If a particular ancestor is highlighted, then you need to explore your personal associations with that person. For example, your great-aunt could have been renowned for her psychic abilities, so a dream about her might represent that intuitive tendency in you. Family scenes in your dream may represent feelings of security and unity, or a desire for this in your waking life. The appearance of your whole family together in a dream can indicate that you are yearning for the security and togetherness of childhood and home. On the other hand, if you dream that you see your family but are not present among them or are ignored by them, perhaps you feel emotionally distant from them at present. The appearance or mention of your family name in dreamland calls attention to your heritage or family situation.
If family planning is a feature of your dream, this suggests the need to take responsibility for your future. A family room suggests congeniality. Members of the extended family (such as cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews) usually appear in a dream as an aspect of yourself relevant to the person you dreamed about. For example, if your cousin is shy in waking life, his appearance in a dream may refer to the inhibited part of yourself.
To dream of a family tree may indicate your true spiritual heritage, providing you with a record of your origins and your place in the overall scheme of things; alternatively, if you believe in reincarnation, particularly genetic reincarnation, it may represent your own past lives.
If you are finding it difficult to analyze the meaning of your dream, it may be that your unconscious has cast a feminine or masculine archetype in the role of the relation. To determine if this is the case, ask yourself if your dream uncle has more in common with the archetypal wise old man than your father’s brother, or if your dream niece has more in common with the archetypal amazon or huntress.... The Element Encyclopedia
If the coldness is in the lower part of the body, this suggests sexual coldness and again, lack of passion. Coldness in the chest (heart) suggests lack of feelings or feeling cold towards someone.
Cold feet indicate a fear of doing something or indecision. The image of a dead body in a dream depicts feelings and potential to which we have not given expression in daily life.... The Element Encyclopedia
The .Asian family tends to keep strong family values and respect family rituals. This may suggest that you need to honor your elders and tradition.... Ariadne's Book of Dream
If white: one’s natural drives, feelings about coloured people; or if person is known, what you feel about them.
If black or brown: one’s own cultural feelings; same as any person’ dream.
Example: \ was in a cubicle or small toilet with a very black coloured woman. She told me there was something wrong with her vagina. She was undressed. I rubbed her vagina and we both felt enormous passion. I then awoke but couldn’t at first remember the dream. I have refrained from sexual intercourse for some weeks, as I always feel shattered/ tired afterwards. Anyway I woke very wet, yet couldn’t remember any orgasm. I could remember some question of sex as I awoke. Then I remembered the dream and continued it in fantasy. I experienced powerful urges to find a woman to have a non-committed sexual relationship with. But in the end I wanted to share my feelings with my wife, but she seemed deep asleep and unresponsive. When I slept again I dreamt I was in London, had got off one bus, but was not at any destination. I was standing about not making a move to find my direction. Then I began to look’ (Alfred C).
To understand this dream in some depth it is helpful to think of a sexual drive as a flow, like a river. As such it can be blocked, in which case it will seek an alternative route. Sexual energy or flow is not simply a mechanical thing, ihough; it is also deeply feeling in its connection with the most profound sides of human life such as parenthood and the canng and providing for young. In the history of white people a great deal of sexual frustration has arisen out of the ideas of sin and guilt in their religion.
A view arose for the white race that the black races had an easier and less frustrating relationship with the natural —which includes not only sexuality but the body as a whole, and nature also. So when Alfred dreams of the black woman, he is meeting what is natural and flowing in himself, but which he has blocked by his will because he felt shattered after sex.
The pan about the bus shows him trying to find a direction in which his sexual feelings could move satisfyingly in connection with other people.
Unfonunately, as Jung points out in Man and His Symbols, people in modern society, whether black, yellow, brown or white, have lost their sense of nature and the cosmos as being anything other than processes without consciousness or living feeling. Jung says. No river contains a spirit, no tree is the life principle of a man. no snake the embodiment of wisdom. No voice now speaks to man from stones, plants, and animals, nor does he speak to them believing they can hear.’ The importance of such dreams as Arthur’s is that it shows the passionate relationship between our personality and the pnmitive and natural.
A black person, born and bred in a modern setting, would most likely dream of a black bushman to depict their own natural drives. See identity and dreams; Africa; sex in dreams. ... A Guide to Dreams and Sleep Experiences
2. Fears of castration. ... New American Dream Dictionary
If a person sees himself as carrying a dead person in a normal way it means he will either obey and follow the ruler of the time or he will take upon himself some of his responsibilities.... Islamic Dream Interpretation
If you see and talk with your father, some unlucky transaction is about to be made by you. Be careful how you enter into contracts, enemies are around you. Men and women are warned to look to their reputations after this dream.
To see your mother, warns you to control your inclination to cultivate morbidness and ill will towards your fellow creatures.
A brother, or other relatives or friends, denotes that you may be called on for charity or aid within a short time.
To dream of seeing the dead, living and happy, signifies you are letting wrong influences into your life, which will bring material loss if not corrected by the assumption of your own will force.
To dream that you are conversing with a dead relative, and that relative endeavors to extract a promise from you, warns you of coming distress, unless you follow the advice given you. Disastrous consequences could often be averted if minds could grasp the inner workings and sight of the higher or spiritual self.
The voice of relatives is only that higher self taking form to approach more distinctly the mind that lives near the material plane. There is so little congeniality between common or material natures that persons should depend upon their own subjectivity for true contentment and pleasure. Paracelsus says on this subject: ``It may happen that the soul of persons who have died perhaps fifty years ago may appear to us in a dream, and if it speaks to us we should pay special attention to what it says, for such a vision is not an illusion or delusion, and it is possible that a man is as much able to use his reason during the sleep of his body as when the latter is awake; and if in such a case such a soul appears to him and he asks questions, he will then hear that which is true. Through these solicitous souls we may obtain a great deal of knowledge to good or to evil things if we ask them to reveal them to us. Many persons have had such prayers granted to them. Some people that were sick have been informed during their sleep what remedies they should use, and after using the remedies, they became cured, and such things have happened not only to Christians, but also to Jews, Persians, and heathens, to good and to bad persons.’’ The writer does not hold that such knowledge is obtained from external or excarnate spirits, but rather through the personal _Spirit Glimpses_ that is in man.--AUTHOR. ... Ten Thousand Dream Interpretation
To dream that someone you care about is dead, suggests that you are lacking a certain quality that the loved one represents. Ask yourself what makes this person special or what do you like about them.
It is that very quality that you are lacking in your own relationship or circumstances.
To see dead people in your dream who you do not know in real life, forewarns that you are being influenced by negative people and are hanging around the wrong crowd. This dream may also be a way for you to resolve your feelings with those who have passed on. However, if you spoke with someone who is dead, you may soon hear very good news.
To dream of someone dead coming to life again suggests that you miss them and are trying to relive your old experiences you had with them. Also look up “Zombie”... My Dream Interpretation
(1) Does the dream contain a dead person you actually knew? If so, the dream may mean you should take notice of what he or she said or did, or of what happened to him or her. The dead person is ‘coming back1, not to haunt but to advise and help you.
There’s really nothing ‘spooky1 about meeting dead people in dreams. Such encounters may help you to fulfil a long-desired deep relationship, or to put something right. For example, you may learn to forgive the person and as a consequence get peace and healing for yourself.
