Dream Symbols beginning with the letter S

Sacrifice
Before we can nourish others, we first need to nourish ourselves. Making sacrifices is human, but when we do too much for the world and not enough for ourselves, we are left feeling neglected and weak. Martyrdom is not fun and martyrs are at times annoying. This dream may be suggesting to you that you need to prioritize. Eliminate things in your life that are not necessary and continuously drag you down. Also, consider the fact that whatever is constantly requiring you to make personal sacrifices may not be in your best interest or conducive to your health or happiness. Superstition based dream interpretations say that dreaming about sacrifice is a dream of the contrary and that you will be enriched in the near future.

Saint
Dreaming about saints usually has spiritual implications. You may have traveled to another plain and are having a wonderful, very meaningful spiritual experience. For those that can not accept this possibility, your unconscious may be relaying some feelings of pressure or possibly the need to sacrifice on some level in your daily life. See also:
Priest, God.

Salt
Salt is one of the most abundant chemicals on Earth. Dreaming about it suggests that you may be thinking about or desiring those things that are dependable and, at the same time, exciting (salt = spice of life). If you associate an individual with the salt in your dreams you may be giving that person the attributes that were just mentioned.

Satan
Seeing or interacting with the devil in your dreams may have several different meanings and the interpretation depends on the details of the dream. However, it almost always points to something negative and disturbing in your personality, daily life, or environment. Carl Jung called such dark figures “the shadow” and said that they represent the negative ego personality and qualities which are painful and regrettable. You may have dark thoughts or have engaged in negative actions and now are experiencing guilt, fear, and anxiety. Dream interpretations based on folklore say that seeing the Satan in your dreams may be a warning about poor health, and if the dream persists, you should get a physical checkup. See also:
Devil

Saturn (Cronos)
Saturn is a Roman deity representing the Golden Age. He is associated with the Greek god Cronos. Cronos was a Titan, the son of Uranus and the father of Zeus (Jupiter). Cronos dethroned his father and was later dethroned by Zeus. Thus, from a psychoanalytic point of view, dreaming about Saturn may be symbolic of some aspects of the Oedipus complex. It may bring up the desire to challenge authority and gain personal power and identity. Astrologically, Saturn represents a wide range of positive and negative attributes. He represents barriers, misfortune, fixation and impotence, as well as loyalty, righteousness, consistency, knowledge and self-denial. Saturn symbolizes man’s ability to recognize the difficulties of life and to confront the impulsive and passion motivated lifestyle. Dreaming about Saturn, may be an unconscious message regarding self-restrain and a need for a more intellectual, moral and spiritual life. Also, Saturn’s influence has a way of amplifying reality. If there is melancholy or despair, it remains fixed. Thus, dreaming of Saturn might call your attention to unpleasant aspects of life or to self-negating emotions. However, the psyche may be providing you with knowledge that can be used to motivate and transform current reality through hard work and self-discipline.

School
This dream may be interpreted on several different levels. If you are the student you may be feeling inadequate or lack self confidence. Either way, going to school or attending class in a dream is your unconscious reminder that there is a need for new learning and that you may have not learned an important lesson. School may not always be a positive experience, but it is always necessary. Ask yourself what do you need to learn more about? If you were a teacher in your dream, you may be dealing with issues of authority. From a spiritual point of view, some believe that in the dream state an individual may travel to an inner plane or the spiritual realm, where they can attend classes which assist in spiritual growth and development.

Scorpion
Dreaming about a scorpion may be symbolic of something in your environment which is hurtful, dangerous, and “stinging.” It may represent bitter words and very negative attitudes. Superstition based dream interpretation books say that a scorpion may constitute a warning. It further states that if the scorpion in your dream bit you, you will overcome your problems. However, if you killed the scorpion, be exceptionally careful around people that are not your friends, or are false friends. Some believe that the scorpion is a symbol of transformation.

