Self I Myself
The way we appear, or do not appear in a dream, represents our relationship to, opinions of, and hopes for self.
The struggle for Identity
The image we have of our self in our dreams shows the struggle we have with who we think we are. It is the way we gain identity. In this struggle. this adventure – very like the Odyssey – we meet all manner of creatures, people, demons, temptations. We travel into dark places, climbs to the heights of wondrous experience, discover magical powers. One of the functions of dreams can therefore be thought to be that of aiding the survival of our identity in facing the multitude of influences in life – and even in death.
Dreams show us that our personality is a small thing that only includes a small part of what we are. In Jung’s portrayal of the self, our ego is only a small part of us, the complete sphere depicts our Whole.
The Search for Self:
Some dreams are about showing us who we are. Such dreams may at times seem puzzling because they lead us into into uncertainties and a sort of void. To understand this better see The Archetype of the Self: Void – Archetype of the Void – Dream Example 3 –
Comments
Hi, I was hoping you could help me better understand this dream I have been having most every night. I am recently married if this means anything. My dream is always in the same exact spot because I always sleep in the same spot. My bed in my apartment. I only dream this dream when my husband is asleep next to me (he is a fireman so sometimes he is at the station), in my dream I am looking at myself sleeping. Everything in my dream is exactly how it is while I’m awake. I can see my husband and I can see myself. I can even hear my cat meowing and my husband snoring. Usually in my dream I always stay knelt on my sleeping bodies side and I try to use all of my might to get her to talk in her sleep. The most recent that I said in my sleep was repeating of “sorry” and saying “help”. I can never wake myself up from this dream and often times when I think I have succeeded in waking myself up, I just roll back out of my sleeping self’s body once more.
Any type of help is great,
Thanks.
Age 19, -Sarah
Hi – I must take time to upgrade the dream dictionary, so must halt from answering your posts – I started revising it in 2006, and haven’t neared the end yet. I believe someone else may start giving interpretations.
So, for a while I urge you to read http://dreamhawk.com/approaches-to-being/i-am-no-longer-interpreting-dreams/ – It describes ways that can help you.
Tony
Sarah – This is such an immense question, and would need you to have a enormous amount of information about our inner life to answer. But to begin to answer it I will give links to things that might help.
But you need to understand that in dreaming you are actually in a dimension of yourself that you need to understand. So first I suggest you read http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/dimensions-of-human-experience/
Then http://dreamhawk.com/inner-life/inner-world/#MakesInner and http://dreamhawk.com/approaches-to-being/opening-to-life/
If you have questions after that please write again.
Hi There:
I am wondering if you could provide any insight to my dreams. I am often a male or another race in my dreams. I am often different ages.
In real life I am a 52 year old white woman.
Thanks
Claudia
Claudia – To understand you dreams you need to understand that dreams take place in a very different dimension and come from a source most people have no experience of. I will have to direct you to several links to make it understandable. So first please read http://dreamhawk.com/dream-dictionary/core/
Having lived – unconsciously – through the whole process of evolution that we go back to the beginning when we mate – the slime of sex and procreation – we have all creatures within us but we live only in the small world we know through our self consciousness. In fact we have all the levels still existing in our body. See http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/brain-levels-and-dreams/
But our dreams come from a very different view of things so for some people like yourself start to introduce you to the vastness that you are. Years ago we believed as a species that the smallest part of our body was the atom. The atom is a physical thing, so it was thought that we die completely and have no existence beyond the body. But since 1900 a new level was found called the quantum, and the quantum was a very different creature than the atom – and that it the basis of who we are up to date. See http://dreamhawk.com/dream-dictionary/quantum-physics/
So you are a very special woman to frequently touch this level which explores the fact that you are not simply a female body, but have within you many forms. See http://dreamhawk.com/inner-life/inner-world/
Also see if you want to explore further – http://dreamhawk.com/approaches-to-being/lifes-little-secrets/
Tony
I’ve had a dream where.. i was standing in the middle of a lake, it was somewhat vast.. and a dove flies near me and i jump to catch it.. and i caught it by the neck and instead of landing back ON the water we sank down and down .. still the bird in my hand, i let it go..it “swam” up to the top flapped its wings and flew away… and i was to my knowledge breathing underwater with my eyes closed… water was somewhat murky and deepish scary when i was on the water,but blue when i was under (this whole time i dont know what to call it but i was 2nd person view, like looking at myself do all of this, in other dreams its like im actually living it like behind my own eyes) can you email me about this