(2) If a deceased partner or parent appears in dreams, (1) above may apply. Bear in mind also that the dead do live on - inside us; and that it is important to realize when this is a healthy and life-enhancing thing and when it is purely negative, stunting our own personal development.
If it is the latter, resolve to have it out with the person the next time he or she appears in a dream.
(3) If the dead person in the dream is actually a living person - and especially if that person is your partner or parent or sibling - the dream may be expressing unconscious resentment towards that person, or a desire to be independent. Feelings towards someone close are often ambivalent: love or respect mixed with fear or hatred or resentment or jealousy.
The usual conscious response to such a dream will be anxiety, and you may even feel anxiety in the dream itself. However, Freud was convinced that in such cases anxiety was a cloak for unconscious - because repressed - hostility’. (On the Oedipus complex) See also Murder.
(4) The dead person may be you (and could stand for you even if in the dream he is distinct from the dream ego). In that case, consider the following possibilities:
(a) What is being expressed in the dream may be your own anxiety’ about dying. Death is inevitable, and facing up to that fact may bring great rewards: self-acceptance; new values; a broadening of one’s personality’, compensating for past omissions or lopsidedness and utilizing hitherto neglected personal resources. This would be specially applicable if vou were in the second half of life.
(b) The message may be that y’our old self needs to be left behind. This mav mean that you must stop carrying around with yrou the crippling burden of vour past (irrational guilt-feelings and martyrdom complex, or any other negative self-programming); and, instead, you must open yourself to what the present moment is offering. Alternatively, the ‘old self5 may be old attachments, habits, ambitions, values, goals; in which case the dream is telling you that the only way forward for you lies through giving these up and looking deeper within yourself for better values, etc. (where ‘better5 means more in tune with your real self).
(Primitive rites of passage, which mark transitional stages in a person’s life - birth, initiation into adulthood, marriage, death - all contain death-and-rebirth symbolism and express a recognition that the dissolving - ‘death5 - of past attitudes is a necessary prelude to the development of new attitudes more appropriate to one’s new stage in life. The symbolic death of the initiate in these rites may also be seen as a descent of the conscious ego into the unconscious: it is the unconscious that provides the means for new growth - ‘rebirth5. See also Sacrifice.)
(c) It is just possible that, if your own death features repeatedly in dreams, it is an expression of an unconscious wish for death. Freud speculated in Beyond the Pleasure Principle that there might be, in everyone, just two contending basic drives: one towards life and love and pleasure (‘Eros’), the other towards death (Thanatos5). This is highly controversial, but it is indisputable that many people display a strong masochistic tendency.
Are you compelled to repeat a painful experience? Do you tend to interpret what other people say as a criticism of yourself? If so, you may be suffering from repressed guilt-feelings and an unconscious urge to punish yourself - which may sometimes take the form of a fate-neurosis and / or a wish (unconscious) to see yourself dead.
If you feel this applies to you, talk to a friend about it or consult a psychotherapist. See also Suicide.
A wish for death may be a retreat from life’s problems and pains, or a response to (a sense of) failure.
If this applies to you, bear in mind, first, that a very sensitive person may also be burdened with an over-severe conscience (the product, perhaps, of having a stem father or a sin-and- guilt religious upbringing). In that case, see the previous paragraph. Secondly, what makes a thing a problem is usually one’s attitude towards it. For example, suppose you have been made redundant.
If your reaction is to see this as a punishment, see the previous paragraph.
If you see it as failure, try to change your attitude or perspective by asking what creative purpose may be being served bv your redundancy: perhaps, for instance, the demolishing of an inadequate or false self- image in order to make way for the construction of one that corresponds more closely to your individual ground-plan or ‘destiny’.
(5) If the gender of the dead person is stressed, the meaning may be that your masculinitv / femininity or your animus / anima needs reviving.
(6) A dead animal in a dream almost certainly refers to some part of you - an instinctive force, perhaps - and the dream will be telling you either that this part of you (e.g. guilt-feelings or inferiority complex) ought to die, because its effects are wholly negative; or that it is a valuable but repressed part of yourself that you must now bring to life, to rectify an imbalance in vour personality.... A Dictionary of Dream Symbols
2. A need to resolve old issues—likely in relationships, often behavioral—and finally lay them to rest.
3. An overwhelming fear of loss.
4. Positive changes are in the offing.
5. A level of the unconscious is attempting to communicate with the conscious. ... New American Dream Dictionary
This kind of dream death is, in other words, a symbol of self-transformation.
A lifeless corpse, on the other hand, may represent a feeling of devitalization—a kind of death in life that comes from adhering to a lifeless routine. (See also Burial, Coffin, Crypt, Grave, Hearse).... Dream Symbols in The Dream Encyclopedia
A futile path, which, if pursued, will only result in wasted energy.
Feeling trapped and unable to move. As such, an alternative type of cage emblem that offers at least one way out, namely, the way by which you came.... The Language of Dreams
A dead end can indicate that a current situation is not working out quite as you may have expected and a feeling of disappointment is likely if you are to continue.
To dream of a dead end that is marked by trees or an open space implies that there is another way to go that will produce a fruitful outcome.... Dream Symbols and Analysis
If you have such disturbing dreams it is possible that you are facing some kind of emotional crisis in your life that requires a drastic decision; for example, whether you should leave your partner or not.
If you are being chased, identifying who or what was chasing you or why you need to escape may help you decide what course of action to take in real life.
If you don’t know who the person chasing you is, this may stand for certain unpalatable aspects of your personality which have been repressed but which are now forcing you to deal with them. Alternatively, your unconscious may be reflecting on your feelings of powerlessness in regard to a difficult situation in your waking life. Do you feel as if you are caught between a rock and a hard place?... The Element Encyclopedia
It is common to have disturbing dreams for some period afterwards; or not be able to dream about the husband (or wife) at all; or to see the partner in the distance but not get near. In accepting the death, meeting any feelings of loss, grief, anger and continuing love, the dream may become as below.
The example both shows the resolution of the loss, but also the paradox felt at realising the meeting was an inner reality. Example: ‘A couple of months ago as I was waking I felt my husband’s arm across me and most realistically experienced my hand wrapping around his arm and turning towards him (which I had done so often in his lifetime) and saying “1 thought you had died. Thank God you have not.” Then I awoke alone and terribly shaken’ (Mrs I).
A critic might say this is only a dream in which a lonely woman is replaying memories of her dead husband’s presence for her own comfort—thus her disappointment on being disillusioned. Whatever our opinion, the woman has within her such memories to replay. These are reality.
The inner reality is of what experience was left within her from the relationship. Her challenge is whether she can meet this treasure with its share of pain, and draw out of it the essence which enriches her own being. That is the spiritual life of her husband.
The aliveness’ of her husband in that sense is also social, because many other people share memories of him. What arises in their own lives from such memories is the observable influence of the now dead person.
But the dead also touch us more mysteriously, as in the next example. Example: In a recent news programme on television, a man who survived a Japanese prisoner of war camp in Singapore had been given a photograph of children by a dying soldier he did not know.
The man had asked him to tell his family of his death, but did not give his name.
