A high-elevation desert landscape surrounded me, dusty gusts swirling under a piercingly clear blue sky. Mountainous cliffs rose spontaneously around flat bottom valleys, some almost vertical, and other rising in rounded humps of smooth stone. Sagebrush dotted the area, and tangled touches of plant life clung to the areas around the cliffs.
Many of the cliff walls were emblazoned with huge symbols, as though they had been flash-burned into the rock at a massive scale. There were three specific forms, each one a cross between a rune glyph, kanji, and simple native american line graphs. These images were bold, with prominent vertical lines, often framing smaller connecting lines between them like a ladder.
Chris and Charles explored the landscape with me, and as we studied one of the glyphs from the top of a rounded cliff rise, Chris nodded in certainty.
"Water."
"Temple."
"Drought."
The three symbols were clear, though their repetition all around the valleys was somewhat disconcerting. I felt that they needed to be read and understood together, as they were always placed with each other, each one as tall as the cliff side, proceeding horizontally across a rock wall.
Near where we stood, I studied a carved circle of stone that rose from the surrounding rock. About 5 feet across, it had perfect spiral waves carved into its surface, 10-12 of them gently curving inward to the center of the stone.
We continued through a cut in the rock walls into a smaller valley with flat dirt ground that ran between solid walls of rock that extended up 100 feet or more. Here we encountered a man, and I asked him, "Where is the Water Temple?"
He laughed wholeheartedly, and replied, "Water Temple? Why, there's millions of them! Almost every house has one." He smiled at me as though I must be making a joke at him, and walked on, chuckling.
My eyebrows knotted as I considered. Every house has one?
Intuitively, I felt that the drought was happening in response to a failure to honor the water temple properly. Magically, it would be far too difficult to shift every individual's interaction with their own "water temple," but perhaps if there was a central temple of some kind that could act as the collective transformation agent...?
We continued down the small valley, and it soon opened up to a space where the path split two ways around a trailer set at the base of the cliff. There was truck vehicle there, and several friends of ours hanging out around the area, which was littered with both junk and high-tech equipment.
I found myself talking with a few friends there, who were asking about the technology I developed. I used a little holograph projector to display the Earth, and I explained, "The Unified Harmonic Synchronicity Matrix reads the emotional energy grid of the planet and displays different energies as different colors in different locations. When zoomed out really far, it takes the average combinations of specific areas based on the strongest color state and displays those over larger areas. As you zoom in, you get finer resolution until you are basically viewing the energetic aura of a single house or person who is sharing with the network. Across a large scale, you can view synchronistic energy patterns as color patterns that repeat themselves on different areas of the Earth.
They were nodding in understanding and approval as Chris and Charles came back up to me. They mentioned that they were heading back to camp, and looked to me for a recommendation on getting back. I pointed back the way we came, and said, "Go past the cut we came into this valley with, and keep going. It will drop down and open out into Shieniar. From there you can easily follow the edge of the city to our corner camp."
In my mind, Shieniar was like the outer edge of the 2:00 line at Black Rock City, and our camp was at the inner edge, Esplanade and 2:00. The city of Burning Man was the primary city in this area, and was the place where the Water Temple would have to be healed to clear the drought on the land.
After they left, I explored a little further and hung out with people at other little camp spots, including Danielle Grant, one of my friends from NYC, and others.
When I headed back to the camp, I decided to go back through the cut in the cliff instead of following my own directions back to the city. I ran bounding up the hill and just barely stopped myself short of leaping right off the cliff. I shook my head at my self, knowing I almost fell to my death. It felt so real and vivid I was sure I could of died if I wasn't more careful. I made my way back over to the spiraling disk in the stone, and felt some big magical downloads coming in.
The stone glyphs seemed to be pulsing, energy and excitement akin to finding myself in the middle of a Zelda adventure coursed through my body, and I knew what to do...
At that moment, I woke up.
The word ‘temple’ derives from the root tem—’to divide’. Etruscan
soothsayers made a division of the heavens by means of two straight lines intersecting at a point directly above the head, the point of intersection being a projection of the notion of the ‘Centre’, and the lines representing the two ‘directions’
of the plane; the north-south line was called cardo and the east-west decumanus.
Phenomena were interpreted according to their situation within this division of
space. Hence, the earthly temple is seen as an image of the celestial temple and its
basic structure is determined by considerations of order and orientation (7). The
temple affords a particular and additional meaning to the generic symbolism of architectonic structures. Broadly speaking, it is the mystic significance of the
‘Centre’ which prevails; the temple and, in particular, the altar, being identified
with the symbol of the mountain-top as the focal point of the intersection of the
two worlds of heaven and earth. Solomon’s temple, according to Philo and Flavius
Josephus, was a figurative representation of the cosmos, and its interior was
disposed accordingly: the incense table signified thanksgiving; the seven-branched
candelabra stood for the seven planetary heavens; the holy table represented the
terrestrial order. In addition to this, the twelve loaves of bread corresponded to
the twelve months of the year. The Ark of the Covenant symbolizes the intelligibles
(14). Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance architects, each in their own way,
sought to imitate this superior archetype. For example, between 1596 and 1604,
imaginary reconstructions of the Temple of Solomon appeared in various works
published in Rome and based upon holy writ, and the illustrations they contained
deeply influenced the architects of the period. Another fundamental significance
of the temple derives from its being a synthesis of the various symbols for the
world-axis, such as the hollow mountain, steps and the sacrificial mountain-peak
mentioned above. In certain astrobiological cultures the temple or altar is in fact
built upon an artificial mountain—the teocalli of Mexico is an example. A more
advanced concept can be seen in the architectural portrayal of those essential
elements of the inner pattern of the universe founded upon the numbers three,
seven, ten and twelve in particular. Seven is basic to the representation of the
planets and their derived symbolisms, and hence the Mesopotamian templemountains—or ziggurats—were constructed after the fashion of a seven-terraced
pyramid. Each of the terraces was dedicate to a particular planet. The Babylonian
ziggurat known as Etemenanki (‘the house of the seven directions of heaven and
earth’) was built of crude bricks overlaid with others that had been fired. A tablet
in the Louvre records that in plan it measured 2,200 feet long by 1,200 wide. The
first level was black in colour and dedicated to Saturn, the second orange-coloured
and sacred to Jupiter, the third red and consecrated to Mars, the fourth golden and
sacred to the Sun, the fifth yellow (to Venus), the sixth blue (to Mercury), the
seventh silver (to the Moon) (39). This order is not always observed, for sometimes the Moon is situated in the sixth heaven and the Sun in the seventh (17).
