Devil

Basic Meaning - A fear of those repressed contents of the unconscious that are, when acknowledged the very forces that could bestow a harmonious and balanced life.

(1) The Satan of Jewish - Christian - Islamic tradition was originally a horned fertility god, a personification of the fertilizing power of Nature {the tradition of God is separate from Nature}. In psychological terms, a fertilizing agent is something within the psyche that can inaugurate a new phase in the individual's development.

(2) The evil connotations of the devil figure may reflect the dreamer's fear of those repressed contents of the unconscious that are, in fact, the very forces that - if mobilized and utilized - could bestow a new and fuller life. What we repress is invariably something that had great value for us but on some occasion in the past gave rise to guilt-feelings or a fear of punishment. It is our fears that invest the unconscious with the fearsome characteristics of a dark underworld inhabited by evil monsters. In reality, the unconscious contains all the energy and wisdom we need for healing and wholeness.

It might be said that our fundamental human task is the conversion of the devil within ourselves, that is, converting negatively charged {dissident, destructive} psychic forces into positively charged {life-enhancing and unifying} powers. But you won't convert the devil with brute force, only with love. The negatively charged psychic forces are the ones you neglect and despise or fear. They become positively charged when you acknowledge them and integrate them into your conscious life.

If we do not recognize the "devil" within ourselves, we shall project him onto others and thereby give more scope for hatred and destruction {the real devil!} in the world.

{3} In certain contexts - if, for example, he has horns or is sexually involved with naked women - the devil may be a sexual symbol. If sexuality is repressed in such a guise in a woman's dream, it is possibly because she has a fear of sexual relations. In a man's dreamthe indication might be that he has a guilt-ridden attitude towards his own sexuality {which Freud might trace back to anxiety arising out of the normal male infant's erotic feelings for his mother}.

Demons

Demons in dreams probably represent parts of your unconscious mind that have been repressed and neglected and are now threatening to disrupt or mutilate the psyche. They should be approached lovingly, given attention and integrated into your conscious life. This will bring about their "conversion": They will cease to threaten and will contribute their vital energies to the enhancement of the self.

Self-knowledge - knowing what we are carrying around with us in our unconscious - is the only sure defence against what in ancient times was called demonic possession, which in psychological terms means the conscious ego being taken over by unconscious forces {obsessive fear or anger, or whatever}.

Reference: Eric Ackroyd

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}

Knowledge, wisdom; creative powers; abitity to achieve goals.

(1) Abundant hair may signify virility or male sexuality.

(2) Long matted hair or a (long white) beard may symbolize wisdom - available in your unconscious depths.

(3) Cutting hair may symbolize loss of virility, or castration.

(4) Pubic hair and (in a woman's dream) hair in armpits or on legs may symbolize sexuality.

(5) Loss of hair/baldness may express (fears of) getting old and/or unwanted.

Reference: Eric Ackroyd

Seeing a snake or be bitten by one in your dream means hidden fears and worries that are threatening you. Your dream may be alerting you to something in your waking life that you are not aware of or that has not yet surfaced. The snake may also be seen as phallic and thus symbolize dangerous and forbidden sexuality. The snake may also refer to a person around you who is callous, ruthless, and can't be trusted. As a positive symbol, snakes represent transformation, knowledge and wisdom. It is indicative of self-renewal and positive changes.

the way you see things; wisdom, knowledge; your true self (as in the eye of God); if eyes are open, seeing with clarity.

Seeing a head in your dream means wisdom, intellect, understanding and rationality. It may also represent your accomplishments, self-image, and perception of the world. Dreaming that someone is trying to rip your head off, suggests that you are not see a situation or problem clearly. Perhaps you are refusing to see the truth. You have to confront the situation or the person despite the pain and discomfort you might feel in doing so.

May symbolize authority and wisdom. But be careful not to relinquish your own inner wisdom in favor of some external imposed authoritarian code of belief and behavior.

A symbol of your spiritual Self. Symbolizes wisdom, insight, compassion, discipline and inner spirituality.

Seeing a centaur in your dream, symbolizes the duality of human nature. It indicates that you are trying to balance your intellectual/mental nature with your physical nature. The centaur also represents humanity, wisdom, and compassion.

Wisdom. Support for expressing oneself.

wisdom, your wise self.

Could represent a positive meaning - wisdom or valuable knowledge, or negative- mere opinions, theories or superficial learning. May also symbolize knowledge, intellect, information and wisdom. Dreaming of children's books may represent a collection of personal memories from your own childhood. It may also suggest your desire to escape from reality and retreat into some fantasy world.

Basic meaning: Wiser, more mature masculine aspect of self; straightforward representation of your father.

(1) For men, father may be a conscience figure. If this is the case, bear in mind that your father's prohibitions and commands will probably represent either conventional moral options which may have no relevance to your true nature or "destiny", or irrational fears and feelings of guilt that began to take shape in you in early childhood.

(2) For a woman, father may figure in a dream as one who generates affection.

(3) The presence of your father may be a straightforward representation of him, or of the way you see/remember him (which may owe more to your subjective distortions than to what your father actually is or was). In any case, the reason for your father appearing in the dream will be shown by the part he plays in the dream story.

(4) If your father features in the dream as a protector, it may be that you need to "grow up" and rely on your own resources. After all, life can hurt you only if you let it, only if you identify with your emotional self instead of with that deep layer of yourself that is immune to life's pains and perils.

(5) Father may be an animus figure representing a womans(unconscious) masculine qualities. In this case, the dream may be suggesting that she should cultivate this countrasexual side of her nature.

(6) Frequent appearances by eithet parent, or both, in dreams may be a sign that you have not thrown off an infantile over-dependence on them. Jung cites a young man's dreamin which the mansfather appeared as a drunken driver, smashing his car into a wall. This is the exact opposite of the real father, who was a most respectable person, rightly - but too too much - respected by the son. What the unconscious was doing through the dream was dethroning the father in order to enable the son to achieve a proper sense of himself as a person in his own right, with his own unique destiny and values.

Reference: Eric Ackroyd

The Buddha figure symbolizes much the same as does the figure of Jesus. Historically, their lives parallel each other.. Therefore, the symbol of Jesus in a dream often has the same meaning as that of the Buddha.

A Buddha figure will probably signify either your true self or the wisdom that lies in the unconscious and beyond reach until you resolve to get better acquainted with your psyche, or the healing required for your conflict ridden psyche.