The photograph was kept for 40 odd years, the man still wanting to complete his promise but not knowing how. One night he dreamt he was told the man’s name. Enquiries soon found the family of the man, who had an identical photograph. See husband under family. ... A Guide to Dreams and Sleep Experiences
If you speak to friends or relatives who are Dead, it means news of some living friend or relation; if you touch or kiss them, the news will be of a sorrowful nature.
To dream of a Death means news of a birth.... Mystic Dream Book
For instance, there may be unresolved anger or guilt we still hold and the only wav we can deal with it is within a dream sequence.
2- Memories can remain buried for years and often when people who have died appear in dreams, we are being reminded of different times, places or relationships which will help us to deal with present situations.
3- To dream of dead people may suggest a link of a spiritual nature to our long-forgotten ancestors.... Ten Thousand Dream Dictionary
For instance, there may be unresolved anger or guilt we still hold and the only way we can deal with it is within a dream sequence.... Dream Meanings of Versatile
If you spoke with someone who is dead, you will soon hear very good news.... My Dream Interpretation
When someone close to us dies we go through a period of change from relating to them as an external reality, to meeting and accepting them as alive in our memories and inner life. In the next example the man has not only come to terms with his mother’s and his own death, but also found this inner reality. Example: A dark grey sugar loaf form materialised. This pillar lightened in shade as I watched. It didn’t move. I began to think it was Mrs Molten who died in 1956.
The feeling grew stronger but still the colour lightened. Then it bent over and kissed my head. In that instant I knew it was my mother.
An ecstatic joy and happiness such as I have never known on earth suffused me. That happiness remained constantly in mind for the next few days’ (Mr M). ... A Guide to Dreams and Sleep Experiences
The land of the dead is that of the unconscious where the Shadow resides.
A dead person, according to Jung, is first and foremost a representative of unconscious incidents. See Death.... Little Giant Encyclopedia
If you dreamed of the death of a loved one who is seriously ill or advanced in years, your unconscious may have been preparing you for their future departure from your life. By exposing you in the dream to emotions that will overwhelm you, your shock may be lessened and thus easier to bear.
Dreams such as this one may also be urging you to tell loved ones how much they mean to you before it is too late. If, in your dream, you felt no emotion at all when a loved one died, the interpretation is likely to be different, as it represents something in your life that is coming to an end or that should end. An alternative explanation is that you fear the death of your relationship, particularly if your partner has withdrawn emotionally from you in the waking world. A dream in which you became a widow or widower or suffer bereavement can indicate feelings of loneliness in waking life.
If you are in a relationship, such a dream may suggest that there is a lack of understanding or a communication breakdown between you and your partner. For dreams of a dead person see GHOSTS.... The Element Encyclopedia
If you dream of missing (or being late for) a deadline, this symbolizes your fear of change. You might be nervous about seizing an opportunity, or unready/unworthy in your current circumstances.... My Dream Interpretation
If such a fear-based dream image appears, experiment with different behaviors. Changing your behavior almost always leads out of the dead-end situation.
The experience of a dead-end street is, from a developmental point of view, absolutely essential.... Little Giant Encyclopedia
For example, to dream of your mother dying could represent the death of your own motherly nature. Perhaps you should try to be more caring and maternal, or perhaps something or someone should be nurtured instead of ignored. Alternatively, you may be expressing hidden feelings for that person. Do you secretly resent or wish to be independent of him or her? Such dreams may also represent a positive or negative change in your relationship or attitude toward that particular person. Yet another interpretation suggests that dreams of being prostrate with grief at your father’s or mother’s funeral can be an emotional dress rehearsal staged by your unconscious to prepare you for the devastation you may feel when your parent really does die. Such dreams tend to be more common in women, especially concerning the death of a partner, as statistically women live longer than men.
Dreaming of a relative or partner who is dead in waking life is, not surprisingly, quite common. After all, that person may have played a big part in your life, and their influence and memories are still very much alive in you. It is not unusual to have disturbing dreams for some period after the death of a loved one; it is equally common not to be able to dream about the husband or wife at all, or to see the partner in the distance but be unable to get any nearer. Such dreams of dead people are expressive of attempts by your dreaming mind to help you make the transition from external reality to internal memories, or to deal with feelings, guilt or anger in connection with the person who died. See also SPIRITS AND GHOSTS.... The Element Encyclopedia
(Also see Darkness)... Islamic Dream Interpretation
If he is unknown to him, he will pursue a matter wherein he will not succeed.... Islamic Dream Interpretation
If the unknown elderly person looks strong in the dream, he represents one’s strength. Otherwise, if he looks feeble, then he represents one’s weakness. Whatever physical conditions an elderly person is seen with in the dream, such condition will reflect in one’s own state.
If an elderly person comes toward the person seeing the dream, it means that someone will help him attain a praiseworthy rank. Ifone follows an elderly person in a dream, it means that he follows a good path.
If one sees an elderly person and displeases him in the dream, it means that he will displease a close friend or reject his advice. Ifhe pleases him in the dream, it means that he will consent with a close good friend and they will walk together on the path to reap material as well as spiritual benefits. Ifone sees a gathering of friendly people but could not determine whether they are young or elderly in a dream, it means that he will discover new avenues in his life and he will draw material and spiritual benefits from them.
If he sees a gathering of young people he does not recognize in the dream, it means that he will associate himself with rich people.
If he sees a gathering of elderly people he does not recognize in the dream, it means that he will associate himself with good friends.
If a woman sees an elderly person she could not recognize in the dream, he represents the world.
If a young man sees himself turned into an elderly person in a dream, it means that he will acquire knowledge and wisdom. Listening to a good looking elderly person in a dream means receiving honor and rank.
If an elderly person sees himself turned young in a dream, it represents his strength, wealth, good living and a healthy life, or it could mean material or religious losses, or it could mean his death. Ifan elderly person sees himselfbeingborn again in a dream, it means his death.
If he is ill, it could represent his attachment to the world, and if he is poor, it could denote his earning.
If an elderly person sees himself as a youth in a dream, it could also mean committing a childish act or an unwise act.
A wise elderly person in a dream represents honor, rank, dignity, wealth, blessings and longevity. On the other hand, seeing an elderly person in a dream could represents failure, weaknesses, defeat, disablement or inertness.
(Also see Gray hair)... Islamic Dream Interpretation
2. Self, male and female attributes and roles in personality; self-nurturing.
3. Good fortune, better circumstances in the offing (to dream of animal families). ... New American Dream Dictionary
If a dream contains relatives who are deceased it can be showing you a generational curse or blessing that originates with that particular relative.
If the dead relative is dripping with oil, radiant, and joyous it symbolizes eternal life, 1 Jn. 3:9 NLT... Christian Dream Symbols
If the family is very sad expect some adverse reactions in your financial structure.... Tryskelion Dream Interpretation
If our mother is unable to develop a feeling contact with us, we may lack the confidence to meet our emotions.
Our maturation as a man or woman calls us in some way to meet and integrate our childhood desire, which includes sexual desire for our parent of the opposite sex, and rivalry with, mingled with dependence on, the parent of the same sex. Even a missing parent, the mother or father who died or left, is a potent figure internally.
An absence of a father’s or mother’s love or presence can be as traumatic as any powerfully injuring event. Our parents in our dreams are the image (full of power and feeling) of the formative forces and experiences of our identity. They are the ground, the soil, the bloody carnage, out of which our sense of self emerged. But our identity cannot gain any real independence while still dominated by these internal forces of our creation. Heraclitus said we cannot swim in the same river twice; attempting to repeat or compete with the vinues of a parent is a misapprehension of the true nature of our own personality. Sec individuation.
