11/16/11 - I'm in a store of some kind and I see another guy taking a smoke break. I decide to bum a cigarette, but he says he's out. All he has is the lighter. So we go outside and M comes, too, and the three of us are going to smoke the lighter. We're at a strip mall and there are a lot of open stores, and we know we can't smoke near any open doors because the smoke will go in the stores and disturb the customers. So we walk out across the parking lot and into a field across the street. We walk along a grassy path, passing the lighter around and sucking on it like a cigarette, and in the distance we see a giant silver sun resting in the sky. Just below it is a single cloud in the shape of a snake-like tree. The sun is really reflective like shiny metal and so beautiful. We simply stare into it in amazement and walk toward it.
In theogony, the Sun represents the moment (surpassing all others in the
succession of celestial dynasties) when the heroic principle shines at its brightest.
Thus, after Uranus, Saturn and Jupiter, comes Helios Apollo. On occasion, the
Sun appears as the direct son and heir of the god of heaven, and Krappe notes that
he inherits one of the most notable and moral of the attributes of this deity: he
sees all and, in consequence, knows all. In India, as Sûrya, it is the eye of Varuna;
in Persia, it is the eye of Ahuramazda; in Greece, as Helios, the eye of Zeus (or of
Uranus); in Egypt it is the eye of Ra, and in Islam, of Allah (35). With his
‘youthful’ and filial characteristic, the Sun is associated with the hero, as opposed
to the father, who connotes the heavens, although the two (sun and sky) are
sometimes equated. Hence, the weapon of heaven is the net (the pattern of the
stars) or the power of binding; while the hero is armed with the sword (symbolically associated with fire). And it is for this reason that heroes are promoted to
solar eminence and even identified with the Sun itself. In a given period of history
and at a certain cultural level, the solar cult is the predominant if not the only one.
Frazer, however, as Eliade has noted, brought out the divergencies of the solar
elements in the sacred rites of Africa, of Australia and Oceania as a whole, and of
North and South America. The cult of the Sun reached an advanced stage of
development only in the New World, and—most advanced of all—in Mexico and
Peru. Eliade concludes that, since these were the only countries in pre-Columbian
America to evolve a viable political system, it may be concluded that there is a
parallel between predominantly solar cults and ‘historical’ forms of human existence. We must not overlook the fact that Rome, the most powerful political force
of Antiquity, and the originator of the historical sense, upheld solar hierophany,
which, during the Empire, dominated all other cults in the form of Mithraic ritual
(17). An heroic and courageous force, creative and guiding—this is the core of
solar symbolism; it may actually come to constitute a religion complete in itself,
as is shown by the ‘heresy’ of Ikhnaton in the 18th dynasty of Egypt; here the
hymns to the sun are, setting aside their profound lyrical interest, expressions of
theories about the beneficent activity of the king of astral bodies. The sun on the
horizon had long served the Egyptians of the Ancient Empire as a means of
defining ‘brightness’ or ‘splendour’. They were also forcibly struck by the analogy between the daily disappearance of the Sun and the winter solstice (19). At same time, there was, for the primitive, astrobiological mind, an essential connexion
between the Sun and Moon, analogous to that between heaven and earth. It is well
known that, for the vast majority of peoples, the sky is symbolic of the active
principle (related to the masculine sex and to the spirit), while the earth symbolizes the passive principle (cognate with the feminine sex and with matter); these
equations, nevertheless, are occasionally transposed. And the same thing happens with the Sun and Moon: solar ‘passion’, so to speak, with its heroic and
fierce character, clearly had to be assimilated to the masculine principle, and the
pale and delicate nature of lunar light, with its connexion with the waters of the ocean (and the rhythm of woman), obviously had to be classified as feminine.
These equations are certainly not constant; but the exceptions do not invalidate
the essential truth of this symbolism. Even physically speaking, the Moon merely
fulfils the passive rôle of reflecting the light which the Sun actively diffuses.
Many primitive tribes hold that the eyes of heaven are the Sun and the Moon
located on either side of the ‘world-axis’, and there are prehistoric drawings and
engravings which may be interpreted after this fashion. Eliade notes that, for the
Pigmies and Bushmen, the sun is the eye of the supreme god. The Samoyeds see
the Sun and the Moon as the eyes of heaven, the Sun being the good eye, and the
Moon the evil eye (one can see here an unequivocal instance of the symbolism of
dualism expanded by the assimilation of that of moral polarity). The idea of the
invincible character of the sun is reinforced by the belief that whereas the Moon
must suffer fragmentation (since it wanes) before it can reach its monthly stage of
three-day disappearance, the Sun does not need to die in order to descend into
hell; it can reach the ocean or the lake of the Lower Waters and cross it without
being dissolved. Hence, the death of the Sun necessarily implies the idea of
resurrection and actually comes to be regarded as a death which is not a true death.
