Massacre(s) Dream Meanings

Universal Landscape: An enormous transformation in personal ideology.

Dreaming Lens: Who was massacred in your dream? How many people were killed? How were they killed? Did you come upon the end result of a massacre, or were you present for the killing? Were you responsible? If not, do you know who was?

Personal Focus: A massacre is an event of great magnitude by virtue of the number of deaths caused by a singular force. This extends to include the notion that the murders are indiscriminate and unnecessary. Any death is a powerful symbol of transformation and change, as it always portends a rebirth of some kind. A mass death is interpretable as any death would be—change so great that it can only be understood as the passing of something old to make way for the rebirth of something new.

The distinction of massacre adds several elements to this interpretation that should be considered. First, the large number of deaths that quantify a massacre implies an enormity to the transformation that is occurring. Look to your life for evidence of some change or shift that feels inordinately large in scale and you will probably find the stimulus for this dream. Since people in your dreams represent parts of your personality, the loss of large numbers could indicate that many old thoughts or patterns are being left behind.

Secondly, there is the indiscriminate and unnecessary quality of killing that goes along with the horror of a massacre. This implies callousness to the action, but such a perspective may only be from the victim’s side. Since you are both killer and victim in your dream, this element of your investigation may prove more elusive. If you know who was responsible for the massacre, use that information to guide you to what part of your unconscious is acting out by expressing just how greatly things are being stirred up. If you are not aware of who the perpetrator is, you have that much more exploring to do before you find a satisfying interpretation.

Thirdly, there is often a political motivation to such events in the real world. In this way, you may be expressing change and shift of an ideological nature. Look to ways in which your beliefs and values may be undergoing transformation.