Family group: The whole background of experience which makes up our values and views. This background is made up of thousands of different obvious and subtle things such as social status; amount of books in the home; how parents feel about themselves; how they relate to life outside the family; whether dominant roles are encouraged; what nationality parents are; what unconscious social attitudes surround the family (i.e. the master and servant, or dominating employer and subservient employee, roles which typified England at the turn of the century still colour many attitudes in the UK). Simply put, it is our internal ‘family’ of urges and values; the overall feeling tone of our family life—security, domination, whatever it was, the unconscious coping patterns of the family.
Parents together in dream: our general wisdom, background of information and experience from which we make important decisions or gain intuitive insights. Parents also depict the rules and often irrational disciplinary codes we learnt as a child which still speak to us from within, and perhaps pass on to our own children without reassessment. These include everything from ‘Don’t speak with your mouth full’ to the unspoken Masturbation is unholy/
Dead parent in dream: the beginning of independence from parent; repression of the emotions they engendered in us, our emotions regarding our parent’s death; feelings about death. See dead people dreams.
Example: ‘My father was giving me and another woman some medicine. Something was being forced on us. I started to hit and punch him in the genitals and, when he was facing the other way, in the backside. I seemed to be just the right height to do this and I had a very angry feeling that I wanted to hurt him as he had hurt me’ (Audrey V). Hurting, burying , killing parent: in the example Audrey’s height shows her as a child. She is releasing anger about the attitudes and situations her father forced down her throat’.
To be free of the introverted restraints and ready made values gathered from our parents, at some time in our growth we may kill or bury them. Although some people arc shocked by such dreams, they are healthy signs of emerging independence. Old myths of killing the chief so the tribe can have a new leader depict this process. When father or mother are dead’ in our dream, we can inherit all the power gained from whatever was positive in the relationship. Seeing parent drunk, incapable, foolish: another means of gaining independence from internalised values or stultifying drives to ‘honour’ or admire father or mother.
father
Generally positive: authority; ability in the external world; family or social conventions, how we relate to the ‘doer’ in us; physical strength and protectiveness; the will to be. Generally negative: introvened aggression; dominance by fear of other people’s authority, uncaring sexual drive; feelings of not being loved. See father under archetypes; man.
mother
Generally positive: feelings; ability in relationships; uniting spirit of family; how we relate to feelings in a relationship; strength to give of self and nunure; intuition. Generally negative: will based on irrational likes and dislikes; opinion generated by anxiety or jealousy; domination by emotions; lack of bonding. See Great Mother under archetypes; woman.
siblings and children
Whether brother, sister, daughter or son (see below in this entry), the most general use in our dreams is to depict an aspect of ourself. However it is almost universal to believe with great conviction that our dream is about the person in our dream.
A mother seeing a son die in her dream often goes through great anxiety because there lurks in her a sense of it being a precognitive dream. Vinually everyone at some time dreams about members of their close family dying or being killed—lots of mothers dream this, and their children live till 80. But occasionally children do die. Is the dream then precognitive, or is it coincidental?
Example: ‘I was walking along a rather dusty track carrying my younger son who would be around 10 months old and I was feeling rather tired. Suddenly I met a man who stopped to talk to me and commented I looked rather weary carrying the baby. He said, come with me and look over this wall and you will see such a sight that will gladden your hean. By standing on tiptoe I could just see over the wall and the sight I beheld took my breath away, it was so beautiful’ (Johan E). Here Johan’s son depicts the weight of responsibility she feels.
The beauty is her own resources of strength in motherhood.
Example: ‘I have just given binh to twins and they lay on the floor. We started to care for them. My mother took them to the doctor for his advice while I went to see my married sister who has two children. I met them there with the twins so that my sister could give her opinion on the babies. She had recent experience of childbirth and could tell us if the babies were good specimens’ (Miss E). Miss E has no children of her own, so she is uncertain of her own capacity to have and raise them.
The mother depicts her own mothering abilities, which seek confidence from an authority figure. Her sister is her own nearest experience of childbirth. So out of what she has leamt from observing her sister, she is assessing her own qualities.
Most often the family member depicts the qualities in ourself which we feel are part of the character of the person dreamt of. So the passionate one in the family would depict our passions; the intellectual one our own mind, the anxious one our hesitations. Use the questions in dream processing to define this. Having done this, can you observe what the dream depicts? For Miss E it would be questions regarding motherhood.
Example: ‘My daughter told me the only positive part of my work in a helping profession was with a woman who had turned from it to religion. There followed a long and powerful interchange in which I said she had as yet no mind of her own. She was dominated by her mother’s anxiety, and the medical rationalism of her training. When she had dared to step beyond her own anxieties to integrate the lessons of her own life, then I would listen again’ (Desmond S). Desmond was divorced and struggling with his own pain and guilt about leaving his daughter while still a teenager. His daughter depicts this conflict between his feelings and his rational self.
brother
Oneself, or the denied pan of self, meeting whatever is met in the dream; feelings of kinship; sense of rivalry, feelings about a brother. Woman’s dream, younger brother: outgoing but vulnerable self; rivalry. Woman’s dream, older brother, authority, one’s capable outgoing self. Man’s dream, younger brother: vulnerable feelings; oneself at that age. Man’s dream, older brother: experience; authority, feelings of persecution. See boy; man. Idioms: big brother, brothers in arms; blood brother.
sister
Feeling self, or the lesser expressed pan of self; rival; feelings about a sister. Man s dream, younger sister: vulnerable emotions; rival for love of parents. Man’s dream, older sister: capable feeling self; feelings of persecution. Woman’s dream , younger sister: one’s experiences at that age; vulnerable feelings, rival for parents’ love. Woman’s dream, older sister: capable feeling self. See girl; woman. Idioms: sisters under the skin.
daughter
One’s relationship with the daughter, the daughter, or son, can represent what happens in a marnage between husband and wife.
The child is what has arisen from the bonding, however momentary, of two people. In dreams the child therefore is sometimes used to depict how the relationship is faring. So a sick daughter might show the feelings in the relationship being ‘ill’.
In a mother’s dream: often feelings of suppon or companionship; feelings of not being alone in the area of emotional bonds; or one’s feeling area; responsibility; the ties of parenthood; oneself at that age; one’s own urges, difficulties, hurts, which may still be operative. Also a comparison; the mother might see the daughter’s youth, opportunity, and have feelings about that. So the daughter may represent her sense of lost opportunity and youth—even envy, competition in getting the desire of a man.
In a father’s dream: one’s feeling self, the feelings or difficulties about the relationship with daughter; the struggles one’s own feeling self goes through to mature, how the sexual feelings are dealt with in a family—occurs especially when she starts courting; sister, parental responsibility; one’s wife when younger. Someone else’s daughter: feelings about one’s own daughter, feelings about younger women.
