Shadowy Figure
In the example, Gloria is meeting her own feeling of fear. This is obvious because the shadowy thing felt the fear also. In fact it is the feeling of fear. Such shadowy figures are our own rejected emotions or potentials. It is the aspect of ourselves we reject, the secondary side of our personality, its non dominant traits. See: the shadow under archetypes.
Example: ‘A shadow thing came very quickly up the stairs along our corridor and into the bedroom, over to the bed to bend over me. I felt fear as I never felt it before and I started to make a noise. It was also the shadow making the noise and it was frightened, and moved towards the window. I felt sorry it was frightened too, but then it was too late as it had gone. I woke up making a howling noise, my husband said, he felt the fear in the room strongly too.’ Gloria F.
But there are two very different aspects to the Shadow, illustrated by these two dreams.
I am in a very dark, bleak house, with a young boy. It is night outside and the house is isolated. A dark, shadowy, Thing, is trying to get into the house. I am terrified of it, and I am holding the young boy behind me protectively while I try to keep the door closed with my foot, as the Thing batters at it. – James H.
James explored his dream by imagining opening the door and meeting the Thing. When he did this, feelings from childhood arose – the young boy. He felt the fear of the German bombs he had experienced in his youth. He realised that this hidden – shadowy – fear had kept him from taking risks in life. In meeting the Thing he was now free of that fear. Most of the shadowy creatures of our dreams are expressions of similar fears or hurts, and if me, can be just as transformative.
A rather shadowy man gave me a leather pull-string purse or pouch. In the pouch was powder that the man suggested I pour onto my rather stained trousers. Immediately the powder started working like yeast, cleansing and purifying my trousers in a spreading action. I knew that this yeast, or pollen, had also penetrated my body, and was gradually working through me, purifying and healing. – Adrian.
Adrian’s dream shows the very positive side of the shadow figure. In many dreams the shadowy person or animal expresses not only your hidden fears and pains, but also the parts of your personality that through shyness or circumstances, may not be expressed. The shadowy man that Adrian meets gives him a great gift of healing. At the time of the dream Adrian was in a very loving relationship. For the first time in his life he was able to love unconditionally. That is, he loved even if he got no response from his partner. The dream is showing him that this magical outpouring is purifying and healing him. See: the shadow under archetypes.
All dreams are like computer games, it is all virtual reality and even if you are killed in a game or a dream you are never hurt – except pride or by fear. So realising that you can change the whole inner world by standing and challenging what you face, knowing that nothing can hurt you, can change the way you feel about yourself – and the frightening thing.
So go back into the dreams and imagine being eaten or falling or whatever the scary thing is. Nothing will happen except some feelings; and the more often you do it the less it will be felt.
It is different if it was happening to you in waking life – but you are carrying such fears into your inner life, where they do not apply.
Comments
Hello, I had a really weird thing happen. Any ideas would be great.
One night my husband and I were sleeping when in my dream I saw a black shadow man leaning over me almost touching my face. It felt evil. I screamed and woke up. My husband also woke up and asked, “Did you see him?” I said, “Yes!” We both saw the same thing at the same time. We talked about it and it was very scary because we could not explain it. It has not happened since.
Hi – It would help you to understand your dreams, if you would read – http://dreamhawk.com/news/summing-up/ and also http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/features-found-on-site/ which has so much information in.
Nothing can replace your own ability to understand your dream. With a little effort you can do this by practising what is described in – http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/acting-on-your-dream/#BeingPerson or http://dreamhawk.com/dream-dictionary/getting-at-your-dreams-meaning/
Tony
Jenni – Seeing the same thing at the same time doesn’t necessarily mean it was an external figure, because couples who are close often share their inner life. But also the dream process can break through into consciousness. If this occurs without warning it can be very disturbing.
This ability of dreams figures to appear while we are dreaming or awake can cause much fear, simply because we do not understand the basics of our inner mind.
