In the dream, I am outside of a house at night, standing near the edge of a deep swimming pool. I see a few (2) crocodiles (or alligators) coming from across the lawn on the other side of the pool, and see one slink its way into the water. The pool is lit (all light blue) so I can see the large crocodile sitting at the bottom of the pool: he is GIANT! A small boy in red approaches the pool and is attacked by the crocodile! Somehow, it seems like the child is me (I am both me in the dream, and the child is also me - not just as a dream symbol, but as if the child is somehow me when I was young). It's unclear, but It seems that the child somehow survives, and then the crocodile has retreated back to someplace from where it came across the lawn. I feel nearly terrified that the crocodile attacked the child! I can't believe that it happened, and can barely believe that the child somehow survived. All I know is that I MUST protect the child from this ever happening again. I realize that I must hunt down and kill the giant crocodile. The thought seem to me insane, maybe even impossible, and I know there is a good chance that I myself may be killed in hunting the crocodile down--tho there is a deeper, more profound, and immediate emotion that is emerging from within me--and I just know what I must do.
So I set off with a small knife in my hand, across the yard. I can sense that there are several alligators back there in some shack-like, barn-like building with cages. I do not know if the cages are opened or closed. I know that within one of those cages is the GIANT crocodile. As I hold the knife in my hand, and make the definite thought to go hunt him down, I see an image of his giant head (pointing upwards with his more tender neck towers me), and I visualize what it may be like to slit his throat! The crocodile is GIANT, HUGE, MONSTROUS! His skin must be thick! I do not know if the knife will be able to easily cut his thick skin? Tho again, I cannot be concerned--for the primary importance of my task is somehow undeniable to me--I have rarely been so clear about anything: I must go to hunt the gator, even if it means I may die in the task. I will stop at nothing. Even death will not deter me to do the very best I can do. And so I go …
Two basically different aspects of the crocodile are blended in its
symbolic meaning, representing the influence upon the animal of two of the four
Elements. In the first place, because of its viciousness and destructive power, the
crocodile came to signify fury and evil in Egyptian hieroglyphics (19); in the
second place, since it inhabits a realm intermediate between earth and water, and
is associated with mud and vegetation, it came to be thought of as an emblem of
fecundity and power (50). In the opinion of Mertens Stienon there is a third
aspect, deriving from its resemblance to the dragon and the serpent, as a symbol
of knowledge. In Egypt, the dead used to be portrayed transformed into crocodiles of knowledge, an idea which is linked with that of the zodiacal sign of
Capricorn. Blavatsky compares the crocodile with the Kumara of India (40).
Then, finally, come the symbols of Inversion proper and of rebirth.
To see a crocodile in your dream, symbolizes freedom, hidden strength and power. It also forewarns of hidden danger. Someone near you is giving you bad advice and is trying to sway you into poor decisions. Because crocodiles can live in water and on land, they also represent your conscious and unconscious and the emotional and rational. Perhaps something is coming to the surface and you are on the verge of some new awareness.
Alternatively, the crocodile may be an aspect of yourself and your aggressive and "snappy" attitude. Or it may reveal that are being insincere, displaying false emotions and shedding "crocodile tears".
To dream that you are chased or bitten by a crocodile, denotes disappointments in love and in business.
As sure as you dream of this creature, you will be deceived by your warmest friends. Enemies will assail you at every turn.
To dream of stepping on a crocodile's back, you may expect to fall into trouble, from which you will have to struggle mightily to extricate yourself. Heed this warning when dreams of this nature visit you. Avoid giving your confidence even to friends.
Seeing a crocodile in your dream, forewarns of hidden danger. Someone near you is giving you bad advice and is trying to sway you into poor decisions. The crocodile may be an aspect of yourself and your aggressive and "snappy" attitude. Or maybe it reveals that you have displayed some false emotions and shedding "crocodile tears". Dreaming that you are chased or bitten by a crocodile means disappointments in love and in business.
The crocodile is best known for it's "crocodile tears." With this power animal you will need to address your emotional nature, making sure that you display them appropriately and accurately.