Example: 1 am standing outside a supermarket with heavy bags wearing my mac, though the sun is warm. My daughter and two friends are playing music and everyone stops to listen. I start to wnte a song for them, but they pack up and go on a bus whilst I am still writing. I am left alone at the bus stop with my heavy burden of shopping, feeling incredibly unwanted’ (Mrs F). Such dreams of the daughter becoming independent can occur as soon as the child starts school, persisting until the mother finds a new attitude. See child; woman.
son
Extroverted self; desires connected with self expression; feelings connected with son; parental responsibility. Mother’s dream: one’s ambitions; potential, hopes; your marriage—see example.
Example: ‘My wife and I were walking out in the countryside. I looked around suddenly and saw my four-year-old son near a hole. He fell in and I raced back.
The hole was narrow but very deep. I could see water at the bottom but no sign of my son. I didn’t know whether I could leap down and save him or whether it was too narrow. Then somehow he was out. His heart was just beating’ (Richard H). Richard had argued with his wife in such a way he feared the stability of their marriage.
The son represents what they had created together —a child, a marriage.
The marriage survived, as his dream self-assessed it would. Death of son: a mother often kills off her son in her dreams as she sees him make moves towards independence. This can happen from the first day of school on. Example: T am on a very high bridge over an extremely wide and deep river with steep banks. My son does a double somersault over the railing, falls into the water. I think he is showing off. I am unable to save him. My son is 18 and has staned a structural engineering course at university’ (Joyce H).
The showing-off suggests Joyce feels her son is doing daring things with his life, and the relationship in its old form dies.
Father’s dream: yourself at that age; what qualities you see in your son; your own possibilities, envy of youth and opportunities; nvalry. Someone else’s son: feelings about one’s own son; feelings about younger men. Dead son: see dead people dreams. Sec boy. See also man; first example in falling.
wife
Depicts how you see the relationship with your wife; your relationship with your sexuality; sexual and emotional desire and pleasure; how you relate to intimacy in body, mind and spirit; your feeling, intuitive nature; habits of relationship developed with one’s mother. Example: ‘My wife was trying to get me out of her life, and out of the house. It was as if she were attempting to push me into a feeling of tension and rejection which would make me leave’ (David P). Out of childhood experience, in which his mother repeatedly threatened to give him away, David was finding it difficult to commit himself emotionally to his wife. In the dream his wife represents these feelings, so he sees her—his anxiety and pain —pushing him to break up the marriage.
Example: I was standing with my wife at the end of the garden of the house I lived in as a child. We were looking over the fence to the rising meadow beyond. She said, “Look at that bird in the tree there.” On our right, in a small ash tree, an enormous owl perched. It was at least 4 feet high, the biggest bird I have ever seen. I recognised it in the dream as a greater hooded owl, which was not native to our country. I was so excited I ran into the house to telephone someone— zoo, police, newspapers?—to tell them about the bird. I cannot remember contacting anyone, but felt the bird was there in some way to meet me. Also it was hungry and looking at next door’s bantams. So I wondered what I could give it to eat’ (David P). This shows the positive side of David’s relationship with his wife.
The garden is the boundanes which arose from his childhood. But he is growing—the garden— and looking beyond them in connection with his marnage.
The amazing bird is the deep feelings he touches because he has a mate, like any other natural creature. Out of his mating he becomes aware of drives to build a home—nest—and give himself to his mate. These are natural and are a pan of his unconscious or spiritual nature.
The bird is a hooded owl which can see in the dark—the unconscious—because David is realising things he had never seen’ before.
The bird is masked, meaning putting the ego aside, which is a necessity for touching the wider dimension of life or the unconscious.
The hunger of the bird shows an intimate detail of what David has learnt from his wife. She had been working as a waitress and bringing home pieces of chicken for him, saved from her own meal.
The spiritual side of David wants to develop this quality of selfgiving, which his wife’s love had helped him see.
Example: ‘1 have been a widower since January 1979, having married in October 1941. I continually dream I am in London where my business was. I am walking the streets with my wife and suddenly I see her ahead of me in a yellow raincoat and hat. I call her and try to catch up, but suddenly she vanishes. In spite of calling and searching I cannot find her’ (Douglas G). This is a common theme dreamt by widowers or widows, disappearance of spouse. Douglas has ‘lost’ his wife. His dream shows the paradox of love after death of panner. His love is still there, years after her death. He is possibly still trying to love his wife as an externally real person. so his feelings can make no connection.
To meet what actually remains of his wife, within himself, he would need to face his own internal grieving, emotions, and all the feelings, memories, angers and beauty which make up the living remains of his wife within him. ... A Guide to Dreams and Sleep Experiences
According to Freud, a symbol for secrets.... Little Giant Encyclopedia
Psychologically the struggle for individuality should take place within the safety of the family unit. This, however, docs not always happen. In dreams we are able to ‘manipulate’ the images of our family members, so that we can work through our difficulties without harming anyone else (It is interesting to note that one person working on his own dreams can have a profound noticeable cffcct on the interactions and unconscious bondings between other members of his family). Almost all of the problems we encounter in life are reflected within the family, so in times of sUess we will dream of previous problems and difficulties that the family has experienced.
The Spiritual Triangle.
A group in which we feel safe.
Since relationships in the family- are so important, dreams containing family members can have extra significance. Some typical dreams are:
A man’s mother being transformed into another woman
A man’s first closc relationship with a woman is with his mother. Depending on the circumstances of the dream, such a transformation can be either positive or negative. It can be a sign of growth for him to realise, through dream, that he can let mother go. This transformation indicates some change in his perception of women (sec Airima).
A woman’s father, brother or lover turning into someone else Similarly, a woman’s first relationship with the male is usually with her father. She must learn to walk away from that relationship in order to progress onto fuller relationships. When she can handle her Animus (See Introduction), she is ready for that transformation.
A man’s brother or a woman’s sister appearing in a dream often represents the Shadow (See Introduction). Often it is easier to project the negative side of our personalities onto members of the family.
If this projection is allowed to continue, it can cause difficulty with family relationships in later life. Often the solution will present itself in dreams to enable us to come to terms with our own projections. “fhe pattern of aggressions between familv members is fairly typical, but oddly is often easier to work through in dreams than in everyday life.
Dreams about the family figure so prominently because most of the conflicts and problems in life are experienced first within that environment.
It is as though a pattern is laid down which, until it is broken willingly, will continue to appear.
Confusion of family members e.g. mother’s face on father’s body suggests that we may be having problems in deciding which parent is most important to us. Family members suffering from injury or trauma or appearing to be distorted in some way may reflect the dreamer’s fear for, or about, that person.
A family member continually appearing in dreams or, conversely, not appearing when expected The relationship with that person (or the dreamer’s concept of that person) needs to be better understood.
Dreaming of an incestuous relationship may indicate that the dreamer has become obsessed in some way with the other person.
The dream has occurred in order to highlight either the importance or the potential danger - of such a relationship.
Dreamer’s parents crushing the dreamer and thus forcing rebellion. This suggests that the dreamer needs to break away from learnt childhood behaviour and develop as an individual.
Dreaming of a parent’s death can also have the same significance. When a parent appears in our own environment, we will have learnt to change roles within the parent/child relationship and perhaps will accept our parents as friends. Parents behaving inappropriately can indicate our need to recognise that they are only human, and not as perfcct as we had first perceived.
