Dreamcatcher: humandala

This is a Hindu term for a circle. It is a kind of yantra (instrument,
means or emblem), in the form of a ritual geometric diagram, sometimes corresponding to a specific, divine attribute or to some form of enchantment (mantra)
which is thus given visual expression (6). Cammann suggests that mandalas were
first brought to Tibet from India by the great guru Padma Sambhava in the 8th
century A.D. They are to be found all over the Orient, and always as a means
towards contemplation and concentration—as an aid in inducing certain mental
states and in encouraging the spirit to move forward along its path of evolution
from the biological to the geometric, from the realm of corporeal forms to the
spiritual. According to Heinrich Zimmer, mandalas are not only painted or drawn,
but are also actually built in three dimensions for some festivals. One of the
members of the Lamaist convent of Bhutia Busty, Lingdam Gomchen, described
the mandala to Carl Gustav Jung as ‘a mental image which may be built up in the
imagination only by a trained lama’. He maintained that ‘no one mandala is the
same as another’: all are different because each is a projected image of the
psychic condition of its author, or in other words, an expression of the modifcation brought by this psychic content to the traditional idea of the mandala.
Thus, the mandala is a synthesis of a traditional structure plus free interpretation. Its basic components are geometric figures, counterbalanced and concentric. Hence it has been said that ‘the mandala is always a squaring of the circle’.
There are some works—the Shri-Chakra-Sambhara-Tantra is one—which prescribe rules for the better imagining of this image. Coinciding in essence with the.
mandala are such figures as the Wheel of the Universe, the Mexican ‘Great Calendar Stone’, the lotus flower, the mythic flower of gold, the rose, and so on. In a
purely psychological sense it is feasible to identify the mandala with all figures composed of various elements enclosed in a square or a circle—for instance, the
horoscope, the labyrinth, the zodiacal circle, figures representing ‘The Year’ and
also the clock. Groundplans of circular, square or octagonal buildings are also
mandalas. As for the three-dimensional form, there are temples built after the
pattern of the mandala with its essential counterbalancing of elements, its geometric form and significant number of component elements. The stupa in India is
the most characteristic of these temples. Again, according to Cammann, there are
some Chinese shields and mirror-backs which are mandalas. In short, the mandala
is, above all, an image and a synthesis of the dualistic aspects of differentiation
and unification, of variety and unity, the external and the internal, the diffuse and
the concentrated (32). It excludes disorder and all related symbolisms, because,
by its very nature, it must surmount disorder. It is, then, the visual, plastic
expression of the struggle to achieve order—even within diversity—and of the
longing to be reunited with the pristine, non-spatial and non-temporal ‘Centre’,
as it is conceived in all symbolic traditions. However, since the preoccupation
with ornamentation—that is, with unconscious symbolism—is in effect a concern for ordering a certain area—that is, for bringing order into chaos—it follows
that this struggle has two aspects: firstly, the possibility that some would-be
mandalas are the product of the simple (aesthetic or utilitarian) desire for order,
and secondly, the consideration that the mandala proper takes its inspiration
from the mystic longing for supreme integration. In Jung’s view, mandalas and all
concomitant images—prior, parallel or consequent—of the kind mentioned above,
are derived from dreams and visions corresponding to the most basic of religious
symbols known to mankind—symbols which are known to have existed as far
back as the Palaeolithic Age (as is proved, for example, by the Rhodesian rock
engravings). Many cultural, artistic or allegorical works, and many of the images
used in numismatics, must have sprung from this same primordial interest in the
psychic or inner structure (with its external counterpart to which so many rites
pertaining to the founding of cities and temples, to the divisions of heavens, to
orientation and the space-time relationship, bear eloquent testimony). The juxtaposition of the circle, the triangle and the square (numerically the equivalents of
the numbers one and ten; three; and four and seven) plays a fundamental rôle in
the most ‘classic’ and authentic of oriental mandalas. Even though the mandala
always alludes to the concept of the Centre—never actually depicting it visually
but suggesting it by means of the concentricity of the figures—at the same time it
exemplifies the obstacles in the way of achieving and assimilating the Centre. In
this way, the mandala fulfils its function as an aid to man in his efforts to regroup
all that is dispersed around a single axis—the Jungian Selbst. It is of interest to note that the same problem occupied the alchemists, except that a very different
aspect of being was under investigation. Jung suggests that the mandala represents an autonomous psychic fact, or ‘a kind of nucleus about whose intimate
structure and ultimate meaning we have no direct knowledge’ (32). Mircea Eliade,
speaking as an historian of religions and not as a psychologist, sees the mandala
chiefly as an objective symbol, an imago mundi rather than a projection of the
mind, without, however, discrediting the latter interpretation. The structure of a
temple—the Borobudur temple for instance—in the form of a mandala has as its
aim the creation of a monumental image of life and the ‘distortion’ of the world to
make it a suitable vehicle for the expression of the concept of supreme order
which man—the neophyte or initiate—might then enter as he would enter into
his own spirit. The same is true of the great mandalas traced on the ground with
coloured threads or coloured dust. Here, rather than serving the purposes of
contemplation, they have a ritual function in which a man may move gradually
towards the inner area, identifying himself with each stage and each zone as he
goes. This rite is analogous to that of entering into the labyrinth (denoting the
quest for the Centre) (18), and the psychological and spiritual implications are
self-evident. There are some mandalas which counterbalance not enclosed figures
but numbers arranged in geometric discontinuity (for instance: four points, then
five, then three), and are then identified with the Cardinal Points, the Elements,
colours, and so on, the significance of the mandala being wonderfully enriched by
these additional symbolisms. Mirrors of the Han dynasty depict the numbers
four and eight balancing each other and disposed round the centre in five zones
which correspond to the five Elements (that is, the four material Elements plus
the spirit or quintessence). In the West, alchemy made quite frequent use of
figures having a definite affinity with the mandala, composed of counterpoised
circles, triangles and squares. According to Heinrich Khunrath, the triangle within
the square produces the circle. There are, as Jung has pointed out, ‘distorted’
mandalas different in form from the above and based upon the numbers six, eight
and twelve; but they are comparatively rare. In all mandalas in which numbers are
the predominant element, it is number-symbolism which can best plumb its
meaning. The interpretation should be such that the superior (or the principal)
elements are always those nearest the centre. Thus, the circle within the square is
a more developed structure than the square within the circle. And the same
relationship to the square holds good for the triangle; the struggle between the
number three and the number four seems to represent that between the central
elements of the spirit (corresponding to three) and the peripheral components,
that is, the Cardinal Points as the image of ordered externality (corresponding to four). The outer circle, on the other hand, always fulfils the unifying function of
overriding the contradictions and the irregularities of angles and sides by means of
its implicit movement. The characteristics of the ShriYantra, one of the finest
mandala-instruments, have been explained by Luc Benoist. It is composed around
a central point which is the metaphysical and irradiating point of primordial
energy; however, this energy is not manifest and therefore the central point does
not actually appear in the drawing, but has to be visualized. Surrounding it is a
complex pattern of nine triangles—an image of the transcendent worlds; four of
these triangles have the apex pointing upwards and the other five downwards.
The intermediate—or subtle—world is suggested by a triple aureole surrounding
the triangles. An eight-petalled lotus (signifying regeneration), together with others of sixteen petals, and a triple circle, complete this symbolic representation of
the spiritual world. The fact that it exists within the material world is suggested
by a triple-lined serrated surround, signifying orientation in space (6).

