My dream starts off as a strange auction in an attic, where two announcer men sell paintings. The piece I remember most that they are selling is of a normal street, but the sky and air is littered with jelly fish. For some reason, there is also a flying bear in this painting. They supposedly asked the woman who painted it if there was anything suspicious going on with the random suspended bear, which she said no. The go on to talk about how there is no way she could claim the wasps in her paintings didn't have something going on, though.
Now their voices and all of that is gone, and I just lay in my bed, looking toward my window. The shade is up so I can see the blue sky. Suddenly I see a thick row of wasps lowering into my sight. They are flying in a long line, the line at least six or seven wasps wide, as they look for their new home. I sit u and watch the leader wasp go back and forth across the top windowsill, looking for a place to start their nest while the mile long line of wasps hover in wait. I try to shout to my mom for help, but all that comes out is a scratchy, raspy noise. I call to her over and over, trying to get her to bring soap water in a spray bottle and WD40 to stop them, but my voice just won't work.
The lead wasps then finds a hole in the center of the top seal of my window, and climbs through. It buzzes around my ceiling as another comes in, and another. I see my room in such vivid detail: all the crystals hanging in my window and my decor hanging on the walls, everything is in the correct place and hyper-realistic. All I can think is to scream to my mom to bring tape now, to block the hole, but I can't. I just can't get words out loud enough.
I dart out of my room and in the hall I fall to my hands and knees. I crawl over to my mom in the living room, sitting in her chair like so always does in real life. I cling to the corner of her chair and try to say her name, but only the raspy noise comes out. When I choke out a sob, however, the noise is clear. She looks at me and asks me what is wrong. I look up at the ceiling, and see the thick line is also in the living room, coming from the huge window and flying across the ceiling, into the wall and through a hole that leads into my room. I tell her to look up and point at the wasps. Now knowing I am not alone in this, I am able to sit down in my chair and let my mother take over the situation. I look at the wasps and see now that they have dragonfly wings instead of normal wings.
I look at her and she points at my face with a tense look. I can tell she's trying to keep me from panicking. "You have one on your face," she tells me. I feel a tickle of pressure on my left eyebrow. My breathing becomes uneven as I slowly reach up to it. The wasp crawled from my eyebrow to on top of my eyelid, in the corner of my eye by me nose. I didn't want to anger it and make it sting me because I am awfully allergic to wasps, but I thought by touching it it would fly off. My finger touches the hard shell of the bug, and all it does is sinisterly wiggle and buzz as though considering stinging me now. I whimper, knowing I can do anything but let it crawl around on my eye until it wants to leave. [End]
Relative to Real Life~
Night of January 24th, 2013
Real-life characters: Mom.
Dream-created characters: Painter, announcers, wasps.
Real-life places: My house (Cardinal Rd)
Dream-created places: Attic.
Different than real life: My window doesn't have a hole (I double checked), wasps don't fly in that kind of a pattern, I don't have a chair in the living room I sit on the couch, wasps don't have dragonfly wings.
Reasons:
Wasps = The only thing I can think of is my other dream on this site about a wasp sting, and how the thumbnail picture is of a wasp. I was looking through my own dreams and must have seen it.
Precognitive: No experiences.
Reoccurring: No.
Dreammoods Definitions:
Wasp - To see a wasp in you dream signifies evil, anger and negative feelings. Alternatively, the wasp represents someone who is a WASP or White Anglo-Saxon Protestant. Perhaps you are dealing with some aspects of society or politics.
Eye - To dream that you have something in your eye represents obstacles in your path. Alternatively, it may represent your critical view and how you tend to see faults in others.
Eyelid - To notice eyelids in your dream implies that you are trying to shut out somebody or some aspect of your life. Alternatively, the dream suggests that you are not being truthful about something.
My analysis: Though I have been thinking about politics a lot lately, I had no idea what WASP was until I read that, thus I doubt that's what my dream is trying to tell me. I don't know on this one. Seeing all of them in a row like that, and all of them directed towards my room, all I can think of is my dream is trying to tell me I have a lot of anger and negative feelings in my life right now, or coming to me soon, and I need to get them under control. Also having a wasp land on my eyelid is symbolic, I think, of me trying to deny or block out the negative attributes of someone in my life, but the "wasp" or persistent issues the person has is making it impossible to overlook. That's as far as I can analyze this dream.
Notes: It's not really all that weird that I wanted my mom to bring soap water in a spray bottle and WD40. It may sound weird haha but I know this in real life: If you spray a wasp with soapy water the soap will stick to its wings and render it flightless, at which point you can kill it by stomping on it (which is kind of sad...). Also, I learned on Pinterest that if you spray the rim of your house with WD40 at the beginning of the wasp season, the wasps will not be able to make a nest on your house because they will not be able to get their home to stick. (All of these things become very important in the summer when you live in a heavy wasp area, and you're very allergic to them, heh).
