Vacation: The essence of any vacation is the change in routine. In a dream, to be on a vacation is to be feeling a call to change the elements of your life that feel tedious and repetitive.
Vaccine: A vaccine protects from certain diseases by introducing a small and manageable amount of the infectious agent into the system, creating an immune response that is ultimately protective. In this way, the sensibility being expressed by a vaccine connects to moving toward something in order to build up an ability to tolerate it. In a dream, this symbol suggests that your fears would be best conquered by facing them a little at a time.
Vacuum: A vacuum is the absence of everything we experience as air and atmosphere, so at the heart of this symbol is emptiness. Through this emptiness, the technology of a vacuum cleaner is helpful at removing unwanted dirt and debris. In this way, a vacuum cleaner symbolizes this desire. However, there is a more sinister meaning that could be present when this shows up in a dream in that a pervasive feeling of emptiness can suck the life force out of you if you are not mindful.
Vagina: The vagina is the ultimate symbol of the power of the feminine principle of creativity and receptivity. This can have sexual connotations and also be an expression of primal productivity. A man dreaming of having a vagina is connecting deeply to his inner feminine on an archetypal level. The same is true for a woman, but without the archetypal meaning.
Valentine: A modern-day symbol for romantic love, Valentine’s Day offers some people a connection to romance and inspires cynicism in others. Both perspectives exist in the collective consciousness. If the physical structure of a valentine features in your dream, you are likely expressing a wish to connect in a romantic way, either with a specific person or with the nature of romantic love in general. If it is the day itself that features in your dream, examine your personal associations with this holiday for a more accurate interpretation.
Valet: The valet is the intermediary between driving and a particular destination. If driving connects to your movement through your life and a destination is the consciousness of something to be expressed, then the valet is the representation of the part of you that makes sure your access to your movement through life (your car) is well cared for when you are having an experience. Your relationship and sensation around what happens with the valet in your dream will inform your interpretation.
Valley: Anything that is part of the land is symbolically connected to your conscious mind. A valley can be thought of as a beautiful expanse of land nestled within the higher elevation that surrounds it. Often idyllic in nature, a valley represents the part of your awareness that is protected by the higher levels of thought that surround it. You cannot have the sense of a valley without having the sense of the mountains or hills that create it, so the valley becomes the representation of what can be appreciated when higher levels of thought have been acknowledged. A valley also connects to the protection and shelter created by such higher aspirations.
Vampire: When a vampire appears in your dream, someone or something is draining you of life force. Vampires are creatures of death that survive by drinking the blood of the living. Blood represents passion and life force. A vampire in your dreams represents some aspect of your personality or way of being that has the potential to drain you of your vibrancy and energy. Because vampires can only move about freely at night, they are in the symbolic realm of the shadow. This indicates that whatever issues are robbing you of your vitality are hidden from your conscious awareness and must be examined with this in mind. What we keep in the shadow are parts of ourselves that we can’t accept and have difficulty integrating into our personal identity. Not doing so can suck the life force out of us until we face what we are resisting. As vampires are often portrayed as sexy or seductive, consider that the vampire may represent a situation or person in your life that seemed alluring at first but is now exhausting or depleting. There may be some habit, behavior, or emotional trait that is sucking you dry. Since vampires cast no reflection in a mirror, this may be a part of you that you are unable or unwilling to see directly. We often feel drained by responsibilities and the things we think we should be doing. You may want to become more aware of those things you are attached to in a negative way. Holding on to old attitudes and beliefs can be draining. Consider that it can be just as draining to avoid responsibilities that are legitimately yours. It is the ignorant victim who foolishly leaves the window open and unwittingly invites the vampire to visit. Other internal vampires include neediness, self-doubt, lack of forgiveness, and judgments. All of these kill passion for life. Commit to emotional healing and your vampires will return to the grave where they belong.
Van: Any mode of transportation connects to how you are moving through the journey of your life. A van has several connotations that must be taken into consideration. A minivan brings with it the connotations of a family and maternal instincts. For some older generations, a van is a symbol of youthful excess. The media has portrayed the van as a dark and ominous element associated with the predatory nature of rape and pedophilia. The context of the dream and your personal associations with this type of vehicle will illuminate how to interpret a dream that features a van.
