Cliff

If on top of cliff, fear of, or possibility of, falling in the eyes of others or yourself. Fall from power or achievement. Fear of not being able to achieve.

Other meaning can be that you are faced with the feeling of being on edge; facing danger; making a difficult decision; taking a risk; encountering a barrier; or the unknown, depending on dream content.

On edge of change, danger, or a decision. It can also indicate taking a risk or a barrier, and so being confronted by fear and how you deal with your fears.

Example: I am falling down a cliff. In the dream, I know if I hit the bottom I will die. (I’ve been told by dream ‘experts’ that this is so.) I hit the bottom – my body is splattered on the ground, but ‘I’ am floating through the air thinking ‘How strange! I’m supposed to be dead! But I’m alive and free.’ Ingmar Bergman. See SummaryQ1

In many cases if you are at the top of the cliff it shows great space beyond where you stand. Some dreamers find this threatening, and for others it is an opportunity to fly or in some way relate to the vastness of the universe – their inner life. In this sense it represents the unknown, the possibilities of your life and how you relate to them. So it shows how you respond to or relate to the hugeness of your unconscious inner life.

The example shows the cliff as a wider view of life, an overview, one which includes death. It is shown as the uphill struggle in life, looking back or down from which one has wisdom. It is also the test of self trust, and the facing of ones fear.

Example: ‘I was standing on a cliff top overlooking the ocean. By my side was a man. He had short cropped silver hair, gleaming, and piercing blue eyes. He seemed old, but was broad, muscular and gave me the impression of having lived many lifetimes, or being very wise. He indicated the sea and I understood I should plunge into it. I did so, leaving my body behind, and became a part of the ocean. At the same time it seemed I could at any time stand beside the man on the cliff again.’ Debbie.

In Debbie’s dream the cliff is also the edge between life and death; between fear of death and exuberance of life; between being trapped in the concept of oneself as simply a physical form, and the freedom of realising oneself as naked consciousness.

 Being at foot of cliff: If trying to climb it – the immense difficulties we face in growing and facing all the fears and traumas in the way of our progress. Between sea and cliff, it suggests that you are becoming aware of the enormous consciousness your personality is only a small part of, and the cliff is the also enormous heritage of the past you have. See The Unconscious

Useful Questions and Hints:

What is my relationship with the cliff and what does that suggest?

If I am high up and can see expanses of land or sea, what am I understanding?

Am I meeting the challenge of the cliff, or am I trapped by fear or feelings of impassable barriers?

See – Techniques for Exploring your Dreams – Methods of Awakening