Wasps, if seen in dreams, denotes that enemies will scourge and spitefully villify you.
If one stings you, you will feel the effect of envy and hatred. To kill them, you will be able to throttle your enemies, and fearlessly maintain your rights.
To see a wasp in you dream, signifies evil, anger and negative feelings. Alternatively, the wasp represents someone who is a WASP or White Anglo-Saxon Protestant. Perhaps you are dealing with some aspects of society or politics.
To dream that you are stung by a wasp, indicates that there is some hatred directed toward you. It also refers to envy.
To dream that you kill a wasp, signifies your fearlessness in fighting off your opponents, while maintaining your ethics and rights.
Seeing a wasp in you dream means angry thoughts and feelings. Dreaming that you are stung by a wasp, symbolizes growing envy and hatred towards you. Dreaming that you kill a wasp means your fearlessness to ward off your enemies and maintain your ethics and rights.
Animal symbolism of the wasp deals with:
order
construction
communication
involvement
development
progress
team-work
productivity
In some African traditions, the wasp is a symbol of evolution, and control over our life circumstances.
Some Native American Indian tribal myth inidcates the wasp as the creator of the earth, and was a symbol of order, organization as well as productivity.
Ancient European lore recognizes the wasp as big part in pollination. Here the wasp is symbolic of fertility as this genre of earth-based believers honored the wasp for its role in continuation of certain plants and flowers.
The prime season of the wasp is spring, and so it is symbolic of new beginnings, and starting new projects.
The wasp is very social, and has special means of communication with its family. When the wasp appears in our lives it is a message for us to consider our own methods of communication. The wasp might be a sign that we may need to express ourselves more clearly.
Because the wasp is symbolic of communication, order and productivity, those who encounter the wasp may ask themselves:
"Are all my affairs in order?"
"Am I aligning myself with my goals?"
"Am I procrastinating about something?"
"Am I keeping myself from reaching my highest potential?"
"Am I allowing my progress to be held back by others?"
Those with the wasp as their totem may learn more by asking these questions of themselves, and calling upon the wasp for more clarification too.
Wasps are perfect totems for those of us who need a bit of organized focus, and assistance with assertive communication.
The wasp can also help in areas of building, whether it be a new home, or building on a dream - the wasp is a master architect and can guide you with the planning of any building project you have in mind.
The wasp is a totem of shape shifting and interdependence. Most wasp species are solitary. Unlike bees, which are hive oriented, the wasp is independent and prefers to work on his own rather than in a group. Solitary wasps have little patience and will swarm all over a task they are performing with a gusto. Wasp people are independent thinkers and have difficulty relating to authority figures. They prefer to do things in their own way. Individuals that hold solitary wasp medicine often receive recognition as the frontrunners of new trends or ideas later in life. Because wasps can be either independent or social, those with this totem often display two different yet distinct personalities, aggressive or communal. Personality shifts can create chaos for those in relationships with wasp medicine people. Just when you think you know the person, they change and become someone else. The wasp teaches those with this medicine how to use diversity to their advantage. By observing the wasp we can learn how to shape our outer image and become more connected to our inner knowing.
The wasp teaches that it is time of productivity and construction. Increased communication is important at this time. Are you progressing toward your goals? He teaches diligence and keeping things in order along with guiding you in building your mental, spiritual and physical dwelling. It is a time for progression with balancing the spiritual and physical. He demonstrates how to remain grounded to secure a good base for your endeavors. It time to start a new endeavor or work on an existing one.
A symbol of individuality—of private thoughts. The windows symbolize the possibility of understanding and of passing through to the external and
the beyond, and are also an illustration of any idea of communication. Hence, a
closed room lacking windows may be symbolic of virginity, according to Frazer,
and also of other kinds of non-communication. Many rites involving the
enclosureimage are performed to mark the reaching of puberty, all over the world.
The legend about Danae, shut up by her father in a bronze tower, pertains to this
particular symbolism. There is a Siberian legend concerning a ‘dark house of iron’
which is also relevant to it (21). We might also mention the ‘vase with a lid’, one
of the eight emblems of good luck in Chinese Buddhism, and a symbol of wholeness, of the idea with no ‘exit’, or, in other words, of supreme intelligence triumphant over birth and death (signified respectively by the doors and windows of
the room) (5). This explains why the hermetically sealed room may possibly be
a variant form of the ‘vase with a lid’.
To dream that you are in a room, represents a particular aspect of yourself or a specific relationship. Dreams about various rooms often relate to hidden areas of the conscious mind and different aspects of your personality. If the room is welcoming or comfortable, then it signifies opulence and satisfaction in life. If you see a dark or confined room, then it denotes that you feel trapped or repressed in a situation.