Berthelot, however, suggests that the ziggurat not only embraces the mystic
aspects of the Mountain and the Centre (by virtue of its mass and situation) and
of Steps (because of its shape), but also constitutes an image of paradise, since
vegetation appears to flourish on its terraces (7). The origins of this type of
structure are Sumerian (7), and examples are to be found in Egypt, India, China
and pre-Columbian America. Eliade, in confirming this, adds that the climb to the top of the Mesopotamian or of the Hindu temple-mountain was equivalent to an
ecstatic journey to the ‘Centre’ of the world; once the traveller has reached the
topmost terrace, he breaks free from the laws of level, transcends profane space
and enters a region of purity (18). It is hardly necessary to observe that climbing
mountains implies ultimately the same mystic tendency, as can be seen in the fact
that mountain heights are the chosen abode of the recluse. And the favourable
symbolic significance of the goat derives solely from his predilection for heights.
Another important example of the temple-mountain, a product of Hindu culture,
comes from Indo-China—the temple of Borobudur built in the centre of the
island of Java in the 8th century of our era. Basically it consists of four levels of
square-shaped galleries, with four more circular platforms on top surmounted by
an enclosed belvedere. In form, then, it is similar to the Egyptian ziggurat, or, in
the Khmer language, a Phnom, signifying a temple-mountain comparable with
Meru, the Hindu Olympus. Four flights of steps up the centre of each pyramid
face lead directly from the base to the top. It would appear that the profoundest
meaning attached to this temple is of a supernatural character. Its name—
Borobudur—signifies ‘the seat of secret revelation’. All graduated edifices such
as steps concern the symbolism of discontinuous spiritual evolution, that is, the
separate but progressive stages of evolution (6). At the same time, the groundplan of the Borobudur temple is diagrammatically a true yantra, and its various
square and round-shaped levels constitute a mandala related to the symbolism of
‘squaring the circle’ (6). The symbolic structure of the Greek temple is fundamentally the same as that of the lake-dwelling: that is, it symbolizes the intercommunication between the Three Worlds—the Lower (represented by the water and
the piles on the one hand and earth and the subterranean part on the other), the
Terrestrial (the base and columns) and the Upper (suggested by the pediment).
Christian cathedrals are related less to the macrocosm than to the microcosm, the
human figure being depicted in terms of the apse (representing the head), the
cross and transepts (the arms), the nave and side aisles (the body) and the altar
(the heart). In the Gothic temple, the upward sweep, the vital rôle of the vertical
axis—and indeed the structure as a whole—embrace the idea of the templemountain with its implied synthesis of the symbolism of both macrocosm and
microcosm. According to Schneider, the two towers usually placed at the western
face correspond to the twin-peaked ‘mountain of Mars’ in primitive megalithic
cultures (and linked with the Gemini myth), while the cimborrio over the transept
is expressive of a higher synthesis, an image of heaven. Both the synthesis and the
crux of the matter are established by Gershom G. Scholem, in Les Origines de la
Kabbale (Paris, 1966). He recalls that God lives in his reason or that God is the absolute Reason and logos of the world, and that the temple ‘is the house’ or
abode of God, and thus identifies temple with reason.
To see a temple in your dream, represents inspiration, spiritual thinking, meditation and growth. It is also symbolic of your physical body and the attention you give it. Perhaps you need to pamper yourself. Alternatively, the dream suggests that you are looking for a place of refuge and a place to keep things that are dear to you.
Seeing a temple in your dream, represents your spiritual thinking, meditation and growth. It is also symbolic of your physical body and the attention you give it.
In Egyptian hieroglyphs, the symbol for water is a wavy line with
small sharp crests, representing the water’s surface. The same sign, when tripled,
symbolizes a volume of water, that is, the primaeval ocean and prime matter.
According to hermetic tradition, the god Nu was the substance from which the
gods of the first ennead emerged (19). The Chinese consider water as the specific
abode of the dragon, because all life comes from the waters (13). In the Vedas,
water is referred to as mâtritamâh (the most maternal) because, in the beginning,
everything was like a sea without light. In India, this element is generally regarded
as the preserver of life, circulating throughout the whole of nature, in the form of
rain, sap, milk and blood. Limitless and immortal, the waters are the beginning and
the end of all things on earth (60). Although water is, in appearance, formless,
ancient cultures made a distinction between ‘upper waters’ and ‘lower waters’.
