sacrifice

if you are the one being sacrificed in the dream:
1) you may have a hidden 'martyr complex', where you compulsively punish yourself. to fix this, you need to positively recondition yourself to love yourself.
2) it may be a message from the unconscious to let your old self die so your true self can come forward and be expressed.
3) perhaps you are being abused by others in life and your unconscious is trying to help you see that. (ackroyd)

if you are doing the sacrificing, the sacrificed represents a part of the personality that you have either given up or should give up. if an animal is being slain, it represents an instinct or urge that you need to get rid of. if the sacrifice is violent, you have some feelings of guilt and you are punishing yourself. (ackroyd)

sea

represents the unconscious. going out to sea symbolizes exploring the unconscious. (ackroyd)

the sea can symbolize the mother, either your own or Mother Nature. drowning could signify being repressed by an overbearing mother. (ackroyd)

the sea could represent creative potential. in mythology, water existed before life was created, and the creator god fought with the sea goddess for the right to create life. the god killed to goddess and created life from her dismembered body. in more psychological terms, the sea could symbolize potential to realize and utilize the true self. (ackroyd)

search

if the dream shows what you are seeking, it may be the key to your happiness. for younger people (under 35), it's usually material goods and money. for those older than 35, it's usually love or something else that money can't buy. (ackroyd)

the dream may indicate whether or not the search is good. it could tell you that what you seek is unattainable, and that your goals need to be reconsidered. (ackroyd)

separation

seven (7)

symbolizes time for a change, as in a "seven year itch." (ackroyd)

ackroyd's book also suggested that the number seven is a symbol of completeness because there are "seven planets in the solar system." i'm not so sure about this one, because last i checked there were nine planets.
-andrea

sex

some of our earlier dreams about sex may have been triggered by the physiological changes taking place in our bodies during puberty. (pliskin)

expression of sexual desire. these dreams may show patterns in your sexual relationships, like what kind of people attract you and so forth. (ackroyd)

• disturbing

• interrupted

• orgasms

• satisfying

• "the first time"

• unsatisfying

• with a stranger

• with celebrities

can be simple wish fulfillment, or a way of incorporating their talent into you. (pliskin)

the celebrities in the dreams could be stand-ins for people in your everyday life. (pliskin)

• with the same gender

if you're straight and you have a homosexual encounter in your dream, it doesn't automatically mean that you're gay. recurrent dreams like this may mean that you're uncomfortable with a lifestyle choice. dreaming about a gay experience means it's ok to be attracted to all sorts of people. (pliskin)

• with your parents

you have a wish to return to parental comfort and security. a man dreaming of having sex with his mother could be a way of him getting in touch with his feminine side. likewise if a woman dreams of having sex with her father, that's a way of her getting in touch with her masculine side. although unpleasant, these dreams are common and are no cause for alarm. (pliskin)

if the dreams are violent or coercive, it could be a repressed memory of past events. (pliskin)

a man dreaming of incest with his mother may express a hidden Oedipus complex, perhaps repressed since childhood. a woman dreaming of incest with her father may express a hidden Electra complex, also perhaps repressed since childhood. (ackroyd)

shadows

this represents part of ourselves we keep hidden. we may be too afraid to bring vulnerable parts of ourselves into the light of day. our parents may have taught us that there were certain behaviors that were unacceptable, and we hide them, or send them to the shadows. the appearance of the scary shadow
in our dreams could be apositive thing by reintroducing the cast-off parts of the self in an effort to make us whole. (pliskin)

Jung: "the shadow" is one of jung's aspects of self. it is the instinctive or weaker side of our nature, and provokes negative reactions such as fear and anger. its appearance in dreams can suggest we need to exercise more control over our weaknesses. (pliskin)

feminine symbol, representing the mother or women in general. (ackroyd)

shoulders

if you have a lot of tension in your shoulders in dreams, it may be carried over from real life. you should evaluate what's going on in the unconscious. (ackroyd)

if your shoulders are carrying a burden, it represents anxieties in the unconscious. get rid of them. (ackroyd)

signs

silver

symbolizes something valuable with respect to personal development. (ackroyd)

silver is associated with the moon, could symbolize the unconscious of the feminine aspect of the personality. (ackroyd)

sinking

see dying.

could be a symbol of depression. sinking in water represents being too attached to your mother. if a ship is sinking, it symbolizes the end of something in your life, like a relationship. (ackroyd)

sleeping

whatever is sleeping in the dream represents a part of your unconscious that needs to be 'woken up' and expressed. it also symbolizes a peaceful state where you are one with your true self. (ackroyd)

smoking

substitutes for other satisfactions, like sex. the dream may be asking you to think about the self image you're trying to show by smoking. (ackroyd)

snake

symbol of evil, going back to ancient Christian and Jewish scriptures. could also symbolize sexuality. if the snake is guarding something, that may be your true self. you need to get past the snake to get to your true self. (ackroyd)

speechlessness

dreams where you try to speak and nothing comes out of your mouth are very common. this may be an indication that you're not telling the truth about something either to yourself or to someone else. or maybe someone else is not telling the truth to you and you're hesitant to recognize it. (pliskin)

spider

Freud: in life, they spiders are feared and disliked. for men, they could represent the mother, someone who on some level is feared. (ackroyd)

stealing

you're ready to reach out toward your goals, but
there's a part of you that's afraid someone will try to stop you. (pliskin)

you have a need that is not being met. or, it could be a re-enactment of an actual theft you committed. (ackroyd)

• from a person

might represent anger towards that person. (pliskin)

• money

if you're stealing money, the money could represent the confidence you need to go after what you want. (pliskin)

stone

see rock.

storm

symbolizes conflict, either external or internal. could also be a symbol of an outburst of emotion. an outburst may be necessary to advance to a new phase in life. (ackroyd)

studying

usually, when we go to take tests in dreams, we are grossly unprepared. this may mirror a real-life situation where we feel unprepared for a situation in which we will be supervised. we feel frustrated during these dreams because we anticipate failure. (pliskin)

suicide

if you commit suicide in a dream, it may represent a feeling or problem that you can't cope with any longer. if you see someone else commit suicide, there is a part of your unconsious that is desperate for attention. if that person is close to you, you may harbour hidden hatred feelings toward them. (ackroyd)

sun

symbol of the self. or it could represent intelligence. as the moon is associated with mother and feminity, the sun is associated with father and masculinity. (ackroyd)