Cord

May be similar to chain or rope – restriction or connection, but also support. It often depicts the feeling bonds and connections we have with another person or situation, so it can indicate the umbilical in the sense of dependency that hold us. This is then like the umbilical cord that gave us life, but needed to be severed when we were ready to be independent. See: navel; umbilical cord. Again the support aspect is involved here, as without the support of the umbilical cord we would not have lived.

For some people, a cord around the neck linked with their difficult birth, in which their umbilical cord was wrapped around their neck.

There is another cord of great significance to us, and that is the spinal cord, so if the dream relates to the body it might have that significance. See spine

Cord might also have the associations of holding things together, or making secure, or limiting, as when one is tied with a cord. But because of the connections and holding things together that cords can perform, it can sometimes be used to show people working together, or some form of cooperation. The maypole is a symbol of this universal connection between all things. In this sense cord can relate to electric wire and its possibility of linking with a source of power – healing, energy, wisdom, power of life and death. The word chord can be seen as having a similar meaning to this – harmony. This aspect of cord is show in some ancient initiations and myths in which a cord guides the person through darkness or a labyrinth.

Cords also extend or connect with things, either in a way of control, limitation or influence, as when a thin cord holds a dog in control, or in the sense of enabling us to do something at a distance. See: rope; chain.

Breaking the cord: Becoming independent of parents or authority figures – often anger or resentment is directed at the person we are dependent upon. The independence we gain might be from our own fears and hesitations, and also at the expense of what supported us at the time.

Idioms: might be a play on words as in ‘struck a cord’; in accord; vocal chords; communication cord.

Useful Questions and Hints:

In what way am I relating to the cord – connection; control; dependency or support?

Am I relating to other people in my dream, if so in what way?

If the cord restrains me, what does it feel like if I remove the restraints?

If the cord connects me, what am I gaining or losing through the connection?

See meeting things I fear or dislike in my dream – Techniques for Exploring your Dreams – Secrets of Power Dreaming