The former correspond to the potential or what is still possible, the latter to what
is actual or already created (26). In a general sense, the concept of ‘water’ stands,
of course, for all liquid matter. Moreover, the primaeval waters, the image of
prime matter, also contained all solid bodies before they acquired form and rigidity. For this reason, the alchemists gave the name of ‘water’ to quicksilver in its
first stage of transmutation and, by analogy, also to the ‘fluid body’ of Man (57).
This ‘fluid body’ is interpreted by modern psychology as a symbol of the unconscious, that is, of the non-formal, dynamic, motivating, female side of the personality. The projection of the mother-imago into the waters endows them with
various numinous properties characteristic of the mother (31). A secondary meaning of this symbolism is found in the identification of water with intuitive wisdom. In the cosmogony of the Mesopotamian peoples, the abyss of water was
regarded as a symbol of the unfathomable, impersonal Wisdom. An ancient Irish
god was called Domnu, which means ‘marine depth’. In prehistoric times the
word for abyss seems to have been used exclusively to denote that which was
unfathomable and mysterious (4). The waters, in short, symbolize the universal
congress of potentialities, the fons et origo, which precedes all form and all
creation. Immersion in water signifies a return to the preformal state, with a sense
of death and annihilation on the one hand, but of rebirth and regeneration on the
other, since immersion intensifies the life-force. The symbolism of baptism,
which is closely linked to that of water, has been expounded by St. John
Chrysostom (Homil. in Joh., XXV, 2): ‘It represents death and interment, life and
resurrection. . . . When we plunge our head beneath water, as in a sepulchre, the
old man becomes completely immersed and buried. When we leave the water, the
new man suddenly appears’ (18). The ambiguity of this quotation is only on the
surface: in this particular aspect of the general symbolism of water, death affects
only Man-in-nature while the rebirth is that of spiritual man. On the cosmic level,
the equivalent of immersion is the flood, which causes all forms to dissolve and
return to a fluid state, thus liberating the elements which will later be recombined
in new cosmic patterns. The qualities of transparency and depth, often associated with water, go far towards explaining the veneration of the ancients for this
element which, like earth, was a female principle. The Babylonians called it ‘the
home of wisdom’. Oannes, the mythical being who brings culture to mankind, is
portrayed as half man and half fish (17). Moreover, in dreams, birth is usually
expressed through water-imagery (v. Freud, Introduction to Psycho-Analysis).
The expressions ‘risen from the waves’ and ‘saved from the waters’ symbolize
fertility, and are metaphorical images of childbirth. On the other hand, water is, of
all the elements, the most clearly transitional, between fire and air (the ethereal
elements) and earth (the solid element). By analogy, water stands as a mediator
between life and death, with a two-way positive and negative flow of creation and
destruction. The Charon and Ophelia myths symbolize the last voyage. Death
was the first mariner. ‘Transparent depth’, apart from other meanings, stands in
particular for the communicating link between the surface and the abyss. It can
therefore be said that water conjoins these two images (2). Gaston Bachelard
points to many different characteristics of water, and derives from them many
secondary symbolic meanings which enrich the fundamental meaning we have described. These secondary meanings are not so much a set of strict symbols, as
a kind of language expressing the transmutations of this ever-flowing element.
Bachelard enumerates clear water, spring water, running water, stagnant water,
dead water, fresh and salt water, reflecting water, purifying water, deep water,
stormy water. Whether we take water as a symbol of the collective or of the
personal unconscious, or else as an element of mediation and dissolution, it is
obvious that this symbolism is an expression of the vital potential of the psyche,
of the struggles of the psychic depths to find a way of formulating a clear message
comprehensible to the consciousness. On the other hand, secondary symbolisms
are derived from associated objects such as water-containers, and also from the
ways in which water is used: ablutions, baths, holy water, etc. There is also a
very important spatial symbolism connected with the ‘level’ of the waters, denoting a correlation between actual physical level and absolute moral level. It is
for this reason that the Buddha, in his Assapuram sermon, was able to regard the
mountain-lake—whose transparent waters reveal, at the bottom, sand, shells,
snails and fishes—as the path of redemption. This lake obviously corresponds to
a fundamental aspect of the ‘Upper Waters’. Clouds are another aspect of the
‘Upper Waters’. In Le Transformationi of Ludovico Dolce, we find a mystic
figure looking into the unruffled surface of a pond, in contrast with the accursed
hunter, always in restless pursuit of his prey, implying the symbolic contrast
between contemplative activity—the sattva state of Yoga—and blind outward
activity—the rajas state. Finally, the upper and lower waters communicate reciprocally through the process of rain (involution) and evaporation (evolution).
Here, fire intervenes to modify water: the sun (spirit) causes sea water to evaporate (i.e. it sublimates life). Water is condensed in clouds and returns to earth in
the form of life-giving rain, which is invested with twofold virtues: it is water, and
it comes from heaven (15). Lao-Tse paid considerable attention to this cyclic
process of meteorology, which is at one and the same time physical and spiritual,
observing that: ‘Water never rests, neither by day nor by night. When flowing
above, it causes rain and dew. When flowing below, it forms streams and rivers.
