wheel: As a carnival ride, the ferris wheel relates to brief moments of escapism and a desire to change things up in your life. The specific nature of this particular ride is about rising to higher vantage points, but the repetitive nature suggests that it doesn’t offer anything of true substance. If you get stuck in such a ride, you may be dreaming of a desire to see further without doing the real work to expand your consciousness. The ferris wheel is usually the most visible element of a fair that can be seen from a distance. In this way, it can be a symbol of joy and playfulness that is available for you to enjoy.
Ferry: Ferries have two distinctions that inform their symbolic meaning. First, they traverse water, which means they help us move through emotional territory. Second, they generally transport cars as well as their drivers. Since cars are the vehicles through which we traverse our lifelong journey along the path, the ferry is the emotional detour so that we can get to territory we wish to explore next.
Festival: You may need to rally all your resources into some creative direction and have your efforts acknowledged at a public level. A festival is a large group of people all gathered for some specific focus. This has the implication that a great deal of your consciousness is focusing on one particular form of expression. In life, most festivals center on some sort of artistic or agrarian endeavor, implying that the more creative elements of your psyche are being stimulated. Consider what the theme of the festival is to get more clarity about what this dream means.
Fetus: A fetus is a developmental stage in the life of any animal whose young are gestated inside the mother’s body. In this stage, all creatures resemble one another, so one of the significant distinctions about a fetus is that it contains a sense of infinite possibility in terms of what it is going to become. In this way, a fetus is an idea, a direction, a new path, or a concept that has yet to even be birthed. An aborted fetus is such an idea that is terminated before it can even reveal what it might have grown into. (See Abortion.)
Fight: A fight is a masculine-principle way of solving a problem by meeting it head-on with equal force. This approach may or may not be effective. Look to where in your life you may be fighting something that would be better surrendered to.
File Cabinet: There is a need to organize your thoughts and ideas. The state of the filing cabinet in your dream will reflect how pressing this need is. Other details of the dream will help you understand what areas of your life need attending to in a more detailed way.
Files: This symbol represents the coalescing of ideas or the various thoughts that are pertinent to one particular organized principle of different thoughts. A file in a dream indicates that previous efforts around a particular idea have been collected and are being stored for future use. The other elements of the dream will help you understand what area of your life is being focused on in this concentrated way.
Filling: If a filling makes itself known to you after it has been put in your mouth, there is likely something wrong with it. As such, most dreams about fillings have to do with the idea of one becoming loose or otherwise compromised. In this way, such a dream is about a long-ago problem coming back to challenge you once again, especially a problem around insecurity and having a strong and powerful voice.
Film: Almost obsolete, film is the substance upon which we imprint our creative expressions and the desire to capture a moment. Since film has essentially been replaced by digital media, the essence of film as a symbol embodies the idea that it must be processed first before you can see the image that is captured on it. In this way, any dream that features film in it may be asking you to be patient while you see what is developing.
Fingernails: Fingernails are often adorned to draw attention to them, but they can also be a place where anxiety is expressed in the biting of them. Either way, the creative expression associated with fingers as a symbol has the added distinction of adornment when fingernails are featured in a dream, even if that adornment is the evidence of a nail biter.
Fingerprints: Fingerprints are created when the unique pattern on the tips of your fingers mixes with oils that your skin excretes, leaving a mark that can be unequivocally tracked back to your presence. You may be leaving your mark where you do not wish to, or you may be unaware that your impact has been noted by others. Conversely, the presence of fingerprints in a dream may indicate that something you are investigating in your own consciousness is slowly being revealed.
Fingers: The hands are the most creative body part, and the fingers represent our ability to be finely tuned with details in terms of how we express our ability to direct that creativity into various forms. How effective you are feeling in the world may be expressed by a dream with fingers playing a prominent role. Consider that each finger has specific meanings: The thumb is connected to dexterity and the ability to get things done. The first finger is the pointer, which correlates to blame and making choices. The middle finger expresses disdain and anger. The fourth finger relates to commitment and collaboration. The last finger connects to expressiveness and gentility.
Finish Line: The mark at the end of the race, the finish line in a dream indicates that you are very close to completing some chapter, cycle, or process.
Fire: Things are changing in a dramatic way. The combustion of fire destroys everything in its path. However, remember that fire reduces what it burns to carbon, the building block of all life. So while the destruction of fire is absolute, like all change, it is making way for something else to be created. A small fire or spark may indicate that winds of change are approaching, whereas something raging out of control could be pointing to change and transformation that feels overwhelming and scary. Consider what is burning in the dream, and that will shed light on what a dream that features fire is reflecting. What is burning is likely the most important focus of your investigation. If it is something you are familiar with, it may indicate that a major transformation is occurring in your life in the arena represented by that thing. A house on fire connects to a transformation in your personal identity. A building that is more public relates more to your social identity. An object that you possess could be explored and the meaning you associate with it combined with the idea of radical change in that area. A fire in nature might point to a loss of resources, nurturing, or creativity. If someone dies in a fire, that person’s character aspect will inform you of what part of yourself is being sacrificed in order for a new sense of self to emerge. The size of the fire and your emotional response to it will illuminate issues of overwhelm and loss of control. A large fire that is out of control could indicate broad-based changes that may be resulting in the total dissolution of the old landscape of your life. A contained fire could indicate that the change may be manageable and possibly even intentional. A campfire in the outdoors could represent your ability to create powerful change out of limited resources. A fireplace or wood-burning stove relates to harnessing change for your benefit or pleasure. While fire is dangerous and violent, it has the power to purify and create the possibility of renewal and new growth. When it appears in a dream, be aware that great change is afoot and that the future is likely to bring new life and new possibility. (See Flame.)