Our emotional requirement, particularly responsiveness to the more subtle energy of spirituality, allows us to begin the process of self-development. A 'lifting of the spirits' is indeed a change in consciousness and perhaps a reaching towards something beyond ourselves. Occasionally, in order to understand a dream, it is easier to ignore the symbolisms and concentrate on the moods, feelings and emotions that have surfaced. This will often give us a clearer interpretation of our state of mind, rather than confusing ourselves by trying to interpret myriad symbols. Within the framework of a dream our emotions can seem very different to those we have in everyday life. They may be more extreme, for instance, almost as though we have given ourselves freedom of expression, or we may be able to notice that there are strange swings of mood. Thus joy is extreme pleasure and despair a lack of hope. Negative emotions such as the latter are often easier to acknowledge within dreams rather than in real life. You might also wish to consult the entries for Anger, Hysterics and Weeping.