To dream that you find or discover a new room, suggests that you are developing new strengths and taking on new roles. You may be growing emotionally. Consider what you find in the discovered room as it may indicate repressed memories, fears, or rejected emotions. Alternatively, such rooms are symbolic of neglected skills or rejected potential.
To dream that you are in an empty white room, indicates a fresh start. It is like a blank canvas where you want to start life anew. Alternatively, the dream means that you are trying to isolate yourself. You do not want any outside influences.
To dream of a yellow room, suggests that you need to use your mind. You are feeling stimulated mentally.
Dreaming that you are in a room, represents a particular aspect of yourself or a particular relationship. Dreams about various rooms often relate to hidden areas of the conscious mind and different aspects of your personality. Dreaming that you find or discover new rooms, suggests that you are developing new strengths and taking on new roles. You may be growing emotionally. Seeing an appealing or comfortable room in your dream means opulence and satisfaction in life. Seeing a dark, eerie or confining room indicates that that you feel trapped or repressed in a situation.
All things that flow and grow were regarded in early religions as a symbol
of life: fire represented the vital craving for nourishment, water was chosen for its
fertilizing powers, plants because of their verdure in spring-time. Now, all—or
very nearly all—symbols of life are also symbolic of death. Media vita in morte
sumus, observed the mediaeval monk, to which modern science has replied La vie
c’est la mort (Claude Bernard). Thus, fire is the destroyer, while water in its
various forms signifies dissolution, as suggested in the Psalms. In legend and
folklore, the Origin of life—or the source of the renewal of the life forces—takes
the form of caves and caverns where wondrous torrents and springs well up (38).
To see a line in your dream, symbolizes duality, limits, boundaries and rules. It also relates to movement or non-movement. To dream that you are crossing a line, suggests that you are overstepping your boundaries or that you are moving beyond the limits in some area of your life.
To see a line of people or objects, indicates that you need to be more aware of some situation or relationship.
To dream that you are standing in line, represents your need for patience. You need to learn to wait for something and not always have it right away.
Seeing a line in your dream, symbolizes duality. It also relates to movement or non-movement. A line also represents limits and boundaries. And thus to dream that you are crossing a line, suggest that you are overstepping your boundaries or that you are moving beyond any limits. Seeing a line of people or objects indicates that you need to be more aware of some situation or relationship. Dreaming that you are standing in line indicates your need for patience. You should be prepared to wait for something and not have it right away.
Since it consists of an aperture, the window expresses the ideas of
penetration, of possibility and of distance, and because it is square in shape, its
implications are rational and terrestrial. It is also symbolic of consciousness (32),
especially when it is located at the top of a tower, by analogy with the head of the
human figure. Divided windows carry a secondary significance, which may at
times even be the predominant sense, deriving from the number of openings or lights and from the inter-relationships between the relevant number-symbolism
and the general symbolism of the window (Plate XXXI).
To see windows in your dreams, is an augury of fateful culmination to bright hopes. You will see your fairest wish go down in despair. Fruitless endeavors will be your portion.
To see closed windows is a representation of desertion. If they are broken, you will be hounded by miserable suspicions of disloyalty from those you love.
To sit in a window, denotes that you will be the victim of folly. To enter a house through a window, denotes that you will be found out while using dishonorable means to consummate a seemingly honorable purpose.
To escape by one, indicates that you will fall into a trouble whose toils will hold you unmercifully close.
To look through a window when passing and strange objects appear, foretells that you will fail in your chosen avocation and lose the respect for which you risked health and contentment.
To see a window in your dream, signifies bright hopes, vast possibilities and insight. If the window of a house is dark, then it indicates a loss to your perception or vitality.
To dream that you are looking out the window, signifies your outlook on life, your consciousness and your point of view. It also refers to your intuition and awareness. You may be reflecting on a decision. Or you need to go out into the larger world and experience life. If you are looking in the window, then it indicates that you are doing some soul searching and looking within yourself. It is time for some introspection. To see another face in the window in your dream, suggests that you are feeling emotionally distant and physically detached. Also consider the emotion depicted on the face.
To see shut windows in your dream, signify desertion and abandonment.
To see a shattered and broken window in your dream, represents your distorted view and skewed outlook on life. It is also refers to a state of vulnerability.
To dream that you are fixing or replacing a broken window, indicates that you are reassessing your view and outlook on life. You are gaining a new perspective on things.
To see a tinted window in your dream, represents your need for privacy. You are keeping some aspects of yourself hidden. You also want to remain ambiguous.
To dream that you are washing windows, suggest that you need some clarity in some matter. Something is not clear.
