There is some kind of gun / violence, perhaps on a train...
Scene
I am witness to a ritualistic scene involving three horses and two riders plus a sharpshooter.
Charging out front is a man on a dark horse following a white horse. The white horse is restrained by a rope and cannot bolt free but the IRA (Irish Republican Army) handler is "threatening to let it run free" - which obviously is a good thing.
The policeman or military man galloping in pursuit keeps his pistol aimed at the white horse and makes it clear that if the horse is released it will immediately be shot dead thus undoing any so-called liberation.
The sharpshooter behind says that the very moment the white horse is shot dead he will shoot and kill the horse being ridden by the policeman.
The rules are clear and it seems obvious to me that two dead horses is not the ideal outcome. Will they all be so foolish to let it come to that?
Apparently yes. A moment later the white horse is let free but then is immediately shot and killed by the police sharpshooter - just as promised. An instant later the cop is falling off his horse when, as promised, the IRA sharpshooter shoots and kills it in retaliation.
What a senseless waste. Two stubborn armed men = two dead horses.
Scene
A pretty, older woman with long, straight blonde hair is scratching up the wooden base of some lamps. She is in her home or apartment.
She is threatening to do more damage, but it appears only to her own things, saying: "I'm in my scratchy baby mood."
There is no one else around but myself - again the detached observer.
The symbolism of the horse is extremely complex, and beyond a
certain point not very clearly defined. Eliade finds it an animal associated with
burial-rites in chthonian cults (17), whereas Mertens Stienon considers it an
ancient symbol of the cyclic movement of the world of phenomena; hence the
horses, which Neptune with his trident lashes up out of the waves, symbolize the
cosmic forces that surge out of the Akasha—the blind forces of primigenial chaos
(39). Applying this latter concept to the biopsychological plane, Diel concludes
that the horse stands for intense desires and instincts, in accordance with the
general symbolism of the steed-and the vehicle (15). The horse plays an important part in a great number of ancient rites. The ancient Rhodians used to make an
annual sacrifice to the sun of a four-horse quadriga, which they would hurl into
the sea (21). The animal was also dedicated to Mars, and the sudden appearance
of a horse was thought to be an omen of war (8). In Germany and England, to
dream of a white horse was thought to be an omen of death (35). It is very
interesting to note that the great myth and symbol of the Gemini, illustrated in
pairs or twins, in two-headed beasts or in anthropomorphic figures with four
eyes and four arms, etc., appears, too, in horse-symbolism, especially in the form
of a pair of horses, one white and one black, representing life and death. The
Indian Asvins—the probable source of Castor and Pollux—would depict themselves as horsemen. In mediaeval illustrations of the Zodiac, the sign for the
Gemini is sometimes portrayed in this way, as for example in the Zodiac of Notre
Dame de Paris (39). Considering that the horse pertains to the natural, unconscious, instinctive zone, it is not surprising that, in Antiquity, it should often have
been endowed with certain powers of divination (8). In fable and legend, horses,
being clairvoyant, are often assigned the task of giving a timely warning to their
masters, as in the Grimms’ fable, for example. Jung came to wonder if the horse
might not be a symbol for the mother, and he does not hesitate to assert that it
expresses the magic side of Man, ‘the mother within us’, that is, intuitive understanding. On the other hand, he recognizes that the horse is a symbol pertaining
to Man’s baser forces, and also to water, which explains why the horse is associated with Pluto and Neptune (56). Deriving from the magical nature of the horse,
is the belief that the horse-shoe brings luck. On account of his fleetness, the horse
can also signify the wind and sea-foam, as well as fire and light. In the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (I, 1), the horse is actually a symbol of the cosmos
(31) (Plate XVIII).
To see a horse in your dream, symbolizes strength, power, endurance, virility and sexual prowess. It also represents a strong, physical energy. You need to tame the wild forces within. The dream may also be a pun that you are "horsing around". Alternatively, to see a horse in your dream, indicate that you need to be less arrogant and "get off your high horse".