Dreaming of rivalry with one parent When a child is first born, it moves through extreme self- involvement to an exclusive relationship, usually with mother. Onlv later docs he or she becomc aware of the need for a different relationship with a third person. Often this relationship causes the child to question his or her own validity as a person. When this question is not resolved successfully it may persist in the dream image of conflict with a parent.
Dreaming of conflict between a loved one and a member of one’s family The dreamer has not fully differentiated between his needs and desire for each person. Learning how to love outside the family is a sign of maturity.
The figure of a family member intruding in dreams suggests that family loyalties can get in the way within the dreamer’s everyday life. Rivalry between siblings in dreams usually harks back to a feeling of insecurity and doubt, possibly as to whether we are loved enough within the family framework.
Individual members and then- position within the family can symbolise the various archetypes. Thus, father can represent the masculine principle and authority; whereas mother represents the nurturing, protective principle. Brother As already stated, a brother can represent both feelings of kinship and of rivalry. In a man’s dream an older brother can represent experience and authority, while a younger brother suggests vulnerability and possibly lack of maturity. In a woman’s dream, a younger brother can represent a sense of rivalry, but also of vulnerability; whether her own or her brother’s.
An older brother can signify her extrovert self.
Daughter When the relationship with a daughter is highlighted in dreams, it often represents the outcome of the relationship between husband and wife. In a woman’s dream, the relationship with the daughter usually suggests a mutually supportive one although rivalry and jealousy can arise and needs to be dealt with. Sometimes this can safely be done in dreams. In a man’s dream his daughter may represent his fears and doubts about his own ability to handle his vulnerability.
Extended family (such as cousins, aunts, uncles)
Members of the extended family usually appear in dreams either as themselves, or as typifying various parts of ourselves which arc recognisible.
Father If the relationship with father has been successful in waking life, the image of father in dreams will be a positive one. Father represents authority and the conventional forms of law and order. In a man’s life father becomes a role model, whether appropriate or not.
It is often only when the individual realises that he is not being true to his own nature that dreams can point the way to a more successful life. In a woman’s life, father is the ‘pattern’ on whom she bases all later relationships. When she appreciates that she longer need use this pattern. she is often able to work out in dreams a more appropriate way to have a mature relationship.
If the relationship with father has been a difficult or negative one, there mav be some resistance to resolving the various conflicts which will have arisen. Often this can be accomplished in dreams. Grandparents Grandparents appearing in dreams can highlight our attitude to them, but also to the traditions and beliefs handed down by them. It could be said that grandparents do not know whether they have clone a good job of raising their children until their sins and daughters have children of their own.
Husband/Live in partner
Crucial within the husband/wife relationship are the wife’s feelings about her own sexuality and intimacy of body, mind and spirit. Her view of herself will have been formed by her connection with her father, and any subsequent partnering will be coloured by that attachment.
If her doubts and fears about validity are not properly expressed, they will surface in dreams about the loss, or death, of her husband. They may also be projected onto other women’s husbands.
Mother A child’s relationship with mother is pivotal in its development. Largely it is the first relationship which the child develops, and should be perceived by the child as a nurturing, caring one.
If this does not happen, fears and doubts may arise. In a man’s life this may result in continually developing dependent relationships with older women, or denying his right to a relationship completely. In a woman’s life, her relationship with her mother will colour all other relationships. She may find herself pushed into nurturing the needy male, or in forming relationships with both men and women which do not satisfv her basic needs. There arc many ways through dreams of working through relationships with mother, and much can be gained by daring to take this step. Provided one has come to terms with this relationship, much material and spiritual success can be achieved.
Sister The sister in dreams usually represents the feeling side of ourselves. VVe have the ability to make links with that side of ourselves through being able to understand our sister’s personality. In a man’s dream if she is older, the sister can represent the potential for persecution, but also of caring.
If she is younger then she can epitomise the more vulnerable side of him. In a woman’s dream if the sister is younger, she can represent rivalry.
If older she stands for capability. Son The son in dreams can signify the dreamer’s need for self- expression and for extroversion. He can also signify parental responsibility. In a mother’s dream he may represent one’s ambitions, hope and potential. In a father’s dream he can highlight unfulfilled hopes and dreams. Wife/Live in partner The wife/husband relationship is based on how the man perceives himself to be.
If he has previously formed a good, if not successful relationship with his mother, he will attempt to prove himself a good husband through his dreams. He will experience potential loss and death of his partner in the same way as he experienced the ‘loss’ of his mother.... Ten Thousand Dream Dictionary
A family of animals seen in their natural environment portends profit in your business.... The Complete Dream Book
If the family is very sad expect some adverse reactions in your financial structure.... Encyclopedia of Dreams
If you dream of a family member can literally be that you are processing the details of your recent interactions with a particular relative, or you are beginning to disidentify with your family mythology as you begin to autonomize and discover your own beliefs and attitudes. Also, because as every character in your dream is a reflection of you, consider the qualities and attributes you ascribe to this relative and realize that you are grappling with this aspect of yourself. See Father, Mother, Sister, Brother, Uncle, Aunt, Grandfather and Grandmother.... Strangest Dream Explanations
It is also a group in which we feel safe.... Dream Meanings of Versatile
It is as though a pattern is laid down which, until it is broken willingly, will continue to appear. Individual members and their position within the family can also symbolize the various archetypes – father can represent the masculine principle and authority, whereas mother represents the nurturing, protective principle.
For ease of reference the relevance of each figure in men’s and women’s dreams is included under each heading. Because we have had an intimate connection with members of the family they become easy targets for projection as dream images. We do have to decide whether they are in our dreams as themselves or whether they are there in a symbolic capacity.... Dream Meanings of Versatile
For instance he may dream of his mother turning into his boss. This suggests he may have certain expectations as to how he should be treated. It can be a sign of growth for him to realize, through dreams, that he can let mother go.
A woman’s father, brother or lover turning into someone else similarly, a woman’s first relationship with the male is usually with her father or father figure. She must learn to walk away from that relationship in order to progress onto fuller relationships. When she can handle her animus she is ready for that transformation.
A man’s brother or a woman’s sister appearing in a dream this often represents the shadow. Often it is easier to project the negative side of our personalities onto members of the family.
If this projection is allowed to continue, and not understood, it can cause difficulty with family relationships. Often the solution will present itself in dreams to enable us to come to terms with our own projections.
The pattern of aggressions between family members is fairly typical, but oddly is often easier to work through in dreams than in everyday life. Confusion of family members (e.G. Mother’s face on father’s body) this suggests that we may be having problems in deciding which parent or person is most important to us. Family members suffering from injury or trauma or appearing to be distorted in some way may reflect our fear for, or about, that person.
A family member continually appearing in dreams or, conversely, not appearing when expected shows that the relationship with that person (or our concept of them) needs to be better understood.
Dreaming of an incestuous relationship may indicate that we have become obsessed in some way with the other person. We are searching for integration of their qualities within ourselves. Parents crushing us and thus forcing rebellion this suggests that we need to break away from learnt childhood behaviour and develop as an individual.
Dreaming of a parent’s death can also have the same significance. When a parent appears in our own environment, we will have learnt to change roles within the parent / child relationship and perhaps will accept our parents as friends. Parents behaving inappropriately in dreams can indicate our need to recognize that they are only human, and not as perfect as we had first perceived. In tribal societies the rite of passage between childhood and adulthood is clearly marked, by initiation. Rivalry with one or both parents is highlighted in dreams when such a transformation is not properly handled and our feelings and emotions have not been given due validity.