Seeing windows in your dream means bright hopes, vast possibilities and insight. Dreaming that you are looking out the window means your outlook on life, your consciousness, point of view, awareness, and intuition. You may be reflecting on a decision and seeking guidance. If you are looking in the window, then it indicates that you are doing some soul searching and looking within yourself. Seeing shut windows in your dream means desertion and abandonment. Seeing shattered and broken windows indicates misery and disloyalty. Seeing a tinted window in your dream, represents you need for privacy and your ways of getting it. You are keeping aspects of yourself hidden or that you want to remain ambiguous.
A window is a rich dream symbol. Its accurate interpretation can lead to awareness and a better understanding of a personal outlook on life. If you are looking through the window, pay close attention to what you are looking at. Is it a beautiful landscape or a scene dealing with an experience or a situation from your past? Looking through a window and seeing a beautiful landscape may represent your desire for greater satisfaction and more peace in your life. If you are seeing something familiar, you may be able to perceive the situation in a new way and gain some insight. Some say that a window may represent a time frame. A closed window suggests an inability to effectively communicate, and an opened widow may represent desire for new adventure in life. Windows in our houses allow us to see the world on the outside, the windows in our dreams may encourage us to better see the world within ourselves, as well as the world outside.
A very important symbol, with two main aspects: on the biological
level, it has fertilizing power and is related to fertility rites; on the spiritual plane,
it stands for the ‘opening’ of this world on to the other world. Worship of
‘perforated stones’ in one form or another is very common all over the world.
Eliade notes that, in the region of Amance, there is just such a stone in front of
which women kneel to pray for the health of their children. To this day, in
Paphos, barren women crawl through the hole of such a stone. Primitive Indian
peoples were mainly concerned with its symbolism at the physical level, identifying the hole with the female sexual organs, although they too had an intuitive
awareness of the fact that holes could stand for the ‘gateway of the world’, which
the soul has to cross in order to be released from the cycle of karma (17). In the
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad it is said that ‘when a human being leaves this world,
he makes his way through the air, and the air opens up for him as wide as a
cartwheel’ (50). The artistic expression of this symbol is found in the Chinese Pi,
i.e. the representation of heaven. It is a jade disc with a hole in the middle;
measurements vary from case to case, but according to the Chinese dictionary
Erh Ya, the relation between the outside ring and the central hole remains constant. This hole is the Hindu ‘gateway’, also the Aristotelian ‘unvarying mean’ or
‘unmoved mover’. The origins of the Pi are exceedingly remote, and carved and
decorated Pi have also been found (39). As a symbol of heaven, the hole also stands specifically for the passage from spatial to non-spatial, from temporal to
non-temporal existence, and corresponds to the zenith (52). The strange and
roughly hewn door-openings of some neolithic stone-structures have been interpreted by some scholars as symbolic holes in the above sense; the laborious
nature of these holes could otherwise have been avoided by means of the simple
and well-known pillar-and-lintel method of construction. An outstanding example of this kind of door is that at Hagiar Kim (Malta). It is interesting to note,
in this connexion, that the initiation ceremony among the Pomo Indians of Northern California includes a ritual blow from a grizzly bear paw, which is supposed
to make a hole in the neophyte’s back, on account of which he ‘dies’ and is reborn
to a new stage of life. It is probable that, from the earliest times, the visual aspect
of wounds helped to strengthen the association between the concept of the hole
and that of passing into the other life. All this seems to be corroborated by the fact
that in many symbolist pictures, e.g. in Gustave Moreau’s Orpheus, the background landscape includes perforated rocks which are evidently invested with a
transcendental significance. It is also worth recalling Salvador Dali’s frequent
practice, amounting almost to an obsession, of painting holes (regular in shape,
like windows) on the backs of some of his figures.
To see a hole in the ground, denotes hidden aspects of your activities. On the other hand, it may mean that you are feeling hollow or empty inside. This dream may be an awakening for you to get out and expose yourself to new interests and activities. Alternatively, the dream may be a pun on "wholeness' or completeness.
To dream that you fall into a hole, represents a pitfall in some waking situation. You feel you are stuck. Perhaps, you have dug yourself into a hole and cannot get out of it.
To dream that there is a hole in your clothing, indicates that there are some flaws in your thinking or thought process. You may need to undergo an image makeover.
Seeing a hole in the ground indicates hidden aspects of your activities. On the other hand, it may mean that you are feeling hollow or empty inside. This dream may be an awakening for you in that you need to get out and expose your self to new interests and activities. Dreaming that you fall into a hole means a pitfall in a situation in your life or that you are stuck in a hole. Perhaps, you have dug yourself into a hole and can not get out of it.
