01/03/13
Am a bit scatter-brained when I wake up. I KNOW there is more to this one but I can't remember the other parts. Or my body is just too damn tired, too damn physically exhausted to stay awake long enough to scribble down onto a notebook. Before my eyes shut again on what is otherwise a beautiful - the first blue skied afternoon the town has had in weeks, this is what I manage to jot down.
There's this one part at the beginning I vaguely recall. I'm afraid to be on this train cause somebody tricked me to be on here. It's going fast and I can't leave. But it's ok cause during a lucky break rare stop I have some friends come and bail me out. But I still need to be at the destination where the train is ultimately going, I just didn't like the people, or person in charge, that I was stuck on the train with.
I'm lowered down into a boat of some kind. Looks like were paddling, too much to ask for a motor. And my friend tells me we better get started we have a long trip ahead of us on order to catch up. It's like the tracks are up on this bridge of some kind, that's going over water, except my friend gets me to look up ahead and I see and endless stretch of the same thing, this must the longest bridge built crossing over water cause from what I see it's nearly endless? I gulp at the magnitude of what it's gonna take to get to where we're going and it's kind of an awe-inspiring sight.
Don't ask me how but for some reason I'm told that we're in Australia. --The next thing I remember is-
I don't know if it's a motel complex or just some sort of fleabag apartment condo meant to look like one. I'm not really sure where we are but that's the best I can describe what the building looks like. I know for sure one or more of my cats are with me and I'm not sure which, if any, of my family members have accompanied me here. The one cat I know of for sure is with me is Rebecca. And I kind of worry standing next to her.
There's like this dread about something that's about to come out of this dark entrance way. It's like we kind of suspected what to expect but no matter what we were expecting y'know...nothing could prepare us for it. There's like 'dinosaurs' that come out. One in particular comes out of that dark doorway and it looks carnivorous. And I'm petrified - even though I'm told not to panic (I think?) - it's not in my notes, but I remember something like that. I remember looking down at Rebecca expecting her to flee in terror and I'm just hoping this prehistoric - modern day predator doesn't notice her. But to my surprise she doesn't seem to care.
This whole scene would have a much larger traumatic impact for me if it were only the last part of the dream. -Without any easily explainable segue the dream seems to transition segments on me.
I'm lead to this gathering. I'm told a head of time somehow that this woman we're all being gathered to meet - it's like she's one of those "seance" type of psychics or whatever - but it's a hoax. It's hard for me to understand and thus not easy for me to explain. It's like she lured us all here, to embarrass us. She's a non-believer, worse a psychologist or something of the sort, an academic. She wants to prove once and for all the supernatural isn't real so she set up a trap for us to all fall in to.
Again, I forget exactly what the experiment actually was and it's kind of confusing all that's going on in this scene. I take it things aren't exactly going according to plan for her cause all I seem to remember clearly about this part is the woman eventually getting pissed off and running toward a clock and stabbing it in the middle! The clock doesn't appear to hand any hands on it? No second hand, no minute hand, no hour hand? I guess the point of her gesture - the thing that was supposed to show us up was that by doing this nothing would happen. Except after a brief pause the clock inexplicably starts bleeding.
The woman thinks she's prepared for this except her assistants tell her they haven't turned the machine on yet. Still clinging to the knife as the blood's pouring out of the wound a human hand pops out and grabs the knife and the woman's hand!
I wake up again around 3: 30 pm.
I must have fallen back asleep - I was so tired. The last thing I remember was preparing for some sort of trial. Cuba Gooding, Jr. is my lawyer - or at least it's certainly someone who resembles him. We're practicing a strange type of questioning, over and over again until I got the questions right, the rights answers to the right questions. This almost feels more like a school than a practice round for a court trial?
It feels like it takes forever but I eventually get the whole thing memorized and correct. My lawyer is so proud, pumped up. But that was only the first part of the test, he tells me now we gotta move on to the next section.
I wish I could remember what happens next -- The only other thing that I recall was some sort of attraction, some spectacle over us receiving a new kitten at the house. There's just this "oooh" and "awe" obsession over this lil' thing's recent addition to our family!...