You have read the entry on shadowy figures, it there is an aspect not mentioned – it is that we are much bigger than we believe. The psychiatrist Jung said that we are like a small reflected light on a large ball. The small light is our conscious self, our personality. The rest of the large ball is our process of life that works keeping us breathing, our heart beating even while we sleep. That part of us is huge, and is a person begins to become slightly aware of it, the Hugeness that we are, we often react to it in our dreams or in waking with fear or panic. So we dream of being attacked by aliens or frightening creatures; or being swallowed by a whale or something huge, a tsunami, or even possessed by evil entities. If we realise that they are things we have created through our own fear we will pass on. But otherwise it will continue to haunt us as something that will get you; or you feel uncertain even lost in facing it! But it is only our small self image, our ego that reacts because it feels powerless, even though in reality the Hugeness is part of our totality. It is the enormous potential you have within you, it is Life you are frightened of or have been ignoring. It often frightens us. We fear that our ego or personality as it is, will be lost, destroyed or overcome by the Hugeness. My experience is that nothing is ever lost, instead we are added to. See http://dreamhawk.com/inner-life/extending-your-awareness/
In my dream, it wasn’t my shadow but my sisters. My family and I have had a lot of trouble with my sister here recently as well as in the past so I feel like that has something to do with it since she’s addicted to drugs. But in my dream, I was trying to save my sister from this “darkness”. I’m not sure whether it was a shadow exactly because it was extremely dark and was latched onto her and nothing I did could stop the darkness from taking over her.
So I have a dream that there was a shadow figure standing next to my bed. And every time I try looking at it, my body get paralyzed and I can’t move. Then somehow I keep jumping out of my window to land in my bed again, to the same man standing over me looking at me and I’m helpless. Until I finally scream then I woke up. (Not sure if I scream in real life too)
Hi – It would help you to understand your dreams, if you would read – http://dreamhawk.com/approaches-to-being/questions-2/#Summing and also http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/features-found-on-site/ which has so much information in.
Nothing can replace your own ability to understand your dream. With a little effort you can do this by practising what is described in – http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/acting-on-your-dream/#BeingPerson or http://dreamhawk.com/dream-dictionary/getting-at-your-dreams-meaning/
Tony
Korbin – The clue is that you are paralyzed. Our voluntary movements are inhibited during periods of the dream process. All brain signals to the voluntary muscles are stopped. Therefore if we become slightly awake and attempt to move at that time we feel paralysed.
Example: ‘It starts as a dream, but I gradually become aware that I cannot move. The harder I try to move the worse it gets and I become very frightened.
The shadowy figure is created by your fear through not being in control. While we sleep our conscious self is largely or totally unconscious, and while we dream our voluntary muscles are paralysed – therefore another will or motivating force moves our body. So we have a Conscious Will, and what I will call a Life Will. The first one we have experience of as we can move our arm or speak in everyday activities; but the second will takes over when we sleep. See http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/sleep-paralysis/
You attempt to escape by jumping out of the window, but your dream is giving you an enormous message – you are helpless.
If we can understand that we have two levels of will, the conscious will that enables us to move around and make decisions while awake, and the Life will that takes over when we dream, creating full surround environments and events, and paralyses our conscious will to some extent. The Life will that we confront in dreams and sleep paralysis is what directs all the functions of our body and mind. It is far more important than our conscious self, and actually needs to take over more fully sometimes to regulate, grow and harmonise our being. When the unconscious will pushes through to waking awareness we experience it as what have been called hallucinations, a voice speaking to us, spontaneous movements or speech, as happens in dreams. For may people who experience sleep paralysis they feel a terror that either some outside force has or is taking control of them; or else they fear they are dying. The images we see if this state are actually created by these fears and are not external beings trying to control us. It is our fear of this great Life Will that causes it. It is strange indeed that we are terrified of our own life process. See http://dreamhawk.com/approaches-to-being/opening-to-life/ – http://dreamhawk.com/interesting-people/edgar-cayce-and-the-cosmic-mind-superminds/
I am new to this site. I had a dream when I first started to doze off to see sleep. It was of a Black Silhouette of a man with his arms crossed over his chest. I couldn’t see a face, it was pitch black. He was staring at me. It really scared me and I woke up and told my husband about it. 2 days later my husband died of a massive brain aneurysm, he was way to young (50s) for this to happen. I’m really trying to find out what this meant. It has stuck in my head
Hi – I am stopping from answering your posts fully – but will try to give hints; sometimes long ones because I quote from masses I have already put online. Also I need to take time to update the site – dreamhawk.
