When your heart is free of your limiting ego,
Then you will see the ageless Beloved.
You can not see yourself without a mirror;
Look at the Beloved,
He is the brightest mirror.
~~Rumi
In the vertical scheme of the human body, the focal points are three in
number: the brain, the heart and the sexual organs. But the central point is the
heart, and in consequence it comes to partake of the meanings of the other two.
The heart was the only part of the viscera left by the Egyptians in the mummy,
since it was regarded as the centre indispensable to the body in eternity; for all
centres are symbols of eternity, since time is the motion of the periphery of the
wheel of phenomena rotating around the Aristotelian ‘unmoved mover’. In traditional ways of thought, the heart was taken as the true seat of intelligence, the
brain being merely instrumental (25); hence, in ancient attempts to explain the
profound and continuing analogies between concepts, the moon was said to
correspond to the brain and the sun to the heart. All representations of the
‘Centre’ have been related in some way to the heart, either through correspondences or through substitution, as in the case of the goblet, the coffer and the
cavern. For the alchemists, the heart was the image of the sun within man, just as
gold was the image of the sun on earth (32). The importance of love in the mystic
doctrine of unity explains how it is that love-symbolism came to be closely linked
with heart-symbolism, for to love is only to experience a force which urges the
lover towards a given centre. In emblems, then, the heart signifies love as the
centre of illumination and happiness, and this is why it is surmounted by flames,
or a cross, or a fleur-de-lis, or a crown (4).
To see your heart in your dream, signifies truth, courage, love, and romance. It is representative of how you are currently dealing with your feelings and expressing your emotions. Also consider the saying "the heart of the matter" which implies that you may need to get down to the core of a situation before proceeding.
To see a winged heart in your dream, represents the power of love and its ability to penetrate through to anyone.
To dream that your heart is bleeding or aching, represents desperation, despair, extreme sadness and sympathy. You are lacking support or love in some a situation in your life.
To dream that you have a heart transplant or heart surgery, indicates a huge change in your personal relationship. Perhaps you are involved in a rebound relationship.
To dream of your heart paining and suffocating you, there will be trouble in your business. Some mistake of your own will bring loss if not corrected.
Seeing your heart, foretells sickness and failure of energy.
To see the heart of an animal, you will overcome enemies and merit the respect of all.
To eat the heart of a chicken, denotes strange desires will cause you to carry out very difficult projects for your advancement.
Seeing your heart in your dream means truth, courage, love, and romance. It is representative of how you are currently dealing with your feelings and expressing your emotions. Also consider the saying "the heart of the matter" which implies that you may need to get down to the core of a situation before proceeding.
As a symbol, it has the same characteristics as the mirror in fact; the
temporal and existential variety of its function provides the explanation of its
significance and at the same time the diversity of its meaningful associations. It
has been said that it is a symbol of the imagination—or of consciousness—in its
capacity to reflect the formal reality of the visible world. It has also been related
to thought, in so far as thought—for Scheler and other philosophers—is the
instrument of self-contemplation as well as the reflection of the universe. This
links mirror-symbolism with water as a reflector and with the Narcissus myth:
the cosmos appears as a huge Narcissus regarding his own reflections in the
human consciousness. Now, the world, as a state of discontinuity affected by the
laws of change and substitution, is the agent which projects this quasinegative,
kaleidoscopic image of appearance and disappearance reflected in the mirror.
From the earliest times, the mirror has been thought of as ambivalent. It is a
surface which reproduces images and in a way contains and absorbs them. In
legend and folklore, it is frequently invested with a magic quality—a mere hypertrophic version of its fundamental meaning. In this way it serves to invoke
apparitions by conjuring up again the images which it has received at some time
in the past, or by annihilating distances when it reflects what was once an object
facing it and now is far removed. This fluctuation between the ‘absent’ mirror and
the ‘peopled’ mirror lends it a kind of phasing, feminine in implication, and
hence—like the fan—it is related to moon-symbolism. Further evidence that the
mirror is lunar is afforded by its reflecting and passive characteristics, for it
receives images as the moon receives the light of the sun (8). Again, its close
relationship to the moon is demonstrated by the fact that among the primitives it
was seen as a symbol of the multiplicity of the soul: of its mobility and its ability
to adapt itself to those objects which ‘visit’ it and retain its ‘interest’. At times,
it takes the mythic form of a door through which the soul may free itself ‘passing’
to the other side: this is an idea reproduced by Lewis Carroll in Alice Through the
Looking Glass. This alone is sufficient explanation of the custom of covering up
mirrors or turning them to face the wall on certain occasions, in particular when someone in the house dies (21). All that we have said so far by no means exhausts
the complex symbolism of the mirror: like the echo, it stands for twins (thesis and
antithesis), and specifically for the sea of flames (or life as an infirmity) (50, 51).