Creation/destruction, birth/death, beginning of a new period and the death of the old, knowledge is transformed by a new level of growth, hidden wisdom awaits. Alligator or Crocodile can teach you ancient knowledge that is currently hidden and gives strength to create your own opportunities. These guardians and protectors of wisdom will show how to move in the waters of the Self. Are you seeing things as they are and not what they appear to be? Are you consumed by the knowledge you are becoming unbalanced with meditation and quiet time? Alligator/Crocodile's breathing awareness will help in balancing out transformations.
To see a pool of water in your dream, indicates that you need to acknowledge and understand your feelings. It is time to dive in and deal with those emotions. Alternatively, a pool indicates your desire to be cleansed. You need to wash away the past.
To dream that you are playing or shooting pool, represents your competitive nature. You need to learn to win or lose gracefully. Alternatively, shooting pool means that you need to concentrate harder on a problem in your waking life.
Seeing a pool of water in your dream indicates that you will find much happiness and pleasure in love and marriage. Your social life will keep you busy. Dreaming that you are shooting pool means that it is time to make new companionships.
A symbol which is the inversion of sword-symbolism. It is associated
with vengeance and death, but also with sacrifice (8). The short blade of the knife
represents, by analogy, the primacy of the instinctive forces in the man wielding
it, whereas the long blade of the sword illustrates the spiritual height of the
swordsman.
To dream that you are carrying a knife, signifies anger, aggression and/or separation. There may be something in your life that you need to cut out and get rid of. Perhaps you need to cut ties or sever some relationship. Be more divisive. Alternatively, a knife refers to some sexual tension or sexual confrontation.
If the knife is dull, then it denotes that your hard work will result in little or no gain.
To dream that you are wounded by a knife, is symbolic of masculine or animalistic aggression.
To see an electric knife in your dream, indicates your power to get down to the truth of a situation quickly.
To dream of a knife is bad for the dreamer, as it portends separation and quarrels, and losses in affairs of a business character.
To see rusty knives, means dissatisfaction, and complaints of those in the home, and separation of lovers.
Sharp knives and highly polished, denotes worry.
Foes are ever surrounding you.
Broken knives, denotes defeat whatever the pursuit, whether in love or business.
To dream that you are wounded with a knife, foretells domestic troubles, in which disobedient children will figure largely. To the unmarried, it denotes that disgrace may follow.
To dream that you stab another with a knife, denotes baseness of character, and you should strive to cultivate a higher sense of right.
Dreaming that you are carrying a knife means anger, aggression and/or separation. There may be something in your life that you need to cut out and get rid of. Seeing a dull knife in your dream indicates that your hard work is accompanied by little or no gain. Dreaming that you are wounded by a knife, suggests that you or someone is affected by hurtful remarks or malicious gossip. Seeing an electric knife in your dream indicates your power to get down to the truth of a situation quickly.
Skin is associated with the ideas of birth and rebirth. In the Egyptian
system of hieroglyphs there is a determinative sign comprising three skins knotted together, signifying ‘to be born’; it comes into the composition of words such
as ‘to engender’, ‘to bring up’, ‘child’, ‘to form’. The amulet which the Egyptians used to present to the newly-born comprised, like the hieroglyph, three animal
pelts which were attached to a solar globe. The number of the skins here refers to
the essentially threefold nature of the human being—the body, the soul and the
spirit—while the globe denotes his incorporation into the All. The symbolism of
skin is borne out by the rite known as ‘the passage through the skin’ which
pharaohs and priests used to carry out in order to rejuvenate themselves; this rite
was later replaced by a simulacrum, and then latterly it became just a panther’s
tail which kings wore knotted round their waist. This notion that an individual
may assume the characteristics of an animal, with its totemic implications, also
comes into skin-symbolism (19). There is a basic analogy here with the sacrificial
rite once practised by the priests of pre-Columbian Mexico in which human
victims were clad in skins; similarly with the wearing of skins by the bearers of
the signum in Roman legions.
To dream of your skin, represents protection or shield of your inner self. It serves as a physical boundary and how close you let others get to you. Alternatively, your skin indicates that you are being too superficial or shallow.
