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Cyclopedia Of Dreams: More Than 350 Symbols and Interpretations
A handy bedside reference guide to interpreting your dreams, with more than 350 symbols and interpretations.
640 pages, Paperback
First published May 23, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 24, 2019
I thought this would just be a coffee-table book solely for entertainment (based on its dimensions - it's maybe 6x5x2.5") However, inside was a wealth of information. It wasn't the frivolous read I anticipated. I actually spent months reading and learning. It's divided up into several sections.
What I really liked is that the interpretations of several different subjects give you examples of what objects mean but place a great deal of emphasis that interpretation of your dreams must be done with special reference to your own associations with said objects. The book mentions objects that serve as archetypes but points out that depending on culture (and your own perspective/emotions/association towards that object) the object can symbolize very different things.
After the dream topics, dream theory gets covered. Lohff talks about Freud. He cites Freud as setting an important foundation, but also points out that (and why/how) Freud gets way too carried away on insisting that everything is sexual. Lohff talks a lot about Jung, and it's clear that he subscribes far more to Jung's theories than Freud's.
I learned some dream terminology (which is something I never even considered existed) as well as bio info about several dream theorists. This was more textbook-style writing but still very interesting. All the sections in the book are divided into small segments of terms, so it's set up as a reference instead of sitting down for a read the way I did it. The set-up and inclusion of an index make the book very handy and interesting for the coffee table.
The dream perspectives are also really comprehensive: Christian, Jewish, Muslim (a few different sects which have different perspectives), Tao, Hindu, Spiritualist, Native American, and Aboriginal.
Then the reader gets instructions on how to keep a dream journal if they want to. The style Lohff uses to present the information is very effective. It's always a suggestion with a reminder to do what works for you. The elements of his suggestions are consistent and useful, though. Lohff also gives helpful examples on how, when, and what to record, and then later how and when to interpret. It was actually pretty interesting!
After the section on theory and theorists comes a collection of quotes about dreams. That section was short but fun. Then you get a bibliography and index.
The one thing I really struggled with was the atrocious editing job. There were many misspellings, terrible grammar, missing words, missing periods, comma misplacement, and totally wrong word usage (eg. "...you may want to rely on your dreams and what they are telling you, to affect positive changes in your life") EFFECT! Sometimes affect/effect are used correctly, sometimes not. Also - no comma after "you". It's one of the worst editing jobs I've seen - comparable to Stephenie Meyer's editor.
What I really liked is that the interpretations of several different subjects give you examples of what objects mean but place a great deal of emphasis that interpretation of your dreams must be done with special reference to your own associations with said objects. The book mentions objects that serve as archetypes but points out that depending on culture (and your own perspective/emotions/association towards that object) the object can symbolize very different things.
After the dream topics, dream theory gets covered. Lohff talks about Freud. He cites Freud as setting an important foundation, but also points out that (and why/how) Freud gets way too carried away on insisting that everything is sexual. Lohff talks a lot about Jung, and it's clear that he subscribes far more to Jung's theories than Freud's.
I learned some dream terminology (which is something I never even considered existed) as well as bio info about several dream theorists. This was more textbook-style writing but still very interesting. All the sections in the book are divided into small segments of terms, so it's set up as a reference instead of sitting down for a read the way I did it. The set-up and inclusion of an index make the book very handy and interesting for the coffee table.
The dream perspectives are also really comprehensive: Christian, Jewish, Muslim (a few different sects which have different perspectives), Tao, Hindu, Spiritualist, Native American, and Aboriginal.
Then the reader gets instructions on how to keep a dream journal if they want to. The style Lohff uses to present the information is very effective. It's always a suggestion with a reminder to do what works for you. The elements of his suggestions are consistent and useful, though. Lohff also gives helpful examples on how, when, and what to record, and then later how and when to interpret. It was actually pretty interesting!
After the section on theory and theorists comes a collection of quotes about dreams. That section was short but fun. Then you get a bibliography and index.
The one thing I really struggled with was the atrocious editing job. There were many misspellings, terrible grammar, missing words, missing periods, comma misplacement, and totally wrong word usage (eg. "...you may want to rely on your dreams and what they are telling you, to affect positive changes in your life") EFFECT! Sometimes affect/effect are used correctly, sometimes not. Also - no comma after "you". It's one of the worst editing jobs I've seen - comparable to Stephenie Meyer's editor.
March 21, 2007
A good basic reference, wish there were more symbols, but what more can I ask of a portable book?
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews