"Demons"
DemonsDemons are interesting dream characters. Whether you view them as psychological constructs or ontic reality in your view of the cosmos, their presence is a significant statement. The meaning of the demons revolves around their power relative to other major characters in the dream.
Demons may have seductive or violent power in a taboo relationship to the dreamer as either a nemesis or helper to the cause of the dreamer. In these cases the dreamer sees him or herself as helped or hindered by supernatural powers in the accomplishment of a moral or personal conquest.
If a demon is helping you complete a task, it may say something about how your task is viewed morally either in your superego or in the structure of the spirit realm. If a demon is thwarting your progress, this may reflect your perception of evil working against you in your life. If the demon is threatening others who are important in your life, you may be struggling with how to protect or provide for others in a world perceived as hostile.
If the demons are helping you acquire something you hold as taboo, some self-examination concerning motives may be appropriate. Are they powerful in an alluring or repulsive way?
***
Divine CommunicationDreams allow awareness from somewhere other than the conscious mind to enter into our range of perspective without the prejudicial judgment of ego blocking the potential of larger reality. More directly, the best time for the divine to reach humanity is when we're not so busy being ourselves.
Judeo-Christian, Tao, Islam and Hindu religions all have significant appreciation for the dream as divine reality penetrating the consciousness of humanity. However, ideas about divine figures taking initiative in relationship with humanity vary widely within world religions.
What can be said here is that dreams that seem to include revelation from beyond could be treated as divine revelation itself, or as some sort of revelation from your own deepest values. In other words, don't be too concerned with the media through which any powerful message comes, or don't overanalyze the messenger. Let the message be the medium.
***
DogsDogs can be great friends or frightening adversaries. In dreams, the friendly dog may be a representation of a trustworthy relationship or intuitive affirmation of it. The wild dog may represent a nagging, ongoing struggle with a seemingly irresolvable conflict. (Of course, either case may just be a replay of a life situation starring a real dog that you know, either friend or foe.)
Do you want someone who is unfairly persecuting you to call off the dogs?
Is there a relationship in your life where the loyalty is at question or is especially pronounced?
***
WalkingYou may be trying to slow down your pace or lack the means to make speedy progress. Walking is a dichotomous symbol in that it can be both frustrating and relaxing to walk.
Walking is much more of a discovery-oriented journey than driving, flying, or other modes of transit. When walking, you are forced to experience your environment in much more detail since you are moving through it so slowly. To walk in a dream, especially if your perceived destination is far off, may indicate that you are missing some of the pleasure life has to offer by fixating on destinations, rather than on journeys.
In order to see the interpretive value of the walking, it must be determined why walking is the preferred mode of transit.
Are there other dream characters involved in walking, marching, or hiking? Are you trying to walk in an environment that is normally traveled by car?
***
TeethDreams about teeth and losing teeth are common. Often the dream is troubling, although it does not contain the same fear or anxiety as a nightmare. In the dream, the teeth often are a concern only to the dreamer. Other characters in the dream either do not notice, or do not care, about the loose teeth.
A 19-year-old woman reports: I am in the bedroom combing my hair. A guy comes in and asks me if I am in a relationship. I say no. Then, he asks me out on a date. I say yes. He is about to kiss me and I ask him to hold that thought for a second. I go to freshen up a bit. When I wipe my mouth, my teeth begin falling out! Every one I touch falls out. No bleeding, just empty spaces in my mouth. I go back out of the bathroom, concerned, but the guy doesn't notice. Meanwhile, I'm a wreck.
In waking life, the woman reports feeling conflicted about ending a relationship with a man. She would like to renew it. Potential embarrassment is preventing her from doing so.
Dreams of losing teeth are often dreams of embarrassment or potentially embarrassing situations. The parallel waking experience could be summed up in the phrase losing face publicly.
Other possible teeth-loss dreams may come from physical sensations such as grinding your teeth or having particularly sensitive teeth.
Do your teeth get knocked out or do they fall out for no apparent reason?
***
AngelsJacob wrestled the angel,
and the angel was overcome.
Bono, U2, Rattle and HumWith the tremendous interest in angels these days, it is not surprising that they are becoming frequent characters in dreams as well. Pictures of angels, stories of angels, and a popular spirituality of angels have put the images and imaginations of angels in our collective unconscious.