To dream that your skin is covered with rashes or other skin deformities, signifies your fear of facing a harsh reality. You are afraid of making a wrong impression. The dream may also be a pun that you are making a rash decision. If you dream that your skin has been burned, then it implies that you are unwilling let down your guard. Your line of defense has been compromised. This dream may also be a metaphor that you are "getting burned" or humiliated by someone or some situation.
To dream that your skin is orange, signifies self-love. You are content with who you are.
To dream that your skin is different color, suggests that you are not being true to yourself. Look up the specific color for additional meaning. If your skin is darker than your true skin, then it may mean that you are trying to hide or blend into the background. If it is lighter than your true skin, then it symbolizes fear. Alternatively, it may be a sign of sickness. Perhaps a call to the doctor is in order.
Dreaming of your skin, represents protection or shield of your inner self. It serves as a physical boundary and how close you let others get to you. Alternatively, it may indicate that you are being to superficial or shallow. Dreaming that your skin is covered with rashes or other skin deformity means your fear in facing a harsh reality. This may also be a pun to indicate that you are making a rash decision.
To see an alligator in your dream, symbolizes treachery, deceit, and hidden instincts. It may be a signal for you to take on a new perspective on a situation. It may also represent your ability to move between the physical, material world of waking life and the emotional, repressed world of the unconscious. Alternatively, the alligator represents healing powers and qualities. An alligator also suggests that you are thick-skinned or insensitive.
To dream that you are running away from the alligator, indicates that you are unwilling to confront some painful and disturbing aspect of your unconscious. There is some potentially destructive emotion that you are refusing to acknowledge and owning up to.
To dream that you are raped by an alligator, indicates that you feel violated or taken advantage of in some way. The alligator is symbolic of someone who is ruthless, insensitive and treacherous. This person has a strong hold on you despite your efforts to break free from the unhealthy relationship.
According to biblical interpretations, an alligator suggests that leviathan is king over the children of pride. (Psa 74:14, Job 41:1,Isa 27:1)
To dream of an alligator, unless you kill it, is unfavorable to all persons connected with the dream. It is a dream of caution.
If you see an alligator in your dreams it means that you should be expecting some trouble: treachery, deceit and danger. When you dream that you tamed an alligator, it shows that you have acquired great influence and lots of power. Some cultures give the figure of the allligator some healing power.
This cold-blooded animal could hold several different meanings in your dream. It could symbolically represent something from your memory, emotions, or a current situation or individual in your life. Some think that the alligator represents verbal power used in a destructive way (angry and hurtful words). Others believe that it represents an enemy, and may be a warning to watch out for an enemy before they can do you any harm.
Consider the details in your dream and your level of fear. This dream symbol should encourage you to look at some of your more "dangerous" emotions, memories, and experiences. The alligators in your dreams will begin to lose the power to frighten you as your understanding increases.
Creation/destruction, birth/death, beginning of a new period and the death of the old, knowledge is transformed by a new level of growth, hidden wisdom awaits. Alligator can teach you ancient knowledge that is currently hidden and gives strength to create your own opportunities. These guardians and protectors of wisdom will show how to move in the waters of the Self. Are you seeing things as they are and not what they appear to be? Are you consumed by the knowledge you are becoming unbalanced with meditation and quiet time? Alligator's breathing awareness will help in balancing out transformations.
To dream that you are in a cage, indicates that you are experiencing inhibitions and powerlessness in some areas of your life. You are feeling restricted, confined and restrained in a current relationship or business deal. Somebody may be keeping a short leash on you, where you are lacking the freedom to act independently.
To dream that you are putting a wild animal into a cage, signifies that you will succeed in overcoming your rivals and fears. It is also symbolic of your ability to control you animalistic rages and anger.
To see a bird in a cage, suggests that you are feeling limited in your expression and a sudden lost of freedom. You may be experiencing frustrations and an inhibited spirituality. The dream may also imply that you are feeling like a "jail bird".
In your dreaming if you see a cageful of birds, you will be the happy
possessor of immense wealth and many beautiful and charming children.
To see only one bird, you will contract a desirable and wealthy marriage.
