Editorial Policy
This page sets out the rules Your Dreams Guide holds itself to. They’re not aspirational - every article on this site is written to follow them, and the reusable components you’ll see throughout (a blue interpretation note, a green evidence note, an amber historical note) exist specifically to make these rules visible on the page, not just implied.
No Universal Dream Meanings
No dream symbol has one fixed meaning that applies to every dreamer. Where popular dream dictionaries present a single confident answer, this site presents a range - what research supports, what a psychological theory proposes, what a specific historical tradition believed, and what a symbol has meant culturally - and lets those stay distinct rather than blending into one verdict. See Do Dreams Have Universal Meanings? for the full reasoning behind this.
Evidence, Theory, Folklore and History Are Labelled, Not Blended
Every article that draws on more than one of these tries to say clearly which is which:
- Evidence - what research or credible clinical/sleep sources can actually support.
- Theory - a psychological framework offering one possible interpretation, not a proven fact.
- Historical interpretation - attributed to a specific author, text, date and culture, never to “ancient people” in general. See our research method for how this is sourced.
- Cultural symbolism - what an image has meant in mythology, religion, folklore, art or literature, treated as a cultural fact, not a claim about the reader’s dream specifically.
Language Reflects Genuine Uncertainty
Articles favour “may,” “can,” “has sometimes been interpreted as,” and “is often discussed as” over “means,” “always means,” “is a sign that,” or “proves.” This isn’t hedging for its own sake - it’s an accurate reflection of what’s actually known.
No Diagnosis
This site does not diagnose medical or psychiatric conditions, and does not treat dream content as evidence of one. A recurring nightmare might be worth mentioning to a doctor; the dream itself is never treated as the diagnosis. Symbolism is interpretive. Symptoms are clinical. The two are never confused here.
Cultural Traditions Are Treated Respectfully
Where a page describes a religious or cultural dream tradition - biblical dream narratives, ancient Egyptian religious practice, folk custom - it aims to describe that tradition accurately and respectfully, without asserting or denying its theological or supernatural claims. That question is outside what this site addresses.
Errors Get Corrected, Visibly
When a factual or sourcing error is found, it gets fixed, and - for anything substantive - the article’s updated date reflects when. See Corrections for how this works in practice, and Contact to report an error.