In the Egyptian tongue, the term designating the hand was related to
that for the pillar (or a support, or strength) and for the palm (4). In esoteric
doctrine, the position of the hand in relation to the body, and the arrangement of
the fingers, convey certain precise symbolic notions (48). According to the Egyptian system of hieroglyphs, the hand signifies manifestation, action, donating and
husbandry. An eye in association with a hand—as for example in some oriental
mythic beings—symbolize ‘clairvoyant action’ (19). Schneider concedes a major
rôle to the hand ‘because it is the corporeal manifestation of the inner state of the
human being’ and because ‘it expresses an attitude of mind in terms other than the
acoustic’—or, in other words, a gesture. It follows, then, that the raised hand is
the symbol of the voice and of song; the hand placed on the breast indicates the
attitude of the sage; placed on the neck it denotes sacrifice; two hands joined
signifies mystic marriage—the Jungian individuation; the hand covering the eyes
represents clairvoyance at the moment of death (50). Of great importance is the
fact that the hand has five fingers, firstly, because of its broad analogy with the
human figure (composed of four extremities plus the head), and, secondly, by
reason of the symbolism of the number five (denoting love, health and humanity)
(40). In Egyptian hieroglyphics, the open hand signifies any specificially human
task as well as magnetic force (19)—an idea also characteristic of pre-Columbian
America. And a very similar belief lies behind the widespread use of the hand as
an amulet in Islamic cultures. According to Berber thought, the hand signifies
protection, authority, power and strength; the manus had the same meaning for
the Romans, symbolizing in particular the authority of the pater familias and of
the emperor, and is sometimes to be seen surmounting the signum of the legions
in place of the imperial eagle. In the Islamic amulets mentioned above, the figure
of the hand undergoes various modifications or appears in association with other
symbols, as, for instance, the star, the dove, the bird, the fan, the zigzag and the
circle, forming emblems comparable with those of the Christian West (12). The
familiar emblem of the ‘linked hands’ is expressive of a virile fraternity, or solidarity in the face of danger (49). In Jung’s opinion, the hand is endowed with a generative significance (31). The difference between the right hand and the left is
usually ignored, but when the distinction is made it appears merely to serve the
purpose of enriching the basic significance with the additional implications of
space-symbolism, the right side corresponding to the rational, the conscious, the
logical and the virile; the left side representing the converse (33). There are alchemic images which represent a King clasping in his own left hand the left hand
of the Queen. Jung suggests that this may refer to the unconscious character of
their union but that it may also be indicative either of affection or of suspicion
(33).
To dream of your hands, represent your relationships with those around you and how you connect with the world. Hands serve as a form of communication and can represent authority, hate, protection, justice, etc depending on the gesture. Perhaps you need to lend a helping hand to someone. In particular, the left hand symbolizes your graciousness and your feminine, receptive qualities, while the right hand symbolizes the masculine and active attributes. The right hand may also be a pun for some decision or something being "right". If you dream that your hands are detached or see disembodied hands, then it indicates that you are not getting your point of view across. You are not being understood. The dream may also symbolize feelings of loneliness.
To dream that you are holding hands with someone, represents love, affection and your connection with that person. Your dream may also reflect anxieties about losing touch with him/her or that you are drifting apart.
To dream that you hands are injured, denote an attack on your ego.
To dream that your hands are clasped or closed, signify unity, completeness, acceptance or agreement. On a more negative note, it may suggest that you are close-minded, ungiving or unwilling to help.
To dream that you have unusually large hands, denote success in achieving your goals.
To dream that your hands are hairy or rough, imply your lack of gentleness in dealing with others. You may be too brash and abrasive.
To see blood on your hands, signifies that you are experiencing some sort of guilt.
To dream that you are washing your hands, represent a worrisome issue that you need to work through. Alternatively, it suggests that you are in denial or no longer taking responsibility of some matter. You are letting go and getting things out of your system.