The word angel literally means messenger. Often, delivery of a particular message in the dream is the role filled by these beings. As the needs arise, they may provide additional help to the dreamer beyond simply delivering information. Since so many religions and contemporary worldviews have made room for angels in their view of the universe, this topic needs to be broken down a little more. Jung had room in his worldview for spirit guides.
These were apparitions that shared both knowledge and insight. This insight came as dialogue. Consequently, the Jungian angel was something of a spiritual mentor.
Religious angels have usually served more as ambassadors. They come with specific information, but not much dialogue. They are dispatched for specific purposes. Revelation, not dialogue, is the mission of the angel in this context.
Beginning with popular literature of the 1970s, angels have become more involved with tangible needs of this world. Tires are repaired, oncoming traffic is diverted, and rickety homes are preserved from the weather by angels. This seems to be a reflection on the growing interest in finding a reliable help in a malevolent world.
Angels also have become, in a sense, the sort of instant wish-granter that the character Kazoo was to Fred Flintstone in The Flintstones TV cartoon show. Kazoo was a green alien being who appeared when Fred needed help-he provided free favors and magical tricks. Some folks dream of angels helping them out in this way. In this sort of case, the dreamer may be turning toward an actual friend in real life to give them something.
Many angels in dreams represent help from an unknown and unseeable origin to survive a difficult situation. The dreamer is turning out into the unknown, expecting help from beyond his or her actual means. This could be called wish-projection.
Finally, the angel may be what the name implies: a message.
To discern which type of angel you have in your dreams requires some energy on your part. Does your worldview include the possibility of such beings? If not, you can probably move into wish-projection pretty easily.
Did your angel speak or act mysteriously without verbalizing?
If the angel spoke, what was the content?
If the angel merely acted, what was the nature of the action?
What area of your life seems to be needing a special solution that exceeds your resources? Do you feel emotionally unsupported in one of your personal quests or spiritual struggles?
***
Compass
Dreams about a compass, the universal symbol of direction, often involve either getting back on track or trying to discern what course should be set for the path ahead. Or the compass may have been found or given to you by a mentor figure of some kind. Checking out the mentor and her or his relationship to you should be a central concern of the dream.
***
SexSexual dreams are not about sex exclusively. Often they are about how we perceive people and how we think others perceive us. To construct a framework for interpreting sexual dreams, it is important to identify who is with us in the dream and how we feel about the experiences being had while dreaming.
Certain dreams are simply romantic. Boy and girl meet in the dream state and find themselves enjoying one another. This scenario commonly involves an attractive acquaintance and a generally pleasing environment. There is no violation of taboo, except for a sense that perhaps things are moving a little fast in the nocturnal relationship. Often, the dreamer has simply acted upon a desire for a relationship with a particular person.
Other dreams begin to press on the boundaries of our taboos. These include dreams with sexual content the dreamer would consider inappropriate in waking, but participates in during the dream. These dreams can be very troubling. One can wake up feeling as though a rape was committed, a fidelity violated, or that innocence has been stripped away. Dreams of this nature may require some more thorough examination.
Identifying the who or what that has generated discomfort is an important first step. Was it a boss, coworker, friend? Someone much older or younger than you with whom you have an affectionate, but platonic relationship? Or was it the nature of the encounter-coerced, cheating, public, or whatever-that is the most distinct feature of the dream? Who was forcing whom? Was it a stranger who reminded you of someone you know? Representation and displacement relationships are often components of sexual dreaming.
Some of these dreams indicate our own ambivalence about taboos. There is, after all, something exciting about what is forbidden. In other cases, we are expressing our own frustration with a sex life that is not satisfying. Still other times, others have violated our boundaries and we respond by perceiving them as taking unmerited favors from us.
In all of these cases, the dreams are worth noting and studying. By looking into what you may find abhorrent at first, you will see aspects of your personality and the relationships around you that have gone mostly unnoticed. Perhaps most importantly, you will become more aware of the various facets of your personality in those relationships.
Labels: Angles, Communication, Demons, Divine, Dogs, Sex, Teeth, Walking
dreams{unvealed...}
Posted @ 9:21 PM