It would help you to understand your dreams, if you would read – http://dreamhawk.com/approaches-to-being/questions-2/#Summing also http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/features-found-on-site/
Nothing can replace your own ability to understand your dream. With a little effort you can do it by practicing what is described in – http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/acting-on-your-dream/#BeingPersonOrThing
Tony
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.
So the scary black silhouette is an aspect of you that you are frightened of. A modern view of the personality says that our mind is made up of many modules which are quite distinct. These modules, such as the sexual drive and the ability to speak, usually function in a way which is reasonably integrated. But many areas of dissimilarity are evident if we closely observe the workings of our own responses to life experiences. Because we each hold certain ideas about ourselves – our self image – things we do which do not express this self image may shock or even frighten us. Actions arising from a module of oneself which does not express our accepted self image, may give rise not only to fear, but also a sense of evil, or being possessed by evil. Use http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/acting-on-your-dream/#BeingPersonOrThing
Hi, first time ever sharing a dream with someone I don’t kno but maybe some light can be shined upon me.
I had a dream last night which I was woken up by my wife due to me screaming, moaning and crying.
My dream was about me in my current house but in my dream I was in the basement here but there was 2 doorways one at the bottom of the steps to the left( which is normally there) and another door where a bed is currently at now. The new door way had a light inside where a tv was on but the picture was snowy with no sound. I quickly left the room. I got the bed in which my dresser is now and my brother was there and I told him to move over, mind I’m scared and frightened in my dream. As I laid down in the bed and before I can put the covers over me, I noticed something move in front of me. It’s was a shadowy figure of a small boy, I say boy because that’s what my mind proclaimed it to be. It was in a stepping forward movement left foot was in front and the right foot behind it. I can remember in my dream I had raised my hand to it cuz I was scared, but I think I scared it too, because as soon as it ran away from me towards the doorway that’s originally at the bottom of the basement steps, as it ran I felt a force pull me with it. But I had fallen and froze because of being so l couldn’t move no more. At this point I could see it slowly creepy to the doorway to where I can almost see its arm, mind you during this time I’m crying, screaming, and loudly moaning to the point my wife woke me up. Maybe this shadowy figure was just as scared as I was but I can’t grasp the understanding of it. Please this the first time I’ve actually had a dream of shadowy figure. A boy figure at that which my mind proclaimed it to be. I’ve had night terrors before waking up screaming but never had one with a shadowy figure in them like this one
Hi – I must take time to upgrade the dream dictionary, so must halt from answering your posts – I started revising the dictionary 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. And often it would help too if you looked at http://dreamhawk.com/approaches-to-being/questions-2/#Summing
Tony
The basement is like going downstairs in yourself, and meeting things you didn’t know about yourself – the first things are usually your past childhood traumas, and then an amazing new world of experience. The two doors are different directions you can take in this exploration of you. See http://dreamhawk.com/approaches-to-being/lifes-little-secrets/
There is nothing that can hurt you, for 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.
I had a dream about a shadowy figure it didnt say anything but did sign languge and told me to go up a hill ps. 10 years old
Last night I had a dream my boyfriend and I were driving down a road in the dark with trees both sides. He was driving.
Even though the headlights were on, I was seeing dark figures cycling on both sides of the road. I shouted at him to put his full beams on so he doesn’t crash into them; he took a while to finally do it.
When the full beams were on, I still couldn’t see the cyclists clearly, they remained black and shadowy. Then a black hooded (pointy hood) figure ran/floated across the road from the other side to run us off the road.
I felt as though it was female and mischievous. My boyfriend steered us off the road in the direction she came from, I said to him ‘Try to control it [the car]’ and remained calm.
When I awoke I had paralysis but not for long as I forced myself to move, and was lying on my back.
Not sure if this is related:
Earlier yesterday, I went to go pick up my car having not driven it for 4 weeks due to a broken foot. The rear wheel had ceased. My BF drove it to try and loosen it but it didn’t work, it’s at the garage today.