For this reason, too, ancestor-worship is associated with the cult of the sun, in
order to offer the symbolic promise of protection and salvation. Megalithic monuments are based upon the amalgamation of these two cults (17). Thus, the broadest and most authentic interpretation sees the sun as the cosmic reductio of the
masculine force, and the Moon of the feminine (49). This implies that the active
faculties (of reflexion, good judgement or will power) are solar, while the passive
qualities (imagination, sentiment and perception) are feminine, with intuition
possibly androgynous (26). The ‘correspondences’ of the Sun are chiefly gold,
among the metals, and, of the colours, yellow.
Alchemists regarded it as ‘gold prepared for the work’ or ‘philosophical
sulphur’, as opposed to the Moon and mercury (the metal), which is lunar (57).
Another alchemic concept, that of the Sol in homine (or the invisible essence of
the celestial Sun which nourishes the inborn fire of Man) (57), is an early pointer
to the way the astral body has latterly been interpreted by psychoanalysts,
narrowing its meaning down to that of heat or energy, equivalent to the fire of life
and the libido. Hence Jung’s point that the Sun is, in truth, a symbol of the source
of life and of the ultimate wholeness of man (32). But here there is probably some
inexactitude, for totality is in fact uniquely symbolized by the ‘conjunction’ of
the Sun and the Moon, as king and queen, brother and sister (32). In some
folklore-traditions, the urge to allude in some way to the supreme good, which, by definition, is incapable of definition, is met by the saying ‘to join the Sun and
the Moon’.
Now, having established the principal terms of solar symbolism—as an heroic image (Sol invictus, Sol salutis, Sol iustitiae) (14), as the divine eye, the active
principle and the source of life and energy—let us come back to the dualism of the
Sun as regards its hidden passage—its ‘Night Sea-Crossing’—symbolic of immanence (like the colour black) and also of sin, occultation and expiation. In the
Rigveda—Eliade reminds us—the Sun is ambivalent: on the one hand it is ‘resplendent’ and on the other it is ‘black’ or invisible, in which case it is associated
with chthonian and funereal animals such as the horse and the serpent (17).
Alchemists took up this image of the Sol niger to symbolize ‘prime matter’, or
the unconscious in its base, ‘unworked’ state. In other words, the Sun is then at
the nadir, in the depths out of which it must, slowly and painfully, ascend
towards its zenith. This inevitable ascent does not relate to its daily journey,
although this is used as an image, and hence it is symbolized by the transmutation
of prime matter into gold, passing through the white and red stages, like the Sun
itself in its orbit. Of undoubted interest, as an indication of the intensity of man’s
attitude towards the Sun, is the reference by Tacitus and Strabo to the ‘sound’
made by the Sun as it rises in the East and drowns in the oceans of the West. The
sudden disappearance of the Sun below the horizon is related to the sudden death
of heroes such as Samson, Hercules and Siegfried (35).
To dream of seeing a clear, shining sunrise, foretells joyous events and prosperity, which give delightful promises.
To see the sun at noontide, denotes the maturity of ambitions and signals unbounded satisfaction.
To see the sunset, is prognostic of joys and wealth passing their zenith, and warns you to care for your interests with renewed vigilance.
A sun shining through clouds, denotes that troubles and difficulties are losing hold on you, and prosperity is nearing you.
If the sun appears weird, or in an eclipse, there will be stormy and dangerous times, but these will eventually pass, leaving your business and domestic affairs in better forms than before.
To see the sun in your dream, symbolizes peace of mind, enlightenment, tranquility, fortune, goodwill, and insight. It also represents radiant energy and divine power. Generally, the sun is a good omen, especially if the sun is shining in your dream. The sun may also be a metaphor for your "son".
To dream that the sun has a creepy, harsh glare, represents a significant disruption or serious problem in your life. The sun is considered a life-giver and thus, any abnormalities and peculiarities to the sun's appearance represents some sort of pain or chaos occurring in your waking life.
Seeing the sun in your dream, symbolizes peace of mind, enlightenment, tranquility, fortune, goodwill, and insight. It also represents radiant energy. It is a good omen to have the sun shining in your dream.
The sun sustains all life on Earth. When you see it in your dreams, it suggests that you are being nurtured and sustained by your environment and your life choices. It could also represent a spiritual force or the light of God. Sunrise may indicate new beginnings and a new wave of energy while sunsets suggest a period of closure and completion. Sunlight in your dreams is never a negative symbol. Light always symbolises or indicates consciousness and may signify masculine energy. Its presence, even in the most disturbing dreams, has reassuring qualities. Old dream interpretation books say that sun shining on you is an omen of good fortune and good will.
Planet: Sun.
Season: Summer.
Positive associations with this tarot card:
happiness, greatness, enlightenment, vitality, good health, love, fulfillment.
Negative associations with this tarot card:
misjudgement, delays, potential failure, inflated ego.
