I wasn't sure where to post this topic as it pertains to symbology and dream interpretation...  so...  okay... how to phrase it?!  LOL

Are symbols pretty much interpreted the same way regardless of their origionation?  For example...  If I DREAMED I saw an oyester with a pearl in it, does it mean the same thing if I saw the same thing at the bottom of my coffee cup?  LOL  How about if I saw it in meditation?  or some other medium?  Just curious as there seems to be a lot of differences in the interpretations depending on the circumstances and situations in which they were divinated...

Don't know if I'm making any sense...  Just was curious!  LOL

Much love and happiness!
~Cory

Well yes there is some similar interpretations for some items but in my expeience dream interpretations are very different from physical symbology.

the ideas behind symbology interpretation is usually to do with local legend, social customs and mores.

Dream symbology often has a more scientific underpinning were a number of people have researched this and there is a standard set of definitions.

Hope this helps?

Suzi

Most of the time symbols in dreams are different that psychic symbols.  In dreams we are resolving our emotions and the symbols would have to deal with the emotions.  In psychic work the symbols are there to describe our mental, physical or spiritual approach to life.  So they would/could be interpreted different than dreams.

Hello, Cory!

I am only familiar with dream symbols, and my experience is that they are very specific and personal, not only to the dreamer, but even to the dreamer's special circumstances. That is, you could dream of your oyster today and get a meaning according to your present situation. Then dream of an oyster 5 years from now and its meaning could have nothing to do with the first, unless... Oysters have a special meaning for you so that they come up in your dreams more often than usual -think oyster or any other personal symbol of yours-. That could mean you have integrated a certain element into your dream vocabulary and use it to represent certain situations, persons and/or, quite often, moods or feelings.

I believe phychic and cultural symbols are more permanent and widely shared. For example, we tend to associate an oyster and its pearl with something precious, delicate or hidden. Just a wild guess, though  

The thing with symbols is that they are not objective like words that mean one particular thing and one thing only.  They are subjective, and the meaning of the symbol is not just dependent on what it is itself.  It's almost like a metaphor, and a puzzle.

In the case of an oyster and pearl, it is generally a symbol of wisdom, but could also be a symbol of wealth, status, achievement (esp in relation to opening [the oyster]).  It can have an entire meriad of meanings, the task is in finding the right meaning, or else the meaning that applies (as there may be multiple 'correct' meanings).

So in response to the original question, does it mean the same thing?  I would say you are correct, it is not necissarily the same meaning.