Dreaming of conflict between a loved one and a member of our family this shows we have not fully differentiated between our needs and desire for each person. Learning how to love outside the family is a sign of maturity.
The figure of a family member intruding in dreams suggests that family loyalties can get in the way within our everyday life. Rivalry between siblings in dreams usually harks back to a feeling of insecurity and doubt, possibly as to whether we are loved enough within the family framework.
Dreaming of being adopted suggests that we feel out of place and in some way different to other members of the family. This dream often occurs as teenagers are growing towards maturity.
Dreaming of having any family member e.G.
A brother – when we do not have one in waking life denotes our search for completion and ‘missing’ parts of our personality.... Dream Meanings of Versatile
If family members behave very differently in a dream than they do in real life, or if unexpected things happen when you are with your dream family, the dream is probably a way of releasing your anxiety about real-life family issues.
For instance, if you dream of a family member trying to hurt or kill you, it reflects a real-life concern about this person. They are acting in a way that hurts you, or threatens your emotional happiness. Also see “Father”, “Mother” and “Relatives”... My Dream Interpretation
If you fight with family it means you are dragging internal conflicts that affect your life. But if the relationship is good it means that you seek harmony.... The Big Dictionary of Dreams
If the dream does not seem connected to our actual family, then it could relate to our inner “family,” the different aspects of our own psyche.... Dream Symbols in The Dream Encyclopedia
Whilst whole schools of family therapy have been developed to help address the issues that emerge within a family context, it is worthwhile looking at one theory of a child’s development into an adult as it sheds much light on dreams about the family. This is Jung’s theory of the process of ‘individuation’, one of his most interesting and important theories. In short, individuation refers to the processes involved in becoming a self-aware and independent human being. The area of being to which we refer when we say ‘I’ or ‘me’ is our sense of self, which Jung calls the ego. A vital part of the process of individuation is to meet and integrate, or become independent of, your childhood patterns. This includes desire for the love of the parent of the opposite sex, rivalry mingled with dependence with the parent of the same sex, and the move away from total dependence on both parents.
An absence of a father’s or mother’s love can be especially traumatic, as parents are the soil out of which your sense of self must emerge. And even if your parents are no longer alive or you never had a relationship with them, their impact on your psyche can be just as profound. Without a doubt, parents are powerful, emotive figures in dreams but a person’s identity cannot gain any real independence while still dominated by these internal forces. Psychologically, this struggle for individuality should take place within the safety of the family unit.
Unfortunately this does not always happen and in dreams, images of family members may be manipulated so that issues and conflicts that have been unresolved during Jung’s process of individuation can be worked out.
Family dreams are so common because most of the conflicts and problems in your waking life are experienced first within a psychological environment laid down by your family. It is as if a pattern has been imprinted that will continue to appear until it is broken willingly. The way you were brought up has such a profound effect on your psychological health that any dream you have of family members will probably have a unique and highly specific meaning to you, depending on what your family means to you, your own experience of family life and other related attitudes. Because there is such variety here, you will need first to define your present relationship and feelings about the member of your family that features in the dream.
Individual family members can represent the various archetypes in your dreams. For example, the father can represent the masculine principle of authority and discipline, whilst the mother represents the feminine principle of nurturing and protection. In many instances, dreams featuring your family members can be reassuring. They may give you confidence and guidance, as well as a feeling that you are supported and loved. On the other hand, they may also highlight current or longterm problems within your family or personal relationships. Because they can replicate values, attitudes and emotional or social responses towards living that you have absorbed from your family, all future relationships outside the family are influenced in some way by the ones you first develop within your family. In times of stress, therefore, your dreams might use scenarios involving family members to try and put things right or reveal and confirm the conflict.
Bear in mind that each dream about a family member must be considered in context, and what the idea of a family means to you may not mean the same to another person. For example, Western concepts such as individuation, sibling rivalry or Freud’s Oedipus complex would make no sense in those cultures where an uncle or grandparent is considered no less significant than mothers or fathers. See also RELATIONSHIPS.... The Element Encyclopedia
If the family dream is stressful, however, your dreaming mind may have conjured up images of real or imagined family arguments, disagreements, tensions and grudges to highlight and bring to your attention those unresolved tensions associated with your family life that are still holding you back in your waking life; for example, sibling rivalry or lack of respect for authority or the parent figure. Alternatively if your family life is healthy and happy, and you still have dreams in which family arguments occur, your dreaming mind may conjure up such images to highlight possible feelings of insecurity; perhaps you feel that you are failing to live up to the standards and expectations of your relatives.... The Element Encyclopedia
If one finds himself unwillingly giving family support or alimony to his wife in a dream, it means hypocrisy, or that he is nearing his death.... Islamic Dream Interpretation
(Also see Skin)... Islamic Dream Interpretation
And Allah, The Pure and Sublime knows best.... Islamic Dream Interpretation
According to Freud, the personage is almost always the symbol for a father or mother. According to Jung, if the name of such a person is mentioned in your dream, you should find out about that person—who he was, who was around during his time, and what he did.... Little Giant Encyclopedia
If the home itself, is in a dilapidated condition and general neglect, this then is an omen that you will soon hear of the death of a close relative or a very dear friend.
If you go home and find everything much the same as it was and you feel and express joy in the dream you will find love and joy in your present home.... Encyclopedia of Dreams
If we do not, we will be continually faced in life by our own sense of inferiority.
It is a lot easier to confront our own inadequacies in the dream state where we are safe. Often this is the first opportunity we have to meet the shadow. Indigenous peoples such as aboriginal, maori, native american: see individual entry.... Dream Meanings of Versatile
2. Dreams gone awry. ... New American Dream Dictionary
Getting to meet your hero or heroine is usually an expression of a wishfulfillment dream. Typically, the celebrity appears as a friend and gives helpful advice. The famous person may be living or from the past, but in your dream you regard them as your best friend. They may even visit you in your home in recognition of the special bond between you.
If you dream of meeting a famous person, ask yourself if you would like more recognition for your star qualities in your waking life.
If this doesn’t apply, ask yourself what the famous person means to you. What psychological characteristics and traits does this person symbolize to you?
Famous people in our dreams are telling us to ‘Go for it!’ by integrating the positive qualities we admire in them into our own personalities. Reflect upon what this person symbolizes for you. The primary qualities you admire may not necessarily be fame, beauty or money. You may place greater value on psychological aspects such as their drive or even recovery from an addiction or tragedy. Get in touch with these aspects of yourself and work to bring them into focus and manifestation. In some cases dreams of meeting famous people don’t highlight feelings of inferiority in waking life they can empower you and add real value. For example, to dream of meeting, talking or even helping a person such as the late Mother Teresa might plant the kernel of an idea into your mind that you might find great satisfaction in voluntary work of charitable donation.
If you dream of meeting the prime minister or president or running for high office, the dream’s interpretation depends on how you rate the value of politicians in society.
If you dream of meeting a famous writer, such as Jane Austen, Charles Dickens or J. K. Rowling, perhaps you have always longed to write a book or perhaps you want to express yourself better in waking life so your opinions can influence or stimulate other people.