No bird indicates a member of the family lost, either by elopement or death.
To see wild animals caged, denotes that you will triumph over your enemies and misfortunes. If you are in the cage with them, it denotes harrowing scenes from accidents while traveling.
Dreaming of being in a cage means that you are experiencing some inhibitions and powerlessness in some areas of your life. You may feel restricted, confined and restrained in a current relationship or business deal. Somebody may be keeping a short leash on you where you are lacking the freedom to act independently. Dreaming that you are putting a wild animal into a cage means that you will succeed in overcoming your rivals and fears. It is also symbolic of you being able to control you animalistic rages and anger. Seeing a bird in a cage, suggests that you are feeling limited in your expression and a sudden lost of freedom. You may be experiencing frustrations and an inhibited spirituality. The dream may also imply that you are feeling like a "jail bird".
This dream symbol suggests that you may be experiencing inhibition and powerlessness in some areas of your life. Additionally, you may be feeling restricted and have concerns about your personal freedom. (Who holds the key to the cage in your dream?) Consider all of the details in the dream and look for its possible source (i.e. family life, relationships, thoughts and/or feelings, or work life).
Old dream interpretation books say that a bird cage represents a happy marriage, but if the birdcage is empty and the door is open, someone will be betrayed.
If you are female and dream that you see or are a boy, then it indicates that you are developing the masculine aspects of character. Alternatively, it may represent your feelings about a real-life boy who is important and significant to you. You may have a crush on this boy and your waking thoughts of him has carried over into the dream world. Your motherly instincts may be taking over.
If you are an adult male and dream that you see or are a boy, then it suggests your playful, innocent, childlike nature. Alternatively, it can symbolize the immature aspects of yourself that still needs to grow. Your inner child may be trying to draw your attention to parts of yourself that you need to recognize and acknowledge.
If you are female and dream that you see or are a boy, then it indicates that you are developing the masculine aspects of character. Alternatively, it may represent your feelings about a real-life boy who is important and significant to you. You may have a crush on this boy and your waking thoughts of him has carried over into the dream world. Your motherly instincts may be taking over. If you are an adult male and dream that you see or are a boy, then it suggests your playful, innocent, childlike nature. Alternatively, it can symbolize the immature aspects of yourself that still needs to grow. Your inner child may be trying to draw your attention to parts of yourself that you need to recognize and acknowledge.
A schoolboy in a dream can reprsent open-mindedness.
If you dream about an altar boy, it can be a messge from your unconscious that you need to ake things more seriously.
A dream about boys arguing can be a sign that you need to be more understanding towards other people.
A schoolboy in a dream can reprsent open-mindedness.
If you dream about an altar boy, it can be a messge from your unconscious that you need to ake things more seriously.
A dream about boys arguing can be a sign that you need to be more understanding towards other people.
To dream of seeing a well-developed and graceful throat, portends a rise in position.
If you feel that your throat is sore, you will be deceived in your estimation of a friend, and will have anxiety over the discovery.
To see your throat in your dream, symbolizes the ability to express yourself and communicate your thoughts and ideas.
To dream that you have a sore throat or have throat problems, suggest that you are having problems saying what you really think. You are having difficulties experiencing how you feel and conveying your thoughts. You may feel threatened or vulnerable when you express yourself. Alternatively, your dream may be telling you that you need to swallow your pride.
Seeing your throat in your dream, symbolizes the ability to express yourself and communicate your thoughts/ideas. Dreaming that you have a sore throat, suggests that you are having problems saying what you really think. You may feel threatened when you express yourself. Alternatively, your dream may be telling you that you need to swallow your pride. Seeing a nice and graceful throat in your dream, foretells of an advancement in your position.
Symbolically, death represents the end of an epoch, particularly when
it takes the form of sacrifice or the desire for self-destruction in the face of
unendurable tension (as with Romeo and Juliet, or Tristan and Isolde). The hero
dies young for this same reason: Siegfried, Achilles or Balder for example. The
public necessity for a sacrifice of this kind was what lay behind the ‘ritual
assassination of the king’ in which the possibility of his survival was sometimes
left open, should he prove victor in combat. As an example of this rite, Frazer
cites a festival called ‘The Great Sacrifice’ in which the king of Calicut was made
to hazard his crown and his life. It took place every twelve years, at the time the
planet Jupiter turns back towards the constellation of Cancer, since there was a
supposed relationship between the planet and the king’s destiny (21).
