Birds: Birds are messengers, and a dream with birds in it may be trying to get you to recognize some information that is flying around in your consciousness, just waiting to be recognized. Birds also connect with a vantage point and the ability to see farther by virtue of their unobstructed view of things. They can also fly directly to a location without the impediments of obstacles on the ground. A dream with a bird or birds in it may be asking you what you would see if you could see farther than your limited viewpoint allows and where you would go if you weren’t hindered by perceived obstacles in front of you. The type of bird will have additional meaning for you.

Birthday: This milestone marker is something everyone has each year, and it comes with a variety of strong feelings. Your personal associations with your own birthday must be considered in interpreting a dream that has a birthday in it, especially if it is your own. Such a dream may reflect feelings you have about aging. If the dream birthday celebration is for someone else in the dream, consider this to be an anniversary marker of an ongoing cycle as it relates to the quality of your personality assigned to the person whose birthday it is.

Black: The darker sides of life connect with the color black. Though it is thought of as the absence of color to some, in the world of physics, black is actually the presence of all colors in the object that embodies it. It is the color that absorbs the most light, retains heat, and is associated with death, as it is the opposite of life-affirming white. As the color of mourning, black clothing represents the social construct of receiving consolation in some cultures. When we are in mourning, we are surrounded by people who share in our sadness. In the same way that a black shirt will absorb all wavelengths of sunlight, a person in mourning wears black in order to absorb the light from those who surround him or her. In the world of fashion, black has a connotation of being trendy and sophisticated. Nighttime is when blackness reigns, bringing secrecy and the ability to hide into this color’s symbolic meaning.

Blanket: A blanket protects against cold and offers comfort, and is most associated with bed and sleeping. As such, its primary symbolic meaning connects with being able to offer us these two fundamental qualities. A blanket that falls short of this by being too small or worn out reflects an inability to comfort yourself in times of stress.

Blind/Blindness: You may be unable or unwilling to see something clearly in your life. By dreaming of the inability to see, you may be expressing areas in your life that you may be blind to. We also use the term vision to express where we see our lives heading in terms of goals and desires. If you are experiencing a loss of vision in your dream, you may be expressing an unconscious fear of being unable to see what is coming next in your life. Consider that a person who is blind represents limited sight but also the increase of other senses, especially intuition. Being unable to see exactly how things are going to manifest is often the very ingredient necessary for them to do so. Blind faith is one of the most powerful energies there is. (See Disability.)

Blood: You may be connecting to a deeper sense of life force within you and an expression of passion for living. However, depending on how the blood is appearing in your dream, this could be a dream about the loss of such passion and energy. If your dream includes receiving or losing blood, this may reflect a message that you either are in need of more energy or are being depleted by some situation. A wound inflicted by another may reflect an external struggle, whereas a medical procedure connects more to an internal process necessary for healing.

Blue: Blue is the color of communication and connects to the body through the throat and the thyroid gland. There is a connection between our metabolic activity, which is regulated by the thyroid, and the effectiveness of our communication. Through our voice, we communicate with others, but it is through our energy levels that we commune with our immediate environments. Other communication concepts associated with this color are the blueprints that communicate the structure of something not yet created. The call of a hospital emergency is known as a “code blue.” Before a brochure or magazine page is printed, the early version used to finalize the design and layout is known as the “blue line.” When blood circulation diminishes due to a drop in body temperature, the lips will turn blue and communication will be hindered. These are but a few examples that may not relate to a specific image; however, when the color blue is prominent in your dream, incorporate issues of communication into your interpretation. (See Colors.)

Blue Jay: All birds are to be considered messengers from higher consciousness and other dimensions. The blue jay specifically is one of the more talkative birds, so its meaning connects with communication. Its blue color aligns it with the throat chakra, further emphasizing this communication sensibility to the medicine that it offers. When the blue jay visits you in dreams, it is time to take a powerful look at how you are communicating. (See Birds.)

Blueprint: A blueprint relates to the structure of something and the intention to bring an idea to fruition. What are you in the planning stages of in your life? A dream that features a set of blueprints may be illuminating issues around what you desire to create.

Board Game: You are looking to resolve conflict through structure and control. In a dream, a board game may be an analogy for the “game” in life it is designed to represent. Popular board games are created to convey certain themes of life experience through the process of playing them. If you are winning a board game in your dream, you may be expressing recent experiences of successful negotiation of life’s complexities. If you are losing, the dream may be reflecting back to you where you are blocked or challenged.

Boat: You may be skimming the surface of deep emotional issues below the surface. Any vehicle in a dream refers us to our paths in life. A boat travels over water, the universal symbol for anything that deals with the emotions. The size and type of boat in your dream will illuminate your current ability to navigate emotional issues based on resources and levels of skill. The water itself connects with the nature of the emotional territory in which you currently find yourself. The destination of your trip will offer insight into what may be causing an upsurge of emotion and what you hope the outcome will be if you are successful in arriving at your intended destination.

