May be a feminine symbol, representing the mother, or some other woman, or women in general. In a man's dream it may symbolize the anima. The vessel {emotions-attitudes-belief system} in your life that you have attached your being to.

May be a symbol of depression or despair. May symbolize being swallowed by your mother (mother attachment). If a ship is sinking it may represent the end of something in your life.

Feminine qualities of the psyche. Qualities in yourself that you project onto other people. An older sister {for a female dreamer} may represent your "other self" {alter ego}, that side yourself that is neglected or undeveloped .

In a woman's dream, rape may represent either (unconscious) fears of sex or (masochistic) fantasies of being raped.

A man's dream of committing rape would probably be a straightforward symbol of sexual desire, but of a sadistic kind. You probably need to acquaint yourself with your own feminine qualities and let them play a larger role in your life. What are you trying to take vengeance for? Did your mother seem to withdraw her love from you as a boy?

A spider is a common symbol of mother as an object of fear or dislike and particularily in a mansdream. Freud sees it as a symbol of 'the phallic mother (big surprise), of whom we are afraid; so that the fear of spiders expresses dread of mother-incest and horror of the female genitals" (Freud's own italics). Try to get to know, not only your mother, but - more important - what your mother means to you. One way of doing this is to converse with the spider: hold it in your mind and ask it searching questions.

Reference: Eric Ackroyd

The act of incest in a dream may symbolize a real-life incident that you witnessed or were involved in. If this is the case, talk to a good psychotherapist.

For a man, a dream of incest with his daughter will usually express fear of the erotic element in your feelings toward his daughter in real life; but also be a straightforward expression of desire.

In a man's dreaminvolving his sister, the sister may represent the anima figure representing the feminine side of his nature.

In a man's dreamwith his mother, the mother may express the desire he felt for her as a boy.

For a woman, if the dream is about her father, it may be an expression of her (repressed) childhood desire for her father. A dream with her brother may be an animus symbol, her masculine qualities. A dream with incest with her son, or incestuous desires, are probably expressing her anxiety concerning her natural sensuous pleasure in the sight and touch of him.

A man's dreamor fantasized incest with his mother may represent a death-wish, a desire to return to the womb. This means your mother has properties of the Earth Mother (archetypal) in her negative, devouring aspect; he needs to throw off an attachment to his mother that is preventing the unfolding of his own individual self.

May represent mother; the unconscious; intuition; instincts; nature; personal growth.

(1) A whale may symbolize your mother, or feminity in general. If it looks as though it might swallow you, it may symbolize a dominant mother or mother-attactment that prevents you from developing as an independent person.

(2) Being swallowed by a whale my symbolize a descent into the unconscious {which may be quite terrifying}. The result may be the discovery of your true self {which in dreams might be represented by precious stones or other treasure.

Reference: Eric Ackroyd

(1) If there is some area in your life where you are - or feel - unable to "keep your head above water", this is probably what the dream is about. Dreams that follow may tell you what to do about the situation. You can either change the situation or change yourself, so that you react differently, or remove yourself (physically) from the situation.

(2) Water may be the symbol for the unconscious, so drowning may express a threat or fear of being swallowed up or taken over - overwhelmed - by unconscious forces. If there is such a threat, it will be from repressed or neglected contents of the unconscious. What have you been bottling up?

(3) Since water may represent the feminine, your dream may be asking you to do something about a mother-attachment that has been stunting your development as an individual in your own right. A mansfailure to free himself from such an attachment (which may be largely unconscious) may have disastrous results in his relationships with women - in whom he will always seek his mother. A woman, unlike a man, doesn't usually have to cope with the effects of an infantile incestuous fixation of her libido on her mother; but both Freud and Rank (Otto Rank) stressed the crucial influence of the mother on both male and female children: for all infants, male or female, the earliest deep attachment is to the mother., the source of nourishment. Moreover, for the achievement of normal development the female child must - according to Freud - perform the additional task of transferring her libidinal attachment from mother to father. Jung, too, regarded the liberating of oneself from psychological bondage to one's mother as the first great step in the process of self-realization.

