Question: When people dream, does everyone attach the same meaning to symbols and imagery?
No. We cannot all associate the same personal meanings to symbols because we have all had different experiences with those people or objects we dream of. For example, you dream of a friend Mary. Mary was always kind towards you. But someone else might have had very negative experiences with Mary. So in your dream, Mary symbolises positive qualities, but for the other person, a dream of Mary will symbolise negative qualities.
Or, you dream of a cat. For example, you have had a few cats but they either died young or died because of illness and one of them was run over by a car. So, in your dream, a cat will be linked to loss, death and sadness. But, someone else may have had a cat that lived for 20 years and was the most lovable companion. For this person, dreaming about a cat will symbolise long-term and positive relating.
Question: In our dreams, is there any universal or objective symbolism?
Yes. Objective symbolism and knowledge refer to meanings that have become attached to people and things over the centuries. While the meanings are not necessarily precisely the same in all countries and for all cultures, they are often similar and may overlap. A good dictionary of symbols will cover a wide range of symbolic meanings from diverse religions, philosophies and peoples.
An example of the objective meaning of a symbol would be “buildings”. In their general sense buildings symbolize ways in which we organize ourselves psychologically. We have more than one way of organizing our inner worlds. The more complex the building in a dream, the more complex the inner organization. A few general understandings with respect to buildings are that a cellar usually symbolizes the unconscious, the attic the intellect, the kitchen the alchemical melting pot where substances combine to form new combinations.
Another example is when we dream of a vehicle of any kind. From a general perspective, they symbolize our vehicle – ourselves; how we move around in the world. Aircraft can symbolize being in Heaven-Spirit or mind & thoughts – freed from earth and the material. Trains and buses symbolize public forms of getting around, which suggest that one is likely to be controlled by the collective view and approach. A car is more independent. But if someone else drives it, this suggests that you are being driven or dominated by characteristics that belong to the driver’s personality and you are at times not strictly true to your own nature.
When we interpret a dream, we take the personal associations to the symbol, together with any objective knowledge, to get a sense of why you, the inner dreamer, chose a specific symbol.
Leslie Zimmermann is a Jungian Analyst trained in the philosophy and psychology of C.G. Jung in Zurich and is based in Johannesburg. She offers a range of services, which she integrates, to meet the needs and aspirations of people. In a word, her work is in the service of wholeness. Wholeness includes both our vulnerabilities and our strengths, becoming conscious of our own unique mix of these, honoring our own unique way of functioning and with this knowledge and confidence, contributing as only we each can in our own way, to this evolving world we find ourselves to be a part of.
Besides having a Diplomate qualification in Analytical psychology, which qualifies me to write about the theory and practice of dream interpretation, I also have an Honours degree in Applied Psychology and a Masters degree in Research psychology, which qualify me to write about theories of human development, personality, abnormal psychology, social psychology, sociology and ethics. Also, theories and knowledge pertaining to sleep and dreams from a perspective of neuropsychological and biological systems.
Leslie specializes in Analytical Psychology, Voice Dialogue, Life Coaching solutions for business executives. Consulting and coaching for family owned and home-based business
For an appointment Leslie Zimmermann can be contacted on:
Email: leslie.zimmermann@gmail.com
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