To dream that your hands are itchy, indicate issues with money. If the left hand is itchy, then it signifies money being received. If the right hand or both hands are itchy, then it signifies money being given or lost.
If you see beautiful hands in your dream, you will enjoy great distinction, and rise rapidly in your calling; but ugly and malformed hands point to disappointments and poverty. To see blood on them, denotes estrangement and unjust censure from members of your family.
If you have an injured hand, some person will succeed to what you are striving most to obtain.
To see a detached hand, indicates a solitary life, that is, people will fail to understand your views and feelings. To burn your hands, you will overreach the bounds of reason in your struggles for wealth and fame, and lose thereby.
To see your hands covered with hair, denotes that you will not become a solid and leading factor in your circle.
To see your hands enlarged, denotes a quick advancement in your affairs.
To see them smaller, the reverse is predicted.
To see your hands soiled, denotes that you will be envious and unjust to others.
To wash your hands, you will participate in some joyous festivity.
For a woman to admire her own hands, is proof that she will win and hold the sincere regard of the man she prizes above all others.
To admire the hands of others, she will be subjected to the whims of a jealous man. To have a man hold her hands, she will be enticed into illicit engagements. If she lets others kiss her hands, she will have gossips busy with her reputation. To handle fire without burning her hands, she will rise to high rank and commanding positions.
To dream that your hands are tied, denotes that you will be involved in difficulties. In loosening them, you will force others to submit to your dictations.
Dreaming of your hands, represents your relationship to those around you and how you connect with the world. Hands serve as a form of communication. Perhaps you need to lend out a helping hand to someone. In particular, the left hand symbolizes your graciousness and feminine, receptive qualities. And the right hand symbolizes masculine, active attributes. It may also be a pun for some decision or something being "right". Dreaming that you are holding hands with someone, represents your connection with that person. Your dream may also reflect anxieties about losing touch with him/her or that you are drifting apart. Dreaming that you hands are injured indicates an attack on your ego. Dreaming that your hands are clasped or closed means unity, completeness, acceptance or agreement. On a more negative note, it may suggest that you are close-minded, ungiving or unwilling to help. Dreaming that you have unusually large hands indicates much success in achieving your goals. Dreaming that your hands are hairy or rough, implies your lack of gentleness in dealing with others. You may be too brash and abrasive. Seeing blood on your hands means that you are experiencing some sort of guilt. Dreaming that you are washing your hands, represents a worrisome issue that you need to work through. Alternatively, it suggests that you are no longer taking responsibilities in some matter. You are letting go and getting things out of your system.
To remember something in your dream, indicates that you have learned something significant from your past mistakes or previous experiences. The dream may also serve as a reminder of something important that is occurring in your waking life. You are so worried that you will forget something that the preoccupation has made its way into your dream.
In anthropology, woman corresponds to the passive principle of
nature. She has three basic aspects: first, as a siren, lamia or monstrous being who
enchants, diverts and entices men away from the path of evolution; second, as the
mother, or Magna mater (the motherland, the city or mother-nature) related in
turn to the formless aspect of the waters and of the unconscious; and third, as the
unknown damsel, the beloved or the anima in Jungian psychology. In his Symbols
of Transformation, Jung maintains that the ancients saw Woman as either Eve,
Helen, Sophia or Mary (corresponding to the impulsive, the emotional, the intellectual, and the moral) (33). One of the purest and all-embracing archetypes of
Woman as anima is Beatrice in Dante’s Commedia (32). All allegories based upon
the personification of Woman invariably retain all the implications of the three
basic aspects mentioned above. Of great interest are those symbols in which the
Woman appears in association with the figure of an animal—for example, the
swan-woman in Celtic and Germanic mythology, related to the woman with the
hoof of a goat in Hispanic folklore. In both cases the woman disappears once her
maternal mission has been completed and, similarly, the virgin qua virgin ‘dies’ in order to give way to the matron (31). In iconography it is common to find parts
of the female figure combined with that of a lion. The Egyptian goddess Sekhmet,
characterized by her destructiveness, had the body of a woman and the head (and
therefore the mind) of a lion. Conversely, a figure with a lion’s body and a
woman’s head appears in the Hieroglyphica of Valeriano as an emblem of the
hetaira (39). The inclusion of feminine, morphological elements in the composition of traditional symbols such as the sphinx always alludes to a background of
nature overlaid with the projection of a concept or of an entire complex of cosmic
intuitions. In consequence, the Woman is an archetypal image of great complexity
in which the decisive factor may be the superimposed symbolic aspects—for
example, the superior aspects of Woman as Sophia or Mary determine her function as a personification of science or of supreme virtue; and when presented as
an image of the anima, she is superior to the man because she is a reflection of the
loftiest and purest qualities of the man. In her baser forms as Eve or as Helen—
the instinctive and emotional aspects—Woman is on a lower level than the man.
