Keep a journal by your bed. Many people find they forget details of dreams shortly after waking up. Jot down everything you remember. Track specifics, like colors, shapes, sounds, words, and so on. The more detailed of a description you leave, the easier it will be to interpret the dream’s meaning.
Think about how you’re feeling upon waking up. Do you feel peaceful and rested? Or do you feel anxious and unhappy? If you’re fixated on the seals, think about them specifically. How did you feel when the seals entered your dreams? Were they frightening and ominous or were they friendly? Did they put you at ease, or make you nervous?
Do you remember having any thoughts in the dream? For example, say you were being chased by the seals. Did you think anything like, “I’m not going to make it” or “They’re going to attack me”? Try to connect these thoughts to thoughts you have throughout the day. Dreams are often a reflection of your current situation or struggles. Think about any moments during the day in which you had similar thoughts to those in your dream. You may realize the seals represent something from your actual life.
Think about how you felt about the role you played in your dream. This can potentially tell you something about the dream’s meaning. Say you were a hero in the dream. Think about how that felt. Maybe your dream was a form of wish fulfilment. Do you sometimes wish you could be more heroic in real life?
There is a certain duality in seals that can be symbolic. While seals live in the ocean, they can also come up on land. A seal in a dream may suggest confusion regarding one’s place in the world. Seals are excellent swimmers and able to navigate water. A seal in a dream may have something to do with the ability to go with the flow of life. If you’ve felt overwhelmed recently, a seal in your dream can be representative of a longing for more control. Seals are also sea animals. Water can represent many different things. Calm, still water can represent reflection and inner peace. Stormy water, however, can indicate personal conflict.
Think about what’s been on your mind lately. Have you been feeling overwhelmed by something at work or a personal relationship? Have you been struggling to make a big decision? Your dream may be telling you something. If you’re, say, torn between two career paths, your dream may be pointing you in a certain direction. If you’ve been feeling negative about yourself, your dream may be trying help you figure out how and where to change. Be open to letting your dream guide you as you identify any underlying concerns in your life.
Have seals ever had a large importance in your life? Do you have any particularly strong memories of seals? For example, maybe seals were your favourite animal as a child. One of your earliest childhood memories is of your father taking you to see seals at the zoo. This could potentially be significant. The dream could be about your father, or your childhood.
For example, you remember an image from the dream. You are swimming in the ocean with your best friend when a large herd of seals approach. The seals surround you, and your friend is nowhere to be found. Start asking questions. What did the seals look like? What kind of seals were they? What do seals normally represent to you? What does the beach normally represent to you? How did you feel when the seals approached? Were you concerned about where your friend went?
Again, think about what seals mean to you traditionally. For example, seals were your favorite animal as a child. Your father used to take you to the zoo to see seals when you were very young. You can apply this meaning to the example above as you consider the other symbols in the scene. Your best friend is a friend from college, a time in life when you left your childhood behind. You rarely went to the beach as a child, as you lived in an urban area. You felt happy when the seals surrounded you, and were not particularly worried about where your friend was. Childhood images in this scene made you feel at peace. This dream could potentially represent a longing to return to childhood. Maybe you miss something about your youth.
Think about the feelings and thoughts you had in the dream. Have you had those same feelings and thoughts during real life recently? For example, maybe you felt the same sense of happiness earlier in the week when your brother called. The two of you reminisced about your childhood, and you left the conversation feeling relaxed. What else has been going on lately? Maybe you’ve felt distant from your family. You have started a new job, and you have not had as much time to keep in touch. You’ve felt very stressed and disconnected from others lately.
For example, maybe you’re unsure if you want to remain in your current career path. You have a job lead closer to your family. The job pays less, but you’ve been considering pursuing the job anyway. Maybe your dream is encouraging you to seek work closer to home. You are being reminded that you value family, and that being close to your parents and siblings is important to you.