Sea-
Waters generally symbolize the emotions and the unconscious. They could also represent the collective unconscious or your soul experiences. All dream interpretations depend on the individuals personal belief system and life experiences. See also:
Water, Ocean

Seed
Seeds symbolize new opportunities and new beginnings. Just as a seed is the beginning of a new life (or its earliest stage), your unconscious may be telling you that the ideas you have planted are beginning to germinate. Additionally, your past experiences and hard work may be leading to new opportunities or possibilities.

Sex
It is very difficult to name just a few possible interpretations for this dream. It is so complex that interpretations vary with each dreamer and situation in the dream. A sexual dream may be about physical pleasure, but it may also be about power, control, manipulation, virility, and effectiveness. It may be a form of wish fulfillment or a memory, or compensation for a lack in daily life. In most cases, it is not a prediction of things to come in the near future. For some more clues, also see
Intercourse and People.

Sharks
Please remember that the water in your dreams may be a statement about your emotions and the unconscious. Sharks, water-dwelling animals, could represent unpleasant emotions or difficult and painful materials coming up from the unconscious. You may feel some emotional upset, and the shark could be the symbol of the perceived emotional danger. Old dream interpretation books say that sharks may represent dishonest friends or reflect financial troubles. See also:
Animals

Ship
As mentioned in all relevant dream symbols, bodies of water represent your unconscious, your emotions, and your accumulated soul experiences. The ship in your dream could represent you and the ways in which you navigate thought these parts of yourself. When interpreting this dream, consider the kind of voyage and the type of ship. Some dream interpretation books say that if the voyage is calm you should go forward with your plans. However, if it is a very stormy voyage, get ready for an emotional upset (or challenge). See also:
Boat

Shirt
Any type of clothing, especially shirts, generally represent our worldly appearance or status. At times, they may represent our attitudes toward ourselves and others. Mostly, they represent the way that we appear to the world. They are not symbolic of our private self but rather of our public self. A poor man wears a different shirt than a rich man. A doctor wears a different shirt than a carpenter. The type of clothing that we wear varies form situation to situation. The type of shirts being worn will give you clues to the meaning of the dream and to your unconscious ideas about yourself and others. If you are putting on many shirts, it suggests that you are somewhat confused about what you want to be or how you want others to see you. See also:
Clothing

Shoe
First consider if you are currently having problems with your feet that are being carried over into the dream state. Otherwise, we only wear shoes that fit us well. Thus, you may be expressing unconscious feelings of self assurance or confidence. You may have issues concerning your self-identify, but if the details of this dream are supporting, you may be reassuring yourself that you are on the right path and have mastered a degree of self awareness.

Shooting
Shooting someone or being shot yourself is a fearful and violent dream experience. It may reflect aggression, powerlessness, release of strong and dangerous emotions, and/or symbolize a conclusive event in a particular situation or relationship. See also:
Guns

Shopping
For most of us shopping is not simply a necessity but a favorite pastime. It is a source of pain, pleasure, recreation, and, at times, “quality time” with family or friends. Depending on the details in the dream and its emotional background, dreaming about going shopping may have several different connotations. Generally, if shopping in your dream is not a source of great stress and confusion, it suggests that those things which you need are available to you. Your environment may have readily available emotional, psychological, spiritual or physical support. However, you may need to learn exactly where to look, how to select what you need, and when to make a wise investment. This dream calls upon you to know yourself. Before you can ask for or get what you need, you first need to accurately identify it.

Sibling
It is very common for us to dream about all different types of people. Siblings are a fantastic source of dream material. Our siblings are important to us emotionally and psychologically. We are bound to them on some level throughout our lives; thus, they will appear in our dreams in may different forms. We learn important lessons about ourselves through our brothers and sisters. They are a reflection on us, and we can not escape their presence and their love, hate or any other emotion . If you have many unresolved issues with your siblings, it is likely that they will frequently appear in your dreams. See also:
People

Skeleton
You can’t get around the fact that bones are symbols of death. If you are dreaming about a skeleton it does not necessarily mean that you are dreaming about physical death. This is a good dream because it is telling you that you may need to begin “filling up” with feelings, adventures, work, or general enthusiasm for life. It may be that your style of living and relating to people has been “bare to the bone” and your soul can’t take it any more! So, lighten up psychologically; eat the fruits of life and fatten up!