To see a black or dark horse in your dream, signifies mystery, wildness, and the unknown. You are taking a chance or a gamble at some unknown situation. It may even refer to occult forces. If the horse is white, then it signifies purity, prosperity and good fortunes. To dream that you are being chased by a white horse, may be a pun on chaste. Perhaps you are having difficulties dealing with issues of intimacy and sexuality.
To see a dead horse in your dream, indicates that something in your life that initially offered you strength is now gone. This may refer to a relationship or situation. Consider the phrase "beating a dead horse" to indicate that you may have maximized the usefulness of a certain circumstance.
To see a herd of wild horses in your dream, signifies a sense of freedom and lack of responsibilities and duties. Perhaps it may also indicate your uncontrolled emotions. If you are riding a wild horse, then it represents unrestrained sexual desires.
To dream that you are riding a horse, suggests that you are in a high position or position of power. Alternatively, it indicates that you will achieve success through underhanded means. You lack integrity. If you are riding a horse that is out of control, then it means that you are being carried away by your passions.
To see an armored or medieval horse in your dream, refers to your fierceness, aggression, power and/or rigidity. You may too confrontational. Alternatively, you may be trying to protect yourself from unconscious material or sexual desires that is emerging.
To dream that you are bathing a horse, represents a renewal of strength and vigor. You are experiencing a burst of energy in some aspect of your life.
If you dream of seeing or riding a white horse, the indications are favorable for prosperity and pleasurable commingling with congenial friends and fair women. If the white horse is soiled and lean, your confidence will be betrayed by a jealous friend or a woman. If the horse is black, you will be successful in your fortune, but you will practice deception, and will be guilty of assignations. To a woman, this dream denotes that her husband is unfaithful.
To dream of dark horses, signifies prosperous conditions, but a large amount of discontent. Fleeting pleasures usually follow this dream.
To see yourself riding a fine bay horse, denotes a rise in fortune and gratification of passion. For a woman, it foretells a yielding to importunate advances. She will enjoy material things.
To ride or see passing horses, denotes ease and comfort.
To ride a runaway horse, your interests will be injured by the folly of a friend or employer.
To see a horse running away with others, denotes that you will hear of the illness of friends.
To see fine stallions, is a sign of success and high living, and undue passion will master you.
To see brood mares, denotes congeniality and absence of jealousy between the married and sweethearts.
To ride a horse to ford a stream, you will soon experience some good fortune and will enjoy rich pleasures. If the stream is unsettled or murky, anticipated joys will be somewhat disappointing.
To swim on a horse's back through a clear and beautiful stream of water, your conception of passionate bliss will be swiftly realized. To a business man, this dream portends great gain.
To see a wounded horse, foretells the trouble of friends.
To dream of a dead horse, signifies disappointments of various kinds.
To dream of riding a horse that bucks, denotes that your desires will be difficult of consummation. To dream that he throws you, you will have a strong rival, and your business will suffer slightly through competition.
To dream that a horse kicks you, you will be repulsed by one you love.
Your fortune will be embarrassed by ill health.
To dream of catching a horse to bridle and saddle, or harness it, you will see a great improvement in business of all kinds, and people of all callings will prosper. If you fail to catch it, fortune will play you false.
To see spotted horses, foretells that various enterprises will bring you profit.
To dream of having a horse shod, your success is assured.
For a woman, this dream omens a good and faithful husband.
To dream that you shoe a horse, denotes that you will endeavor to and perhaps make doubtful property your own.
To dream of race horses, denotes that you will be surfeited with fast living, but to the farmer this dream denotes prosperity.
To dream that you ride a horse in a race, you will be prosperous and enjoy life.
To dream of killing a horse, you will injure your friends through selfishness.
To mount a horse bareback, you will gain wealth and ease by hard struggles.