To see a chair in your dream, symbolizes your need to sit down and take time out to contemplate a situation before proceeding. Or you just need to relax. Alternatively, it indicates that your feelings or ideas are being dismissed or cast to the side.
To dream that someone is offering you a chair, suggests that you need to be open to taking and accepting advice.
To see a chair in your dream, denotes failure to meet some obligation.
If you are not careful you will also vacate your most profitable places.
To see a friend sitting on a chair and remaining motionless, signifies news of his death or illness.
Seeing a chair in your dream, symbolizes your need to sit down and take time out to contemplate a situation before proceeding. Dreaming that someone is offering you a chair means that you need to be open to taking and accepting advice.
If you dream that you are sitting down in a chair, it can mean that you are beginning to face your problems.
Dreaming that you are reading while sitting in a chair can mean that you are feeling content.
If you get up out of a chair in your dream, your unconscious mind could be warning you that you are becoming too lazy in waking life.
Sleeping in a chair can also represent laziness, but it can also mean that you are feeling patient, confident and optimistic.
If you dream of an armchair, you might need to resolve your diferences with someone.
In the more general sense, wings symbolize spirituality, imagination,
thought. The Greeks portrayed love and victory as winged figures, and some
deities, such as Athena, Artemis and Aphrodite were at first—though not later—
also depicted with wings. According to Plato, wings are a symbol of intelligence,
which is why some fabulous animals are winged, depicting the sublimation of
those symbolic qualities usually ascribed to each animal. Pelops’ horses, and
Pegasus, as well as Ceres’ snakes, have this attribute. Wings are also found on
certain objects such as heroes’ helmets, the caduceus and the thunderbolt in the
cult of Jupiter (8). It follows that the form and nature of the wings express the
spiritual qualities of the symbol. Thus, the wings of night-animals express a
perverted imagination, and Icarus’ wax wings stand for functional insufficiency
(15). In Christian symbolism it is said that wings are simply the light of the sun
of justice, which always illuminates the mind of the righteous. Since wings also
signify mobility, this meaning combines with that of enlightenment to express the
possibility of ‘progress in enlightenment’ or spiritual evolution (46). In alchemy,
wings are always associated with the higher, active, male principle; animals with out wings are related to the passive female principle (33). It should also be
recalled that, since the foot is regarded as a symbol of the soul (15), the wings on
the heels of some deities, especially Mercury, stand for the power of spiritual
elevation comparable in essence with cosmic evolution. Jules Duhem, in his
thesis on the history of flight, remarks that, in Tibet, ‘Buddhist saints travel
through the air wearing a special kind of shoes known as “light feet” ‘(3).
To dream that you have wings, foretells that you will experience grave fears for the safety of some one gone on a long journey away from you.
To see the wings of fowls or birds, denotes that you will finally overcome adversity and rise to wealthy degrees and honor.
To dream that you have wings, suggest new found freedom. You are on the right track and are soaring to success without limitations. Alternatively, the dream means that you are trying to escape from a difficult situation.
To dream that you have the wings of an angel, indicate your sweet, angelic quality. Or you may be in need of some protection from life's stresses and problems.
To see the wings of birds in your dream, indicates your desire for a freer way of life.
Dreaming that you have wings indicates your sweet, angelic quality. You may be in need of some protection from life's stresses and problems. Or you may be trying to escape from a difficult situation. Seeing the wings of birds indicates that you have overcome your struggle to attain wealth and honor.
Wings are associated with flying, which in turn is associated with freedom and the heavenly domain. Dreaming about wings suggests that you may have a desire to be angelic, have a need for angelic protection, or want to transcend any current difficulties and problems. Consider the mood of your dream and what type of wings you were seeing. Superstition based dream interpretation books say that if you hear gentle flopping of wings you will hear good news. However, loud and powerful flapping of wings is said to be a warning against illegal or immoral activities, specifically those in which money is involved.
Wings are associated with flying, which in turn is associated with freedom and the heavenly domain. Dreaming about wings suggests that you may have a desire to be angelic, have a need for angelic protection, or want to transcend any current difficulties and problems. Consider the mood of your dream and what type of wings you were seeing. Superstition based dream interpretation books say that if you hear gentle flopping of wings you will hear good news. However, loud and powerful flapping of wings is said to be a warning against illegal or immoral activities, specifically those in which money is involved.
This page on the meaning of wings was born out of a class I taught last summer about extracting meaning from dreams.
Some of my students described dreams in which they sprouted their own wings and flew. Others recounted dreams they had of lions with wings. One dreamer even saw a pig with wings (yes, Marcus, pigs really do fly!).
Although the symbolic meaning of wings in dreams is certainly a relevant point to explore, it's not the only bone of contention in our reach for deeper digging.
