Artemidorus discusses his method of interpreting dreams:

Artemidorus discusses his method of interpreting dreams:
1.2 "Some dreams, moreover, are theorematic (direct), while others are allegorical. Theorematic dreams are those which correspond exactly to their own dream-vision. For example, a man who was at sea dreamt that he suffered shipwreck, and it actually came true in the way that it had been presented in sleep. For when sleep left him, the ship sank and was lost, and the man, along with a few others, narrowly escaped drowning...Allegorical dreams, on the other hand, are those which signify one thing by means of another; that is, through them, the soul is conveying something obscurely by physical means."
1.8 "Next, common customs differ greatly from individual ones. If anyone has not learned this, he will be deceived by them [in trying to interpret dreams]. These, then, are common customs. To venerate and honor the gods. (For there is no nation without gods, just as there is none without rulers. For different people reverence different gods, but the worship of all is directed towards the same power.) To nurture children, to yield to women and to sexual intercourse with them, to be awake during the day, to sleep at night, to take food, to rest when tired, to live indoors and not in the open air. These, then, are common customs. The others we call individual or ethnic. For example, among the Thracians, the well-born children are tatooed, whereas among the Getae, it is their slaves....And the Mossynes in the territory of Pontus have sexual intercourse in public and mingle with their wives just as dogs do, whereas in the eyes of other men, this behavior is considered to be shameful."
1.9 "It is profitable -- indeed, not only profitable but necessary -- for the dreamer as well as the person who is interpreting that the dream interpreter know the dreamer's identity, occupation, birth, financial status, state of health, and age. Also, the nature of the dream itself must be examined accurately, for the following section will make clear that the outcome is altered by the least addition or omission, so that if anyone fails to abide by this, he must blame himself rather than us if he goes wrong."
Artemidorus goes on to provide interpretations of specific dreams, and of particular symbols within dreams:
1.45 "The penis corresponds to one's parents, on the one hand, because it has a relationship with the seed. It resembles children, on the other hand, in that it itself is the cause of children. It signifies a wife or a mistress, since it is made for sexual intercourse. It indicates brothers and all blood relatives since the interrelationship of the entire house depends upon the penis. It is a symbol of strength and physical vigor, since it is itself the cause of these qualities. That is why some people call the penis 'one's manhood.' It corresponds to speech and education because the penis [like speech] is very fertile...Furthermore, the penis is also a sign of of wealth and possessions because it alternately expands and contracts and because it is able to produce and to eliminate. It signifies secret plans in that the word medea is used to designate both plans and a penis. It indicates poverty, servitude, and bonds, because it is also called 'the essential thing' and is a symbol of necessity."
He discusses the symbolism of a dream in which a man sleeps with his own mother:
1.79 "The case of one's mother is both complex and manifold and admits of many different interpretations -- a thing not all dream interpreters have realized. The fact is that the mere act of intercourse by itself is not enough to show what is portended. Rather, the manner of the embraces and the various positions of the bodies indicate different outcomes.
First, then, we will discuss face-to-face intercourse between a dreamer and his living mother, since a mother who is alive does not have the same meaning as a mother who is dead. Therefore, if anyone possesses his mother through face-to-face intercourse, which some also call the 'natural' method, if she is still alive and his father is in good health, it means that he and his father will become enemies because of the jealousy that generally arises between rivals [which would be greater in their case]. But if his father is sick, he will die, since the dreamer will take care of his mother both as a son and as a husband. But it is lucky for every craftsman and laborer. For we ordinarily call a person's trade his 'mother.' And what else would having intercourse with her mean if not to be occupied with and earn one's living from one's art? It is also lucky for every demagogue and public figure. For a mother signifies one's native country. And just as a man who follows the precepts of Aphrodite when he makes love completely governs the body of his obedient and willing partner, the dreamer will control all the affairs of the city.
And if the dreamer is estranged from his mother, they will become friends again because of the sexual intercourse. For sexual intercourse is also called 'friendship.' But frequently this dream has indicated that people who live apart will be brought together into the same place and will live together. It also, signifies, therefore, that a son will return from a foreign country to his own land, if his mother lives there. If she does not, the dream signifies that he will journey to wherever she lives. If the dreamer is a poor man who is lacking the necessities of life but one whose mother is rich, he will receive from her whatever he wishes or she will die shortly afterwards and leave him as her heir and, in this way, he will take pleasure in his mother. On the other hand, many sons have taken care of their mothers and provided for them after this dream and, in this way, the mothers have taken pleasure in their sons. The dream indicates that the sick will recover and return to their natural state, since nature is the common mother of all things and we say that the healthy, not the sick, are in their natural condition...
But the meaning will not be the same in the case of a sick man, if his mother is dead [in the dream]. For then the dreamer will himself die very soon afterwards, since the anatomical structure of a corpse is broken down into the material from which it has been formed and composed. And, since bodies are generally made from earth, they are changed into their proper substance. Furthermore, we speak of 'Mother Earth,' and what else would intercourse with a dead mother signify to a sick man if not that he will have intercourse with the earth?