To ride bareback in company with men, you will have honest people to aid you, and your success will be merited. If in company with women, your desires will be loose, and your prosperity will not be so abundant as might be if women did not fill your heart.
To curry a horse, your business interests will not be neglected for frivolous pleasures.
To dream of trimming a horse's mane, or tail, denotes that you will be a good financier or farmer. Literary people will be painstaking in their work and others will look after their interest with solicitude.
To dream of horses, you will amass wealth and enjoy life to its fullest extent.
To see horses pulling vehicles, denotes wealth with some incumbrance, and love will find obstacles.
If you are riding up a hill and the horse falls but you gain the top, you will win fortune, though you will have to struggle against enemies and jealousy. If both the horse and you get to the top, your rise will be phenomenal, but substantial.
For a young girl to dream that she rides a black horse,
denotes that she should be dealt with by wise authority.
Some wishes will be gratified at an unexpected time.
Black in horses, signifies postponements in anticipations.
To see a horse with a tender foot, denotes that some unexpected unpleasantness will insinuate itself into your otherwise propitious state.
If you attempt to fit a broken shoe which is too small for the horse's foot, you will be charged with making fraudulent deals with unsuspecting parties.
To ride a horse down hill, your affairs will undoubtedly disappoint you. For a young woman to dream that a friend rides behind her on a horse, denotes that she will be foremost in the favors of many prominent and successful men. If she was frightened, she is likely to stir up jealous sensations. If after she alights from the horse it turns into a pig, she will carelessly pass by honorable offers of marriage, preferring freedom until her chances of a desirable marriage are lost. If afterward she sees the pig sliding gracefully along the telegraph wire, she will by intriguing advance her position,
For a young woman to dream that she is riding a white horse up and down hill, often looking back and seeing some one on a black horse, pursuing her, denotes she will have a mixed season of success and sorow,{sic} but through it all a relentless enemy is working to overshadow her with gloom and disappointment.
To see a horse in human flesh, descending on a hammock through the air, and as it nears your house is metamorphosed into a man, and he approaches your door and throws something at you which seems to be rubber but turns into great bees, denotes miscarriage of hopes and useless endeavors to regain lost valuables. To see animals in human flesh, signifies great advancement to the dreamer, and new friends will be made by modest wearing of well-earned honors. If the human flesh appears diseased or freckled, the miscarriage of well-laid plans is denoted.
Seeing a horse in your dream, represents a strong, physical energy. You need to tame the wild forces. The dream may imply that you have been horsing around. Or perhaps you need to be less arrogant and "get off your high horse". Seeing a black or dark horse in your dream means mystery, wildness, and the unknown. You may be taking a chance or gamble at some unknown area. It may even represents occult forces. If the horse is white, then it means purity, prosperity and good fortunes. Dreaming that you are being chased by a white horse, may be a pun on chaste. Perhaps you are having difficulties dealing with issues of intimacy and sexuality. Seeing a dead horse in your dream indicates that something in your life that initially offered you strength is now gone. This may refer to a relationship or situation. Seeing a herd of wild horses in your dream means a sense of freedom and lack of responsibilities/duties. Perhaps it may also indicated your uncontrolled emotions. Dreaming that you are riding a horse indicates that you will achieve success through underhanded means. You lack integrity. If you are riding a horse that is out of control means that you are being carried away by your passions. Seeing an armored or medieval horse in your dream, refers to your fierceness, aggression, power and/or rigidity. You may be seen as too confrontational. Alternatively, you may be trying to protect yourself from unconscious material or sexual desires that is emerging. Dreaming that you are bathing a horse, represents a renewal of strength and vigor. You are experiencing a burst of energy in some aspect of your life.
