A symbol of your self; wholeness, the inner self (spiritual). It could symbolize half of the whole self, with the other half being your feminine side. In a woman's dream it may represent her animus or her father.

In a woman's dream may be the animus figure, representing the masculine side of her personality.

(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

A Wise Old Man figure may appear in a mansdream, a Wise Old Woman in a woman's dream. The Wise Old Man may take various forms; for example, old bearded man, guru, priest or prophet, king, magician, teacher, The Wise Old Woman may appear as Earth Mother, Great Goddess, Mother Church, priestess or prophetess, teacher. Attend to whatever this figure tells you in dreams: the result could be a transformation of your personality and your life, in tune with your true self.

Such figures Jung called "mana" personalities. Mana denotes awesome, mysterious power associated with gods but also with natural phenomena and extraordinary human skills, genius, holiness, psychic powers and supranormal knowledge. These figures may therefore be frightening. If you find them too frightening, consult a {Jungian} therapist. People may let themselves be "possessed" - taken over by the Wise Old Man/Woman and become insufferably domineering, self-important, opinionated. Alternately, failure to acknowledge the "divine" wisdom and power within yourself may lead you to project it on to some authoritarian but not necessarily authoritative public figure, or guru, or personal aquaintance. Whatever such a " mana figure says to you in a dream will be extremely important and will almost certainly open up a new dimension of life for you.

Should the Wise Old Woman appear in a man's dreamor the Wise Old Man in a woman's dream, it may be the anima/animus that is being represented.

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.

Are those things that you are not aware of in your life, possibly unconscious aspects of the psyche. An invisible man or woman would indicate that those aspects {masculine or feminine} are not being utilized in a proper way in your life.

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?

Often symbolize virility and male sexuality. In a woman's dream it would symbolize the dreamer's own libido or primitive psyche energy. A bearded man may represent practical wisdom within the psyche.

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.