Smell
At times you may experience the sense of smell in your dreams. The smell could be environmental. If there is a strong smell in your sleeping environment, you may perceive it and incorporate it into your dream. Otherwise, the smell in your dreams is triggered by a memory. You may be associating your dream experience with a pleasant or unpleasant order. For example, if you are dreaming about your mother, you may smell the aroma of a food she once cooked. The smell may trigger emotions and reflect the general quality of the experience in your dream.

Smoking
It is very common for ex-smokers to dream about smoking. This type of a dream could be called wish fulfillment or a compensatory dream. The smoker misses smoking. He can not smoke during the day, and therefore he smokes in his dreams. If you are dreaming about being surrounded by other people’s smoke, you may be experiencing some confusion and anxiety in daily life or in regard to a particular situation. Smoke or smoking usually depletes people of energy and hampers ones ability to think clearly and act directly with the issues at hand. See also:
Cigarettes

Smothering/Strangling/Choking
Dreaming that you are having difficulty breathing and are in danger of dying as a result may carry important messages for the dreamer. This type of a dream experience is usually very frightening, and at times people are awakened from their dream due to the fear. This dream may have several different explanations and the catalysts may be forces from either within the individuals emotional and psychological makeup or circumstances on the outside of the individual. The suffocation is either do to internal forces or an external situation. The dreamer may experience great difficulties when it comes to free self expression. They may have difficulties in expressing their fear, anger, love, or any other powerful emotion and are literally choking on them in their dream. Choking in your dream suggests that you are having problems in communicating your thoughts, needs, and feelings. Additionally, smothering may imply that the dreamer can not accept certain situations in their life and is feeling suffocated by a current problem. To interpret this dream accurately consider all of the details in it, think about your daily life and those things that cause you great stress and restrict your freedom. Finally, try to connect your dream with your daily life experiences and unlock the symbolism that the dream holds for you.

Snake
In some cultures snakes are highly regarded and symbolize the ability to transcend into higher levels of consciousness or into areas of knowledge that exist outside perceived time and space. In the pre-Christian days, snakes were considered symbols of fertility, healing, and nurturing (the healing serpent representing a god). Post Adam and Eve, snakes are often considered symbols of temptation and evil, anger, and envy. Snakes emerging out of the ground may represent your unconscious or repressed materials coming to your conscious mind. Freud thought that the snake was a phallic symbol. It is amazing how many people have snake dreams! Most snake dreams seem to be disturbing and they leave the dreamer feeling anxious and afraid. There are no simple interpretations to the snake dreams. Each dreamer must consider their own situation and all of the details of the dream. Sometimes snakes may be phallic symbols and other times they represent negativity in our lives that hampers our progress and constantly threatens us. In the long run the snake may be a positive symbol; it may represent difficulties that lead us to the center of personality and result in feelings of completeness.

Snow
Snow symbolize chilled and unexpressed emotions or emotions which have been repressed for an extended period of time. The snow in your dream suggests that you or someone else is emotionally cold, unresponsive, and indifferent. Clean, white snow may represent innocence, truth, peace and relaxation. Virgin snow, as you may see it covering a beautiful landscape, may represent new beginnings or a new way of seeing things and dirty snow may represent guilt. In literary works such as “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” and “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” snow represents death. See also:
Ice

Soap
Some dream symbols are more difficult to interpret than others. Using soap in a dream seems to have obvious connotations, a need for cleansing and purification. Consider all of the details of your dream and think about what needs to be cleaned or refreshed. Washing with soap in your dream could refer to the cleaning up of your physical environment, your thoughts and feelings, or the resolution of a particular situation in life.