To dream about the death of a loved one, suggests that you are lacking a certain aspect or quality that the loved one embodies. Ask yourself what makes this person special or what you like about them. It is that very quality that you are lacking in your own relationship or circumstances. Alternatively, the dream indicates that whatever that person represents has no part in your own life anymore. In particular, to dream about the death of your parents, indicates that you are undergoing a significant change in your waking life. Your relationship with your parents has evolved into a new realm.
To dream that you are faking your own death, suggests that you are looking for a new start. You need some change in your life.
To dream that you die in your dream, symbolizes inner changes, transformation, self-discovery and positive development that is happening within you or your life. You are undergoing a transitional phase and are becoming more enlightened or spiritual. Although such a dream may bring about feelings of fear and anxiety, it is no cause for alarm as it is often considered a positive symbol. Dreams of experiencing your own death usually means that big changes are ahead for you. You are moving on to new beginnings and leaving the past behind. These changes does not necessarily imply a negative turn of events. Metaphorically, dying can be seen as an end or a termination to your old ways and habits. So, dying does not always mean a physical death, but an ending of something.
On a negative note, to dream that you die may represent involvement in deeply painful relationships or unhealthy, destructive behaviors. You may feeling depressed or feel strangled by a situation or person in your waking life. Perhaps your mind is preoccupied with someone who is terminally ill or dying. Alternatively, you may be trying to get out of some obligation, responsibility or other situation. You are desperately trying to escape from the demands of your daily life.
To see someone dying in your dream, signifies that your feelings for that person are dead or that a significant change/loss is occurring in your relationship with that person. Alternatively, you may want to repress that aspect of yourself that is represented by the dying person.
To dream of seeing any of your people dead, warns you of coming dissolution or sorrow. Disappointments always follow dreams of this nature.
To hear of any friend or relative being dead, you will soon have bad news from some of them.
Dreams relating to death or dying, unless they are due to spiritual causes, are misleading and very confusing to the novice in dream lore when he attempts to interpret them. A man who thinks intensely fills his aura with thought or subjective images active with the passions that gave them birth; by thinking and acting on other lines, he may supplant these images with others possessed of a different form and nature. In his dreams he may see these images dying, dead or their burial, and mistake them for friends or enemies. In this way he may, while asleep, see himself or a relative die, when in reality he has been warned that some good thought or deed is to be supplanted by an evil one. To illustrate: If it is a dear friend or relative whom he sees in the agony of death, he is warned against immoral or other improper thought and action, but if it is an enemy or some repulsive object dismantled in death, he may overcome his evil ways and thus give himself or friends cause for joy. Often the end or beginning of suspense or trials are foretold by dreams of this nature. They also frequently occur when the dreamer is controlled by imaginary states of evil or good. A man in that state is not himself, but is what the dominating influences make him. He may be warned of approaching conditions or his extrication from the same. In our dreams we are closer to our real self than in waking life. The hideous or pleasing incidents seen and heard about us in our dreams are all of our own making, they reflect the true state of our soul and body, and we cannot flee from them unless we drive them out of our being by the use of good thoughts and deeds, by the power of the spirit within us.
This indicates long life. But a sick person dreaming of death has the positive results.
Dreaming about the death of a loved one, suggests that you are lacking a certain aspect or quality that the loved one embodies. Ask yourself what makes this person special or what do you like about him. It is that very quality that you are lacking in your own relationship or circumstances. Alternatively, it indicates that whatever that person represents has no part in your own life.
Dreaming about death is very common and it can be interpreted in many different ways. Death is usually a symbol of some type of closure or end. It implies an end to one thing and a beginning of another. Death dreams usually have positive symbolism. If you are the dead person in your dream, it could imply that you would like to leave all of your worries and struggles behind and begin anew. Dreaming about someone that you care about may express your fear about losing them. Dreaming that one of your parents died may express fear of loss, but it also may be an unconscious valve through which you release anger and other negative feelings. In some cultures dreaming about death and dying is a very good omen that represents longevity and prosperity.