Consider, mythology gives us oodles of winged beasts in the form of hybrids:
Meaning of Wings on Horses:
Known as pterippi (pteros in Greek means "winged" and hippos means horse). Pegasus is a pterippus, and a magnificent one at that. The symbolic meaning of the horse is pretty intense with themes of power and mobility. The horse alone also carries archetypal themes of unifying grounded stability (four feet on the ground) with higher ideals (from speed and mobility). This theme really comes to life when we add wings to the horse. The pterippus, or winged horse, is a symbol of aspiring to the greatest heights of accomplishment. These beasts embody the concept of harnessing magic in the material plane. That's right, altering the physical matter via nonphysical methods. These kinds of feats are accomplished by swallowing whole the reality of our physical presence and balancing that with our (mostly) nonphysical nature/essence.
That's heavy. To help grasp those implications, Pegasus offers great analogy because of the dichotomy it offers. Grounded by the stability of its body, yet in flight by the ephemeral power of its wings. High and low (mind and body). Pegasus (white in color) stands for clarity of mind, and how clean mental focus combined with stable footing can transform our lives in magical ways. There's scads more about Pegasus to chat about, but this page is on the meaning of wings, not Pegasus. You can learn more about Peggy here on Wiki.
You can also learn more about the enchanting symbolism of the horse here.
Symbolic Meaning of Wings on Lions:
In alchemy, the lion is symbolic of gold - a spiritual quality that is lusciously luminescent and gloriously rich in value. Bling of the heart. Alchemical texts and artwork will depict a lion when a specific magical/spiritual goal is to be achieved.
Conversely, winged eagles in alchemical texts are symbolic of the beginning of a process. Alchemical eagles are symbolic of youth, initiation and the unbridled exuberance felt when launching in a new direction.
So, when we see winged lions (a mix of eagles and lions), it's a message of combination - a juxtaposition between beginnings and endings, fact and potential, the seeker and the accomplished.
Griffins are considered a version of winged lions. They're typically viewed as guardians of sacred places. They're most often seen at the entrances of tombs, protecting the ancient souls of the deceased. I love how this symbolism plays right into the hands of the alchemical lion and eagle. Griffins guarding transitioned souls are at once honoring what has passed and protecting what is yet to be (in the form of evolved spirit - from death to rebirth). Cool, no?
See symbolic meaning of lions here, and more about lions on my blog here.
See symbolic meaning of eagle here.
And, I've written more about Griffins from a Celtic perspective here (last animal sign on page).
Meaning of Wings on Serpents and Dragons:
I'm completely biased about this topic. I love snakes, and most things typically classified as "creepy" or "crawly." So when I encounter party-pooper perspectives of (evil, death, sin, and other nonsense) I throw it right out the window and venture back to a more reasonable perspectives on these magnificent creatures.
For example, I suspect one of the many origins of the winged serpent comes from ancient Egyptian observations of the cobra. The hooded cobra, specifically. When the hood is spread open, it looks a lot like wings. And just like the meaning of wings on the horse and lion, on serpents (cobras) we're also dealing with a theme of duality. The Uraeus (Egyptian cobra associated with the sun god Ra and often seen on headdresses of kings and gods) is symbolic of sovereign rule and the power to take and give life. Life and death is about as polar opposite as it gets.
The winged snake evolved into dragons over time and through nomadic legends into other countries. It shares a lot of the same symbolism of the snake. Power, life, rulership, dominion and a kind of magic that is to be respected (mostly because of its mysterious nature).
Winged serpents and dragons are a paradox. At once a slithery ilk, with bellies pressed lovingly against the soft, yielding Earth - yet with wings, they are creatures of the limitless skies. Like winged horses, this speaks to us of being grounded, while having unhindered imaginations. Feet on the ground, head in the clouds.
See more on symbolism of snakes here.
And, I've written more on symbolism of dragons here and here (dragon totems)
Of course, mythological creatures aren't the only source of wing meanings.
Winged Humans:
Angels, of course. They are divine liaisons. They are messengers with the ability to move freely from the realm of earth-bound matter to the unlimited heavens. They're depicted with human attributes, and so we reason they have human interest at heart. They are gifted with magic and flight, they are creatures of the divine. They live betwixt worlds (indeed, Greeks thought angels were responsible for moving constellations and planets). More duality.
You can learn more about the symbolic meaning of angels here on my blog.
Gargoyles are fabled to be humans who have succumbed to base behaviors (greed, lust and other unsavory aspects of human nature)....like an antithesis to angels, I suppose. But, their wings are symbolic of the ability to overcome these crippling facets of personality. Essentially, gargoyles are the spokespersons (err, or spokes-creatures) for human potential. We've all got wings and inherent ability to glide above and beyond primitive, substandard tendencies. Gargoyles remind us that our conditions cannot determine our divinity.