I’ve had other driving dreams lately too.
On another note:
Lately I have been embracing spiritualty and following my instincts. I’ve been seeing numbers in double everyday; looking at the clock at exactly 10:10, 11:11, 12:12, 13:13 and so on! Angel number related to spirituality, soul purpose, creativity, manifestation, synchronicity, awakening code.
Any thoughts?!
Dear Zoe – To better understand the symbol of your boyfriend driving the car, please read http://dreamhawk.com/inner-life/the-driving-seat/
What I see in your dream is that the black and shadowy cyclists reflect a shadow part of you that wants to be explored; reason why they show up in your dream; http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/acting-on-your-dream/#BeingPerson
They possibly reflect the least developed side of our personality; bicycling may reflect personal effort or motivation which gets you somewhere.
For many people a bicycle was their first experience of mastering a body skill and gaining greater freedom.
Freedom could mean that you do not need to tell your boyfriend how you want him to direct your own (inner) life; “I shouted at him to put his full beams” and “I said to him ‘Try to control it [the car].”
Control and letting go of control also relate very fully to what we know about ourselves. This is because with too tight a control on what we allow ourselves to feel or experience we build a barrier against the re-experiencing and healing of old painful events, and also for the arising of new aspects of our potential to emerge; http://dreamhawk.com/approaches-to-being/opening-to-life/
Being in the driving seat yourself or bicycling yourself will enable you to bring your focus back to your own inner world and to develop more awareness of what is going on there; “When the full beams were on, I still couldn’t see the cyclists clearly, they remained black and shadowy.”
The black hooded figure that tries to run you off the road I see as a symbol of the trickster
who makes an effort to help you change your course which could lead to (inner) change.
Trickster delights in all sorts of pranks mischief and jokes. James Lewis, in his book The Dream Encyclopaedia, says that Trickster is not by nature evil, even though the results of his/her activities are often unpleasant.
These activities centre around bringing attention to what you tend to hide from yourself and also maybe from others.
The trickster is also the unexpected aspect of life which for no reason at all emerges into our carefully arranged life to upset it. Trickster is a shape shifter and so has the possibility of transformation.
Not being in the driver’s seat in your dream and “embracing spirituality” could reflect an approach that is called “spiritual bypass”.
“Spiritual bypass is a defence mechanism. Although the defence looks a lot prettier than other defences, it serves the same purpose.
Spiritual bypass shields you from being able to see who and where you are. I understand that this is a tall order. If I become present to who I am, all of me, there is a lot there that I usually don’t want to see. For most people this consists of shame, anxiety, anger, loneliness, self-loathing, our “dark” shadow side, and the list goes on.(Quoted from “Psychology today”)
For “following instincts”, please read http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/instinct/
Anna 🙂
I had a dream/nightmare that I was being chased in a mid evil time scenery by different figures that didn’t have human faces couldn’t really tell the face it got to the part that I got surrounded by these figures and the closer they got a shadow was covering them from head to toe and from a far distant I saw the same figures but light it seemed like they wanted to help me but couldn’t and then the shadow people overwhelmed me and I woke up
Dear Aldo – What you are chased by is what Jung called “The Shadow”. The Shadow is any part of ourselves that we reject, and so do not allow sufficient expression in our life. We may so dislike aspects of our nature we fail to recognise them altogether and instead see them in other people and criticise them.
The shadow develops in us, according to Jolande Jacobi, because as we grow and absorb our culture, we naturally repress parts of our nature as they are not acceptable to ourselves and/or society. These grow and mature in just the way our conscious personality does, through experience and further information – except the shadow has a life under the surface – in the darkness – like any socially unacceptable organisation, criminal activity or individual. But often it is the functions or instincts in us that date from prehistory, when present day social and sexual restraints did not have survival value, that make up a large part of the shadow.
If you can think of the characteristics you loathe in others, then you get a fair picture of what you repress in yourself.
Anything moving toward you in a dream usually signifies that you are becoming more aware of it, feeling it more intensely. So being chased in a dream usually denotes that you are feeling something you fear more intensely and are trying to avoid confronting it. This is not usually a good policy, as you can never get away from yourself.