Vase: A primary use for a vase is to hold cut flowers, a symbol of beholding beauty for beauty’s sake. Therefore, a vase is symbolic of your own ability to contain this principle. The state of a vase in your dream will reflect the state of your ability to attract and express love.
Vault: The height of protection, a vault symbolizes an exaggerated need to protect your assets. This can be a positive image for guarding against loss, but can just as easily be an indication that you are hoarding due to a fear that what you have will be taken away from you. The resources that you keep hidden and locked away cannot do you any good unless they are flowing and moving in the world.
Vegetables: “Eat your vegetables; they’re good for you” is one of the most prolific adages of parenting in the Western world. In this way, as a symbol, vegetables represent taking responsibility for doing what is good for you. In the same vein, the presence of vegetables in a dream may point to the potential for healthier choices in your life, and the way vegetables appear in the context of the dream may point to your relationship with such choices.
Veil: A veil obscures the object it covers, and in a dream, it connects to anything that is partially hidden. A veil as connected to a marriage ceremony has the added connotation of the separation between two things that are about to merge and integrate, and when the veil is lifted, that process has occurred. The lifting of the veil is also a New Age expression for accelerating consciousness. What confusion in your life needs to be or is about to be cleared up?
Vending Machine: Vending machines are primarily about convenient access to the idea of snacking. As such, both concepts must be applied to the symbolic meaning in a dream. The convenience factor relates to fulfilling an immediate need. However, the materials found in most vending machines have very little nutritional value, so the meaning is expanded to include the immediate fulfillment of a need through a low-consciousness choice. How are you feeding yourself?
Venereal Disease: Shame toward sexuality and negative consequences due to poor choices are at the center of this symbol. Take a look at the darker side of your feelings about sex if venereal disease is a part of your dream. The person who has symptoms in the dream should feature prominently in your interpretation. If it is you, then a general sense of sexual shame is being explored. If the person in your dream is someone other than you, use the character-aspect concept to associate what part of your own personality or decision-making process is emanating out of a shameful place.
Ventriloquist: The notion of speaking without detection and bringing a voice to an inanimate object is ultimately about inauthenticity and deception around your true voice. In what ways are you not speaking your truth?
Vest: A vest is an article of clothing that completely covers the most vulnerable part of the body, underneath which all of the vital organs are located. In this way, anything that relates to a vest in a dream connects to this center of your life force and the risks therein. How may you need to protect yourself right now? Also, playing things “close to the vest” implies some measure of restraint around revealing your desires and plans. A dream that features a vest may be asking you to hesitate before sharing your goals.
Veterinarian: A veterinarian is a doctor and as such connects to the archetype of healing. Veterinarians specialize in animals and therefore also relate to the wisdom available from the archetypes of the animal kingdom. As you heal certain wounds and limitations, you may be drawn closer to the power of animal medicine.
Video: This modern-day invention of moving pictures captured through a portable and ubiquitously accessible format pervades our culture in such an enormous way that there are literally dozens of ways in which the concept of “video” connects to other elements of symbolism. At the heart of it, video relates to our ability to create in our own image the experience of being human. We make movies and those movies become a permanent record of our journey. Once the lofty realm of only a privileged few, the technology of video has been made accessible to the masses. There are two sensibilities that must be considered when this symbol appears in a dream. The first is the creative impulse to capture an element of life unfolding. The ability to record, pause, fast-forward, and watch at your leisure instills a sense of control in the meaning of video in a dream.
Video Games: Video games are symbolic of total and utter escapism and mindless thought. They are a modern phenomenon that will have very different symbolic meaning based on your personal relationship to them. The diehard gamer will have a joyous experience of that escapism, while a critic might hold a more judgmental perspective. Where you stand on this continuum will provide the full picture for your interpretation. There is a perspective of video games that connects to a type of skill building; however, those skills have very little practical value outside of the realm of playing the game repeatedly. This is where the element of mindless thought enters into the symbolic meaning of video games. The presence of a video game in a dream is an ironic appearance of detachment and should be considered as a possible defense against whatever the unconscious mind may be attempting to express. If someone in your dream is playing a video game, understanding the character aspect in you that the person represents will identify what area of your consciousness is avoiding reality.