For Loeffler, mirrors are magic symbols for unconscious memories (comparable
with crystal palaces) (38). Hand-mirrors, in particular, are emblems of truth (4),
and in China they are supposed to have an allegorical function as aids to conjugal
happiness as well as a protection against diabolical influences (5). Some Chinese
legends tell of ‘the animals in the mirror’.
To dream of your own reflection in the mirror, suggests that you are pondering thoughts about your inner self. The reflection in the mirror is how you perceive yourself or how you want others to see you. You may be contemplating on strengthening and changing aspects of your character.
To dream that you are looking through a two-way mirror, indicates that you are coming face to face with some inner or worldly issue. What you see is related to your persona and unconscious. Seeing images through the mirror may be a safe way for you to consider and/or confront material from your unconscious. Mirrors symbolize the imagination and the link between the conscious and unconscious.
If you are being watched through a two-way mirror, then it suggests that you feel you are being scrutinized and criticized. Alternatively, the dream means that you are unwilling to acknowledge your unconscious emotions.
To break a mirror in your dream, suggests that you are breaking an old image of yourself. You may be putting an end to an old habit. Breaking a mirror is also an old symbol for seven years of bad luck.
To see a cracked or broken mirror in your dream. represents a poor or distorted self-image. Alternatively, it means that you have put an end to your old habits and ways.
To see a fogged mirror in your dream, signifies a hazy concept of who you are and confusion in your life goals. You are lacking clarity and purpose and questioning your self-identity.
To dream of seeing yourself in a mirror, denotes that you will meet many discouraging issues, and sickness will cause you distress and loss in fortune.
To see a broken mirror, foretells the sudden or violent death of some one related to you.
To see others in a mirror, denotes that others will act unfairly towards you to promote their own interests.
To see animals in a mirror, denotes disappointment and loss in fortune.
For a young woman to break a mirror, foretells unfortunate friendships and an unhappy marriage. To see her lover in a mirror looking pale and careworn, denotes death or a broken engagement. If he seems happy, a slight estrangement will arise, but it will be of short duration.
Seeing your own reflection in the mirror, suggests that you are pondering thoughts about your inner self. The reflection in the mirror is how you perceive yourself or how you want others to see you. You may be contemplating on strengthening and changing aspects of your character. Dreaming that you are looking through a two-way mirror indicates that you are coming face to face with some inner or worldly issue. What you see is related to your persona and unconscious. Seeing images through the mirror may be a safe way for you to consider and/or confront material from your unconscious. Mirrors symbolize the imagination and a link between the conscious and unconscious. Dreaming that you are being watched through a two-way mirror, suggests that you feel you are being scrutinized and criticized. Alternatively, you may be blocking or unwilling to acknowledge your unconscious emotions. To break a mirror in your dream, suggests that you are breaking an old image of yourself. You may be putting an end to an old habit. Breaking a mirror is also an old symbol for seven years of bad luck. Seeing a cracked or broken mirror in your dream. represents a poor or distorted self-image. Alternatively, it suggests that you have put an end to your old habits and ways. Seeing a fogged mirror in your dream means a hazy concept of who you are and questions about your self-identity. You are confused in your goals in life an you may have a lack of clarity in a purpose.
It is a symbol of vanity and superficiality. You may be concerned about your image and the way you present yourself to the world. Some say that if you see a clear image, you may be getting a glimpse of your true self. Broken mirrors always seem to be a sign of bad luck, or, at least, represent some distortions. On a deeper level the mirror can be considered to be a representation of the intellect. The intellect is an instrument of navigation and is constantly persuading us to identify ourselves. When we think about this, it makes a lot of sense. Our self-identity is very much connected to the way we look (not only superficially but also characteristically as man - woman, young - old, etc). We use this self-identity, which is greatly a production of our intellect, to navigate through life.