Coat Jacket

The coat often depicts the ‘self’ we use in public. For instance we might be shy in public but very warm with a single friend. A coat or jacket, if it has pockets, can also represent what we carry inside us – memories, skills, the poser and social facilities our wallet or money gives. But at its basic level the coat is a means of protection – against cold or things getting to your body such as dirt or creatures. The coat can show you the feelings with which you clothe yourself. This is particularly connected with the degree of formality you present yourself with. See: Clothes. It the coat is not new it can represent the past, or what you are carrying with you from the past. Take time to think about what memories link with this jacket and when you have worn it. Of course outer clothing like this is also a means of keeping warm or appearing respectable or otherwise, depending on the condition of the jacket. The colour of the coat may be important too, so see colours.

Example: Found a coat/jacket washed up on the beach. It looked very bedraggled. Then I looked inside  and it was in better condition. With astonishment and pleasure I saw that the inside pocket was full of personal, interesting things. First to see was a pair of gloves.

This is a comment on the dreamer and what he carries with him from the past. At first he judges his appearance as unattractive, but when he looks inside himself he finds a different view.

 Example: I then felt someone’s hand going into my right jacket pocket. Turning I saw it was a woman sitting behind me to my right. She was dark haired, about 40, and had put a piece of paper in my pocket. She now explained, and I inwardly knew, why she had done this. She had received an inner revelation concerning me, and had been told by God to tell me. Being modest and not wishing to show off her insight, she had written in down. She then said, “Keep going. Take care of your youngest son. Press on until you move.”  I was deeply moved by what she said. For mention of my son by name especially made me feel she knew all about me. It was as if I had contacted a highly developed member. Love and tears poured from me and I held the woman very close. She had pierced me.

This time the dream seems to be about something that has been given that has deeply moved and impressed, and is a direct message about his son.

Giving coat to someone else or wrapping them in it: An act or love or protection, in that you are wrapping your own warmth or care about them.

Someone else’s coat: This represents the person whose coat it is. It might depict your feelings about them or your relationship with them.

Taking or stealing from someone else’s coat or jacket: In some way taking advantage of intimacy with someone. Not having enough strength or confidence to deal with your own life situation alone.

Overcoat: Usually protectiveness, or a way of covering up and allowing little of you to be seen or exposed. So to get under someone’s overcoat or getting hands under it shows greater intimacy with the person. But the overcoat is a way of dealing with harsh weather, difficult circumstances. The overcoat may mean you are not giving any secrets away, not showing intimacy or vulnerability.  Sometimes it depicts your belief system, political or religious, you use to meet the world. Such systems may be a way of allaying anxiety about decisions and self responsibility, and without them we may feel vulnerable and exposed. So the coat is used to represent them because it is protective and depicts attitudes or feelings. In a few dreams the overcoat represents the person’s body.

Idioms: Dragged by one’s coat tails; up one’s sleeve; coat of many colours.

Useful Questions and Hints:

What are my feelings or actions regarding the coat and what do they suggest?

What colour is the coat?

What type of coat is it – fashionable, ragged, working, nursing, etc – and what does this link with for me?

See Techniques for Exploring your Dreams – Secrets of Power Dreaming – Processing Dreams – Settings in Dreams