The “light figures” are a reflection of your potential that is there to help you when you stop running and meet and integrate your shadow part. That way you accept every part of yourself; the dark and the light.
Because you still perceive meeting your shadow – the feelings and fears – as overwhelming, it may help to use http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/secrets-power-dreaming/
Please also read http://dreamhawk.com/dream-dictionary/evil/ and http://dreamhawk.com/dream-dictionary/history/
Anna 🙂
I’m not being chased. I’m chasing a flirtatious and playful FEMALE shadow figure.
The shadowy figure will not let me see their face. We’re in a large house with many rooms, corridors and places to hide. Only I speak. I tell the shadow that it’s unfair of them to taunt and tease.
When I awaken, I’m covered in goosebumps and cold. Not scared during the dream sequence but somewhat freaked when I awaken.
My wife died from cancer last year at this time.
I’ve never had a dream like this in my life.
Dear Don – If you are chasing someone or something in your dream it shows what you are making an effort to gain in life, but the thing/person you are pursuing might be difficult to arrive at, possible because of your own feelings about attaining it.
The FEMALE shadowy figure may reflect your inner female – http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/archetype-of-the-anima-jungs-view-of-the-female-in-the-male/ – and because you create your own dream, you may want to explore what is keeping you from meeting her in a way that is fulfilling to you.
Perhaps you can imagine taking off your “mask of complacency” – stop hiding – and dare to feel the needs of your authentic self; http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/active-imagination-and-dreams/?
Anna 🙂
I had a dream where i was outside in my neighborhood. I was walking around and heard a whistle. I then start back to my home then i turn and see a shadow figure a good distance behind me. It just stands there and i continue on my way home. Then it was like a time skip. I went go for a run when it was kinda dark out, but there was a full moon, which makes sense since i go for runs after diner which is like 4-5. So anyways, i was on my way back the same way i went back earlier and heard the whistling again. I looked back, like before, and seen the shadow figure again. This time he starts running after me so, i took off and turned into the road that runs beside my house and i looked back to see it still running after me. Like i said before, it was a full moon so i could see that is was solid black and seen no features. Then it skips to me telling my parents what happened and they didn’t believe me. That is when i woke up
Dear Michael – To understand that dreams make sense on a different level than “which makes sense since I go for runs after dinner which is like 4-5” it might be helpful to read http://dreamhawk.com/news/summing-up/
To hear a whistle in your dream can represent a warning in the sense of something is requiring your immediate attention. When you first meet the shadow – an aspect in your inner world that you rather avoid meeting – it does not seem to move (you) yet. The second meeting shows that the shadow is probably related to how you deal with the power of your inner drives, your inner motivations and your running in your dream expresses that you have a strong and easy motivation in general and the whistle warns you to use it for the right purpose.
When the shadow starts chasing you it signifies that you are becoming more aware of it, feeling it more intensely. So being chased in a dream usually denotes that you are feeling something you fear more intensely and are trying to avoid confronting it. This is not usually a good policy, as you can never get away from yourself.
Looking back twice in your dream might refer to the shadow being “created” in your past and going back “the same way” is about exploring what happened there.
The shadow develops in us, according to Jolande Jacobi, because as we grow and absorb our culture, we naturally repress parts of our nature as they are not acceptable to ourselves, our parents and/or society. These parts grow and mature in just the way our conscious personality does, through experience and further information – except the shadow has a life under the surface – in the darkness – like any socially unacceptable organisation, criminal activity or individual.
You perceive the shadow as “solid” which might reflect a belief, not a fact.
Your parents not believing you expresses a conflict inside you between what you feel/sense/perceive/believe now and the beliefs you absorbed or created in the past.
