Guide to Fortune-Telling by Dreams

ONEIROLOGY. The Science of Foretelling Future Events by Dreams.

Since the world began, “coming events have cast shadows before,” and many of the important incidents in our lives are shown us in our dreams if we only understood their full interpretation.

The following are a few of the most certain signs, and can almost invariably be relied upon. For dreams not mentioned here, a pleasant dream almost invariably indicates good health, successful ventures and general prosperity, while evil dreams are forebodings of ill health and other troubles.

Abuse.—To dream that you are abused and insulted is a certain sign you will have a dispute with some person with whom you have business, and, after such a dream, you should be particularly careful to be as gentle and mild as possible, that you may not give those with whom you have dealings any advantage over you; if you are in love, be assured that some one has attempted to injure you with the object of your affections, and that they have in a great measure succeeded. You should, therefore, after such a dream, be particularly attentive; eradicate the unfavorable impressions that have been made; if you have a lawsuit, keep a sharp lookout after your attorney, for such a dream, in that case, denotes that he is endeavoring to sell your cause; avoid taking a journey by land, or a voyage by sea, for eight and forty hours, because such a dream forebodes accidents by travelling.

Abraham.—To dream of Abraham denotes good fortune, accumulation of riches; in love, many rivals; in law, many difficulties, an increase in your business. He may give you some valuable information how to avoid trouble.

Adam.—To dream of Adam is a particularly good omen, and brings good fortune to the dreamer.

Adversary.—To dream you meet with an adversary denotes that you will overcome some obstacle to your happiness; if you are a lover, you will conquer some powerful rival, and be happy in your love; your affairs are going on well; if you are in trade, an increase of business; if you quarrel, and he overcomes you, it is a good sign, for you will conquer all obstacles to your promotion, happiness and fortune; but, if you conquer him, then you will never rise to any great preferment by the means you are at present adopting; many things will miscarry with you, but in general you will be fortunate.

Acquaintance.—To dream you quarrel or fight with an acquaintance is unlucky; it forebodes a division amongst your own family, much to the injury and prejudice of the dreamer; if you are in love, your sweetheart will prove unfaithful, and marry some one else; if you are in business, heavy loss will befall you, and you will disagree with some of your best friends on the most trivial matters; if you have a law-suit, your attorney will neglect you, your witnesses will be tardy and backward, and finally you will lose your cause. Do not for some time undertake a journey by land, or a voyage by sea, or enter into new undertakings, for you will be unsuccessful; leave, if you can, your present place of residence, and, above all, avoid lending money, for you will surely lose it, together with the friendship of those to whom you lend it.

Angels.—To dream you see angels in your sleep is a sure sign that one is near you, therefore be mindful of the rest of your dream, for it will come to pass pretty accurately; should you dream you see an angel, or angels, then it denotes health, prosperity, and much happiness, with many children who will turn out good. If you are in love, nothing can be more favorable, and all your undertakings will prosper and be advantageous to you.

Apparitions.—To dream you see a ghost, hobgoblin, spectre, and such kind of things, is of a very unfortunate nature, they denote vexation and disappointment; if you are in love, it is a certain sign of your not being beloved in return. Some one is about to deceive you and you are friendly with one who is your most inveterate enemy; do not undertake a journey, for it will be unfortunate for you; be careful of contracting debts, for such a dream forebodes great trouble through some one to whom you shall owe money.

Asps.—To dream of asps denotes that you will become extremely rich, and have great quantities of money by you; if you are in love, it imports that your love will be returned, and that your sweetheart will become through your means extremely wealthy.

Bagpipes.—To dream of this instrument of Scottish music indicates that the dreamer will experience great trouble, and that he will labor to little purpose; in love, it denotes that the marriage state will be full of cares, and that you will in it experience much poverty and distress.

Basin.—To dream you are eating or drinking out of a basin is a certain sign that you will soon be in love, but without great care you will not marry the first object of your affections; it denotes prosperity in your trade; and to the farmer, a good crop.

Bathing.—To dream you are bathing yourself in clear water denotes happiness, prosperity, and success in love; if the water is dirty, then it foretells shame and sorrow, and a disappointment in love.

Beans.—To dream of beans is an unfavorable dream, it is the forerunner of troubles and quarrels; if you are in love, expect a difference between you and your sweetheart.

Bees.—To dream of them has a variety of interpretations according to their different situations. To dream they sting you denotes loss of good character, and, if you are in love, of your sweetheart.

To dream you see them at work is very lucky, and means success by your industry; if you are in love, you will marry the object of your affections. To dream you see them making their honey under your own roof is the best omen in the world, it denotes riches, a good husband or wife, good children, whatever you undertake will be prosperous. For the rich to dream of bees is rather unlucky; but to the poor they denote comfort, affluence and success.