Symbolic Meaning of Wings in Dreams:
If you're dreaming of wings, it's a clear sign of a desire to rise above a challenge. Dreaming of wings on animals may be a message to overcome base or animalistic qualities. It may also indicate the inner self's desire to escape from undesirable (primitive) living conditions.
Dreaming of wings by themselves may indicate it's time to work on your inner landscape, a prompting to fly into the realms of spirituality. It may also indicate for a spring cleaning of the mind (sweep away rubbish thoughts) and gain clarity in thought about a certain situation that's been troubling.
Dreaming of wings on people (i.e., angels) is a distinct message from the divine. The presence of angels in dreams are a call to pay attention to your environment and glean more information from it. Messages abound, "wake up" and pay attention.
The essence of the question involved here is contained in the saying of
Plotinus that the eye would not be able to see the sun if, in a manner, it were not
itself a sun. Given that the sun is the source of light and that light is symbolic of
the intelligence and of the spirit, then the process of seeing represents a spiritual
act and symbolizes understanding. Hence, the ‘divine eye’ of the Egyptians—a
determinative sign in their hieroglyphics called Wadza—denotes ‘He who feeds
the sacred fire or the intelligence of Man’ (28)—Osiris, in fact. Very interesting,
too, is the way the Egyptians defined the eye—or, rather, the circle of the iris
with the pupil as centre—as the ‘sun in the mouth’ (or the creative Word) (8). René Magritte, the surrealist painter, has illustrated this same relationship between the sun and the mouth in one of his most fascinating paintings. The possession of two eyes conveys physical normality and its spiritual equivalent, and it
follows that the third eye is symbolic of the superhuman or the divine. As for the
single eye, its significance is ambivalent: on the one hand it implies the subhuman
because it is less than two (two eyes being equated with the norm); but on the
other hand, given its location in the forehead, above the place designated for the
eyes by nature, it seems to allude to extra-human powers which are in fact—in
mythology—incarnated in the Cyclops. At the same time the eye in the forehead
is linked up with the idea of destruction, for obvious reasons in the case of the
single eye; but the same also applies when there is a third eye in the forehead, as
with Siva (or Shiva). This is explained by reference to one of the facets of the
symbolism of the number three: for if three can be said to correspond to the
active, the passive and the neutral, it can also apply to creation, conservation and
destruction. Heterotopic eyes are the spiritual equivalent of sight, that is, of
clairvoyance. (Heterotopic eyes are those which have been transferred anatomically to various parts of the body, such as the hands, wings, torso, arms, and
different parts of the head, in figures of fantastic beings, angels, deities and so on.)
When the eyes are situated in the hand, for example, by association with the
symbolism of the hand they come to denote clairvoyant action. An excessive
number of eyes has an ambivalent significance which it is important to note. In
the first place, the eyes refer to night with its myriads of stars, in the second
place, paradoxically yet necessarily, the possessor of so many eyes is left in
darkness. Furthermore, by way of corroboration, let us recall that in symbolist
theory multiplicity is always a sign of inferiority. Such ambivalences are common
in the realm of the unconscious and its projected images. Instructive in this
connexion is the example of Argus, who with all his eyes could not escape death.
The Adversary (Satan, in Hebrew) has been represented in a variety of ways,
among others, as a being with many eyes. A Tarot card in the Cabinet des Estampes
in Paris (Kh. 34d), for instance, depicts the devil as Argus with many eyes all over
his body. Another comparable symbolic device is also found commonly in demonic figures: it consists of taking some part of the body that possesses, as it
were, a certain autonomy of character or which is directly associated with a
definite function, and portraying it as a face. Multiple faces and eyes imply
disintegration or psychic decomposition—a conception which lies at the root of the demoniacal idea of rending apart (59). Finally, to come back to the pure
meaning of the eye in itself, Jung considers it to be the maternal bosom, and the
pupil its ‘child’.
(1)
Thus the great solar god becomes a child again, seeking renovation at his mother’s bosom (a symbol, for the Egyptians, of the mouth) (31).
1 The Jungian idea is expressed as a pun. ‘Niña’ means both ‘daughter’ and ‘pupil (of the eye)’. The
phrase ‘Niña de los ojos’ is like the English ‘apple of one’s eye’, which gives something of the feel of
the pun.—Translator
To dream of seeing an eye, warns you that watchful enemies are seeking the slightest chance to work injury to your business. This dream indicates to a lover, that a rival will usurp him if he is not careful.
To dream of brown eyes, denotes deceit and perfidy.
To see blue eyes, denotes weakness in carrying out any intention.
To see gray eyes, denotes a love of flattery for the owner.
To dream of losing an eye, or that the eyes are sore, denotes trouble.