Exploring the shadowy figure will enable you to meet it, make it aware and digest it; http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/acting-on-your-dream/#BeingPerson
When we digest, whether it is an idea, something we have read or learned, it has to be first surrendered to the life process. We can see this in our body – it is first chewed and swallowed, then broken down into parts and the useful stuff, the building stuff, can be taken into us and the rest is passed out. The important thing is that whether it is dead or living food, it is transformed into our own living being – in other words our living understanding. If it has not been transformed through digestion it is like something dead inside us. But to be capable of such digestion we must swallow the experience and allow our unknown self to do its work, as described in Life’s Little Secrets; http://dreamhawk.com/approaches-to-being/lifes-little-secrets/
I believe that it is important to not repress aspects/energies in your inner world especially when you have a high level of energy; I have experienced that the power I have to create (inside my inner world) equals the power I have to destroy; http://dreamhawk.com/dream-dictionary/evil/
Let me know if you have any questions Michael.
Anna 🙂
This dream cut across the middle of another more inane dream about watching a tv sitcom live and scared me enough to make me check every room in the house before I went back to sleep:
I was driving a large executive saloon at night past a patch of wasteland when and remembered that the last time I’d been here (but I’d never been there before) there was a jolly man standing in the scrub with a dog. They weren’t there now and I worried that something had happened to him and he might be injured.
I parked up and walked over to where I’d seen him last (but I’d never seen him before) to see if he was lying nearby hurt. While walking over, his dog reappeared from deeper in the long grass, it no longer appeared friendly and I stopped where I was, fearing that it may attack me. It moved forward with purpose, not toward me, but behind and to my left toward the road and behind the car where now another unfamiliar dog was sat.
I was feeling very uncomfortable near these two dogs and decided to return to the car, as I walked back to the cars the dogs moved with me in a flanking fashion as if to cut off my escape if I ran.
I re-entered the vehicle without being molested. Once I was back in the drivers seat I looked back toward the wasteland and a shadowy figure was stood looking at me. I could not see his face but he was wearing ragged, tight fitting black clothing. I could feel hatred emanating from him, directed at me and he started to walk slowly toward the car. I panicked and locked the doors of the car, the dogs were now outside the doors and snarling at me inside. I looked for the keys, they were in the ignition but for some reason I could not bring myself to start the car. At this point I awoke, sweating and breathing heavily.
So anyone have any ideas? There seems to be a lot of imagery mixed up in this one, would like some help interpreting thanks
Dear Steve j – The realisation of what you hold within you unconsciously is projected onto the screen of your mind while you dream.
And so everything you see as outside of you (the car, the dogs, the wasteland, the shadowy figure etc.) is coming from you, your emotions, your fears, your beliefs etc. and your explorations are all you, clothed in the dream images and drama.
If you after waking up, project your fears and beliefs onto your house, then you might want to check what is in the rooms.
There is nothing there though, because it is all still in your inner world either projected onto the screen of your mind while you dream, or projected into the rooms of your house while you are awake.
See also http://dreamhawk.com/dream-dictionary/projection/
So let’s have a look at what you have created in your inner world; http://dreamhawk.com/inner-life/inner-world/#MakesInner
Your dream starts with driving through a neglected area of yourself – the wasteland – and at that moment you remember an aspect of you that you have left behind; the jolly man with his dog; http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/acting-on-your-dream/#BeingPerson
While walking over your feelings change from feeling worried to fear and you become aware that your inner dogs have turned against you; http://dreamhawk.com/dream-dictionary/dog/
and you feel uncomfortable with them (your natural feelings?)
When you are back in the driver’s seat – http://dreamhawk.com/inner-life/the-driving-seat/ – you are willing to look back at this neglected area inside yourself and you become aware of what you have neglected and rejected in the form of a shadowy figure.
“He was wearing ragged, tight fitting black clothing”. This might be a symbol of being too restricted in attitude or being tight emotionally. It can also suggest you feel restrained or held back in some way; ragged refers to old habits that are no longer useful.
It might take some practice to learn to look at your shadow without hating yourself for what you see; http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/the-archetype-of-the-shadow/
Looking at these rejected parts of yourselves without judgment will help you move towards change, rather than feeling paralysed.
See also http://dreamhawk.com/approaches-to-being/the-lifestream/
Anna 🙂
Last week i woke up and at the end of my bed was a tall dark figure and you could not see his face was all dark , it looked like he had a cloak on and the cloak was over his head , to which when i woke up all the breath was removed out of my body , i suppose i classed it some ones last breath and also my body i had no control over , well thats what happened to me and i would like any ideas , thanks.