If you dream of being a great composer such as Mozart or Beethoven, do you yearn for passion and creativity in your waking life? Mozart represents the tragic image of a great artist cut down in their prime. Mozart also represents effortless beauty achieved through dedication and hard work. Ludwig von Beethoven was a musician of extraordinary talent and his heroic ability to challenge convention and create timeless beauty out of adversity makes his story extraordinary.
If you dream of meeting a great artist, such as Vincent Van Gogh or Leonardo da Vinci, perhaps you have an artistic talent you need to nurture or simply feel that your life should be more creative. Dreams that feature Leonardo da Vinci may evoke in you a desire to share the secrets of his genius. Perhaps you yearn to understand life’s mysteries? If Picasso appears in your dreams, perhaps in conjunction with his famous cubist paintings in which he has broken down a face or a body into its various facets, the dream image may express a need to understand all aspects of your life, observe them separately and then put them together to make sense of them all. To dream of Picasso suggests the importance of observing life’s complexity even if you cannot understand it.
Whatever famous or influential person you meet, or become, your dreams are all ones of aspiration and striving to achieve your ideals. See also PEOPLE; ROLES.... The Element Encyclopedia
Depth Psychology: Mentally ill people in a dream are a sign that your thoughts and actions don’t make sense. Use your head! You have a good mind! Seeing yourself as mentally ill: stay away from people with too much imagination, people that love to build “castles in the air.” See Fool.... Dreamers Dictionary
If name is altered: suggests a sense of change in the way we see ourself. Other people’s names: our feelings for that person; the quality we feel in regard to someone else with the same name, or wordplay or associations with the name.
A woman dreamt a friend asks her ‘Do you know where Chris is?*; she replied he was on the back seat. On waking she realises she is being asked ‘Where’s the crisis?’ Two weeks later she had a kidney infection—in the back seat. Names also suggest qualities, as in Peter, the rock; or one’s friend Pat may be pleasure loving, so we use the name or person to represent that quality. See wordplay, puns.
Place names: these can represent our feelings about the place, or be similar to personal names in their suggestion of something. Example: ‘On the other side of the road was a window with my wife’s ring and watch and other trinkets. I went to pick them up but a stranger put his hand over them. I then crossed the road to get a bus to Andover’ (Arthur P). Arthur’s dream wants to make sure he gets the message by saying hand-over and Andover.
Idioms: call someone names; clear someone’s name; have a bad name; not a thing to one’s name; in name alone; in the name of; make a name for oneself; name dropper, one’s middle name, name is mud; somebody who shall be nameless; or my name’s not . . .; worthy of the name; name in vain; lend one’s name to; name the day. ... A Guide to Dreams and Sleep Experiences
(Also see Darkness; Obstinacy)... Islamic Dream Interpretation
If you dream of working as a page means you will get into some avoidable fiasco.... Tryskelion Dream Interpretation
If you dream of working as a page means you will get into some avoidable fiasco.... Encyclopedia of Dreams
Depth Psychology: Seeing people in dreams means you should pay more attention to others and be less self-absorbed.... Dreamers Dictionary
If you dream of being a personal assistant, then you are connecting with the part of you that is supportive of your dreams and goals.
If you dream of having a personal assistant, then this reflects how you allow other people to support you.... Strangest Dream Explanations
(Also see Keeper of the gate)... Islamic Dream Interpretation
If you identify with the role of personal shopper, then this is about your desire to control the lives of other people perhaps at the cost of neglecting your own.... Strangest Dream Explanations
(Also see Resurrection)... Islamic Dream Interpretation
If you buy something from a salesperson in your dream, are you trying to buy love and affection or are you giving away too much in waking life?... The Element Encyclopedia
To see him as ill means he is burdened with sins.... Islamic Dream Interpretation
If you have a stepfamily in your waking life, the people who make up that family represent character aspects of your personality and also reflect the primary relationship that connects that stepfamily to you. Such a dream may be reflecting both your own consciousness as well as the waking-life interactions of the individuals involved.
(See Family Members.) ... Complete Dictionary of Dreams
Beware of overconfidence.... The Complete Guide to Interpreting Your Dreams
The persona represents your public image, the part of yourself that is presented externally by what you say, wear and look like. The word is obviously related to the words ‘person’ and ‘personality’, and comes from the Latin word for mask. So the persona is the mask you put on before you show yourself to the outside world.
Your persona’s wardrobe of masks comprises the various faces you use to present yourself to different audiences in waking life—for example, your family, friends, colleagues and strangers. We wear these masks to help us relate better to different groups of people, but these masks are not the real you. Depending on the context of your dream and how you felt, your unconscious may be warning you that one of your personas is in conflict with your true self, or that you need to adopt a different persona to achieve your goals.
The persona is rarely personified in a dream. It is usually a dream theme, rather than a dream figure: for example, the persona can be said to be present in a dream in which your clothes are stained, or you are naked or inappropriately dressed. At its best, the persona is just the ‘good impression’ you wish to present as you fill the roles society requires of you. But, of course, it can also be the ‘false impression’ you use to manipulate people’s opinions and behaviors.
And, at its worst, it can be mistaken, even by yourself, for your own true nature; sometimes we believe we really are what we pretend to be!... The Element Encyclopedia
How these mystery strangers look and behave will give you important clues to the nature of the problem area. The settings and features of a mystery landscape will also reflect your feelings about yourself and your life. See also; PEOPLE; PLACES.... The Element Encyclopedia
If a deceased person asks someone to wash his clothing in a dream, it means that he needs someone to pray for him, or to intercede on his behalf before his Lord, or pay charity for the benefit of his soul, or to satisfy his debts, or to fulfill his will, or to seek justice for his death. Ifone does wash the garment ofthe deceased person in the dream, it means the redemption of that person. Washing a deceased person with boiling water in a dream means that the latter is suffering in hell-fire.
(Also see Grave digger; Hot water; Ritual bath; Undertaker)... Islamic Dream Interpretation
If you receive wilted blooms in dreamland as a gift from someone you know, think about the nature of your relationship with that person; your unconscious might have detected that the relationship is weakening. Similarly, if you are pricked by a hidden thorn in a bunch of roses given by colleague who was congratulating you in a dream scenario, is it possible that they are concealing real feelings of resentment towards you in waking life? If you gave a bunch of dead flowers to a difficult or strict former schoolteacher, could this highlight your extreme dislike of that person? To see flowers blooming in barren soil, however, signifies that your energy and cheerful nature will enable you to overcome your grievances.... The Element Encyclopedia
If so, you should feel love towards this figure: resolve to honour, protect and serve this pure essence of yourself
(2) A young person in a dream may offer you rejuvenation (whether you are middle aged or just depressed) or a creative transformation or re-orientation of your personality and / or your life.
If the person is of the same sex as you, he or she may symbolize your self - that is, your true self, the centre of your psyche.
If of the opposite sex, he or she may represent your anima / animus. (For anima / animus, see Brother / Sister, sections (4)-(6); for self) See also Child.... A Dictionary of Dream Symbols
For each symbol, make note of the title and the date of the dream in which it appeared.
A general interpretation of a symbol listed in this handbook should only be noted if it expands or changes your understanding of your personal dream symbols.... Little Giant Encyclopedia
Dream Encyclopedia
Dream Interpretation
What is the dream?
Islamic Dream Interpretation
Common Dreams