The horse is a noble and powerful animal. As a dream symbol it can represent a wide range of positive thoughts and ideas about self or others. Depending on the details of the dream, horses can symbolize freedom, power, and sexual energy. At times, they can also be considered messengers, relaying information from the unconscious to the conscious, from the spiritual to the physical. If you are horseback riding it suggests that you are self-assured and feel a sense of control in your daily life. Old dream interpretation books say that the colour of the horse is also significant. (Remember that this is based on superstition.) Black horses are said to point out delays; white horses reinforce the positive and trans-formative aspects of life; grey horses may point to the difficulties in the dreamers current situation; piebald horses are symbolic of confusion; brown horses are associated with mental pursuits; tan horses are said to be symbolic of love and sex.
Symbol meanings of the Horse date back to prehistory, and the first civilized, written acknowledgement of the Horse comes in the third millennium BC where historians uncovered slate tablets in Elam (present day Iraq and Iran) which reference this noble, wild beast.
Due to its natural companionship with man in both work and art, the Horse easily wins a special seat in history, ranking high marks of honor, reverence and symbolism.
Serving man in war, mobility, productivity, agriculture, development of all kinds, the Horse is by far one of the largest contributor to the enhancement of civilization.
With such recognition and accomplishments, a vast and diverse trail of symbol meanings is sure to follow the Horse’s rich history with humankind.
A summary of prevalent symbol meanings for the horse:
Power
Grace
Beauty
Nobility
Strength
Freedom
The Horse symbol meanings of power are widespread through most cultures, and it is linked as an emblem of life-force. Many cultures assign the attributes of the four elements to the Horse: Earth, Fire, Air, and Water.
As a Celtic symbol,the Horse was associated with war. With war, comes attributes of victory, conquer, longevity as well as procurement of territory and other spoils that come with triumph in battle.
All of these heady aspects of valor were associated with the Horse in Celt animal symbolism. In fact, so much so, the Celts hailed the Horse as the beast belonging to the sun god, and assigned it a place with the goddess Epona (see Celtic Gods & Goddesses for more information on Epona).
The Greco-Romans also associated the Horse with the spoils of war and attributed it to symbolism such as power, victory, honor, domination and virility. In Greco-Roman myth the Horse is said to be created by Poseidon (Neptune) and is devoted to Hades (Pluto) and Ares (Mars). Romans also believed the Horse to be a symbol of the continuity of life, and would sacrifice a horse to the god Mars every October, keeping its tail through the winter as a sign of fertility and rebirth.
The horse shows both earthly strength and unearthly powers. It is regarded highly throughout the world and connected with the magical powers of shamans. With the help of the horse's speed, a person can cover long distances in a relatively short period of time. The horse has also made transportation of goods a lot easier. It is, therefore, the first and foremost totem animal of civilization. The power of an engine to this day is measured in horsepower. Riding a horse conveys a sense of freedom. It teaches that power cannot be attained by force, but rather that it is given to him who is willing to accept responsibility in a respectful manner. Just as the horse carries its rider on its back, the rider carries responsibility for everything around him. The power of the horse is the wisdom to remember all the steps in one's life and learn from them. This includes experiences from a previous life. Real power is strength used with wisdom. This requires love, compassion, and the willingness to share one's achievements and insights with others. It is important not to let our ego deny us access to this power.
The horse will teach you how to communicate with other realms as well as this one. It is the message carrier.
This creature represents the joy of living and brings with it the ability to see beauty in everything.
Travel, power, spiritual and physical stamina, freedom, persuasiveness, increase clairvoyance, awareness of cooperation and communication abilities, time to move on if you feel stuck, teaches how to go in new directions with freedom and the power to face life and overcoming obstacles with grace. Your journey will take you in new directions. Horse teaches the power to allow and awaken your freedom in movement and will clarify the path in which to take. Do you need to break from current confinements and restrictions? Pay attention to what the individual breed is saying to you.
To see the dead in your dream, 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. Alternatively, the dream symbolizes material loss.
If you dream of a person who has died a long time ago, then it suggests that a current situation or relationship in your life resembles the quality of that deceased person. The dream may depict how you need to let this situation or relationship die and end it.