Beheading.—To dream you see any one beheaded is a good omen; if you are in love, you will marry the object of your affections; if you are in trouble of any kind, it will speedily vanish; it denotes, also, that you will see some friend who has long been absent, and that he will be in good health.

Bells.—To dream you hear the bells ringing denotes a speedy marriage, and that you will receive some very good news.

Buildings.—To dream of being amongst buildings denotes that you will change your present place of residence, and that you will make many new friends in life; if you are in love, it foretells your sweetheart is about to remove at a distance from you, and that you will be in danger of losing the affections of your lover by new faces.

Cats.—To dream of these domestic animals is indicative of much trouble and vexation; it denotes to the lover that your sweetheart is treacherous; if you keep servants, they are unfaithful and will rob you. To dream you kill a cat denotes that you will discover a thief, and prosecute him to conviction; expect, also, to lose your own liberty through the insincerity of some pretended friend.

Climbing.—To dream you are climbing a tree denotes some honor in the State, and success in life; if you are in love, you will marry your sweetheart after a long courtship. To dream you are climbing up a very steep hill or place foretells many difficulties and much sickness; if you reach the top, you will get over all your difficulties, and recover from your illness; but if you awake before you have attained the top, you will be disappointed in love and other projects in life, and die in your next illness.

Church.—To dream of a church is portentous of evil. If you are in a church during divine service, you will be engaged in a lawsuit or some quarrel that will very near ruin you; if you are in love, your sweetheart is unfaithful, and prefers another.

Dancing.—To dream you are dancing at a ball, wake or entertainment foretells that you will shortly receive some joyful news from a long absent friend, or that you are about to inherit some unexpected legacy; it foretells success and happiness in love; your sweetheart is kind and true, and will make you very happy in marriage; increase of children to married persons, and of business to those in trade.

Darkness.—To dream you are in a very dark place, or that you are in the dark, is a very unfavorable omen; to the lover, it denotes the loss of your sweetheart; to the trader, loss by debts, business; to the farmer, bad crops; to the sailor, shipwreck and misfortune. To dream you get out of darkness into light denotes good to the dreamer; if you are in poverty, you will rise to riches and honor; if you are in love, it denotes a happy marriage and many children, with an industrious husband or wife; expect also to hear some glad tidings from a far distant country.

Earthquake.—To dream of an earthquake warns you that your affairs are about to take a very great change; if you see many houses tumbled into ruins, then it will be much for the better; should the houses appear to stand, then for the worse; for the lover, it foretells that your sweetheart is about to take a journey, and that it is a chance if you ever see each other again.

Eating.—To dream you are eating is a very unfavorable omen; it portends disunion amongst your family, losses in trade, and disappointment in love. To see others eating is of a contrary tendency, and foretells success in all your present enterprises; that your sweetheart is kind and faithful, and if you marry the present object of your affections that you will grow rich, be happy and have dutiful children.

Fall.—To dream you fall from any very high place, or from a tree, denotes loss of place and goods; if you are in love, it surely indicates that you will never marry the present object of your affections; to the tradesman, it denotes a decline of business, and to the sailor, storms and shipwreck.

Fighting.—To dream you are fighting denotes to the lover that you will lose the object of your affections through a foolish quarrel; it also forebodes much opposition to your wishes, with loss of character and property. After such a dream you should leave your present situation, because such a dream indicates that you will not prosper in it; to the sailor it denotes storms and shipwreck, with disappointment in love.

Fire.—To dream of this subtle element denotes health and happiness to the lover, marriage with the object of your affections, and many children; you will be very angry with some one on a trifling occasion. Burning lights descending, as it were from heaven, are a very bad sign; it portends some dreadful accident—having your brains dashed out, breaking your legs, getting into prison, or other strange accidents; to the lover it also denotes the loss of the affections of your sweetheart; to the tradesman bad fortune in business. To dream that you are burnt by fire denotes great danger, and that enemies will injure you.

Fishing.—To dream you are fishing is a sure sign of sorrow and trouble; if you catch any fish you will be successful in love and business; if you catch none you will never marry your present sweetheart, nor succeed in your present undertakings; if they slip out of your hands after you have caught them, the person you marry will be of a roving disposition, and some pretended friend will deceive you.

Flowers.—To dream you are gathering flowers is a very favorable omen; expect to thrive in everything you undertake, and that you will be successful in love, marry happily, and have beautiful children; should they wither under your hands, then heavy losses in trade; that your sweetheart will die; or, if you are married, that you will lose your husband or wife, and also your favorite child.