Astrological Sign: Scorpio.
Positive associations with this tarot card:
endings, transformation, clearance, sweeping change.
Negative associations with this tarot card:
stagnation, loss of opportunity, loss of friendship, fear of change.
Without a doubt it is this card that causes most fear in a reading and yet it rarely, if ever, symbolizes actual death, more a time of absolute endings and absolute beginnings.
Whilst The Death card can represent rather shocking or unexpected events or changes, they usually clear the way for a brand new start and a greater value for life itself.
Out with the old and in with the new, a time of transformation is another way of looking at this card.
Negatively there isn't much difference, other than you may have a greater sense of fear and dread. when this card appears it's time to show what you're made of.
Another negative aspect of The Death card is stagnation, resisiting change when change is essential which may lead to lost opportunities.
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 that you are chased or followed by a monster, represents aspects of yourself that you find repulsive and ugly. You may possess some fears or some repressed emotions. Try to confront the monster in your dream and figure out who or what aspect of yourself the monster represents.
To dream that you kill a monster, means that you will successfully overcome your rivals and advance to a higher position.
To dream of being pursued by a monster, denotes that sorrow and misfortune hold prominent places in your immediate future.
To slay a monster, denotes that you will successfully cope with enemies and rise to eminent positions.
Dreaming that you are followed by a monster means that grief and misfortune are in your immediate future. Monsters represent parts of yourself that you find brutish and ugly. You may possess some fears or some repressed emotions. Dreaming that you kill a monster means that you will successfully deal with your rivals and advance to a higher and better position.
Dreaming about monsters and demons is very common. They may represent negative forces inside of yourself and in your life. Most of the monsters are representing your own negative characteristics and tendencies. The monster in your dreams could be your fear, bad temper, negativity, smoking habit, or anything else that is hurtful and needs to be changed. The way that you deal with the monster in your dream is generally symbolic of the way you are dealing with the corresponding negativity in your daily life. If you wake up from this dream and are very frightened, just remember that your mind created those images and that their purpose is to teach you something about yourself.
The deepest and most ancient meaning of the myth of the giant alludes
to the supposed existence of an immense, primordial being, by whose sacrifice
creation was brought forth. This cosmogonic myth was very common among
primitive and ancient peoples, and it shows how rites involving the sacrifice of
humans are an attempt to revive the initial sacrifice and to resuscitate the cosmic
forces or to reawaken, at least, their favourable proclivities (17). Now, the giant
is, in himself, neither good nor bad, but merely a quantitative amplification of the
ordinary; hence, as the case may be, there are some legendary giants who are
protectors and others who are aggressive. This sense of the giant as ‘that which
surpasses’ human stature (here symbolic of power and strength), is also indicative of the broad significance of the giant. He may be an image of the ‘Terrible
Father’, arising from childhood memories—children see their parents as giants—
or an image of the unconscious, the ‘dark side’ of the personality menacing the
Jungian Selbst (21), etc. It is interesting to note that in folklore the giant is tutelar
in character: he is usually the defender of the common people against the overlord, upholding their liberties and rights. Without generalizing, one implication of
the giant may be said to be the personification of collective Man—as implied in
the maxim ‘united we stand’—or of the life of a community (16). But the general
myth of the giant is far from being confined to this specialized meaning. In nearly
all symbolic traditions, he tends to appear as an outcropping of the marvellous
and the terrible, even though he always has a certain quality of the inferior or the
subordinate about him. The Bible refers to Goliath and to Og, king of Bashan at
the time of the exodus (46). Samson has certain characteristics of the giant. In the
West, Bodo, Rübezahl, Geryon, Gargantua and Hercules are the most significant
in gigantomachy; in Greek tradition, there are the Titans and the Cyclops. Christian tradition has often seen Satan as a giant (50). The tragic hero is intimately
linked with the giant, although, at times, in inverse relation as his adversary (60).