Spider
Some believe that the spider is symbolic of an unkind and sneaky individual. Are you the spider building a web, or are you being dragged into one? A spider’s web might represent entanglement and the general complexities of life. Depending on the details of the dream, it could also symbolize a smothering individual. Ironically, very old dream interpretations say that the spider is an omen of good luck! Alternatively, Carl Jung felt that the spider’s web was a symbol of wholeness due to its formation (circular shape), construction and complexity. He called circular symbols “mandalas” and said that they hold valuable meaning for the dreamer. The spider and his web may be calling for an integration of the dream’s personality leading to greater self-awareness and resulting in feelings of completeness. Therefore, the spider and his web may be considered profound and spiritual dream symbols that call for greater self-understanding and encourage us to derive meaning and satisfaction from the intricate framework and interplay of life.

Sport
Playing sports may represent some aspects of the way that we run our lives, or may refer to internal struggles where one part of the dreamer’s psyche or personality is attempting to “win” over another.  At times life is like a challenging sport.  We compete, try to win, and attempt to develop our abilities so that we will succeed.  In the dream, the outcome of the game  may say something about how well we are doing. Do we feel competent and successful; are we playing fair, or is the sport more competitive than what we are comfortable with? In order to understand the dream, consider the details and attempt to identify what in daily life creates similar emotions. All sports and games have specific rules and boundaries. Your performance within this framework may represent the struggle against inner conflicts such individual fears and weaknesses, or may be referring to a pragmatic problem or situation at work or in your relationships.

Stairs
When interpreting this dream, try to remember your feelings upon awakening. Going up and down the stairs could mean several different things. It could represent changes in consciousness, movement from one inner plane to another, or a change in understanding. In a more material sense, it could represent a rise or fall in economic or social status and the general efforts that are required to accomplish life’s small and large goals. Climbing may represent an achievement of your ambitions and a movement in a positive direction. Descending may symbolize your doubts or a period following hard work and achievement of a significant goal. Generally, dreaming of ascending a stairway connotes movement in a positive direction while descending is indicative of a down period or negative flow of ideas or actions. See also:
Climbing

Stalking
Many people have unpleasant dreams of being chased and/or stalked. If the dreamer has these issues in her daily life, then the fear experienced during the day may be entering her dream state. However, most people that have a dream about being stalked are not stalked in reality. The dream is symbolic and brings up issues regarding persisting problems or prevailing difficulties. The dream could represent one side of the dreamer’s personality attempting to catch up with the other. For example, if the dreamer is doing something hurtful to himself or has a bad habit or addiction, the stalker in the dream may represent that negative part of the dreamer’s personality or life. The dream stalker could represent your conscious, a prevailing problem, or a goal that you have been putting off and unable to pursue.

Star
Old dream interpretation books say that seeing stars in your dream means that your wishes are going to be fulfilled. Even from a more pragmatic point of view, stars seem to be positive dream symbols. They could represent insight, luck, fortune and the mysteries of the universe. Stars represent those wonderful things that we aspire to but have difficulty obtaining. To follow a star is to follow a dream, an insight, or your intuition to a more desirable location or position in life. Thus, stars in your dreams could also symbolize internal or external guidance and truth.

Stealing
People steal for two reasons. If they are poor and feel like they have no other alternative or if they are greedy and do not want to put the time and the effort into earning what they need. (The needs could be emotional as well as material.) Stealing alludes to moral questions in the dream’s psyche. Consider all of the details of your dream and try to understand why the stealing is taking place. Are people taking from you without your permission, or are you trying to reap the benefits of that which you did not earn? The message from the unconscious may be that of self-evaluation, neediness, and morality. The understanding of this dream may bring you closer to understanding your deeper needs which will ultimately lead to greater happiness.

Storm
Everything in our life is a reflection on us and this hold true in our dreams. The storm in your dreams may be a reflection of some difficulty in your life. Consider all of the details and notice if you took shelter from the storm or were you swept away by it. Did the storm pass you by, were you safe, or did you suffer? All of us experience difficulties in life and our dreams make an attempt to bring us into awareness and out of denial. Think about the storms in your life, how you will weather them, and what you can do to make them subside.