Water is outstanding in doing good. If a dam is raised against it, it stops. If way is
made for it, it flows along that path. Hence it is said that it does not struggle. And
yet it has no equal in destroying that which is strong and hard’ (13). When water
stands revealed in its destructive aspects, in the course of cataclysmic events, its
symbolism does not change, but is merely subordinated to the dominant symbolism of the storm. Similarly, in those contexts where the flowing nature of water is
emphasized, as in the contention of Heraclitus that ‘You cannot step twice into
the same river; for fresh waters are ever flowing in upon you.’ Here the reference is not to water-symbolism as such, but to the idea of the irreversible flow along a
given path. To quote Evola, in La tradizione ermetica: ‘Without divine water,
nothing exists, according to Zosimus. On the other hand, among the symbols of
the female principle are included those which figure as origins of the waters
(mother, life), such as: Mother Earth, Mother of the Waters, Stone, Cave, House
of the Mother, Night, House of Depth, House of Force, House of Wisdom,
Forest, etc. One should not be misled by the word “divine”. Water symbolizes
terrestrial and natural life, never metaphysical life.’
This indicates birth (of some person).
To dream of clear water, foretells that you will joyfully realize prosperity and pleasure.
If the water is muddy, you will be in danger and gloom will occupy Pleasure's seat.
If you see it rise up in your house, denotes that you will struggle to resist evil, but unless you see it subside, you will succumb to dangerous influences.
If you find yourself baling it out, but with feet growing wet, foreshadows trouble, sickness, and misery will work you a hard task, but you will forestall them by your watchfulness. The same may be applied to muddy water rising in vessels.
To fall into muddy water, is a sign that you will make many bitter mistakes, and will suffer poignant grief therefrom.
To drink muddy water, portends sickness, but drinking it clear and refreshing brings favorable consummation of fair hopes.
To sport with water, denotes a sudden awakening to love and passion.
To have it sprayed on your head, denotes that your passionate awakening to love will meet reciprocal consummation.
The following dream and its allegorical occurrence in actual life is related by a young woman student of dreams:
``Without knowing how, I was (in my dream) on a boat, I waded through clear blue water to a wharfboat, which I found to be snow white, but rough and splintry. The next evening I had a delightful male caller, but he remained beyond the time prescribed by mothers and I was severely censured for it.'' The blue water and fairy white boat were the disappointing prospects in the symbol.
To see water in your dream, symbolizes your unconscious and your emotional state of mind. Water is the living essence of the psyche and the flow of life energy. It is also symbolic of spirituality, knowledge, healing and refreshment. To dream that water is boiling, suggests that you are expressing some emotional turmoil. Feelings from your unconscious are surfacing and ready to be acknowledged. You need to let out some steam.
To see calm, clear water in your dream, means that you are in tune with your spirituality. It denotes serenity, peace of mind, and rejuvenation.
To see muddy or dirty water in your dream, indicates that you are wallowing in your negative emotions. You may need to take some time to cleanse your mind and find internal peace. Alternatively, the dream suggests that your thinking/judgment is unclear and clouded. If you are immersed in muddy water, then it indicates that you are in over your head in a situation and are overwhelmed by your emotions.
To dream that water is rising up in your house, suggests that you are becoming overwhelmed by your emotions.
To hear running water in your dream, denotes meditation and reflection. You are reflecting on your thoughts and emotions.
To dream that you are walking on water, indicates that you have total control over your emotions. It also suggests that you need to "stay on top" of your emotions and not let them explode out of hand. Alternatively, the dream is symbolic of faith in yourself.
Seeing water in your dream, symbolizes your unconscious and your emotional state of mind. Water is the living essence of the psyche and the flow of life energy. It is also symbolic of spirituality, knowledge, healing and refreshment. Seeing calm, clear water in your dream means that you are in tune with your spirituality. It indicates serenity, peace of mind, and rejuvenation. Seeing muddy or dirty water in your dream indicates that you are wallowing in your negative emotions. You may need to devote some time to clarify your mind and find internal peace. Alternatively, it suggests that your thinking/judgment is unclear and clouded. If you are immersed in muddy water, then it indicates that you are in over your head in a situation and are overwhelmed by your emotions. Dreaming that water is rising up in your house means your struggles and overwhelming emotions. Hearing running water in your dream indicates meditation, reflection and pondering of your thoughts and emotions. Dreaming that you are walking on water, suggests that you have supreme and ultimate control over your emotions. It may also suggest that you need to "stay on top" of your emotions and not let them explode out of hand. Alternatively, it is symbolic of faith in yourself.
To dream of a drought, indicates that you are void of emotions. You are withdrawn and depressed. The dream may be a result of a major loss in your life. Alternatively, the dream suggests that you are not drinking enough water and staying well hydrated.
To perform or dream of magic, suggests that you need to look at things from a different view or approach your problems from a new angle in order to successfully move forward. Alternatively, magic symbolizes creativity and wonder. Perhaps someone or something has caused you to be in awe. The dream may also be a metaphor that you or someone is "up to some trick".
To dream of black magic, implies that you have obtained your wishes and wants through underhanded tricks. It also symbolizes deception, evil and treachery.
To dream of accomplishing any design by magic, indicates pleasant surprises.
To see others practising this art, denotes profitable changes to all who have this dream.
To dream of seeing a magician, denotes much interesting travel to those concerned in the advancement of higher education, and profitable returns to the mercenary.
Magic here should not be confounded with sorcery or spiritism. If the reader so interprets, he may expect the opposite to what is here forecast to follow. True magic is the study of the higher truths of Nature.
