We see them so often we may take them for granted, but flags are essential to our waking and dreaming worlds. Their size, colors, shapes and designs communicate safety, caution, family lineage, social status, celebration and sometimes danger. Dreams are often a microcosm of our waking world, and like flags, also speak to us with signs and symbols. Celebratory times, like the Fourth of July, can trigger memories that fill our dreams with important “flagged messages,” so what could they mean?

Flags have long been used as a symbol of presence, ownership, association, inspiration and relationship. The flag symbolizes the incredible power to unify, whether as a competitive nudge in sports or a celebration of a nation’s history and freedoms together. Flags can also warn (yellow for ‘slow down’ or red as ‘danger’ or ‘stop’). This warning is also true in our dreams.

The spiritual meaning of a flag-dream often relates to our identity, belonging and personal beliefs. Colors serve a slice of spectral significance on the dream flag’s canvas, where our subconscious paints messages: blue could whisper loyalty or sadness; green may suggest growth or jealousy; red might trumpet passion or a warning. Like a coin, each dream color has opposing sides, so it is up to the dreamer to unfold the cryptic symbolism.

A client shared a dream that exemplifies dream language warnings featuring flags:

Parris dreamed she was walking down the middle of an empty street lined with friends and family. She holds hands with her current boyfriend, whom she plans to marry, and feels she is walking in her wedding procession to a waiting chariot. People silently waving red flags line both sides of the street, which ends at a boat dock where a submarine awaits them. As her boyfriend starts to drive the submarine, it begins to sink. She thinks, “I can’t survive with my head barely above the water while he rides high in the crow’s nest.” So, she says, “Wake up!” and does.

Parris gets the message, breaks up with her boyfriend, and is amazed when family and friends tell her that they saw serious red flags in the relationship. Under the Law of Divine Oneness, she is saved by the flags.

Dream flags can symbolize various aspects of the puzzles in our waking life. In contrast, the flag-dream is a kaleidoscopic reflection of our emotional landscape, adorned with the hues of our internal hopes, fears and dreams. When a flag pops up in the theater of your dreams, it could be flashing a vital memo to your waking self, a message as profound and straightforward as, “Celebrate!” or “Wake up!”

Kathleen O’Keefe-Kanavos of Rancho Mirage is a dream expert, cancer survivor, author, speaker, and TV/radio host/producer. She has been featured on Dr. Oz and The Doctors and her new award-winning book, Dreams That Can Save Your Life, is now available. For more information, visit www.KathleenOkeefeKanavos.com.