Crucifixion

Depending on the context in the dream, this can indicate either that you are facing a life situation in which you feel nailed to the physical needs of life, perhaps torn apart by desires, fears or conflicts. Or it can show you are surrendering or sacrificing your physical and ego needs to what you sense as the essential or spiritual you.

The symbolism in the New Testament shows the crucifixion taking place on a hill, and this represents the top of the head and the sexual, emotional, mental nature being opened to a wider and less object and self centred life. Due to the fact the Self dies to its divine realm during crucifixion, and is nailed to matter – the body, suffering the loss of awareness of existence in the divine, life after life, that our soul may achieve eternal life, it has a Christ like love, patience and gentleness. Here too, in passing through the experience of crucifixion, we meet those great beings of all nations, religions and times who have trod the path before us. If we remain conscious at this stage, the wisdom and experience of these saints and masters, comes to us as fully as we can receive it.

Crucifixion also suggest self sacrifice, the giving of self in service or surrender to the community or family. But it can also mean a sort of masochism where you kill out your own needs in a foolish way. This killing of ones own love, ones own sexual and tender feelings, ones own living self, is shown as crucifixion because it kills the wonderful Life in oneself, the living, loving, growing and creative core of oneself.

Example: Crucifixion is allowing oneself to be buffeted, torn by all the fears, angers, hates, prejudices human beings are heir to. There’s no creator we are told by our pundits. We are only physical maggots who live mate and die. There is no life after death. Crucifixion is the meeting of the fears and darkness this leads to. It is to meet the death that all ones inner life cries out for.

As I went through this it really did feel as if I had at last understood the meaning of that cry for father from the cross, and the taunts of the mob. The mob are all our own inbuilt doubts, fears, angst, cynicism that lash out at our life process. Our fears have to hit us to test the strength and validity of our belief. Also they need to not just believe that experience, they have to really meet it. So they shout, “Crucify him. Crucify him!” They need an actual experience of testing death to discover what the truth is; what lies beyond. And the cry from the cross is meeting the reality of the human condition. We meet our conviction that we are not divine; that there is no father to help us. We are alone. Death confronts us. We reach rock bottom. We fully accept our humanity. We have lost any awareness of a separate God and stand alone in Life – we are it. Then comes death.

Occasionally crucifixion can link with guilt or feelings of being a scapegoat. People undergoing depth psychotherapy often experience crucifixion as connected with their pains of being born.

Parts of us may have been ‘killed’ through pain or difficult life situations, and if they are coming alive again – being felt once more – the pain of their emergence is sometimes shown as crucifixion. See: Religion and Dreams; archetype of crucifixion; Cross.

Useful Questions and Hints:

Do I feel wrongly crucified like a martyr – if so why am I in that role at the moment?

What is being sacrificed or surrendered in my life?

Am I killing or sacrificing myself in some way?

See Meetings with Christ – Techniques for Exploring your Dreams – Methods of Awakening – inner path of christ