Dreaming that you are performing magic means many pleasant surprises. It may also represent a creative mind and that events will turn out the way you had hoped for. Seeing others performing magic in your dream indicates profitable endeavors. Dreaming of black magic, represents that you have obtained your wishes and wants through underhanded tricks. It also symbolizes evil and treachery.
1. Practices that aim to use paranormal or spiritual means to influence events for selfish purposes, or for the benefit of all humanity. 2. The art of conjuring. The claimed art of altering things either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult natural laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical analysis, whereas practitioners of magic claim it is an inexplicable force beyond logic. Magic has been practised in all cultures, and utilizes ways of understanding, experiencing and influencing the world somewhat akin to those offered by religion, though it is sometimes regarded as more focused on achieving results than religious worship. Magic is often viewed with suspicion by the wider community, and is commonly practised in isolation and secrecy. Modern Western magicians generally state magic's primary purpose to be personal spiritual growth, many seeing magic ritual purely in psychological terms as a powerful means of autosuggestion and of contacting the unconscious mind. Modern perspectives on the theory of magic broadly follow two views, which also correspond closely to ancient views. The first sees magic as a result of a universal sympathy within the universe, where if something is done here a result happens somewhere else. The other view sees magic as a collaboration with spirits who cause the effect.
It has a profound and clear-cut symbolism. Berthelot observes that
the Biblical prophets, in order to counter the agrarian religions based on fertility
rites (related, according to Eliade, to orgies), never ceased to describe theirs as the
purest religion of the Israelites ‘when they were in the wilderness’. This confirms
the specific symbolism of the desert as the most propitious place for divine
revelation, for which reason it has been said that ‘monotheism is the religion of
the desert’ (7). This is because the desert, in so far as it is in a way a negative
landscape, is the ‘realm of abstraction’ located outside the sphere of existence
(37), susceptible only to things transcendent. Furthermore, the desert is the
domain of the sun, not as the creator of energy upon earth but as pure, celestial
radiance, blinding in its manifestation. Again: if water is associated with the ideas
of birth and physical fertility, it is also opposed to the concept of the everlasting
spirit; and, indeed, moisture has always been regarded as a symbol of moral
corruption. On the other hand, burning drought is the climate par excellence of
pure, ascetic spirituality—of the consuming of the body for the salvation of the
soul. Tradition provides further corroboration of this symbolism: for the Hebrews, captivity in Egypt was a life held in opprobium, and to go out into the
desert was ‘to go out from Egypt’ (48). Finally, let us point to the emblematic relationship of the desert with the lion, which is a sun-symbol, verifying what we
have said about the solar symbolism of the desert.
To dream that you are walking through a desert, signifies loss and misfortune. You may be suffering from an attack on your reputation. Deserts are also symbolic of barrenness, loneliness and feelings of isolation and hopelessness. The desert landscape may also be a metaphor for feeling deserted and left behind.
To dream of wandering through a gloomy and barren desert, denotes famine and uprisal of races and great loss of life and property.
For a young woman to find herself alone in a desert, her health and reputation is being jeopardized by her indiscretion. She should be more cautious.
Travelling across a desert shows the inevitability of a long and tedious journey.
Accompaniment of sunshine indicates successful journey.
Dreaming that you are walking through a desert means loss and misfortune. You may be suffering from an attack on your reputation. Deserts are also symbolic of barrenness, loneliness and feelings of isolation and hopelessness.
At times a desert in a dream symbolises the unconscious and represents the dreamer's sense of separation from it. Deserts are generally barren with little vegetation or animal life. The desert in your dreams could be bringing up issues of stagnation and periods of little growth in your life. Also, the desert could represent your loneliness and feelings of isolation. However, if you live close to the desert or love the desert, this may be a positive symbol. For some the desert may be a place where they can commune with nature and feel a sense of peace.
The Chinese attribute to the rock a symbolism denoting permanence,
solidity and integrity (5), and this may be taken as generally valid. Like the stone,
it is held in many traditions to be the dwelling-place of a god. As a Caucasian
tradition has it: ‘In the beginning, the world was covered with water. The great
creator-god then dwelt inside a rock’ (35). It seems, then, that man intuitively
regards stones (as in the myth of Deucalion) and rocks as the source of human life,
while the soil (inferior because more disintegrated) is the mother of vegetable and
animal life. A mystic significance is attributed to this mineral, arising from the
sound it makes when struck and because of its unity—that is, its solidity and
cohesion.
Seeing rocks in your dream means permanence and stability as expressed in the familiar phrase "as solid as a rock". It may also indicate that you are making a commitment to a relationship. Or you may be contemplating some changes in your life that will lay the groundwork for a more solid foundation. On the other hand rocks may also symbolize stubbornness, disharmony and unhappiness. Dreaming that you are climbing a steep rock means struggles, obstacles, and disappointments.
The connotation of this symbol as with all other dream symbols, depends on the details and the mood of the dream. The rock or rocks in your dream could represent a variety of different ideas, but it usually has something to do with matters of this physical world. Rocks generally do not represent emotional, psychological, or spiritual issues. Rather, they may represent earthiness, sturdiness, stability, and a solid foundation. On the other hand they could represent physical obstacles, or difficulties that the dreamer may need to overcome.
To dream that you are standing at the edge of a cliff, indicates that you have reached an increased level of understanding, new awareness, and a fresh point of view. You have reached a critical point in your life and cannot risk losing control. Alternatively, it suggests that you are pondering a life-altering decision.