Dream Moods

To see a mandala in your dream, signifies that you will experience some positive changes in your waking life. It also symbolizes wholeness, unity, healing, inner peace, spirituality, and harmony.

Hyper Dictionary

Seeing a mandala in your dream means that positive changes are occurring in your waking life. It also symbolizes wholeness, unity, healing, spirituality, and harmony.

Dream Moods

To see hair in your dream, signifies sexual virility, seduction, sensuality, vanity, and health. It is indicative of your attitudes. If your hair is knotted or tangled, then it is symbolic of uncertainty and confusion in your life. You may be unable to think straight. If you dream that you make a drastic change to your hairstyle, then it means that you are making a drastic, new approach to some issue in your waking life.

To dream that you are cutting your hair, suggests that you are experiencing a loss in strength. You may feel that someone is trying to censor you. Alternatively, you may be reshaping your thinking or ambitions and eliminating unwanted thoughts/habits.

To dream that you are combing, stroking or styling your hair, suggests that you are taking on and evaluating a new idea, concept, outlook, or way of thinking. You may be putting your thoughts in order and getting your facts straight. A more literal interpretation suggests your concerns about your self-image and appearance.

To dream that you have long hair, indicates that you are thinking long and carefully before making some decision. You are concentrating on some plan or situation.

To dream that you are losing your hair, denotes that you are concerned with the notion that you are getting older and losing your sex appeal and virility. You are preoccupied with aging and your appearance. Losing your hair also signifies a lack of strength; you do not have the power to succeed in an undertaking. You may be feeling weak and vulnerable.

To dream that someone is smelling your hair, indicates sexual curiosity and your need for some sensual stimulation. You have a lot to learn about a relationship. The way yours or someone else's hair smell may remind your of a particular person.

To dream that you are reaching for someone's hair, suggests that you are trying to connect with that person on a spiritual or intellectual level. It also refers to sympathy, protectiveness, and fraternal love.

To dream that the wind is blowing through your hair, signifies freedom to express uninhibited feelings. You are "letting your hair down".

To dream that your hair is white or turns white, indicates that something important has just been made aware to you. It is a symbol of wisdom and insight. The dream may also be a metaphor suggesting that you are feeling "light-headed".

10,000 Dreams Interpreted

If a woman dreams that she has beautiful hair and combs it, she will be careless in her personal affairs, and will lose advancement by neglecting mental application.

