Ian Wallace Interpretation:
Dreaming of taking the wrong route signifies that you are not following the path that you would like to in your waking life. Even though you feel that you may be stuck in a rut, it might seem that changing direction is too risky and so it is safer just to stick with your current route. Take some time and consider what you really want to achieve in your life. Changing direction may seem hazardous but so is always trying to play it safe and never feeling fulfilled. How might you make some small changes in your life that will help you start to head in the direction that is most motivating for you? At other times in your dreams, you know the path you want to take, but it feels like you just cannot maintain your chosen course of action. This might appear in your dream as a car spinning out of control.
Dream: You were sure that you knew where you were trying to get to but somehow it seems as if you are going the wrong way to get there. Even though you are extremely keen to reach your chosen destination, you panic as you realize that your current route is taking you further and further away. You want to change your direction but you don’t seem to have any control over where you are going because none of the roads seem to lead to your objective. You look around for ways to slow down or stop so you can resume your intended direction.
Meaning: When you dream of taking the wrong route, you feel you aren’t progressing towards the objectives you would really like to achieve in your life. You thought that following this particular path might enable you to advance your ambitions but your goals just seem to be getting further and further away. You may feel that you have the freedom of choice to follow the direction you wanted to but your decision is often influenced by circumstances or by peer, or parental, pressure. Even though your path may seem predictable, safe and socially acceptable, you are starting to realize that it isn’t a life path that you want to follow. This often results in you living a life that is expected of you rather than the one you want truly to live. After making a commitment to this particular path you begin to realize, however, that it isn’t particularly satisfying and will never bring you the fulfilment you need. Even though you would like to stop, making the choice to halt seems an even bigger decision than your original commitment to starting on your current path. It can seem easier and safer to keep doing what you are doing rather than risk changing direction. Like many well-worn pathways, it is easy to get into a rut that you feel that you can’t get out of. It can also be difficult to slow down because you don’t want all your commitments to start piling up in front of you.
Action: The message from this dream is that your desire to please other people is preventing you from getting to where you really want to go in your life, and so it is worth reflecting on who or what is really driving you to succeed. Instead of thinking about what is acceptable to others, start to consider what your true life purpose is, because having a purpose is far more powerful than just having a plan. Plans can be thwarted by the unexpected but a purpose will always give you the fundamental motivation to achieve what you really want to in life.
Background: Destination and destiny are derived from the Latin word destinare which means ‘to choose where you want to go by establishing your purpose’. A destination is usually considered to be a physical location but most of the journeys we make are about fulfilling what we consider to be our individual destinies in life. Although our ancestors may have considered their lives to be predestined, our contemporary cultures give far more choice in discovering our true purpose and providing ways to fulfil it. The more you remain true to your purpose, the clearer and more certain your destination will become.