Where Am I in My Dream?
Linda Dion
April 27, 2025
In a previous post - I've Had a Dream...Now What? - I wrote about the first two things that we need to do upon waking up from a dream; these were to write the dream down as soon as possible and then ask the Holy Spirit's help in decoding the message. We could actually add a third thing which is to give your dream a title because as soon as we choose a title, we find that we are already starting to zone in on the most important element of the dream, which is really the heart of the story.
But there is also something else that really helps a lot in accurate dream interpretation and this is knowing where we are in the dream. There are three different places we could find ourselves in: we could be an observer, we could be a participant in a group activity or we could be the principal person.​
The first type of dream is where we are the principal person around whom all of the action takes place. We are the main person doing most of the actions, the thinking, feeling or talking. In this case, we are what's called the Focus of the dream. If we were to be taken out of the dream, then it would fall apart and become meaningless.
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These kinds of dreams make up a good 90% of all the dreams we are given, which just goes to show how much the Lord wants to speak to us and reveal things that we need to know. He really cares about our physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual health so He will send us "words" that will encourage us to continue along a certain path or that will convict us into makings changes that will help us grow even more. ​
Most of the dreams presented on this website are of this nature. As a perfect illustration of these types of dreams, click on the following links: "The Turquoise Car Dream" and "The Snake Dream" or even read the comments at the bottom of many of the dream posts. Most of the dreams have the dreamer as the Focus.
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In your dream, if you were on a horse jumping over a barrier like the woman in the picture and it was clear that you were literally on the horse and not just looking at someone else doing this, the Lord would be saying something about your own spiritual life. If this was to happen in a dream, the Lord might be saying that He's given you the power (horse) to overcome any obstacles in your way (barrier), which would obviously be an encouragement to you! As always, the context of the dream would help you in your interpretation. The Lord could also add details such as the colour of the horse. If the horse was red, for example, He would be telling you that He has given you the power (horse) to move in wisdom (red) in order to overcome the obstacle. Another detail might be the height of the obstacle, telling you how severe this obstacle might be or the depth of the obstacle which would tell you something about the amount of time the trial would last. Also the setting would tell you something about what area of your life the Lord is targeting; such as your backyard, or the church parking lot, downtown or in a field like the picture above.
The second type of position is when we are an observer in a dream. With this type of dream, we are often unseen by others, which means that in the dream we can be walking through a room filled with people and they can't see us or hear us and we have no interaction with them. It's like we are invisible to them.
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Another way that we can be an observer is by finding ourselves hovering in the air, looking down into a situation. When this happens, it's because the Lord wants us to see something so that we can intercede into the situation. He's giving us a kind of "bird's-eye-view" of the situation. ​
In both of these cases, the dream is not about us at all, but about who or what we are seeing in the different scenes that are unfolding before us. The people or the person would be the Focus of the dream. There might be an impact on us to a certain degree, depending on what's happening in the dream, but the dream isn't about us. As I've mentioned above, this type of dream is usually a call to intercession and will often be of a prophetic nature.
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If you would like to read about that kind of a dream, click on the following link "Storm Trooper Dream". It will give you a good idea of what this type of dream looks like.
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In the picture above, you would find yourself either standing in the kitchen observing this family as they are spending time together or walking through their kitchen without them seeing you. The Lord might show you this family - whether you know them or not - so that you could pray for whatever is needed such as protection, blessings, guidance, release and fruitfulness into their lives, according to the Holy Spirit's leading. This type of calling or ministry is very meritorious because it is hidden and pats on the back don't come often!
The third position in a dream is where we are a participant in the action taking place. I find that these types of dreams aren't very common but they do still occur. In this case, the Focus of the dream would be the group. This is where we find ourselves participating in a group activity and doing things with other people. God will sometimes use them to highlight something that we're involved in to encourage us to keep going or to give us a heads-up about a little tweak that needs to be done.
Once again, these dreams are not specifically about the dreamer, even though the message of the dream might have some bearing on our lives. Often these dreams tend to be about a work or a church context.
I remember years ago dreaming that Marcel and I were planting a hedge of rosebushes with a group of people from our church. In that instance, the Lord was pointing out something about the way things were being done by the whole group.
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In this picture​, if you were the man with the vest, the Lord might be telling you that what you are engaged in - such as your family, your church or your job - is now bearing much fruit. He might be letting you know that He is very well pleased with everyone's commitment to whatever particular activity He's called the group to, and that the seeding and the nurturing and the watering and the tending of His plans are now coming to fruition and will be "food to the hungry" with a positive impact on other people's lives. The other thing He might be saying is that He is pleased with this ministry that is also teaching the younger generations (the young lad) how to work with others and what steps are necessary to bring a community vision to fruition.
Hopefully, this information will enable you to determine who or what is at the center of your dream, thereby enabling you to more easily decipher the message God is imparting to you. Remember that most of the dreams are about you personally. As Job says:
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Job 33: 14-17
For God may speak in one way, or in another,
Yet man does not perceive it.
In a dream, in a vision of the night,
When deep sleep falls upon men,
While slumbering on their beds,
Then He opens the ears of men,
And seals their instruction.
In order to turn man from his deed,
And conceal pride from man.