The idea of life being a journey or of journeying towards maturity is a large part of spiritual discipline. There is the Hero's journey as he (or she) discovers the meaning of life, overcomes challenges and reaches autonomy. In addition there is the journey as depicted by the Major Arcana in the Tarot which illustrates the main processes that the incarnate soul (living being) goes through in the search for spirituality. The image of a journey becomes more apparent as time goes on and death approaches. We become more aware of reaching our final destination. The image of a journey is a very potent one in dream work. Any time the idea of a journey becomes apparent, it is to do with the way that we carry on our everyday lives and how we move forward. Every step that we take towards understanding ourselves and the world we live in can be pictured in terms of a journey, and the dreams that a person has reflect that movement. Making a long journey, for example, suggests leaving friends and family, as would running away to sea. Making a short journey would be investigating an idea or principle in the short term. A difficult journey now behind us means we have come through the difficulties and set-backs of the past. In our ordinary everyday speech we use idioms to suggest our understanding. We speak of the ups and downs of life, of being at a standstill and so on. Each moment is totally unique, and that uniqueness is reflected in our dreams. Mostly dreams are about the here and now and give a snapshot picture as to what is happening at this particular moment, on our individual journey and are therefore a rich source of information as to our psychological or inner state. The images that appear in dreams will reflect how we are feeling, what obstacles there are, possible courses of action and what our ultimate goal should or may be in our everyday lives. The dream will bring in images from the past or recognizable scenes to help us interpret what is going on and move forward to meet our destiny. The mode of transport we use for our journey is also important. Consult the entry for Transport. Some important images to do with journeys are as follows: Avoiding an accident- means we are able to control our impulses, whereas collisions or other such accidents represent arguments and conflicts which are often caused by our own aggression. Also consult the entry for Accident. Departures from airports, stations, etc- formerly all departures were interpreted as death. Nowadays the symbolism is much more of a new beginning. We are leaving our old life in order to undertake something new. When someone in our lives leaves us, we may dream of departures and the grief that parting causes. In certain circumstances, to dream of wanting to leave but not being able to suggests that there is still further work to be done. To be conscious of the time of departure might suggest that we are aware of a time limit within an area of our lives. You may also like to consult the individual entries for Airport and Departing. Destinations- when they become apparent, will give some ideas about the aims and objectives we have. Our declared hopes and ideals may not correspond with those we subconsciously have our inner motivation may be totally different to our outer behaviour and dreams will highlight this discrepancy. The exact nature of our objective is often not known to us until after we have confronted the obstacles and challenges along the way. It is often enough just to have an aim for that particular section of the journey. Hills- going uphill suggests extra effort is necessary, while going downhill will suggest lack of control. Also consult the individual entry for Hill. Obstacles ahead- these indicate that we are aware of difficulties which may occur. We do need to be aware that we ourselves create the problems. Our own attitude to life is perhaps responsible. Passenger- it will depend if we are a passenger in a vehicle or are carrying passengers as to the interpretation. If the former, we may feel that we are being carried along by circumstances, and have not really thought out our own way forward. If the latter, we may have knowingly or inadvertently made ourselves responsible for other people in some way. Travelling with one other passenger suggests we may be considering our relationship with that person or whatever they represent. Also consult the individual entry for Passenger. Road or path- the road or path in a dream suggests our own individual way forward. Just as in dreams, an individual vehicle represents the dreamer's body and external way of being, so the road reflects the way of doing. Any obstacle in the road will reflect difficulties on the chosen path whereas turns in the road will suggest changes of direction. Crossroads will offer choices, while a cul-de-sac would signify a dead end or non-success. If a particular stretch of road is highlighted it may be a period of time, or may mean an effort. Also consult the individual entries for Crossroads, Cul-de-sac and Path. Road rage- road rage appearing in dreams is an aspect of suppressed anger. It signifies a complete loss of control, both of our emotions and of common sense. It will depend on whether we are the victim of such rage or the perpetrator as to the interpretation. Standstill- being at a standstill or blocked in some way indicates we are being prevented, or are preventing ourselves, from moving forward. This needs handling with care, since to stop may be appropriate. Frequently finding ourselves stopping and starting suggests there is conflict between laziness and drive or ambition. Walk- if in our dreams we are aware of having to walk, it usually suggests that we are capable of making a part of our life journey by ourselves without any help. Hill walking or similar outdoor activities suggest that we enjoy challenging ourselves. Going for a walk showswe can enjoy the process of recharging our batteries and clearing our minds.