Hi, i had a dream of a shadow figure standing beside my bed, never happened before, it was right after a nightmare, it did’t get scared at first, because it happened after the nightmare, but i look and it had like white shiny arms and a white shiny face, couldn’t tell what it was, i just screamed and woke up.
Dear Calos – I believe that all of us have to deal with a certain fear for “The Huge Unknown”, which could be expressed as a fear for our so called “dark and hidden parts”, but also for “the Light that shines through it”.
See http://dreamhawk.com/dream-dictionary/what-we-need-to-remember-about-us-3/#Reaction
Light also means being able to understand and have insight, to see. Lightness of heart, hope, confidence and release from dark feelings and fear.
In a way we are always light and darkness and both are a part of our experience in this world, a world of duality.
See also http://dreamhawk.com/dream-dictionary/what-we-need-to-remember-about-us-3/#DualBeing
and
http://dreamhawk.com/dream-dictionary/whole-2/
I believe that your nightmare served as a means to let go of some of your inner darkness – unfortunately you did not share your nightmare with us – and so it gave you the opportunity to face some of your rejected emotions and your inner potential as well.
We are all born with an immense potential that often remains latent because of the condition of our body, our education, our prevalent social teachings, or our belief that what authority figures and parents say is taken as truth. As Plato said so long ago, “Strange times are these in which we live when old and young are taught falsehoods in school. And the person that dares to tell the truth is called at once a lunatic and a fool”.
Perhaps you feel like “Being the shadow” and see if you can move beyond the symbol to get a feeling understanding of “the darkness and the light” that are part of your experience in this world?
See http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/acting-on-your-dream/#BeingPerson
Anna 🙂
I had a dream about a big black figure standing at my front door and i was downstairs since the front door is right there and through the window i could see it standing there and it was night and i was kinda scared it even rang the door bell.
Dear JunoT – Please also read the comment to Jake’s dream.
I take it you have read that in many dreams the shadowy person expresses not only your hidden fears and pains, but also the parts of your personality that through shyness or circumstances may not be expressed.
So the big, black figure could also be a symbol of your still unexpressed potential.
See http://dreamhawk.com/dream-dictionary/potential/
Either way it will be a healing experience and another step toward wholeness to open the door and meet this content from your unconscious mind; meeting this area of yourself that for one reason or another you cannot yet see, reason why it is night in your dream.
See also http://dreamhawk.com/inner-life/the-unconscious-2/
You can use Power Dreaming to answer this inner call to let “your shadow” in; to stop repressing it.
See also http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/defence-mechanisms/
and
http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/secrets-power-dreaming/
Good Luck!
Anna 🙂
In my dream which I had dreamed before I felt something different I had felt like a breeze was following me then in my dream I turned left and saw a perfectly shape head that was made of shadows coming out of the ground and the aura he was letting off was turning the ground black then in a split second all I saw was blackness and I was awoken and it all happened within a second and deep down I can feel I am still scared.
The Thing I saw looked like
http://images.rapgenius.com/d05d2016da7384ce0e4f8f001d0f560c.600x600x1.jpg
Dear Jake – In your dream you become aware of an outpouring of thoughts and feelings you have pushed down, refused to look at or acknowledge for “some time”.
We tend to be afraid of our shadow, when we judge it as “bad”.
And so it will be helpful to learn to look at anything in your dreams or anything that arises from your unconscious mind without judging it.
See also http://dreamhawk.com/approaches-to-being/lifes-little-secrets/
Without judging you are more likely to allow the potentially life enhancing energy that is part of your shadow too.
It is also good to understand that shadowy figures take time to clarify.
They have remained in a condition of never having been felt or known fully, and so are unclear and pre-verbal. Knowing them means gradually understanding through experiencing them, and being able to describe and integrate them.
It is important to meet your shadow and “the blackness” – and so to move beyond your resistances – for out of this fundamental earthiness, the new person you can become can emerge.
See http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/defence-mechanisms/
and
http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/dreams-growth-and-the-trackless-way/
Anna 🙂