To see a one-eyed man, denotes that you will be threatened with loss and trouble, beside which all others will appear insignificant.
Seeing your own eyes in your dream, represents enlightenment, knowledge, comprehension, understanding, and intellectual awareness. Unconscious thoughts may be coming onto the surface. The left eye is symbolic of the moon, while the right eye represents the sun. It may also be a pun on "I" or the self. If you dream that your eyes have turned inside your head and you can now see the inside of your head, then it symbolizes insight and something that you need to be aware of. This dream may be literally telling you that you need to look within yourself. Trust your intuition and instincts. Dreaming that you have something in your eye, represents obstacles in your path. Alternatively, it may represent your critical view and how you tend to see faults in others. Dreaming that you have one eye indicates your refusal to accept another viewpoint. It suggests that you are one-sided in your ways of thinking. Dreaming that you have a third eye, symbolizes inner vision and insight. You need to start looking within yourself. Dreaming that your eyes are injured or closed, suggests your refusal to see the truth about something or the avoidance of intimacy. You may be expressing feelings of hurt, pain or sympathy. Dreaming that you have crossed eyes indicates that you are not seeing straight with regards to some situation. You may be getting your facts mixed up.
To dream that you are flying, signifies a sense of freedom where you had initially felt restricted and limited.
To dream that you are flying with black wings, signifies bitter disappointments.
To dream of flying high through a space, denotes marital calamities.
To fly low, almost to the ground, indicates sickness and uneasy states from which the dreamer will recover.
To fly over muddy water, warns you to keep close with your private affairs, as enemies are watching to enthrall you.
To fly over broken places, signifies ill luck and gloomy surroundings. If you notice green trees and vegetation below you in flying, you will suffer temporary embarrassment, but will have a flood of prosperity upon you.
To dream of seeing the sun while flying, signifies useless worries, as your affairs will succeed despite your fears of evil.
To dream of flying through the firmament passing the moon and other planets; foretells famine, wars, and troubles of all kinds.
To dream that you fly with black wings, portends bitter disappointments. To fall while flying, signifies your downfall. If you wake while falling, you will succeed in reinstating yourself.
For a young man to dream that he is flying with white wings above green foliage, foretells advancement in business, and he will also be successful in love. If he dreams this often it is a sign of increasing prosperity and the fulfilment of desires. If the trees appear barren or dead, there will be obstacles to combat in obtaining desires. He will get along, but his work will bring small results.
For a woman to dream of flying from one city to another, and alighting on church spires, foretells she will have much to contend against in the way of false persuasions and declarations of love. She will be threatened with a disastrous season of ill health, and the death of some one near to her may follow.
For a young woman to dream that she is shot at while flying, denotes enemies will endeavor to restrain her advancement into higher spheres of usefulness and prosperity.
Dreaming that you are flying means a sense of freedom where you had initially felt restricted and limited. Dreaming that you are flying with black wings means bitter disappointments.
Dreams of flying are common and most people can recall having flown in a dream or two. There are many ideas as to what this means. Some people believe that flying in our dreams can be an actual out of body experience, that we go to places on this physical plane as well as into the inner planes (mostly the Astral). We have a desire to be free and above all difficulties! The details of your dream will give you clues as to what it symbolizes, if your dream was a spiritual experience or ego based; enjoy it, flying is great!
You first start dreaming of flying when you are 3 to 5 years old. It is a very common dream, though less prevalent in adults. More than one third of the dreaming population has dreamed of flying one time or the other.
* Flying dreams are known to have a positive relationship with relief from tension and nightmares.
* Lucid dreamers tend to have twice as much of flying dreams.
* An intense emotional condition can also trigger off a flying dream
* The dreams are not exclusive to the post flying machines era. They have occurred in ancient times too, as records in dream books
of Babylonian and Egyptian civilizations reveal.
* People with an imaginative personality and creative thinkers have more flying dreams
* Those who fly planes have these dreams, though they rather fly like Superman in their dreams, not in aeroplanes.
What triggers off a flying dream? The reasons offered for these dreams are
* Psychological - The dreamer has had an intense emotional experience
* Physiological - There is a change in the breathing pattern of the dreamer
* Physical - There is an actual physical movement of the bed.
* Precognitive - In preparation of a flying trip
* Consciousness - Awareness of movement around you
To see or spin a top in your dream, represents idleness. You are not going anywhere in life and are wasting your time away on frivolous pleasures.
To dream that you are on top, signifies your goals, aspirations and ideals. You are seeking higher understanding and knowledge.
Seeing or spin a top in your dream, represents idleness. You are wasting your time away on frivolous pleasures. Dreaming that you are on top means your aspirations and ideals. You are seeking higher understanding and knowledge.