Sunday, June 22, 2003		Dream Theme

Dreaming of spades
Vinaya K. Manhas

IN dreams, more than spades themselves, it is the task to which these are put that is of significance. A dream of using a spade to hit somebody carries an interpretation different from that of a dream of using a spade to dig a grave or maybe a garden. One could also dream of a spade lying on the ground, or being used to pick up garbage or clean sewage.

As per Indian thought, to see yourself digging with a spade or a shovel is a good omen. It means that success awaits you. Should you use it as an instrument for hitting out at someone in your dreams, you are warned to beware of an injury. If you see yourself digging a field with a spade to prepare it for sowing crops, it is again a good omen. It means that you shall succeed in your work and endeavours and gain what you have desired.

As per western thought, dreams of spades predict that pending work will catch your attention. A job that you have been trying to avoid will acquire precedence in completion, much to your irritation. Should the spade break while you are working, it means that not getting what you want shall frustrate you. To dream of a digging a field predicts that work shall be pleasant but will require a lot of effort.

Psychoanalytically speaking, seeing a spade in your dream signifies the need to dig into your past to solve problems in the present. Doing this shall bring to light important information, which shall prove to be of major help. It can also denote the need to cover up or conceal, for instance a dream in which you see yourself filling up a hole or covering some object with mud, and using a shovel to pick up the mud or stones. It denotes the need to be careful of revealing your private thoughts to others. What you are shovelling is also of importance in interpreting dreams. For instance, dry and rocky land predicts fruitlessness of your efforts, while sand symbolises the sands of time, and shovelling fertilisers predicts fruitfulness of your efforts.

A 32-year-old man would repeatedly dream of himself shovelling his backyard in pitch dark. He would keep shovelling, making the hole bigger and deeper. But he would never see the end of the dream. In all probability the man has a past to hide. The guilt of that past and the fear of its being revealed is leading to the recurrence of this dream. The dream ending without any conclusion is a portrayal of his fear of finding no way out.