Ian Wallace Interpretation:
Dreaming that you can’t find your way home reflects a situation in your waking life in which you are doing what others want in order to seek their approval or affection. This can give you a false sense of security, as you are accommodating the needs of others in the hope that they will, in turn, accommodate your needs. Rather than always allowing others to determine the direction you take, have the confidence to choose your own path in life. Clearly expressing your needs to other people is the best way to feel at home within yourself and comfortable with who you are. Feeling independent will prove a vital foundation for regaining your sense of self. Making your own decisions, such as choosing the food that you eat or the clothes that you wear, is the key to building your sense of independence.
Dream: You have been on a journey somewhere and really want to get home but for some reason you can’t find your way back. Although you are sure you know the way home, everything in your surroundings appears really confusing. You keep trying different routes but they seem to take you further and further away from home rather than getting closer to it. Even though other people are trying to help you, they aren’t able to point you in the right direction. You are usually alone and may be on foot or travelling in some kind of vehicle.
Meaning: When you dream that you can’t find your way home, you feel that you aren’t able to express who you really are in waking life. Your home represents your true self, who you really are when you feel most at home. Being on a journey somewhere shows that you have been going through a period of change and now you are moving on beyond it. Navigating these changes meant you had to behave in a way that felt appropriate at the time but no longer feels natural. This has left you frustrated about not being able to be yourself and can often happen in a job where you don’t feel that you are doing what you really want to do. It can also happen in a relationship where you feel that your contribution isn’t being recognized or your needs aren’t being met. The different routes you try are the different roles you assume in the hope of pleasing other people but this removes you even further from your self and needs. Although other people may try and suggest the direction you should take, you really have to choose your path. You are usually travelling alone because this is about your individual identity and how you can truly express it. The more personal your transport, such as being on foot or bicycle, then the more personal the area of your life that your dream is directing your attention towards.
Action: This dream is showing you the way to find out who you really are in life. It can be easy to immerse yourself in the lives and needs of other people but this can cause you to lose sight of your needs and deeper self. No matter how hard you work and how many sacrifices you make for others, you may always end up feeling unfulfilled and undervalued. The more honest you are about declaring your purpose and needs to other people, the more at home you will feel with yourself.
Background: ‘There’s no place like home’ and it is the fundamental symbol of identity in dreams, being the place where we all want to return to when we need to relax and recover. Our home is a place where we can just be ourselves, protected from the demands and judgements of other people. The concept of a homeland also shows up in national identities, where the characteristics of people are attributed to the area of the world that they come from. Like a homeland, your home is where you come from and often contains the deepest roots of your identity.