Simply one of the best, if not the best, cards in the Tarot. The Sun is a most welcome card and a signal of very happy, joyous times.
This card can represent holidays, good news around children or perhaps news or the conception or birth of a much wanted baby.
The Sun heralds a time of fun with friends and family and agreeable companionships and relationships.
Ultimately The Sun dispels negativity and promises of a happy ending.
Negatively The Sun perhaps suggests delays to your plans or achievements and does warn against arrogance and misjudgement caused by an inflated ego.
The antithesis of mud, since mud combines the Elements of earth and
water, whereas smoke corresponds to air and fire. There are some folklore traditions which attribute a beneficent power to smoke, which is supposed to possess
the magic ability to ward off the misfortunes that beset men, animals and plants
(21). On the other hand, the column of smoke is a symbol of the valley-mountain antithesis, that is, of the relationship between earth and heaven, pointing out the
path through fire to salvation (17). According to Geber, the alchemist, smoke
symbolizes the soul leaving the body.
To dream of smoke, foretells that you will be perplexed with doubts and fears.
To be overcome with smoke, denotes that dangerous persons are victimizing you with flattery.
Seeing smoke in your dream means that some trouble will be entering your life. You are suffering from confusion and anxiety. You are not seeing things clearly.
To see silver in your dream, symbolizes the moon, intuition and the feminine aspects of yourself. It signifies tranquility and understated confidence.
To dream of silver, is a warning against depending too largely on money for real happiness and contentment.
To find silver money, is indicative of shortcomings in others. Hasty conclusions are too frequently drawn by yourself for your own peace of mind.
To dream of silverware, denotes worries and unsatisfied desires.
Seeing silver in your dream, symbolizes the moon, intuition and the feminine aspects of yourself.
To see or use a lighter in your dream, represents a spark of some new idea.
To look up at the clear blue sky in your dream, denotes hope, possibilities, creativity, peace and freedom of expression. As the saying goes "the sky's the limit." If the sky is cloudy and overcast, then it foretells of sadness and trouble.
To see a green colored sky in your dream, symbolizes high hopes. The strange color of the sky helps to instantly draw your attention to it. The color green and the sky itself both represent hope, nature or creativity. So these are the qualities that you need to focus on. It is also indicative of a positive outlook and prosperous future.
To see a red colored sky in your dream, represents looming danger. Alternatively, it suggests that something is coming to an end. If the sky is white, then it symbolizes desires. If you dream of a colorful sky in your dream, then it denotes romance.
To dream that the sky is falling, represents your fear of the unknown. You feel that your hopes and dreams have been shattered. Perhaps you have been too idealistic and the dream is an attempt to bring you back to reality.
To dream that something is falling out of the sky, signifies your pessimistic attitude. You are losing perspective on a situation. If the object is getting closer and casting a shadow on you, then it indicates that you are being ignorant about some situation. You need to get out from under the shadow and gain a different perspective on things.
To dream of the sky, signifies distinguished honors and interesting travel with cultured companions, if the sky is clear. Otherwise, it portends blasted expectations, and trouble with women.
To dream of floating in the sky among weird faces and animals, and wondering all the while if you are really awake, or only dreaming, foretells that all trouble, the most excruciating pain, that reach even the dullest sense will be distilled into one drop called jealousy, and will be inserted into your faithful love, and loyalty will suffer dethronement.
To see the sky turn red, indicates that public disquiet and rioting may be expected.
To look up at the clear blue sky in your dream indicates peace and freedom of expression. If the sky is cloudy and overcast, then it foretells of sadness and trouble.
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.
To dream of being a long way from your residence, denotes that you will make a journey soon in which you may meet many strangers who will be instrumental in changing life from good to bad.
To dream of friends at a distance, denotes slight disappointments.
To dream of distance, signifies travel and a long journey. To see men plowing with oxen at a distance, across broad fields, denotes advancing prosperity and honor. For a man to see strange women in the twilight, at a distance, and throwing kisses to him, foretells that he will enter into an engagement with a new acquaintance, which will result in unhappy exposures.
To dream that you are sucking on something, indicates that you need emotional nurturance. You are expressing a desire to escape from your daily responsibilities. Alternatively, the dream refers to low self-esteem and feelings of inferiority. The dream may also be a metaphor for "sucking up" to someone or that you are a "sucker" in some waking situation.
To dream that someone is sucking on you, suggests that you are feeling drained, physically and/or emotionally. You feel that you are too much of a giver in a situation or relationship.
Dreaming that you are sucking on something indicates that you need emotional nurturance. You are expressing a desire to escape from your daily responsibilities. Alternatively, it may represent low self-esteem and your feelings of inferiority. The dream may also be a metaphor for "sucking up" to someone. Dreaming that someone is sucking on you, suggests that you are feeling drained, physically and/or emotionally. You feel that you are too much of a giver in a situation or relationship.