I've had dreams of finding hidden treasures in houses now for many, many years. Usually I am in a large, elegant house -- it's very richly decorated and I am walking around exploring. As I walk through the house, I find treasures and knick-knacks from my past -- always beautiful things. I also usually discover a series of hidden rooms, and in each new room I find more treasures.

I've had this dream so many times that in the dream I know I am dreaming. I even remind myself, in the dream, to remember where the hidden rooms are when I wake up, but I never can. I know it is very important that I remember where these rooms are.

I keep thinking that this dream is trying to tell me something (about a hidden potential within myself?) but I cant figure it out. Can you help me find the lost rooms?

—Sharene, married, age 55, Minneapolis, MN

Hi Sharene—

Houses in dreams are familiar symbols for the self. Dreams of finding new rooms full of hidden treasures, accordingly, suggest a rich and fruitful area of self-discovery.

Because you are discovering hidden treasures from your past, your dream indicates an effort to regain a wealth you once possessed. For example, if you sacrificed some of your personal goals in the past, in an effort to meet the demands of everyday living (career, becoming married, raising a family, etc.), these dreams may be encouraging you to re-open "lost" areas of interest. (Is it time to sign up for those voice or dance lessons you always wanted to take?)

Instead of representing lost money or an overlooked inheritance, the hidden treasure of your dreams almost certainly represents areas of your life that used to hold a great deal of value for you -- that you feel you have become separated from over time. In order to locate these lost rooms, why dont you make a list of goals you had when you were younger that you always wanted to see realized in your life? Your dreams are encouraging you to reconnect with some of these younger, life-long goals and values. If you follow your heart, you will wrest these hidden treasures away from your dreams -- and into your waking life.