Carl Jung, the well-known analyst, and Freud's expected heir apparent (didn't happen, they had a fight) said a symbol was the best representation of something unknown. Jung believed symbols were lurking in the collective unconscious (a part of our psyche we share with all mankind) and they appear as messengers in dreams. Interpreting them can be slippery.
Many cultures take dreams seriously; we do not. Stuff and nonsense. Instead of paying attention to the dream we say to ourselves, "Let's go make money, get high, get laid — get it all."
The irony of course is, a correct dream interpretation by the dreamer, gets all of the above and then some.
This article appears in Feb 25 – Mar 3, 2009.