What Dreaming About Money Means
Dreaming about money often means one thing; you don't have enough of it. Money worries can plague our waking life in such a way we find our very existence nightmarish. It is no wonder then money appears commonly in our dreams. The influence money have in our world is great. It seeps into almost every aspects of our lives: our work, our families and even our self-worth. With such wide ranging effects, it can be difficult to interpret the images we see when money comes in to our dreams. One of the reasons is that financial worries, while often appearing in our dreams, usually come in the form of some other symbol. So, if we want to know what dreaming about money means, we have to look a little deeper. Fortunately, oneHOWTO is here to do just that.
Steps to follow:
Losing money
Have you ever thought you had a 20 in your pocket and reached in only to feel the sharp panic of it not being there. Even a little money lost can affect our day. Losing a lot of money can destroy some people. If you dream of losing money in your dream, however, you need to think about what this money symbolizes.
Many people place their own self-worth (how they value themselves) in how much money they have. If you dream of losing a lot of money, it could be a sign that your self-esteem is being depleted. Have you had a recent knock in confidence? Is there a situation which has been wearing you down, such as a disenfranchising job or a relationship not going well? If so, the losing money aspect of your dream could be a sign that your confidence is dwindling.
How you lose money in the dream is important. If you lose it all in one go, say you have big stacks of cash which are there one second and gone the next, it could mean you have had a major event shake things up. It could be a personal loss, say not achieving something you were expecting. It could be an actual loss in the form of losing someone close to you.
If you slowly lose money in your dream, it's likely to be something a little more psychologically tricky. Maybe there have been times in your life where confidence ebbs and flows. Maybe you have never been confident. If this lack of confidence is starting to wear away at you, maybe it will appear in the form of a dream of losing money.
Earning money
As we said before, many of the financial worries we have in our lives often appear in our dreams as something different. When it comes to actually seeing money in our dreams, it is common for this to mean something else. If you are steadily earning money, then it usually means that something you are working towards is starting to may off. If you are a material person, then it could be as simple as you have been earning rewards for the work you do. Maybe your career is starting to pick up or the studying you have been doing is coming to a positive end.
Earning money in a dream could be something else which you progressively work towards. Maybe your relationship is starting to get going. You are earning some trust and are able to relax a little in each other's company. Maybe the self-confidence you lost (represented by the aforementioned dream) is starting to build back up. Generally, earning money in your dream is a positive sign, but it also depends on your own relationship to money in the first place.
Winning money
The difference between earning money and winning money in a dream is one of agency. Earning money means something you are doing is affecting your life. Winning money means something seemingly outside of your control is affecting you. While you may buy a ticket for the lottery, it is luck, fortune or whatever you want to call it which leads you to winning.
If you win a lot of money in a dream, it could mean that you feel as if you have been receiving some good luck recently. Where this good luck strikes depends on your situation. However, it also depends how you react to this windfall in your dream.
If you win a lot of money in your dream, but it makes you feel uncomfortable or scared, perhaps you are dealing with some guilt. Maybe you have been receiving some good luck, but you feel guilty about it. Perhaps you have benefited in a situation which disadvantaged some other person. It may not have been from your own action, but you benefit nonetheless. This could be some guilt showing itself through your subconscious.
Finding money
Similar to winning money, finding money might be something which is out of your control. If you stumble upon it, it could evoke some of the same emotions of winning money in a sweepstake or lottery. Again, how you react to this discovery is telling.
However, you might find money because you are looking for it. Many childhood dreams are of going on treasure hunts or looking for some sort of adventure. If you have been pushing yourself in your life lately, maybe you are reaping some of the rewards. If you have started a new job, gone back to study, entered (or even left) a relationship, you might feel like you are making some progress. Finding money at the end of this could be a way of your sleep to reward you for putting yourself out there.
Equally, you might simply be lacking some sort of adventure in your life. If you feel like you discover money in your dream because you have pushed yourself, then maybe you need to do a little more of this in your life.
Borrowing money
If you need to borrow money in your waking life, it means you have lost the power to be self-reliant. This could be for many reasons, often not your fault. If you have to borrow money in your dream, you may be worried about having control over your own life. Maybe it is related to the knock in confidence we mentioned earlier. Maybe it is a physical thing when some illness is reducing your activeness. Dreaming of having to borrow money could be a worry over not being able to look after yourself as you get older.
Burning money
Famously the two man art collective, The K Foundation, burned a million pounds on the Scottish island of Jura. Both art critics and the artists themselves are still wondering what this controversial act actually meant[1]. If you dream of burning money in your dream, then it can also be a very confusing image to interpret.
What it likely means is wasting whatever the money represents. For many, this might be potential. Having money means you have the potential to buy whatever this amount of money can afford. If you burn piles of money in your dream, you might be worried you are wasting your own potential. Maybe you haven't asked a certain person out. Maybe you have lots of academic degrees, but still can 't find the energy to go out and get a proper career (whatever that is).
Stealing money
If you have a dream where you are stealing money, it is probably a sign you need to be cautious. Maybe it is simply that you have been living beyond your means. You have been spending too much and earning too little. If you steal money in your dream, it could be a sign that things are getting a little desperate.
This desperation doesn't necessarily have to be monetary. You could be desperate about a relationship, family matter, government concern, political situation, just about anything. If you steal money in a dream, it's likely because you want to get something more quickly and without care to the hurt you cause others. This is something people do out of desperation.
As you should consider with any dream about money, stealing money in a dream depends on how you feel about it. If you feel great and go on a consequence free spending spree, maybe you are worried you have been getting away with something you shouldn't. Maybe you got a promotion you feel you didn't deserve or have been given praise for something which should have been given to another. However, feeling guilty after you steal money could also have a similar interpretation.
As with all dreams, you need to think about your specific circumstances at the time of the dream as well as your general mental proclivities. If you are a confident person, selfish person, kind character or whatever type of complicated personality you may be, the dream will have to be understood in this context.
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