Dreams // Thoughts on Symbolism and Interpretation
One of my favorite things to do in life is Dream.
I had another powerful Dream the other night and I’ve been trying to interpret some of the symbolism.
The scientific community has several theories on why we Dream, but I like the fact that Dreams are still one of life’s greatest mysteries.
A Few Theories On Why We Dream
Fight or flight responses to potential threatening situations due to the firing of the Amygdala during R.E.M
Wisdom - Defragmentation of our mental hard drive to save the memories which are most important
Therapy - A way to sort through difficult emotions and issues
No meaning whatsoever (how boring!)
Carl Jung’s Perspective Regarding Dreams
Jung studied esoteric and hermetic concepts and their relationship to psychology.
He understood the importance and connection of psychology and hermeticism, stating:
"Hermeticism is not something you choose, it is a destiny."
He believed in the collective unconscious, which is the part of the unconscious that consists of memories of our ancestors and others in the world.
The idea is that we are all connected through symbols and archetypes shared throughout human existence and retained in our unconscious.
He had 2 approaches to Dream interpretation
Objective - No symbolism. Every person in the dream is exactly who they are.
Subjective - Each person in the dream symbolizes some aspect of the dreamer.
I Tend To View My Dreams Using These 5 Theories
Mental residue from daily events
Feelings, desires, thoughts, that are either known or repressed
Messages from the subconscious - our subconscious speaks to us through symbolism
Messages from the higher self or universal collective unconscious
Everything or everyone in my dream may just be a certain aspect of myself
Interpretation Of My Dream
The Dream I had the other night is one of those Dreams that has stuck with me for days.
This tells me that there is a message in there that I'm supposed to receive, but unfortunately I'm having a difficult time figuring out what it is.
I'll just give 2 examples from the Dream as they relate to my above discussion.
Sophie the cat
I have a fluff ball kitty named Sophie. Throughout the Dream I would find myself outside looking for her. She had escaped and I felt fear, anxiety, and sadness. She was always just out of reach. I would see her little fluffy body run around a corner, then she would disappear.
My interpretation of this is a combination of mental residue from daily events and that Sophie symbolizes some aspect of myself.
- The mental residue aspect is due to me watching
's JUJU Gum Conspiracy for the last 2 weeks. In the move, "Sofie" is the evil corporation.
- Dream Sophie also symbolizes my regularly scheduled existential crisis of feeling lost and not being able to "find" myself. She may also symbolize a negative aspect of myself that I'm trying to escape.
Angels and Demons
In the dream, I realized that everyone in my life was not who I thought they were. It was a frightening moment that turned into confusion as I was told that each person in my life was either an Angel or a God-form.
I was standing with these people in a circular vestibule surrounded by trees and I asked the woman with the short red hair who she was.
She responded to me as if I should have already known and told me she was a Demon.
I asked her who I was.
She told me that I was wholesome and innocent, but she was working hard to change that and had almost succeeded.
The obvious interpretation to this is the Tree of Life.
The Pillar of Mercy, the Pillar of Severity, and the Middle Pillar.
Light, dark, and balance.
But there is a section of this dream that is missing. My intuition tells me it has an important message, but my subconscious is hiding it from me.