To dream that you or someone falls off a cliff, suggests that you are going through a difficult time and are afraid of what is ahead for you. You fear that you may not be up for the challenge or that you cannot meet the expectations of others.
To dream that you are climbing to the top of a cliff, symbolizes your ambition and drive. The dream may parallel your desires to achieve success and to be the at the top of your profession. It is analogous to climbing the corporate ladder.
Dreaming that you are standing at the edge of a cliff means that you have arrived to an increased level of understanding, new awareness, and a fresh point of view. You may have reached a critical point in your life and may fear losing control.
Standing on the edge of a cliff could be a frightening, but at the same time an exhilarating experience. Dreaming about cliffs generally indicates that the dreamer has come to a point of heightened understanding and awareness. An increase in the level of consciousness may have occurred. Through hard work and perseverance, the dreamer may have reached a vantage or plateau of understanding.
Stone is a symbol of being, of cohesion and harmonious reconciliation
with self. The hardness and durability of stone have always impressed men,
suggesting to them the antithesis to biological things subject to the laws of change,
decay and death, as well as the antithesis to dust, sand and stone splinters, as
aspects of disintegration. The stone when whole symbolized unity and strength;
when shattered it signified dismemberment, psychic disintegration, infirmity,
death and annihilation. Stones fallen from heaven served to explain the origin of
life. In volcanic eruptions, air turned to fire, fire became ‘water’ and ‘water’
changed to stone; hence stone constitutes the first solid form of the creative
rhythm (51)—the sculpture of essential movement, and the petrified music of creation (50). The mythic and religious significance is only one step removed
from this basic symbolic sense, a step which was taken by the immense majority
of peoples during the animistic era. Meteorites, in particular, came in for worship; the most celebrated are the Kaaba meteorite in Mecca and the Black Stone
of Pessinus, an aniconic image of the Phrygian Great Mother taken to Rome
during the last of the Punic Wars (17). Here is a description of the Mohammedans’ stone, taken from Marques-Rivière: ‘Inside the Kaaba, which is nothing
more than a dark hall, there are three columns holding up the roof which has a
number of silver and gold lamps hanging down from it. The floor is of marble tiles.
In the eastern corner, some five feet above floor-level, not far from the door, is the
famous black stone (al hadjar alaswad) sealed off, composed of three great
sections. . . . In colour it is reddish black with red and yellow patches; in appearance it recalls lava or basalt’ (39). Among the stones venerated by the ancients, we
must not overlook the Greek omphaloi; Guénon maintains that they are really
bethels, a word derived from the Hebrew Beith-El (or the House of God), related
to the biblical ‘And this stone which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s House’
(Genesis xxviii, 22), even though its sense is magic and not architectonic (28).
There are numerous legends dealing with stones: the so-called Abadir which
Saturn devoured, mistaking it for Jupiter; or the stones of Deucalion and Pyrrha;
or those in the myth of Medusa the Gorgon (6); or that which contained Mithras
until his birth (11). There are other stones in folktales, but these seem to be
invested with rather more modest powers: the Lapis lineus, for example, as it was
called by the Romans, which was supposed to be able to prophesy by changing
its colour; or the Irish stone Lia-Fail, associated with coronations (8). As for the
philosophers’ stone in alchemy, it represents the ‘conjunction’ of opposites, or
the integration of the conscious self with the feminine or unconscious side (or in
other words, the fixing of volatile elements); it is, then, a symbol of the All (33).
As Jung rightly says, the alchemists approached their task obliquely—they did
not seek the divine in matter but tried to ‘produce’ it by means of a lengthy
process of purification and transmutation (32). According to Evola, the touchstone is symbolic of the body, since it is ‘fixed’, as opposed to the ‘wandering’
characteristic of thought, the spirits and desires. But only the resuscitated body—
in which ‘two will be one’—can correspond to the philosophers’ stone. Evola
points out that, for the alchemist, ‘between eternal birth, reintegration, and the
discovery of the philosophers’ stone, there is no difference whatsoever’.
To see stones in your dreams, foretells numberless perplexities and failures.
To walk among rocks, or stones, omens that an uneven and rough pathway will be yours for at least a while.
To make deals in ore-bearing rock lands, you will be successful in business after many lines have been tried. If you fail to profit by the deal, you will have disappointments. If anxiety is greatly felt in closing the trade, you will succeed in buying or selling something that will prove profitable to you.
Small stones or pebbles, implies that little worries and vexations will irritate you.
If you throw a stone, you will have cause to admonish a person.
If you design to throw a pebble or stone at some belligerent person, it denotes that some evil feared by you will pass because of your untiring attention to right principles.
Seeing stones in your dream, symbolizes strength, unity, and unyielding beliefs. Consider the common phrase "etched in stone" which suggest permanence and unchanging attitudes. Some stones also carry sacred and magical meanings. Alternatively, stones may relate to issues of moral judgment and/or guilt. Dreaming that you are carrying a bag of stones, refers to your inner strength and fortitude that you have yet to unleash and reveal to others. Seeing rough stones in your dream, represents your quest in recognizing and developing your self-identity. Part of this quest is to become aware of your unconscious and suppressed thoughts. For various cultures, stones have spiritual significance. Consider the Black Stone of Mecca which is believed by Muslims to allow for direct communication with God. For the Irish, the Blarney Stone is seen as a gift of eloquence.
To dream of camping in the open air, you may expect a change in your affairs, also prepare to make a long and wearisome journey.
