The Book of Dream Symbols

I loved this book from the moment I read the first paragraph. Klaus Vollmar shares my approach to dream interpretation - that the symbols carry more than one meaning, and frequently a variety of symbols can have similar meanings. Dreams should not be interpreted intellectually. They should be interpreted intuitively as the dreamer perceives them, not as the books and shrinks say. The true interpretation can really only be understood by the dreamer. I agree with him 100 percent. I feel so strongly about this that I don't even take specific questions when I do tarot and rune readings and receive very positive feedback. Vollmar also skips the ten pages of history and biological/physiological/psychiatric babble found in nearly every dream symbol dictionary. He touches on history, Freud and Jung briefly and goes into discussion on folklore and cultural meanings within the symbol definitions themselves. This is refreshing - he doesn't seem to feel that he has to establish his expertise and doesn't waste time writing about what's been done to death. At the end of the book is a short chapter with a list of questions that the dreamer can ask themselves to assist in interpreting their dreams. He states that this is designed for people who don't have a lot of time to do a complicated reading. I appreciate that as well. My favorite tool is Kaplan-Williams' Dream Cards but this method is very time consuming. The symbols are listed in three columns on each page and are comprehensive. No dream dictionary is perfect, but Vollmar's index also isn't filled with "see _____" for half of the symbols. Illustrations are colorful but not distracting and the book is hardcover. An amazingly informative book for a small price.