Weapons Gun Knife

Fears or desires connected with hurting or being hurt. The weapon often hides a deeply felt childhood pain that has not been felt, so might express as anger or rage. Some weapons, like guns or knives can also represent male sexuality or fears regarding it.

Yet whenever we dream its images are not like real life, because a dream is nothing like outer life where things could hurt you, but is an image like on a cinema screen, so that even if a gun is pointed at you and fired it can do no damage – except if you run in fear; so, all the things that scare you are simply your own fears projected onto the screen of your sleeping mind. In the early days of moving pictures, a film was shown of a train coming fast toward them; the viewers all fled in terror, fearing the train would crush them. That is exactly the same response if you are terrified of anything you dream of.

Guns, rockets, knives, spears, etc., depict our desire to hurt or kill someone, or if we are being shot or hurt in the dream, how we have internalised our own aggression or past hurts or fear of being hurt. We often kill parts of our own feelings, our love or even our most creative self. Perhaps what we kill most often is the deepest feelings and passions that would guide us in the life that expresses who we are, and what our work on earth is.

Weapons are also defence against fears of being hurt. If we shoot or stab someone or something, we need to consider what part of ourselves we are turning our aggression upon. If we kill or injure a recognisable person, we may be harbouring the desire to hurt or kill that person, even if only in reputation. All weapons can represent male sexual drive or aggressive sexuality.

All weapons can represent male sexual drive or aggressive sexuality. See: Fight; Attack; Shot; War; Rocket; Stab

The situation in which the action takes place: Defines what the weapon expresses.

Ineffective weapons: Feelings of inadequacy.

 A work tool used as a weapon: Our skill or authority turned against ourselves or someone else – as might happen if a doctor got sexual favours through his position. See: rocket; shot; stab.

 arrow: Something that has really got into us, like hurtful words or actions; or being pierced by a powerful emotion such as love; turning our attention inwards in a wounding way; sometimes a message, perhaps of love or endeavour.

bullets or ammunition: If it is something someone else has: Things that you feel others can use against you, such as lies, criticism, anger , etc. If it is something you have: Attitudes or thoughts you use to bolster your confidence; things you feel or think that could be used to wound other people or even yourself; ways we defend against other peoples attack. Lacking ammunition: Feeling without hope for some difficulty you are involved in, perhaps an emerging conflict with a partner or at work.

gun: Penis; male sexuality; anger; confidence in defending oneself against criticism, etc.; fears or anxieties; attitudes we use as a defence against our own emotions or realisations – a man might feel depressed about growing old, and defend himself against these with positive thoughts; also the bulldozer emotions we sometimes use against others, like a pistol held to their head.

When shot by gun: Feeling hurt, wounded; being the target of criticism or hurtful remarks; fear of sex.

Example: I was getting ready to leave and this dark haired guy told me I couldn’t leave, I felt scared and was going to leave anyways, he pulled out a pistol and shot me in the stomach, I fell down, but there was no blood. The thoughts in my head was, “OH NO”. Next thing I remember is that I was still on the floor in the same place and I got up and I remembered being shot but I didn’t seem to have any pain or blood and was moving normally etc. I started looking for a way to leave I was sneaking around trying not to get noticed so that I could get out of there w/o the shooter guy seeing me.

The interesting thing in the example is that even though she could see no hurt came from being shot, yet she was still scared of the guy with the shooter. And it is overcoming such fears that can release you from terror and hurts that haunt us. But here are some dreams where the dreamer feels no fear.

knife: Penis, cutting intellectual insight, aggression, depending on how used in the dream; an attempt to wound someone. Idioms: Get one’s knife into someone; on a knife edge; under the knife surgery; cut it out; cut the air with a knife.

Because it often has a cross as a handle, has mixed meanings. Erection; conflict or a fight; doing battle with someone; anger; social power; justice; spiritual strength.

Heirloom: A heritage of attitudes from one’s family; will power or discrimination; strength to defend oneself and one’s rights. Consider background of dream for meaning.

Sword coming point first out of mouth: Angry words; argument or vicious verbal attack.

Sword hanging by a thread: threats hanging over one.

When sheathed: Power or anger under control, perhaps even forgiveness; strength held in reserve; the soul or self in the body.

Idioms: Shot in the arm; shot across the bows; shot to pieces; shot in the dark; long shot; Cross swords with someone; double edged sword; sword of Damocles.

See: cross under shapes and symbols; fight; attack; shot; war