A dream can appear prophetic, but actually be symbolic:
In the dream, I was shown a map of the US. It was just the outline so that none of the individual states were visible. It appeared to be on a flat, yellow , wrinkled piece of paper, which someone spread out before me and smoothed. I was specifically told there would be a terrorist attack on the US, at four locations. On the map, there were four black marks. They appeared to be in the locations of New York City; Washington D.C.; Atlanta, Georgia; and Seattle, Washington. I could not tell exactly as they were not labeled. I was told that nuclear bombs would go off at each location. I had the impression that the attacks would be coordinated and go off at the same time.
Significant Symbols:
Map-seeing an overview of the situation/an upcoming experience.
Yellow-intelligence and power.
Wrinkled paper-important message or insight, carelessly handled (wrinkled)
Cities-various aspects of one’s self. Each city represents what I personally think of that city.
Nuclear bombs-that which is explosive or disruptive on a major scale, perhaps even permanently life-changing (as indicated by nuclear).
In this dream, I am given an important message or insight of a particular situation or experience which I will be a part of and/or witness (the wrinkled map). If I am to do this interpretation appropriately, I must apply it to myself first. This change will come from intelligence and power (yellow). I am shown that I will experience significant disruption (nuclear bombs) in four particular areas. Each city represents a particular area in which great change will come. New York City-represents high finance, business, urban sophistication, overcrowding, violence. Atlanta-represents Conservative values and prejudice. Seattle-liberal ideas and trends, youth. Washington D.C.-political leadership and action, freedom, democracy, power, USA. In each of these areas, I will experience great upheaval, disruption, change in what I believe and live. Just because the bombs are “nuclear”, doesn’t mean that the change is terrible. It does indicate that it is very significant and long-lasting, probably even permanent. I will not be the same again.
I addressed this dream specifically towards myself, but I can also make the assumption that the dream is a prophecy of the development of the United States of America. The changes that are being foretold for me would also be applied to the country. There will be great upheaval in specific areas of belief/behavior as indicated by the cities on the map. These areas would be in what I believe are finance and business and overcrowding and violence, conservative values and prejudice, liberal ideas and trends, politics and leaders. It is not hard to see in current events around the Nation that specific actions are occurring which could change American society and how we deal with specific issues on a permanent basis. Hopefully, these are changes for the better.
Some people might want to believe that the dream is literal and these terrible things would actually happen. Just speaking logically, this seems highly unlikely. The probability of terrorists attaining four nuclear bombs and detonating them at the exact same time in four separate American cities is extremely low. Using logic, one must eliminate this possibility and apply the dream using the methods that work-first towards one’s self, and then outwardly to others one knows and situations one is in or witness to. I’m not saying that sometimes a dream can’t be literal, it just normally is not.
Adventures in Dreaming 