Fortune.—To dream you make a sudden fortune is a very bad omen; to the tradesman it forbodes losses in trade and quarreling with his creditors; to the lover, it denotes that your sweetheart does not return your love. To dream you are acquiring a fortune is favorable, it portends a good legacy and success in love.

Garden.—To dream you are walking in a garden is of a very favorable nature; it portends elevation in fortune and dignity; to the lover it denotes great success and an advantageous marriage; to the tradesman it promises increase of business; to the farmer, plentiful crops.

Gifts.—To dream you have anything given you is a sign that some good is about to happen to you; it also denotes that a speedy marriage will take place betwixt you and your sweetheart. To dream you have given anything away is the forerunner of adversity; and in love denotes sickness and inconstancy in your sweetheart or partner.

Horses.—To dream of these useful animals is good; if you are mounted on a fine horse, you will marry a rich person, who will do well, and make you happy; it shows change in life; if you fall from your horse difficulties will occur, and some unexpected disaster befall you.

Knives.—To dream of knives is a very unpropitious omen; it betokens law-suits, poverty, disgrace, strife, and a general failure in the pursuit of your projects; in love, it shows that your sweetheart is of a bad temper, and unfaithful, and that if you marry, you will live in enmity and misery.

Marriage.—To dream you are married is ominous of death, and very unfavorable to the dreamer; it denotes poverty, a prison, and misfortunes. To dream you assist at a wedding is the forerunner of some pleasing news and great success. To dream of lying with your newly married husband or wife threatens danger and sudden misfortunes, and also that you will lose a part of your property.

Shoes.—To dream you have a new pair of shoes denotes much success in life and triumph over your enemies; in love, a speedy marriage and infidelity. In the married state, an increase of children. To dream your shoes are worn out and bad, shows decay in circumstances and loss of friends; in love, it foretells the infidelity of your lover, who will marry another.

Silk.—To dream you see silk, either in pieces or for sewing, signifies prosperity and success in undertakings; to the lover, it denotes a sweetheart of an industrious disposition, good tempered, and very faithful; in trade, it foretells increase of business, by means of women. To be clothed in silk foretells honors and riches, but you will quarrel with a rich neighbor, who will endeavor to do you mischief. For a married woman to dream of being dressed in a silk gown, shows her husband is fond of some one who will nearly ruin him. If a maiden dreams of it, she will speedily see her lover.

Silver.—To dream of this valuable metal shows that false friends are about you, and will attempt your ruin; in love, it denotes falsehood in your sweetheart. To receive or pick up pieces of silver money, if they are small, denotes want and a prison; if they are quarters, they indicate the receipt of a small sum of money, and the acquisition of some new friends; but if they are half-dollars or dollars, they denote misery, a prison and failure in your undertakings, disappointment in your love, and loss of law-suits, attacks from thieves and bankruptcy in trade. If a woman with child dreams of silver, it shows she will have a girl, but the child will grow poor.

Singing.—To dream you are singing shows that you will hear shortly some very melancholy news; to the lover, your sweetheart is bad tempered and unfaithful; to the tradesman, losses by sharpers. To dream that you only hear singing and merry making shows that you will have some agreeable news from a person long absent; if you are in a prison, it foretells you will speedily regain your liberty.

Tombs.—To dream of being amongst the tombs denotes a speedy marriage, great success in business, and the gaining of a lawsuit; also the birth of children, and unexpected news.

Treasure.—To dream you find a treasure in the earth is very ominous; it shows that you will be betrayed by your bosom friend; your sweetheart is unfaithful and deceives you; if you should not be able to carry it away, you will have some very heavy losses; if you have lawsuit it will go against you by the treachery of your attorney.

Trees.—To dream you see trees in blossom denotes a happy marriage with the present object of your affections, and many children who will do extremely well in life; to the tradesman it denotes success in business. To dream you are climbing trees denotes that you will make a fortune, and rise to honors and dignities in the State. To dream you are cutting down trees foretells the death of a near relation or dear friend.

Walking.—To dream you are walking in a dirty, muddy place foretells sickness and vexation; to the lover it denotes your sweetheart to be bad tempered and unfaithful; to the tradesman it foretells dishonest servants, and loss of goods by fire.

Water.—To dream you are drinking water denotes great trouble and adversity; in trade, loss of business, and being arrested; to the lover it shows your sweetheart is false, prefers another, and will never marry you.

Wedding.—To dream of being married, or at a wedding, is a very unfavorable dream, especially for lovers; it denotes the death of some dear friend or relation, with loss of property and severe disappointment.