Reference: Eric Ackroyd

(1) Contrasted with the sky, earth may symbolize a need to "keep your feet on the ground" or pay attention to "earthly" aspects of your being.

(2) It may be "Mother Earth", symbolizing your own mother. Bear in mind that earth, as well as giving birth to things, also swallows them up again (when they die). Similarly, your mother - or your attachment to her - may have a "devouring" aspect: one that hinders your individual development.

Mother Earth may also represent your unconscious. Life-giving energy comes up from the unconscious region. This is the "womb" that contains potential for further development. Again, this may present a negative effect: the unconscious may seem to be threatening the conscious ego's attempts to maintain order in your life. However, the menacing appearance of the unconscious is a sign that such "order" is precarious, having been achieved at the expense of neglecting important parts of your psyche. Wholeness is what counts.

(3) The planet earth seen as a sphere floating in space could be a symbol of your true self, as yet unrealized (i.e. not yet translated from idea or ideal into act and fact); wholeness, integration; or a weightless, relaxed "floating" with the life-giving currents that will carry you to fulfillment of your individual "destiny".

Reference: Eric Ackroyd

A symbol of your unconscious. You must come to terms with the frightening aspect in your life, found at the center of the labyrinth. Liberation from your mother. A path toward self-discovery (life is a labyrinth in which you must return to your center (unconscious self) for wholeness.

Dragon:

Animal instincts to be conquered, hence the battles of Saint George and Saint Michael with 'the dragon." The dragon fight is related to the archetypal themes of search/quest, the hero/heroine, and, in more modern terms, separating ourselves from the collective values of our parents/ancestors. The dragon can symbolize a guardian or guarding quality; something that needs to be guarded/protected in your life/psyche. As a devouring creature, it may represent negative aspects of the mother archetype. It shares much of the same symbolism as the snake, and both can symbolize the developing Self

Pagan/Wiccan Interpretation of Dragon {Positive}

Basic meaning: Unconscious fears that are repressed and need to be acknowledged

Symbolism in Dreams

The Jung/Freud Approach

Dragon

(1) Is the dragon guarding a treasure, or a cave which might contain treasure? If so, the cave probably represents your unconscious, the treasure represents yourself, the dragon that stands between you and your true self represents the fearsomeness of the unconscious, for one who is still afraid of what may be lurking there. This is a repression of the unconscious contents

(2) For Jung, the first stage of the individuation process is the conscious ego's heroic struggle {the hero/heroine journey of mythology} to lift itself out of the orginal all-encompassing unconsciousness and to establish control of unconscious forces. This finds symbolic representation in the legendary dragon-slayer, St George (St George = the ego; the dragon = the unconscious).

(3) The dragon may represent the devouring aspect of (your relationship with) your mother. 'slaying the dragon" may therefore mean putting an end to whatever in your attachment to your mother is detrimental to the process of finding your own psychic individuality. Once the individual has achieved liberation from the "dragon", the feminine side of the manspsyche and the masculine side of the womanspsyche will no longer appear in threatening form, but as an indispensable companion and guide in further stages of self-development.

(4) A dragon may represent the generative power of (Mother) Nature; the unconscious, felt as womb pregnant with new possibilities of life.

(5) A winged dragon may symbolize some kind of transcendence, some passing from "lower" to "higher" level of personal maturity.

(6) A dragon may be a symbol for your sexuality, particularily if it - your sexuality - frightens you. Is your fear irrationsal; or does sexuality threaten to rule your life? In either case, don't kill the "dragon"; if necessary tame it.

(In China, "chi" is good, life-giving energy and the channels it runs along are called "dragon-lines", which are said to follow underground water and underground magnetic fields).

Source: Eric Ackroyd

The wife in a mans dream may be his own wife, with no symbolism at all.

Even so, bear in mind that the way you relate to your wife {in the dream or in reality} may contain elements of your relation with your mother or your anima.

Seeing a deceased wife is common. Try to feel her and your love for her within yourself, rather than as an external experience.