To see and talk with your dead parents in your dreams, represent your fears of losing them or your way of coping with the loss. You are using your dream as a last opportunity to say your final good-byes to them.
To see your dead sibling, relative, or friend alive in your dream, indicates that you miss them and are trying to relive your old experiences you had with them. In trying to keep up with the pace of your daily waking life, you dreams may serve as your only outlet in coping and coming to terms with the loss of a loved one.
To dream of the dead, is usually a dream of warning. 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.
[52] 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.
Seeing the dead in your dream, forewarns that you are being influenced by negative people and are hanging around the wrong crowd. You may suffer material loss. This dream may also be a way for you to resolve your feelings with those who have passed on. If you dream of a person who has died a long time ago, then it suggests that a current situation or relationship in you life resembles the quality of that deceased person. The dream may depict how you need to let this situation or relationship die and end it. Seeing and talk with your dead parents in your dreams, represents your fears of losing them or your way of coping with the loss. You may want that last opportunity to say your final good-byes to them. Seeing your dead sibling, relative, or friend alive in your dream indicates that you miss them and are trying to relive your old experiences you had with them. In trying to keep up with the pace of your daily waking life, you dreams may serve as your only outlet in coping and coming to terms with the loss of a loved one.
To dream that you are shot, represents a form of self-punishment that you may be unconsciously imposing on yourself. You may have done something that you are ashamed of or are not proud of. If you are shot and come back as a different person, then it indicates that you need to start fresh. You want to wipe the past away and literally become a new person.
To dream that you are shot, and are feeling the sensations of dying, denotes that you are to meet unexpected abuse from the ill feelings of friends, but if you escape death by waking, you will be fully reconciled with them later on.
To dream that a preacher shoots you, signifies that you will be annoyed by some friend advancing views condemnatory to those entertained by yourself.
Dreaming that you are shot, represents a form of self-punishment that you may be unconsciously imposing on yourself. You may have done something that you are ashamed of or are not proud of.
To see a baby in your dream, signifies innocence, warmth and new beginnings. Babies symbolize something in your own inner nature that is pure, vulnerable, helpless and/or uncorrupted. If you find a baby in your dream, then it suggests that you have acknowledged your hidden potential. If you dream that you forgot you had a baby, then it suggests that you are trying hide your own vulnerabilities; You do not want to let others know of your weaknesses. Alternatively, forgetting about a baby, represents an aspect of yourself that you have abandoned or put aside due to life's changing circumstances. The dream may serve as a reminder that it is time for you to pick up that old interest, hobby, or project again.
If you dream that you are on your way to the hospital to have a baby, then it signifies your issues of dependency and your desires to be completely care for. Perhaps you are trying to get out of some responsibility. If you are pregnant in real life, then a more direct interpretation may simply mean that you are experiencing some anxieties of making it to the hospital when the time comes.
To dream of a crying baby, symbolizes a part of yourself that is deprived of attention and needs to be nurtured. Alternatively, it represents your unfulfilled goals and a sense of lacking in your life. If you dream that a baby is neglected, then it suggests that you are not paying enough attention to yourself. You are not utilizing your full potential. Alternatively, this dream could represent your fears about your own children and your ability to protect and to provide for them.
To dream about a starving baby, represents your dependence on others. You are experiencing some deficiency in your life that needs immediate attention and gratification.
To dream of an extremely small baby, symbolizes your helplessness and your fears of letting others become aware of your vulnerabilities and incompetence. You may be afraid to ask for help and as a result tend to take matters into your own hands. http://www.dreammoods.com
To see a dead baby in your dream, symbolizes the ending of something that was once a part of you.
To dream that you are dipping a baby in and out of water, signifies regression. You are regressing to a time where you had no worries and responsibilities. Alternatively, such a scenario is reminisce of when the baby is in the fetus and in its comfort zone. In fact, some expectant mothers even give birth in a pool, because the environment in the water mimics the environment in the uterus. It is less traumatic for the baby as it emerges into the world. So perhaps, the dream represents your search for your own comfort zone.