To see a camping settlement, many of your companions will remove to new estates and your own prospects will appear gloomy.
For a young woman to dream that she is in a camp, denotes that her lover will have trouble in getting her to name a day for their wedding, and that he will prove a kind husband. If in a military camp she will marry the first time she has a chance.
A married woman after dreaming of being in a soldier's camp is in danger of having her husband's name sullied, and divorce courts may be her destination.
Up to a certain point it corresponds to landscape-symbolism in general,
of which it forms one representational aspect, embracing the important symbols
of level and space, that is, height and situation. With the dawning of history there
arose, according to René Guénon, a true, ‘sacred geography’ and the position,
shape, doors and gates, and general disposition of a city with its temples and
acropolis were never arbitrary or fortuitous, or merely utilitarian. In fact, cities
were planned in strict accord with the dictates of a particular doctrine; hence the
city became a symbol of that doctrine and of the society which upheld it (28).
The city walls had magic powers since they were the outward signs of dogma,
which explains and justifies Romulus’s fratricide. Ornamental reliefs on capitals,
lintels, and tympana of the Middle Ages often depict the outlines of a walled city,
although in a way which is more emblematic than symbolic. These ornaments are
a kind of prefiguration of the heavenly Jerusalem. An angel armed with a sword is
sometimes to be seen at the city gate (46). Jung sees the city as a mother-symbol
and as a symbol of the feminine principle in general: that is, he interprets the City
as a woman who shelters her inhabitants as if they were her children; that is why
the two mother-gods Rhea and Cybele—as well as other allegorical figures derived from them—wear a crown after the pattern of a wall. The Old Testament
speaks of cities as women (31).
To see a city in your dream, signifies your social environment and sense of community. If you dream of a big city, then it suggests that you need to develop closer ties and relationships. You are feeling alienated and alone. To dream that you are in a deserted city, indicates that you feel rejected by those around you.
To dream of a city in ruins, denotes that you are neglecting your social relationships and allowing them to deteriorate.
To dream of an underground or underwater city, represents your unconscious and how through deeper understanding of yourself, you find commonality and shared experiences with others.
To dream that you are in a strange city, denotes you will have sorrowful occasion to change your abode or mode of living.
Seeing a city in your dream means a sense of community and your social environment. Dreaming that you are in a deserted city or that you feel alienated from the activity of the city, then it suggests that you feel rejected by those around you. Seeing a city in ruins means that you are neglecting your social relationships and allowing them to deteriorate.
To dream that you are energetic, symbolizes growth, activity, expansion and insight. You need to channel your energy in a positive way.
Mystics have always traditionally considered the feminine aspect of
the universe as a chest, a house or a wall, as well as an enclosed garden. Another
symbolic association is that which equates the house (and the above, related
forms) with the repository of all wisdom, that is, tradition itself (4). In architectural symbolism, on the other hand, the house carries not only an overall symbolism but also particular associations attached to each of its component parts.
Nevertheless, the house as a home arouses strong, spontaneous associations with
the human body and human thought (or life, in other words), as has been confirmed empirically by psychoanalysts. Ania Teillard explains this by pointing
out that, in dreams, we employ the image of the house as a representation of the
different layers of the psyche. The outside of the house signifies the outward
appearance of Man: his personality or his mask. The various floors are related to
the vertical and spatial symbols. The roof and upper floor correspond to the head
and the mind, as well as to the conscious exercise of self-control. Similarly, the
basement corresponds to the unconscious and the instincts (just as sewers do, in
symbols pertaining to the city). The kitchen, since this is where foodstuff is
transformed, sometimes signifies the place or the moment of psychic transmutation in the alchemical sense. The intercommunicating rooms speak for themselves. The stairs are the link between the various planes of the psyche, but their
particular significance depends upon whether they are seen as ascending or descending. Finally, there is, as we have said, the association of the house with the
human body, especially regarding its openings, as was well understood by
Artemidorus Daldianus (56).
To see a house in your dream, represents your own soul and self. Specific rooms in the house indicate a specific aspect of your psyche. In general, the attic represents your intellect, the basement represents the unconscious, etc. If the house is empty, then it indicates feelings of insecurity. If the house is shifting, then it suggests that you are going through some personal changes and changing your belief system. To dream that a house has no walls, represents a lack of privacy. You feel that everyone is looking over your shoulder or up in your business.
To dream that you are cleaning your house, signifies your need to clear out your thoughts and get rid of old ways. You are seeking self-improvement.
If you live with others in your waking life, but dream that you are living alone, suggests that you need to take new steps toward independence. You need to accept responsibilities and be more self-reliant.
To see an old, run-down house in your dream, represents your old beliefs, attitudes and how you used to think or feel. A situation in your current life may be bringing about those same old attitudes and feelings. Alternatively, the old house may symbolize your need to update you mode of thinking. To dream that your house is damaged, indicates your waking concerns about the condition of your house.
To see a new house in your dream, indicates that you are entering into a new phase or new area in your life. You are becoming more emotionally mature. If you are locked out of the house, then it represents rejection and insecurity. You feel you are being left behind.
To dream that your house is broken into, suggests that you are feeling violated. It may refer to a particular relationship or current situation in your life. Alternatively, it indicates that some unconscious material is attempting to make itself known. There are some aspects of yourself that you have denied.
To dream of a haunted house, signifies unfinished emotional business, related to your childhood family, dead relatives, or repressed memories and feelings.