But for a man who is involved in a lawsuit over land rights, for a man who wants to purchase land, and for a man who would like to farm land, it is good to have intercourse with one's dead mother. Some people say that it indicates bad luck only for farmers. For they will cast their seeds down into, as it were, dead land. That is, it will bear no fruit. In my opinion, this does not seem to be the case at all unless, of course, the person dreams that he repents or is distressed by the intercourse. It signifies, moreover, that a person abroad will return to his homeland and that a man who is involved in a dispute over his mother's property will win, and thus take delight not in the body of his mother but rather in her property.
But if a man has the dream in his native land, he will leave it. For it is impossible to remain near one's maternal hearth after such a crime. If he feels grief or remorse because of the intercourse, he will be banished from his native land. If not, he will travel abroad of his own free will.
It is not good to possess a mother who is looking away from one. For then either the mother herself will look away from the dreamer, or his native land, his trade, or any present undertaking. It is also unlucky to have intercourse with one's mother while she is standing. For men use this position only when they have neither bed nor mattress. Therefore it signifies constraint and oppression. It is also bad to have intercourse with one's mother while she is kneeling [and still more unseemly, while she is prostrate]. For it signifies great poverty because of the mother's immobility. [For we interpret the mother as a symbol of birth, chance, some fate of the dreamer managing his affairs or as a universal first principle.]
Possessing one's mother from underneath while she is in the 'rider' position is interpreted by some as signifying death to the dreamer. For a mother is like the earth, since the earth is the nurse and mother of all things. But the earth lies above the dead only and not above the living. I myself have observed, however, that sick men regularly die after this dream whereas those who are in good health spend the rest of their lives in great comfort and doing whatever they want. This is both natural and reasonable. For, in the other positions, exhaustion and heavy breathing are generally associated with the male partner. The female partner exerts herself less. But in this position, just the opposite is true, since the male derives his pleasure without exerting himself. But it also signifies that a man will escape the notice of others and remain undetected, since heavy breathing is for the most part eliminated.
But it is not auspicious to use many different positions on one's mother. For it is not right to insult one's mother...
In my experience, however, the worst dream by far is one in which the dreamer practices fellatio with his mother. For this signifies to the dreamer the death of children, the loss of property, and grave illness. I know of a man who, after this dream, lost his penis. For it was understandable that he was punished in the part of the body with which he had sinned."
Book 2
Artemidorus discusses the symbolism of various animals:
2.13 "A serpent signifies a king because of its strength. It also signifies time because of its length and because it casts off its old skin and becomes young again....It also means wealth and possessions, since the serpent guards treasures. Furthermore, it signifies all the gods to whom it is sacred, namely Zeus, Sabazius, Helius, Demeter, Core, Hecate, Asclepius, and all the heroes."
2.46 "Partridges signify both men and women, but generally godless, unholy women who are never kind to the men who support them. For partridges are hard to tame, speckled, and they alone of the birds have no respect for the gods."
Book 3
3.11 "The crocodile signifies a pirate, murderer, or a man who is no less wicked. The way in which the crocodile treats the dreamer determines the way in which he will be treated by the person who is represented by the crocodile. The cat signifies an adulterer. For it is a bird-thief. And birds resemble women, as I have already pointed out in the first book."
Book 4
Artemidorus discusses recurrent dreams:
4.27 "But whenever the intervals between recurrent dreams are long, one must realize that the dreams will have different meanings at different times...For example, a man dreamt that he lost his nose. He was a perfume dealer at the time. Since he did not have a nose in the dream, he lost his store and stopped selling perfumes. For he no longer possessed the means to test his perfumes and it was obvious that he would not continue in the perfume business. When he was no longer a perfume dealer, the same man dreamt that he did not have a nose. He was caught forging a signature and fled his own country. For anything that is lacking to a face disfigures and degrades it. And the face is the image of one's own respectability and reputation. It is understandable that this man was disgraced. During an illness the same man dreamt that he did not have a nose. He died not long afterwards, for the skull of a dead man has no nose. The first time, when he was a merchant, the dream referred to his perfumes. The second time, when he was a citizen with full rights and franchises, it referred to his reputation. The third time, when he was sick, it referred to his body itself. In this way, then, the same dream came true in three different ways for the same man."
Artemidorus discusses dreams that have to do with myths:
4.47 "When you are dealing with a legend that has two traditions -- one that sometimes says one thing but at other times says something else -- it is not wrong to base your interpretation on either of the two traditions, even if you do not choose the right one. But it is better to know and to relate both versions...You must also bear in mind that one should take into considerationonly those stories whose complete accuracy is supported by as much weighty evidence as, for example, the Persian War, the Trojan War before it, and so on. For from these, dwelling places are revealed as well as lines of battle, camp settlements, cities that were founded at that time, altars that were erected then, and everything else that is related to them. Whenever, therefore, a man sees anything of this sort [in a dream], he will by all means encounter something similar to it.
One must, moreover, pay attention to stories that are well-known and believed by most people as, for example, those about Prometheus, Niobe, and all the heroes of tragedy. For even if these stories are not actually true, they are fulfilled in a way that resembles the content of the tales because of the predispositions of most men.
But legends that are completely obsolete and full of nonsense and frivolity as, for example, those about the battle of the gods and giants, the Sown-Men in Thebes, and those in Colchis and so on, do not come true at all, or they signify, in accordance with the previous section, that one's expectations will be thwarted and cancelled out. These legends are also symbols of vain and empty hopes unless, of course, any of them admits of a physical explanation.