To dream of crying babies, is indicative of ill health and disappointments.
A bright, clean baby, denotes love requited, and many warm friends. Walking alone, it is a sure sign of independence and a total ignoring of smaller spirits. If a woman dream she is nursing a baby, she will be deceived by the one she trusts most.
It is a bad sign to dream that you take your baby if sick with fever.
You will have many sorrows of mind.
If you are nursing a baby, it denotes sorrow and misfortune. If you see a baby that is
sick, it means that somebody among your relatives will die.
Dreaming of a baby in your dream means innocence, warmth and new beginnings. Babies may symbolize something in your own inner nature which is pure, vulnerable, and/or uncorrupted. If you dream that you forgot you had a baby, then it suggests that you are trying hide your own vulnerabilities; You do not want to let others know of your weaknesses. If you dream that you are on your way to the hospital to have a baby, then it means your issues of dependency and your desire to be completely care for. Perhaps you are trying to get out of some responsibility. If you are pregnant, then a more direct interpretation may simply mean that you are experiencing some anxieties of making it to the hospital when the time comes. Dreaming of a crying baby, is indicative of a part of yourself that is deprived of attention and needs some nurturing. Alternatively, it represents your unfulfilled goals and a sense of lacking in your life. Dreaming about a starving baby, represents your dependence on others. You are experiencing some deficiency in your life that needs immediate attention and gratification. Dreaming of an extremely small baby, symbolizes your helplessness and your fears of letting others become aware of your vulnerabilities and incompetence. You may be afraid to ask for help and as a result tend to take matters into your own hands. Dreaming of a dead baby in your dream, symbolizes the ending of something that is part of you. Dreaming that you are dipping a baby in and out of water means regression. You are regressing to a time where you had no worries and responsibilities. Alternatively, it is reminisce of when the baby is in the fetus and in its comfort zone. In fact, some expectant mothers even give birth in a pool, because the environment in the water mimics the environment in the uterus. It is less traumatic for the baby as it emerges into the world. So perhaps, the dream your search for your own comfort zone.
Many people from time to time will have babies or small children in their dreams. If these newborns are strangers to you, you can assume that they represent you. You are the baby and the dream is telling you something about your development in a particular area of your life. At times of great change and renewal, a baby may appear in a dream and represent your potential and a new beginning. Some of the meaning of the dream may be obtained by considering what the baby looked like and was doing. Generally, babies represent innocence and are symbols of the purest form of a human whose possibilities are endless. However, if the baby’s appearance is odd, and if your interactions with it are bizarre or unusual, you need to consider your own well being (psychologically) and think about what personal experiences and psychological hang-ups have prevented you from growing.
To see a shooting in your dream, indicates that you have a set goal and know what to aim for in life. Your plans are right on target!
To dream that you shoot a person with a gun, denotes your aggressive feelings and hidden anger toward that particular person. If the person you shoot is a stranger, then it indicates that you are rejecting unknown aspects of yourself that you do not understand.
To dream that someone is shooting you with a gun, suggests that you are experiencing some confrontation in your waking life. You may be feeling victimized in some situation.
To dream that you see or hear shooting, signifies unhappiness between married couples and sweethearts because of over-weaning selfishness, also unsatisfactory business and tasks because of negligence.
Seeing a shooting in your dream indicates that you have a set goal and know what you are aiming for in life. Your plans are right on target! Dreaming that you shoot a person with a gun indicates your aggressive feelings and hidden anger toward that particular person. Dreaming that someone is shooting you with a gun, suggests that you are experiencing some confrontation in your waking life. You may feel victimized in some situation.