Bobcat: All cats connect to the feminine principle in action. The larger the cat, the more powerful the medicine it has to offer. Bobcats are solitary in nature and are patient, stealthy hunters. When the bobcat appears in a dream, you are being asked to combine focused intention with great patience in order to get what you most desire.

Body Parts: The parts of the body all have meanings based on the basic functions of those parts. The feet represent feeling grounded, while the toes are about maintaining balance. The legs connect with freedom, choice, and movement. The knees are the symbolic home of humility, subservience, and/or surrender. They are also the place where you hold your fears. The hips are the center of the core and therefore represent the integration of systems and all the elements of your life that have to interact with one another in order to function. The ribs are about vulnerability and protecting yourself from emotional pain. The ability to withstand pressure and fulfill the needs of others is associated with the shoulders. The arms are the structures that allow you to take action and accomplish your goals and desires, while the hands give you the creative ability to do so. The individual fingers are how you relate to details and life’s complexities. The spine is your moral center and where your values are located. The neck, though a part of the spine, has the distinction of providing you with discernment and choice. The skull is related to your beliefs, ideals, and opinions, and the bones that support your face connect with community and the desire to connect with others.

Bomb: When a bomb appears in a dream, things are changing drastically, very fast. A bomb creates an enormous amount of energy in an instant, and an explosion is a powerful symbol of great change. In this case, the changes that are taking place are likely to be creating a great deal of chaos and challenge. A bomb that hasn’t exploded indicates changes that may or may not happen. The results of a bomb blast symbolize the havoc that is wreaked when enormous changes take place.

Bones: You are trying to connect with the underlying structure of things in your life and how you are being supported. The skeleton at the core of our bodies is the foundation on which the whole system is built. Since most of the human body is soft and moist, we rely on the solid, durable, calcium-based bone structure for what little solidity we feel. Nothing can be any stronger than the foundation that supports it. This foundational structure is normally invisible to us, so to be dreaming of bones is to be getting a glimpse of issues that are normally hidden but are now visible. Old bones might connect to issues in your past.

Book: The answers you seek are to be found in the intellect. Books relate to knowledge that has already been recorded, so this dream is not looking toward new information to be made known to you. Rather, the message of the dream is that the knowledge you seek is already within your awareness. The more books there are present in the dream, the more likely that this is a call to express your desire to learn and grow in ways of the mind.

Bottle: A bottle is about the ability to contain a small amount of something, usually liquid refreshment. If the symbolic meaning behind what’s in the bottle is to nurture you or please your palate, then the meaning of the bottle is your ability to contain that desire in a portable way and enjoy it at your leisure. An empty bottle relates to something you had in the past being unavailable to you now. A bottle that is broken indicates an inability to contain something pleasurable. If you know what is in the bottle, add that for a great distinction of your interpretation.

Boulders/Rocks: You may be blocked in your life by things from your past. Rocks act as the primitive memory for our planet, and to dream of boulders and rock formations is to be connecting on some level to primal imagery rooted in the distant past. On a more mundane level, the past that is being represented by this image may be your own personal history. Rocks or boulders can represent obstacles or challenges if they obstruct your way or present you with some amount of danger. If this is the case, what may be blocking you in your waking life could be material that is deeply imbedded in your unconscious. Examine areas where you may be holding fast to old ideas that no longer serve you. Painful memories can often seem like insurmountable obstacles or enormous boulders that appear to be immovable.

Box: A box is about containing something or compartmentalizing elements of your life. When this image is featured in a dream, look to where in your life you may be keeping certain things separate and potentially hidden. This may be a benefit if chaos or challenges require you to maintain structure and organization in order to get through some significant shift. However, it can also reveal a deeper pattern indicating that things currently hidden may need to be revealed or elements of your life that you are keeping separate might be better if integrated.

Bracelet: Any adornment is ultimately about drawing attention to yourself. In the case of jewelry, the meaning is found by examining the part of the body that the item features. The hands are about creative expression, and the wrists add an element of flexibility in that arena. A bracelet in a dream is about highlighting a desire to be more creative and expressive.

Breaking Up: Something in your life is changing or may need to come to an end. This can be literal and connected to a phase of life or an actual relationship with another person. However, it can also be that you are ending a relationship with your own behavior. Perhaps you are “breaking up” with a habit or pattern that hasn’t served you and it’s time to move on.