Viking: You are dreaming about a deep-rooted sense of archetypal power. The Vikings were a fearsome nation of traders and explorers who crossed the expanse of the Atlantic Ocean and Northern Europe early in the last millennium. We still connect to their powerful mythology led by the Norse god Odin through the collective unconscious. In modern media mythology, Vikings are ferocious warriors and conquerors. A dream about a Viking is to be calling upon this masculine-principle form of power to enter your life in some circumstance that is asking you to be more decisive and action-oriented. The most universal image of a Viking for people today is of a rugged sea traveler who is large in stature and strong in every way. If a Viking character appears in a dream, you may be being called by something from this mythology through the power of the collective.
Vineyard: A vineyard yields the fruit of the vine, and the symbolic meaning of this in a dream connects directly to the power of the grape. Wine is an ancient beverage that connects to celebration and ritual as well as a desire to escape and revel in excess. The vineyard is the source of all these elements of life.
Violet: Violet is the final color of the spectrum and is considered the most spiritual. It is connected to the crown of the head and therefore is not encumbered by the demands of the body. In this way, it is the vibration that is connected to us, but reaches upward into higher realms of energy. There are many examples of violet (more commonly referred to as purple) being associated with spirituality and high levels of consciousness. Merlin, the wizard from the King Arthur tales, is often depicted as wearing a purple hat. The Purple Heart medal represents the ultimate in bravery. In Catholicism during the holiday of Lent, all images of Christ are covered with purple. People who meditate with discipline report seeing violet light as part of the trance experience.
Virgin Mary: This is one of the most profoundly powerful archetypes of love and compassion. To be visited by Mother Mary is to be comforted at a deep level, as she has the ability to take away any pain, no matter how devastating that pain may be. Such a dream image is powerful indeed, even if you do not resonate with this image from a religious perspective.
Vitamins: When vitamins appear in a dream, you are concerned about your health and are looking for quick answers to whatever ails you. A supplement promises to make up for things that may be lacking elsewhere, so consider this dream as possibly pointing to a need for more balance.
Volcano: A volcano is symbolic of the possibility for a rageful, destructive expression after prolonged constraint or restraint. The outer image of the volcano reveals the aftermath of the essence of this symbol: constraint or restraint. The earth’s crust can only hold back the brewing force of heat and combustion for so long before the buildup of pressure generates an explosive eruption that permanently changes the landscape. The intense heat and molten lava connect to feelings of rage, anger, and any other suppressed emotions of great power. The eruption is the breaking point that is either imminent or close at hand. A dormant volcano connects to past issues of pent-up stressors that no longer threaten your comfort and safety. An active volcano indicates an ongoing, volatile situation that is still emitting steam and could erupt again at any moment.
Vomiting: A dream that features vomiting reflects a need to reject and expel harmful emotions or ideas. The body possesses a natural reflex for getting rid of something harmful that has entered the digestive system. This regulatory impulse senses the presence of toxins or poisons and triggers a muscular contraction to expel the unwanted material. While vomiting can be caused by different stimuli, from tainted food to a viral infection to self-inducement, the symbolic meaning is the same: getting rid of something that is perceived to be bad. Because of the connection between vomit and food, this image will always have something to do with nurturance and self-care. If it shows up in a dream, there is something amiss in how you are being nurtured. (See Gagging.)
Voodoo: Voodoo is a fairly misunderstood religion that is pagan in nature and is often thought of as being connected to evil intentions. The common perspective about voodoo is that the practitioners of it have the power to control and manipulate human experience through magical interventions. To dream of this may connect to fears of things of a mystical nature and an expression of the shadowy side of the mysteries of life.
Voting: The ultimate act in the principle of democracy in action, voting connects to the power of the collective consciousness in action. If you are voting in a dream, you are exploring the ways in which small ideas or thoughts have the capacity to be gathered in great number in order to create change. There is also an element around voting that creates a boundary separation between sides, and you are either voting for or against something or someone. Such a dream may be asking you to take a stand in your life: yes or no.
Vulture: The vulture is a scavenger bird and is therefore a harbinger of death. All birds are messengers of some kind, and the vulture’s presence is a signal that some negative experience has occurred.