Man comes to see himself as a symbol in so far as he is conscious of his
being. Hallstatt art, in Austria, shows fine examples of animal-heads with human
figures appearing above them. In India, in New Guinea, in the West as well, the
bull’s or ox’s head with a human form drawn between the horns is a very common
motif. Since the bull is a symbol for the father-heaven, man comes to be seen as
both his and the earth’s son (22), also, as a third possibility, the son of the sun and
the moon (49). The implications of Origen’s remark: ‘Understand that you are
another world in miniature and that in you are the sun, the moon and also the
stars’, are to be found in all symbolic traditions. In Moslem esoteric thought, man
is the symbol of universal existence (29), an idea which has found its way into
contemporary philosophy in the definition of man as ‘the messenger of being’;
however, in symbolic theory, man is not defined by function alone (that of
appropriating the consciousness of the cosmos), but rather by analogy, whereby
he is seen as an image of the universe. This analogical relationship is sometimes
expressed explicitly, as in some of the more ancient sections of the Upanishads—
the Brihadaranyaka and the Chandogya for instance—where the analogy between the human organism and the macrocosmos is drawn step by step by means
of correspondences with the organs of the body and the senses (7). So, for
example, the components of the nervous system are derived from fiery substance, and blood from watery substance (26). These oriental concepts first
appear in the West during the Romanesque period: Honorius of Autun, in his Elucidarium (12th century) states that the flesh (and the bones) of man are
derived from the earth, blood from water, his breath from air, and body-heat from
fire. Each part of the body relates to a corresponding part of the universe: the
head corresponds to the heavens, the breath to air, the belly to the sea, the lower
extremities to earth. The five senses were given analogies in accordance with a
system which came to Europe, perhaps, from the Hebrews and the Greeks (14).
Thus, Hildegard of Bingen, living in the same period, states that man is disposed
according to the number five: he is of five equal parts in height and five in girth; he
has five senses, and five members, echoed in the hand as five fingers. Hence the
pentagram is a sign of the microcosmos. Agrippa of Nettesheim represented this graphically, after Valeriano, who drew the analogy between the five-pointed star
and the five wounds of Christ. There is a relationship, too, between the organic
laws of Man and the Cistercian temple (14). Fabre d’Olivet, following the Cabala,
maintains that another number closely associated with the human being is nine—
the triple ternary. He divides human potentialities into three planes: those of the
body, of the soul or life and of the spirit. Each of these planes is characterized by
three modes: the active, the passive and the neutral (43). In the Far East, also,
speculation about the symbolism of man began very early. The same kind of
triple ternary organization is to be seen in the ancient teachings of the Taoists
(13). It is also interesting to note that there is a relationship between the human
being and the essential or archetypal animals (the turtle, the phoenix, the dragon
and the unicorn) who appear to bear the same relation to man—who is central—
as the tetramorphs do to the Pantokrator. Now, between man as a concrete
individual and the universe there is a medial term—a mesocosmos. And this
mesocosmos is the ‘Universal Man’, the King (Wang) in Far Eastern tradition,
and the Adam Kadmon of the Cabala. He symbolizes the whole pattern of the
world of manifestation, that is, the complete range of possibilities open to mankind. In a way, the concept corresponds to Jung’s ‘collective unconscious’. According to Guénon, Leibniz—perhaps influenced by Raymond Lull—conceded
that every ‘individual substance’ must contain within itself an integral reproduction of the universe, even if only as an image, just as the seed contains the totality
of the being into which it will develop (25). In Indian symbolism, Vaishvânara, or
the ‘Universal Man’, is divided into seven principal sections: (1) The superior,
luminous spheres as a whole, or the supreme states of being; (2) the sun and the
moon—or rather, the principles to which they pertain—as expressed in the right
and the left eye respectively; (3) the fire-principle—the mouth; (4) the directions
of space—the ears; (5) the atmosphere—the lungs; (6) the intermediary zone
between earth and heaven—the stomach; (7) the earth—the natural functions or
the lower part of the body. The heart is not mentioned, because, being the ‘centre’
or dwelling-place of Brahma, it is regarded as being beyond the ‘wheel’ of things
(26). Now, this concept of the ‘Universal Man’ implies hermaphroditism, though
never specifically. For the concrete, existential human being, in so far as he is
either a man or a woman, represents the dissected ‘human’ whole, not only in the
physical sense but also spiritually. Thus, to quote the Upanishads: ‘He was, in
truth, as big as a man and a woman embracing. He divided this atman into two
parts; from them sprang husband and wife.’ In Western iconography one sometimes finds images which would seem to be echoes of this concept (32). A human
couple, by their very nature, must always symbolize the urge to unite what is in
fact discrete. Figures which are shown embracing one another, or joining hands, or growing out of roots which bind them together, and so on, symbolize ‘conjunction’, that is, coincidentia oppositorum. There is a Hindu image representing the
‘joining of the unjoinable’ (analogous to the marriage of fire and water) by the
interlinking of Man and Woman, which may be taken to symbolize the joining of
all opposites: good and bad, high and low, cold and hot, wet and dry, and so on
(32). In alchemy, Man and Woman symbolize sulphur and mercury (the metal).