To dream that a house has disappeared, indicates that you are not feeling grounded. You feel uprooted by a particular circumstance or relationship in your life.
To dream that water is rising up in your house, suggests that you are becoming overwhelmed by your emotions.
To dream of building a house, you will make wise changes in your present affairs.
To dream that you own an elegant house, denotes that you will soon leave your home for a better, and fortune will be kind to you.
Old and dilapidated houses, denote failure in business or any effort, and declining health.
Seeing a house in your dream, represents your own soul and self. Specific rooms in the house indicate a specific aspect of your psyche. In general, the attic represents your intellect, the basement represents the unconscious, etc. If the house is empty, then it indicates feelings of insecurity. If the house is shifting, then it suggests that you are going through some personal changes and changing your belief system. Dreaming that you are cleaning your house means your need to clear out your thoughts and getting rid of old ways. You are seeking self-improvement. Seeing an old, run-down house in your dream, represents your old beliefs, attitudes and how you used to think or feel. A situation in your current life may be bringing about those same old attitudes and feelings. Alternatively, the old house may symbolize your need to update you mode of thinking. Dreaming that your house is broken into, suggests that you are feeling violated. It may refer to a particular relationship or current situation in your life. Alternatively, it indicates that some unconscious material is attempting to make itself known. There are some aspects of yourself that you have denied. Dreaming of a haunted house means unfinished emotional business, related to your childhood family, dead relatives, or repressed memories and feelings. Dreaming that a house disappeared, indicates that you are not feeling grounded. You feel uprooted by a particular circumstance or relationship in your life.
It is common to dream about houses. They usually symbolise our emotional and psychological selves. All of your experiences, stages of development, and parts of your conscious and unconscious life may be represented by that house. The house may be representing issues concerning a particular dilemma in your life, or it may be more general and comprehensive. Either way, if you pay attention to the details in this dream, you may learn a thing or two about yourself.
Within the symbolism of landscapes, the valley, which, because it is
low-lying, is considered to lie at the level of the sea, represents a neutral zone apt
for the development of all creation and for all material progress in the world of
manifestation. Its characteristic fertility stands in contrast to the nature of the
desert (symbolically a place of purification), of the ocean (which represents the
Origin of life but which, in relation to man’s existence, is sterile), and of the
mountain (the region characterized by snows and the ascetic, contemplative life,
or by intellectual illumination). In short, the valley is symbolic of life itself and is
the mystic abode of shepherd and priest (51).
To find yourself walking through green and pleasant valleys, foretells great improvements in business, and lovers will be happy and congenial. If the valley is barren, the reverse is predicted. If marshy, illness or vexations may follow.
To dream that you are in a valley, symbolizes fertility, abundance, or your need to be sheltered and protected. If you are entering or walking through a valley, then it is analogous to your issues of death and dying. This death may be symbolic as in an end to something in your life. Alternatively, the dream represents life's struggles and hardships before you can achieve some spiritual enlightenment or epiphany.
Dreaming of a valley means positive change resulting in happiness and peace.
To dream that you find a wall obstructing your progress, you will surely succumb to ill-favored influences and lose important victories in your affairs.
To jump over it, you will overcome obstacles and win your desires. To force a breach in a wall, you will succeed in the attainment of your wishes by sheer tenacity of purpose.
To demolish one, you will overthrow your enemies. To build one, foretells that you will carefully lay plans and will solidify your fortune to the exclusion of failure, or designing enemies.
For a young woman to walk on top of a wall, shows that her future happiness will soon be made secure. For her to hide behind a wall, denotes that she will form connections that she will be ashamed to acknowledge. If she walks beside a base wall. she will soon have run the gamut of her attractions, and will likely be deserted at a precarious time.
To see a wall in your dream, signifies limitations. obstacles and boundaries. There is a barrier obstructing your progress. Alternatively, the wall indicates that you are too accustomed to your old habits and way of thinking. You feel stuck.
To dream that you jump over a wall, suggests that you are able to confront tough obstacles and get around barriers with success and ease.
To dream that you demolish or break down a wall, indicates that you are breaking through obstacles and overcoming your limitations. It also means that you desire some freedom and independence. If you see a wall crumble, then it suggests that you have risen above your problems and overcame your barriers.
To dream that you are building a wall, refers to a bad relationship or childhood trauma. You are trying to keep others out for fear of getting hurt again. Alternatively, the dream suggests that you have accepted your limitations.
To dream that you are hiding behind a wall, suggests that you ashamed in acknowledging your connections.
To dream that you are being thrown or shot through a wall, means that you need to literally breakdown those walls that you have put up around you. You need to venture out and explore.
To dream that a house has no walls, represents a lack of privacy. You feel that everyone is looking over your shoulder or up in your business.
Seeing a wall in your dream means limitations. obstacles and boundaries. There is a barrier obstructing your progress. You may have been accustomed to your old habits and way of thinking. Dreaming that you jump over a wall, suggests that you will overcome tough obstacles and succeed. Dreaming that you demolish or break down a wall indicates that you are breaking through obstacles and overcoming your limitations. If you see a wall crumble, then it suggests that you have easily risen above your problems and overcame your barriers. Dreaming that you are building a wall, represents a bad relationship or some childhood trauma. It also suggest that you have accepted your limitations. Dreaming that you are hiding behind a wall, suggests that you ashamed in acknowledging your connections. Dreaming that you are being thrown or shot through a wall, literally means that you need to breakdown those walls that you have put up around you. You need to venture out and explore.