It is here, perhaps, that she appears at her most characteristic—a temptress, the
Ewig Weibliche, who drags everything down with her, and a symbol comparable
with the volatile principle in alchemy, signifying all that is transitory, inconsistent, unfaithful and dissembling. See also The Loved One and Sophia.
To see a woman in your dream, represents nurturance, passivity, caring nature, and love. It refers to your own female aspects or your mother. Alternatively, a woman indicates temptation and guilt. If you know the woman, then it may reflect concerns and feelings you have about her.
To see an old woman in your dream, indicates your concerns about aging and growing old. Alternatively, the old woman may be an archetypal figure to symbolize feminine power.
To see a group of women talking in your dream, refers to some gossip.
To see a pregnant women in your dream, symbolizes abundant wealth.
Seeing a woman in your dream, represents nurturance, passivity, caring nature, and love. It refers to your own female aspects or may also represent your mother. Alternatively, it may indicate temptation and guilt. If you know the woman, then it may symbolize the concerns and feelings you have about her. Seeing an old woman in your dream indicates aging and growing old. Seeing a group of women talking in your dream, refers to some gossip. Seeing a pregnant women in your dream, symbolizes abundant wealth.
A woman or women generally represent intuition, creativity, nurturing, and love. At times they can also represent the negative attributes that are given to women and include physical and emotional weakness, gossip, martyrdom, passivity, moodiness, temptation, and guilt. The content of the dream is to be considered, as well as the emotional tone. If the dream is sexual in nature, look up sex. If the woman in your dream was a stranger and you are a man, she could be symbolic of your feminine side or your attitude about women. If you are a woman, this stranger may be symbolic of different parts of your character or personality. The woman is that force or current inside of you that nudges you on and inspires you. It is your intuition and the knowledge that in not necessarily attached to words.
Like all circular forms incorporating a number of internal elements, the
clock may be interpreted as a kind of mandala. Since the essence of the clock is to
tell the time, the predominant symbolism is that of number. As a machine, the
clock is related to the notions of ‘perpetual motion’, automata, mechanism and to
the magical creation of beings that pursue their own autonomous existence.
To see a clock in your dream, signifies the importance of time in some waking situation. You may be feeling some anxiety of not being on top of things. Your mind may be preoccupied with a deadline that you have to meet or some other time-sensitive issue. It is time for you to tread on and speed up your actions. If the clock is chiming, then it suggests that time is running out. Alternatively, clocks symbolize the ticking of the human heart and thus is indicative of the emotional side of your life. If the clock has stopped, then it signifies death. This is a common theme for the terminally ill or the dying. Consider the time shown on the clock and determine the significance of the numerals or of the time.
To dream that the time on a clock is moving or speeding out of control, symbolizes some overwhelming task or emotion that you are going through in your waking life. Time is not on your side.
To dream that a clock is moving backwards, parallels the way that your life is going. Instead of moving forward and progressing toward your goals, you feel that you have not made any significant accomplishments. You feel you are stuck in a rut.
To dream that you are winding or setting a clock, suggests that you need to put more effort toward a task in order to obtain the desired result or outcome.
To dream that you see a clock, denotes danger from a foe.