In psychology, level-symbolism is often brought to bear upon the members of the
body, so that the right side corresponds to the conscious level and the left to the
unconscious. The shapes of the parts of the body, depending upon whether they
are positive or negative—whether they are protuberances or cavities—should be
seen not only as sex-symbols but also in the light of the symbolism of levels. The
head is almost universally regarded as a symbol of virility (56). The attitudes
which the body may take up are of great symbolic importance, because they are
both the instrument and the expression of the human tendency towards ascendence
and evolution. A position with the arms wide open pertains to the symbolism of
the cross. And a posture in the form of the letter ‘X’ refers to the union of the two
worlds, a symbol which is related to the hour-glass, the ‘X’ and all other symbols
of intersection (50). Another important posture is that of Buddha in the traditional iconography of the Orient, a posture characteristic also of some Celtic gods
such as the so-called ‘Bouray god’ or the famous Roquepertuse figure. This
squatting position expresses the renunciation of the ‘baser part’ and of ambulatory movement and symbolizes identification with the mystic centre.
To see a man in your dream, denotes the aspect of yourself that is assertive, rational, aggressive, and/or competitive. Perhaps you need to incorporate these aspects into your own character. If the man is known to you, then the dream may reflect you feelings and concerns you have about him.
If you are a woman and dream that you are in the arms of a man, then it suggests that you are accepting and welcoming your stronger assertive personality. It may also highlight your desires to be in a relationship and your image of the ideal man.
To see an old man in your dream, represents wisdom or forgiveness. The old man may be a archetypal figure who is offering guidance to some daily problem.
To dream of a man, if handsome, well formed and supple, denotes that you will enjoy life vastly and come into rich possessions. If he is misshapen and sour-visaged, you will meet disappointments and many perplexities will involve you.
For a woman to dream of a handsome man, she is likely to have distinction offered her. If he is ugly, she will experience trouble through some one whom she considers a friend.
Seeing a man in your dream indicates the masculine aspect of yourself - the side that is assertive, rational, aggressive, and/or competitive. If the man is known to you, then the dream may reflect you feelings and concerns you have about him. If you are a woman and dream that you are in the arms of a man, suggests that you are accepting and welcoming your stronger assertive personality . It may also highlight your desires to be in a relationship and your image of the ideal man. Seeing an old man in your dream, represents wisdom or forgiveness.
All different kinds of people clutter our dream landscape. The men in your dream may include family members or total strangers. You may dream about your father, son, husband, or friend and should interpret the dream according to its details. A man, particularly the father figure, may represent collective consciousness and the traditional human spirit. He is the Yang and his energy, when mobilised, creates the earthly realities. Depending on the details of the dream, the masculine figure could be interpreted as the Creator or Destroyer. At times, women dream about men that are strangers to them. These men may represent the women's unconscious psychic energy. At times, a strange and ominous man in men's dreams could represent their "shadow" or their negativity and darker sides of personality.