○ A mirror of the mind Read less as luck and more as a mirror of how you are now
A symbol of processing information; a crash means your mind is full.
Category: Appliances & everyday things (how to read this category)
Psychology
A computer processes and stores information, so in dreams it stands for mental capacity at work. Freezing, crashing or lost data suggest overload. The sleeping brain is thought to sort memories; the dream computer may be that work made visible.
Folklore and history
Philosopher Gilbert Ryle coined 'the ghost in the machine' to criticise mind-body dualism; the phrase later came to evoke machines with a will of their own. Like phones and TVs before it, the computer became a stage for ghost stories.
An inverter that plugs into the cigarette lighter socket and turns your car battery into a household AC100V outlet — for charging a laptop, spare camera or lighting batteries, or several phones at once during an all-night stakeout or long car-camping shoot.
meltec Car Inverter, DC12V, 1 Outlet 120W IP-150
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This site's view
In this site's view, look at what was on the screen: work files mean weight of duty, old photos memories you cannot release, unknown text an unnamed worry. A computer acting on its own hints that what you thought you controlled is steering you.
Going deeper: our reading
Within a few decades the computer moved from the office into our homes and hands. For many people, work files, chats with friends, photos and memories now all live inside one screen. It is convenient, yet for many the work in their heads keeps running after the power is off. In this site's reading, computer dreams can reflect a blurred line between work and private life. Opening a laptop on your day off suggests your body is resting while your mind is still at the office. Being locked out because you forgot a password may show frustration at no longer reaching the parts of life that matter most to you. This is our speculation, but endless scrolling text points to exhaustion from messages you cannot keep up with. If you managed to switch the machine off yourself, the power to draw a line is still yours.
What to do on waking
Delete five unneeded files from your desktop or downloads. Tidying the screen tidies the mind.
In this scene
- ◎Good Working properly: your daily rhythm is in order (good)
- ▲Warn Breaking down or stopping: fatigue, or plans need a rethink (warning)
- Buying a new one: a wish to refresh your life or thinking
- It felt good: the lucky reading gets stronger
- ▲Warn It felt frightening or painful: the warning reading gets stronger — rest first
- The same dream again and again: something your mind has not settled yet
A survey of Japanese folk beliefs and yokai legends tied to animals such as foxes and tanuki — a reference for our yokai and possession-related articles.
A Folk Record of Japanese Animals (Teisatoshi Nakamura, commentary by Kazuhiko Komatsu / Kodansha Gakujutsu Bunko)
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FAQ
Q. Is dreaming of a Computer a good or bad sign?
A. Read less as luck and more as a mirror of how you are now. A symbol of processing information; a crash means your mind is full.
Q. Why do I keep dreaming of a Computer?
A. A recurring dream usually points to something your mind has not settled yet. Research suggests such dreams tend to stop once the underlying worry is resolved. Keeping a dream diary helps you notice what triggers it.
Q. What should I do after dreaming of a Computer?
A. Delete five unneeded files from your desktop or downloads. Tidying the screen tidies the mind.
Related dream essays
- True Dreams and Reverse Dreams: Why We Read Dreams Backwards
- Buying Dreams, Turning Dreams: A Japanese History of Dream Trading and Dream Charms
Read this dream with your own scene in the Dream Dictionary →
More dreams in "Appliances & everyday things"
- A Phone
- A Clock
- An Umbrella
- Glasses
- Television
- A Pillow
- A Refrigerator
- A Washing Machine
- A Vacuum Cleaner
- An Air Conditioner
- A Stove or Microwave
- A Pot or Kettle
※ Dream interpretation here is entertainment drawing on psychology and folklore — it is not scientifically proven. "This site's view" is our own interpretation.
