Sunday, May 27, 2001		Dream theme

Dreaming of Numbers
by Vinaya Katoch Manhas

DREAMING of numbers For a gambler, whose life revolves around numbers, to dream of them is not strange, neither would it be so for a mathematician whose mind is full of them. When the same principle is applied to a person who does not have much to do with numbers, numbers become a prominent symbol in our dreams and their significance alters.

Within the Indian theory one is not able to find much literature on dreams related to numbers. The numbers 8 and 18 are not thought to be lucky and prove ill for your offspring. Where 8 is harmful, 18 shall put him in a difficult situation but no harm shall befall them. On the contrary, number 11 is thought to bring good fortune to the dreamer. Nu ber10 shall bring fulfilment of wishes. Number 7 predicts disturbances and obstructions in a job which would have otherwise been fulfilled. With number 9 you shall notice an increase in your courage level. With no 6, you shall form love relations and with number 4 you shall receive success but with great difficulty and struggle. With number 2 you shall find yourself uncertain on particular matters but with number 1 you shall gain in position and with number 3 you shall gain in financial matters. Western theologists did not consider dreams of numbers lucky and thought it called for distress and dissatisfaction in personal matters.

Psychoanalytically, numbers in dreams have personal significance, such as a particular date, or the number of a house that people have lived in. Our minds retain the significance of the number, although we do not consciously remember it ourselves. Symbolically numbers have their significance in all systems of belief and religion which get portrayed in the dreams. Number 1 always stands for accomplishments in any work you do or have undertaken. Number 0, the cipher, holds within itself all potentials. It is the feminine archetype. Number 1 also represents within you the qualities of independence, self-respect, intolerance, conceit and stubbornness. Number 4 is a family number, of a secure and a sheltered home. It portrays loyalty, stolidity, practicality and honesty. Number 2 presents duality, indecisiveness which could mean your personal or business relations need handling carefully due to these traits. Number 3 represents the triangle, stability and success shall materialise. It portrays the quality of freedom, enthusiasm, over-confidence and impatience. Number 10 is the representation of the male and the female together. It is a prediction of a new beginning. Number 5 is a representation of the five senses, the human body. Number 7 represents the cycle of life.

Take the dream of an 11-year-old boy and his 35 year-old-mother. Both mother and son would often dream of number 30 since the past few months. The result was that in their ignorance, the family related it to the 30th of the month and looked upon that day with trepidation every month expecting either something good or bad. After consulting a psychiatrist and a few sessions later, it came to light that seven years back the family had met with a major accident on their scooter. At the time of accident, the mother was making the child memorise his numbers and make him learn number 30. This number unconsciously got associated with the accident. The news of a relative passing away in an accident had coincidentally triggered off the memory of their accidentally with the occurrence of the particular number 30. When they were made to realise the correlation, the dreams stopped.