For a man to dream that he is thinning his hair, foreshadows that he will become poor by his generosity, and suffer illness through mental worry.

To see your hair turning gray, foretells death and contagion in the family of some relative or some friend.

To see yourself covered with hair, omens indulgence in vices to such an extent as will debar you from the society of refined people. If a woman, she will resolve herself into a world of her own, claiming the right to act for her own pleasure regardless of moral codes

If a man dreams that he has black, curling hair, he will deceive people through his pleasing address. He will very likely deceive the women who trust him. If a woman's hair seems black and curly, she will be threatened with seduction.

If you dream of seeing a woman with golden hair, you will prove a fearless lover and be woman's true friend.

To dream that your sweetheart has red hair, you will be denounced by the woman you love for unfaithfulness. Red hair usually suggests changes

If you see brown hair, you will be unfortunate in choosing a career.

If you see well kept and neatly combed hair, your fortune will improve.

To dream you cut your hair close to the scalp, denotes that you will be generous to lavishness towards a friend. Frugality will be the fruits growing out therefrom.

To see the hair growing out soft and luxuriant, signifies happiness and luxury.

For a woman to compare a white hair with a black one, which she takes from her head, foretells that she will be likely to hesitate between two offers of seeming fortune, and unless she uses great care, will choose the one that will afford her loss or distress instead of pleasant fortune.

To see tangled and unkempt hair, life will be a veritable burden, business will fall off, and the marriage yoke will be troublesome to carry.

If a woman is unsuccessful in combing her hair, she will lose a worthy man's name by needless show of temper and disdain.

For a young woman to dream of women with gray hair, denotes that they will come into her life as rivals in the affection of a male relative, or displace the love of her affianced.

To dream of having your hair cut, denotes serious disappointments.

For a woman to dream that her hair is falling out, and baldness is apparent, she will have to earn her own livelihood, as fortune has passed her by.

For man or woman to dream that they have hair of snowy whiteness, denotes that they will enjoy a pleasing and fortunate journey through life.

For a man to caress the hair of a woman, shows he will enjoy the love and confidence of some worthy woman who will trust him despite the world's condemnation.

To see flowers in your hair, foretells troubles approaching which, when they come, will give you less fear than when viewed from a distance.

For a woman to dream that her hair turns to white flowers, augurs that troubles of a various nature will confront her, and she does well if she strengthens her soul with patience, and endeavors to bear her trials with fortitude.

To dream that a lock of your hair turns gray and falls out, is a sign of trouble and disappointment in your affairs. Sickness will cast gloom over bright expectations.

To see one's hair turn perfectly white in one night, and the face seemingly young, foretells sudden calamity and deep grief. For a young woman to have this dream, signifies that she will lose her lover by a sudden sickness or accident. She will likely come to grief from some indiscretion on her part. She should be careful of her associates.

Hyper Dictionary

Seeing hair in your dream means sexual virility, seduction, sensuality, vanity, and health. It is indicative of your attitudes. If your hair is knotted or tangled, then it is symbolic of uncertainty and confusion in your life. You may be unable to think straight. Dreaming that you are cutting your hair, suggests that you are experiencing a loss in strength. You may feel that someone is trying to censor you. Alternatively, you may be reshaping your thinking or ambitions and eliminating unwanted thoughts/habits. Dreaming that you are combing, stroking or styling your hair, suggests that you are taking on and evaluating a new idea, concept, outlook, or way of thinking. You may be putting your thoughts in order and getting your facts straight. A more literal interpretation suggests your concerns about your self-image and appearance. Dreaming that you have long hair indicates that you are thinking long and carefully before making some decision. You are concentrating on some plan or situation. Dreaming that you are losing your hair indicates that you are concerned with the notion that you are getting older and losing your sex appeal/virility. You are preoccupied with aging and your appearance. Losing you hair also signify a lack of strength and that you do not possess the power to succeed in an undertaking. You may be feeling weak and vulnerable. Dreaming that someone is smelling your hair indicates sexual curiosity and your need for some sensual stimulation. You have a lot to learn about a relationship. The way yours or someone else's hair smell may remind your of a particular person. Dreaming that you are reaching for someone's hair, suggests that you are trying to connect with that person on a spiritual or intellectual level. It also refers to sympathy, protectiveness, and fraternal love. Dreaming that the wind is blowing through your hair means freedom to express uninhibited feelings. You are "letting your hair down". Dreaming that your hair is white or turns white indicates that something important has just been made aware to you. It is a symbol of wisdom and insight. The dream may also be a metaphor suggesting that you are feeling "light-headed".

Meaning of Dreams

Hair symbolizes vitality. If you dream that your hair is thinning or you are going bald, you may lack confidence. Dreaming that your hair has been cut signifies a fear of emotional or physical castration. Dreaming of healthy and shiny hair may mean that things are going well for you, but it may also be a sign of vanity.

The Dictionary of Symbols

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.

Dream Moods

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.

10,000 Dreams Interpreted

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.

Hyper Dictionary

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.

Meaning of Dreams

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.