To hear one strike, you will receive unpleasant news.
The death of some friend is implied.
Seeing a clock in your dream means the importance of time or that time is running out. You may be feeling some anxiety of not being on top of things. Your mind may be preoccupied with a deadline that you have to meet or some other time-sensitive issue. It is time for you to tread on and speed up your actions. Alternatively, clocks are representative of death, especially if the clock has stopped. This is a common theme for the terminally ill or the dying. A clock seen in your dream may also symbolize the ticking of the human heart and thus is indicative of the emotional side of your life.
Being a circle, it is one of the most important dream symbols that represent the psychic centre of personality. It is symbolic of wholeness, completeness, and unity of the self. The clock is a mandala that revolves and it may represent immortality. On the lighter side, when you are dreaming about a clock, time is an obvious issue. You may be currently experiencing anxiety in regard to a time-sensitive situation. For example, people worry about their "biological clock" running out, or they are concerned about not being "on top of things." In general, however, this dream may be a reminder that you need to speed up your actions and that time is an important factor. Old dream interpretations say that if you hear a clock strike, (or alarm go off), positive things will happen to you, and if you are winding a clock, you will fall in love! When interpreting this dream, try to remember the time and then attempt to understand how those numbers are meaningful to you.
To see a train of cars moving in your dreams, you will soon have cause to make a journey.
To be on a train and it appears to move smoothly along, though there is no track, denotes that you will be much worried over some affair which will eventually prove a source of profit to you.
To see freight trains in your dreams, is an omen of changes which will tend to your elevation.
To find yourself, in a dream, on top of a sleeping car, denotes you will make a journey with an unpleasant companion, with whom you will spend money and time that could be used in a more profitable and congenial way, and whom you will seek to avoid.
To see a train in your dream, represents conformity. You are just going along with what everyone else is doing. Alternatively, a train means that you are very methodical. You need to lay things out specifically and do things in an orderly and sequential manner. In particular, if you see a freight train, then it refers to the burdens and problems that you are hauling around. It is also symbolic of manual labor. If you see a passenger train, then it relates to mental work. If you see or play with a model train in your dream, then it indicates that you want more control and power over your own life and where it is headed. Dreaming of trains may also be a metaphor that you are "in training" for some event, job or goal. According to Freud, a train is analogous to the male penis.
To dream that you are on a train, symbolizes your life's journey. It suggests that you are on the right track in life and headed in the right direction. Alternatively, the dream means that you have a tendency to worry needlessly over a situation that will work out in the end.
To see or dream that you are in a train wreck, suggests chaos. The path to your goals are not going according to the way you planned it out. You are lacking self-confidence and having doubt in your ability to reach your goals.
To dream that you are the engineer, signifies that you are in complete control of a particular situation in your waking life.
To dream that you miss a train, denotes missed opportunities. It also suggests that you are ill-prepared for a new phase in your life. You may be procrastinating or putting things off that should have already been completed.
Seeing a train in your dream, represents conformity and go along with what everyone else is doing. You have the need to do things in an orderly and sequential manner. In particular, if you see a freight train, then it refers to the burdens and problems that you are hauling around. Dreaming that you are on a train, is symbolic of your life's journey and suggests that you are on the right track in life and headed for the right direction. Alternatively, you have a tendency to worry needlessly over a situation that will prove to work out in the end. Seeing or dreaming that you are in a train wreck, suggests chaos. The path to goals are not going according to the way you planned it out. Or you may be lacking self-confidence and having doubt in your ability to reach your goals. Dreaming that you are the engineer means that you are in complete control of a particular situation in your waking life. Dreaming that you miss a train indicates missed opportunities or nearly escaping your death.
This dream symbol can be very complicated and its meaning is specific to the dreamer. If you normally take the train to work and it is a part of your daily experience, closer attention should be paid to the other details of the dream. Going on a train ride may be symbolic of your life's journey. If you are the driver, you may be reassuring yourself in the dream state that you are in control of a specific situation or life in general. The train could also be symbolic of your need to move on and to do things in an orderly and sequential manner.