Breasts: You need to find a deeper connection to the feminine resources inside of you and your ability to nurture. This can relate to self-care or to taking care of something in your outside world. Breasts are also a powerful erogenous zone and are therefore part of sexual expression and physical pleasure. Dreaming of breasts often connects to the level of self-care of the dreamer, whether the person is male or female. Even erotic dreams involving this symbol should be viewed through this concept. Breasts that are not real might indicate that the nurturing you are giving yourself as an adult is somehow false and not truly nutritious. Older or sagging breasts would indicate a resource that is no longer full. Breasts on a man could indicate a need to cultivate more sensitive and nurturing qualities.

Breathless (Out of Breath): You are having difficulty connecting with your life force. Underlying feelings of anxiety or panic may be inhibiting you from being fully functional. The breath of life is also the physical representation of our level of serenity. When breath is slow and nourishing, we are at ease. Any elevation of breath indicates that we are either in a state of fear, emotional reactivity, or intense physical activity. Being out of breath in a dream may indicate a heightened fear reaction.

Bridge: A bridge is essentially that which makes a connection between two separate entities. You are seeking to make connections within your own consciousness. A dream about a bridge indicates that some sort of transition is taking place or that you are in search of a solution to what feels like an insurmountable problem. Since a bridge takes you from one place to another, it also carries the meaning of a transition in life. Since many bridges are suspended over water, an emotional issue is often the underlying conflict being expressed by this symbol.

Briefcase: This is a symbol that represents having access to certain important elements of your life, usually associated with work and responsibility. If you have lost it in the dream, you may be feeling unable to meet your obligations or take care of business.

Broken Bones: You are dreaming of a loss to the foundational integrity of some aspect of your life. Bones as foundational elements indicate that the essence of the stressor that is being expressed has to do with how something is structured or being supported. If you dream of a bone being broken, it tells you that some area of your life is on shaky ground. The solidity or strength beneath that which is creative or expressive is what is compromised. If your dream included the injury itself, add the means by which your bones were broken to your interpretation, including if there was another person responsible. The more creative you are with your rumination of these symbolic meanings, the more successful your interpretation will be. (See Bones, Body Parts.)

Broom: One of the fundamental tools for keeping house, a broom relates to a need for cleaning up life’s messes. There is a media-driven association with brooms and witches, so if the dream’s context indicates this perspective, a broom might represent an ability to introduce magical thinking into a situation that needs attention.

Brother: See Siblings.

Brown: While most colors are found in the spectrum of natural light, the color brown is a mixture of many colors that results in something that is generally thought to be dull and lacking in vibrancy. This is the direction to go with your interpretation, especially if the object or environment that is brown is unnaturally colored in that way. However, also consider that brown is the color of earth, and so what you perceive in this color in your dream could indicate a need for a more grounded approach to some element of your waking life.

Buddha: See Jesus, Buddha.

Buffalo: One of the most sacred animals to most Native Americans, the buffalo connects to gratitude, abundance, prosperity, and provision. When the buffalo appears in your dreams, you are being called to recognize the amazing way in which your life rises up to meet every need you could possibly have. The spiritual principle of gratitude is connected to this majestic beast.

Bugs: See Insects.

Bull: Sometimes the greatest display of power is stillness, and the bull reminds of this. The bull is a mighty animal that spends most of its time not moving. The medicine involved here is to know your own strength and trust your ability to take powerful action when the timing is right. The bull is also connected to prosperity through several traditions, most notably Western astrology, where Taurus the Bull rules money and comfort.

Bus: You are undergoing a slow transition in your public or social life. As with any mode of transportation, a bus connects with one’s path through life. When you ride a bus, you turn the reins of control over to another, take a seat, and go along for the ride. The type of bus offers shades of meaning. A school bus may indicate regression to an earlier mentality, whereas a public transit bus could point to a need to follow a course that requires being patient with the paths of others. A private bus, such as a tour bus, may indicate levels of abundance and the need to gather creative resources for future use. However, if the bus was used in place of a car, feelings of lack and limitation may be indicated.

Business Card: A business card is a form of identification and is therefore symbolic of the very thing of which it is symbolic in waking life: a person’s business persona. It is a tool for connection and solicitation, and in a dream it is connected to the person to whom it belongs. If someone gives you a business card in the dream, consider the character aspect of that person and what he or she might have to offer you. The business card itself and the act of passing it along represents your ability to call on those character traits to assist you in some venture. If the business card in the dream belongs to you, this may connect to a desire to expand your reach in some arena of your life.

Butterfly: The medicine of the butterfly is resurrection and the capacity to undergo enormous change and transformation. The caterpillar relates to the binds and heaviness of a previous consciousness, whereas the butterfly embodies the freedom possible when we surrender to the unknown factors that precipitate change. When the butterfly appears in your dreams, you may be being asked to trust the changes that are happening, for freedom is just around the corner.