Stranger
The interpretation of seeing and interacting with a stranger, or strangers, in your dream depends on the details of your dream and on your personal belief system. Some Eastern cultures believe that the strangers in your dreams are spirits from another dimension. These spirits may be teaching you lessons or giving you specific messages. The more modern approach to interpreting a dream with strangers in it is that they represent different sides or unfamiliar aspects of our personality. The best way to tell is to “check inside” of yourself and simply try to understand the message of this dream. Whether the message is coming from your unconscious or from a different reality might be irrelevant. The lessons gained through a dream are far more important then where they came from. Just remember: The mind that dreamt the dream also knows its source and meaning (and that is YOUR own mind). See also:
People

Submarine
All vehicles appear to symbolize the way that we maneuver, or get through, a segment of our life’s journey. A submarine is a powerful moving machine that travels through deep waters. Deep waters represent our emotions and our unconscious. A submarine could represent the way in which we are navigating through our emotional waters and deal with the materials that are coming up from our unconscious. A submarine can have negative or positive connotations. It could suggest that you are feeling strong and are prepared to aggressively deal with whatever issues and emotional concerns that arise in your life. On the other hand, the submarine as a dream symbol could be suggesting that you are overly guarded and defensive and are currently not open to airing of personal issues.

Subway
Interpretation of subways is based on your experience with this mode of transportation. If you regularly use the subway, you may need to look at the other parts of the dream more carefully. If the subway is not a regular part of your daily routine but is the primary dream image then you can consider it to be symbolic of the way that you navigate through your own emotions and hidden parts of self. The subway is under the ground and represents the unconscious parts of self. All of us interact on conscious and unconscious levels. We have intuitive feelings and unspoken understanding that direct our lives as much as the obvious and fully conscious things. Consider the subway ride in your dream and try to understand what it is conveying to you about your more subtle navigation through ongoing life experiences.
See also:
Train

Suicide
At a first glance this dream seems to be all negative. One would think that it connotes self hatred, deep depression, “giving up,” and other such negative thoughts and feelings. At times this may be the interpretation and if this is so for you please confined in a friend or a loved one and seek professional help. However, there is a lighter and much more positive interpretation of this dream. It could suggest that the dreamer is making progress and is becoming a more “integrated” person. All of us have many aspects to our personality and our character. Dreaming that you are committing suicide may be symbolic of you “killing” of one aspect of your self. Possibly an aspect of self that is hurtful. For example if you were a smoker and you stopped smoking in your dream you may need to “kill” the smoker in yourself. If you see a stranger committing suicide that may represent another part of you. You may be getting rid of an unnecessary and useless part of self, and you may be starting a new and a better way of doing things. If you see someone that you know committing suicide, the dream may be symbolic of your perceptions and concerns about that individual. Either way, the dreamer may be experiencing stress, anxiety, and doubt, so lighten up and try to have more positive thoughts during the day.

Sun
The sun sustains all life on Earth. When you see it in your dreams, it suggests that you are being nurtured and sustained by your environment and your life choices. It could also represent a spiritual force or the light of God. Sunrise may indicate new beginnings and a new wave of energy while sunsets suggest a period of closure and completion. Sunlight in your dreams is never a negative symbol. Light always symbolizes or indicates consciousness and may connote masculine energy. Its presence, even in the most disturbing dreams, has reassuring quality. Old dream interpretation books say that sun shining on you is an omen of good fortune and good will. “It is the classical symbol for the unity and divinity of the self; source of life and the ultimate wholeness of man”
C.G. Jung

Swimming
If you are swimming in your dream you are most likely swimming through the “
ocean” of your unconscious and through the “ sea ” of your emotions. The ease with which you are doing this activity will give you clues as to how well you are navigating through those very complex parts of yourself. Are you out of your depth or winning a race?