THE DREAM - I was in Africa and was being chased by wild cannibals. They caught me and placed me in a huge pot. I kept trying to get out but they kept forcing me back in with spears.

THE REALITY This was the dream of Elias Howe in 1845. He had been trying to figure out how to automate the sewing process. He fell asleep that night. He awoke scared to death. But he examined the dream in more detail and realised that the spears each had holes in them at the tip. This was the break through he needed to solve his problem. He designed a sewing machine which would similarly force the needle - the hole at the tip of the needle was the secret to this. This creative dream helped him to become the second richest man in the USA.

DREAM INTERPRETATION This was a classic creative dream. The dreamer fell asleep thinking over a work problem. His dream contained the solution. It seems bizarre yet the spears were specifically designed with holes in the tips. This was enough to inspire Howe to overcome the problems he had encountered in earlier designs.

Such dreams will normally not have to be interpreted. A solution will normally just present itself to the dreamer. We wake up and hey presto that problem we were thinking over is instantly solved.

Symbolic Meanings
CANNIBALS FORCE HIM BACK IN : "This mimics the action of a needle - his design forced the needle back into the garment each time"
SPEAR WITH HOLE AT TIP : "This detail of the dream was crucial in inspiring the dreamer to create the first sewing machine. He designed a needle with a hole in it at the tip"