According to Guénon, the Roman pontifex was literally a ‘builder of
bridges’, that is, of that which bridges two separate worlds. St. Bernard has said
that the Roman Pontiff, as the etymology of his name suggests, is a kind of bridge
between God and Man (Tractatus de Moribus et Officio Episcoporum, III, 9). For
this reason, the rainbow is a natural symbol of the pontificate. For the Israelites,
it was the sign of the Covenant between the Creator and his people, and, in China,
the sign denoting the union of heaven and earth. For the Greeks, it was Iris, a
messenger of the gods. And there are a great many cultures where the bridge
symbolizes the link between what can be perceived and what is beyond perception (28). Even when it lacks this mystic sense, the bridge is always symbolic of
a transition from one state to another—of change or the desire for change.
To dream that you are crossing a bridge, signifies an important decision or a critical junction in your life. This decision will prove to be a positive change filled with prosperity and wealth in the horizon. Bridges represent a transitional period in your life where you will be moving on to a new stage. If the bridge is over water, then it suggests that your transition will be an emotional one. If you fall off the bridge and into the water, then the dream indicates that you are letting your emotions hold you back and prevent you from moving forward. Alternatively, the bridge may indicate that you are trying to "bridge" or connect two things together.
To dream of a run-down bridge, indicates that you should not contemplate any major changes in your life at this time.
To see a bridge collapse in your dream, implies that you have let an important opportunity pass you by.
To see a long bridge dilapidated, and mysteriously winding into darkness, profound melancholy over the loss of dearest possessions and dismal situations will fall upon you. To the young and those in love, disappointment in the heart's fondest hopes, as the loved one will fall below your ideal.
To cross a bridge safely, a final surmounting of difficulties, though the means seem hardly safe to use. Any obstacle or delay denotes disaster.
To see a bridge give way before you, beware of treachery and false admirers. Affluence comes with clear waters. Sorrowful returns of best efforts are experienced after looking upon or coming in contact with muddy or turbid water in dreams.
Dreaming that you are crossing a bridge means an important decision or a critical junction in your life. This decision will prove to be a positive change with prosperity and wealth in the horizon. Bridges represent a transitional period in your life where you will be moving on to a new stage. Dreaming of a run-down bridge indicates that you should not contemplate any major changes in your life at this time. Dreaming of a bridge collapse indicates that you have let a great opportunity pass you by.
The first consideration should be given to how much you travel. The bridge can be interpreted literally if it is a part of your daily life
On a more theoretical level, bridges can symbolise transitions (e.g. transition from one stage to another, from one level of consciousness to another). Since most bridges are over water (i.e. emotions, unconscious), this dream could also be symbolic of your rising above your emotional difficulties or unconscious drives.
The material out of which the bridge is made can give an idea of the strength of your convictions. A wooden bridge can mean that you need more willpower, while a a bridge of concrete, stone or steel can mean that you have a very strong will.
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 attend a wake, denotes that you will sacrifice some important engagement to enjoy some ill-favored assignation.
For a young woman to see her lover at a wake, foretells that she will listen to the entreaties of passion, and will be persuaded to hazard honor for love.
To dream that you attend a wake, refers to your grieving process. You need to find closure. It is okay to seek the support in order to help you get through a difficult time. Alternatively, the dream suggests that it is time to celebrate the positive qualities of someone who is no longer in your life.
To dream that you are waking up in your dream, indicates that something is missing or lacking in your life. There is an aspect of your life that you are not utilizing to its fullest potential. You are not recognizing your abilities. The dream is literally telling you to open your eyes and wake up! Alternatively, waking up in your dream may be a signal of a lucid dream.
Dreaming that you attend a wake of a friend or loved one, foretells that you will hear sad news. Seeing a friend attending a wake, forewarns that that friend is in grave danger. Dreaming that you are waking up in your dream, indicates that something is missing or lacking in your life. There is an aspect of your life that you are not utilizing to its fullest potential. You are not recognizing your abilities.