Frazer describes the numerous cases in which giant figures in wood or wickerwork were set fire to during midsummer festivals, comparable with the Valencian
fallas (or bonfires). The ancients would fill these figures with animals and even
live men, who were burnt with the effigy. They were considered as representatives of the spirit of vegetation, or of the god sacrificed to the world—which
brings us back once again to our cosmogonic interpretation. The giant may be a
symbol of ‘everlasting rebellion’, of the forces of dissatisfaction which grow
within Man and determine his history and his destiny; it may, that is to say, be a
symbol of the Universal Man (Adam Kadmon, 21). Now, according to Jungian 119 GOG AND MAGOG
psychology, the giant’s essence—or his appearance, rather—seems to correspond to the father-symbol, representing the spirit that withstands the instincts,
or as the guardian of the treasure (that is, the mother—the unconscious), in which
case it is identical with the dragon-symbol. Reviewing all this, Jung quotes the
example of Humbaba, the guardian of the garden of Ishtar in the Gilgamesh epic
(31).
To see a giant in your dream, indicates a great struggle between you and your opponents. You are trying to overcome an overwhelming obstacle. Alternatively, a giant symbolizes an issue, a person or a feeling that is dominating you. You are having an inferiority complex.
To dream that you turn into a giant, indicates feelings of inferiority.
To dream of a giant appearing suddenly before you, denotes that there will be a great struggle between you and your opponents. If the giant succeeds in stopping your journey, you will be overcome by your enemy. If he runs from you, prosperity and good health will be yours.
Great difficulty to be encountered. But meet it with boldness. Then it will vanish.
This indicates that you will have an enemy of the most dreadful character.
Seeing a giant in your dream means of a great struggle between you and your opponents. This may prove to be a major and overwhelming obstacle for you to overcome. Alternatively, a giant may be symbolic of an issue or feeling that is dominating you. Dreaming that you turn into a giant indicates feelings of inferiority.
A symbol of the future, as opposed to the old man who signifies the
past (49); but the child is also symbolic of that stage of life when the old man,
transformed, acquires a new simplicity—as Nietzsche implied in Thus Spake
Zarathustra when dealing with the ‘three transformations’. Hence the conception of the child as symbolic of the ‘mystic Centre’ and as the ‘youthful, reawakening force’ (56). In Christian iconography, children often appear as angels;
on the aesthetic plane they are found as putti in Baroque grotesque and ornamentations; and in traditional symbology they are dwarfs or Cabiri. In every case,
Jung argues, they symbolize formative forces of the unconscious of a beneficent and protective kind (32). Psychologically speaking, the child is of the soul—the
product of the coniunctio between the unconscious and consciousness: one dreams
of a child when some great spiritual change is about to take place under favourable
circumstances (33). The mystic child who solves riddles and teaches wisdom is
an archetypal figure having the same significance, but on the mythic plane of the
general and collective, and is an aspect of the heroic child who liberates the world
from monsters (60). In alchemy, the child wearing a crown or regal garments is a
symbol of the philosopher’s stone, that is, of the supreme realization of mystic
identification with the ‘god within us’ and with the eternal.
To dream that you are a small child again, suggests that you are feeling the burdens of adulthood. You are trying to escape from your daily responsibility and are looking for someone else to shield, protect and care for you.
To dream that you lose a child, represents losing hope. It may also suggests that a project is not working out as you had wanted it to.
To save a child in your dream, signifies your attempts to save a part of yourself from being destroyed. If you dream that you are separated from your children, then it symbolizes failure in some personal endeavor or a setback in some ideal you had.
Some people have reoccurring dreams about a small child, while others, from time to time, dream about unfamiliar children. The child in your dream could represent your inner self, or the child within. The dream could be based on childhood memories, and it may carry a specific message or bring up long-buried issues. On the other hand, the dream could simply be a pleasant memory. Children in dreams could symbolize a need and an eagerness to learn, simplicity, intuition, new endeavours and many other positive attributes of childhood. Occasionally, the child in your dreams may be pointing to your own childish ways. Therefore, consider all of the details and the tone of the dream before making an interpretation.