Your super-ego (your moral principle - Freud). An authoritative figure. Is this aspect good or bad?

Male sexuality (a Macho symbol). In a woman's dream it symbolizes her masculine side; assertiveness, ego, power to control.

May represent the unconscious as threatening to engulf the conscious ego. May represent the sweeping strength of some emotion.

Struggle between the inner self and outer ego. Using the masculine aspects to destroy other vital aspects of the psyche.

May symbolize your dominating ego. Or it may represent a dominating unconscious that unknowing controls your conscious life. The bully may be seen as your shadow Self which you have rejected.

The outer self, ego, persona. Covering up with is underneath. Barking, as in a dog barking, may indicate you are overly emphasizing something that should be cultivated.

Basic Meaning: Merging of energies, aspects or qualities within yourself.

(1) In dreams of sex your partner may symbolize some part of your own psyche, for example, your anima if you are a male, or your animus if your are a female (see Glossary of Jungian Termnology), and the sexual act will then be a symbol of the union of opposites which leads to wholeness and balance in your personality.

(2) Having sex in a dream is may be a straightforward expression of sexual desire. Sex with someone other than your partner may express desire for that person and/or dissatisfaction with your partner.

(3) Uninhibited sex in a dream would suggest that the dreamer's actual sex life is uninhibited.

(4) Another reason for paying attention to dreams depicting sexual relations is that your shadow (see Shadow) may be very prominent in sex; so here is a way of getting to know your alter-ego, the hidden part of yourself.

Reference: Eric Ackroyd

Freud theorized that there were two types of dream content manifest and latent.

Manifest (superficial) content, he believed, had no significance because it was a mask for underlying (unconscious) issues of the dream. He believed the latent content contained unconscious wishes or fantasies. He also postulated that dreams originated either from the id or the ego. If it originated from the ego-it satisfied an instinct, according to Freud. If it originated from the id, it solved a conflict.

Probably the most well-known of the modern dream philosophers was Sigmund Freud. Freud first developed the theory about the role of the unconscious on the individual. Freud believed the dream worked on two levels. A straightforward level showed events in dreams as remembered. However in the latent level objects and actions in the dreams symbolize sexual and aggressive feelings and ideas that are repressed. So in dreams it protects the sleeper from the effects of a realization of these wishes. The dream taps into the desire for wish fulfilment when the controlling ego is relaxed during sleep. Freud wrote "All dreams are in a sense dreams of convenience, they help to prolong sleep instead of waking up. Dreams are the guardians of sleep and not its disturbers. "

Carl Jung believed a dreams content uses symbolic language. He proposed that a dream expresses collective racial unconscious memories and instincts shared by all people. These are basic ideas that are themselves symbols. These include the hero, monster, mother, father, mandala, sacrifice and the mask. Dreams also indicate the way to self actualization Jungian therapy in fact deals extensively with dreams and fantasies.

Today, most psychologists agree with Jung's theory, and it is this theory that makes dream interpretation something that we can use in our everyday lives. If Freud were alive today he would disagree with every theory that says you are able to interpret your own dreams. Jung believed that, although it was difficult, dreams were meant to be understood.

May be a symbol of suppression or repression, the action by which we try to get rid of something in our psyche usually a desire that offends our moral sense or brings about a threat of punishment. Self-rejection in a dream is the "conscience" or 'super-ego" interjected social conventions and attitudes - that does the rejecting, and often the victim is sexual desire.

Sun

(1) The sun may be a symbol of the self (i.e. your true and total self), or of the conscious ego.

(2) It may symbolize intelligence, as distinct from intuition.

Moon

From prehistoric times the moon has been regarded as the source of all fertility. It governs ocean tides and rainfall, menstruation and birth. (Even when seen as male, the moon has been associated with fertility: for example, in Australian aboriginal tradition, the moon makes women pregnant.) It therefore symbolizes (the possibility of) personal growth.

Reference: Eric Ackroyd

The difference between suppressing a desire and repressing it is that suppression is done consciously and repression is done unconsciously. Neither suppression nor repression, however, is a satisfactory solution to a personal problem. Both result in an inflated super-ego {conscience} and a more troublesome shackled and frustrated id {instinctive drives}.

By looking at your dream carefully and, above all, honestly, you can get to know what repressed desires you are carrying around with you. And that puts you into a position to work out for yourself a strategy which will allow these desires satisfaction and fulfillment in ways that will enhance your well-being and happiness and restore peace and harmony to your psyche.

An unbridled satisfying of each and every desire is likely to play havoc with the psyche, pulling it in all directions and destroying harmony and peace, and reducing rather than enhancing your happiness, as well as seriously damaging your effectiveness. Such a complete lack of control usually goes hand in hand with a complete ignorance of what forces are at work in one's unconscious depths. Sooner or later what is repressed will insist on having an outlet, and if there is no knowledge and therefore no rational control of what has been repressed, the latter may take possession of the psyche, destroying what is good and beautiful in it and almost inevitably doing hurt to other people, too.

Understanding your dreams, therefore, is a duty you owe both to yourself and your fellow human beings.

(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

Your super-ego (the conventional morality assimilated from parents and society), functioning as an internal sensor, prohibitor, inhibitor and standard setter (Freudian).Some of its commands/prohibitions/expectations may be irrational and arise from a childhood trauma.

The judge may represent a different sort of conscience, an inner guide that tells you what you should be doing to fulfill your individual "destiny".

May represent being too judgmental.

{1} {Climbing} a ladder may symbolize progress: improving your status; achieving or moving towards a goal.

{2} Climbing a ladder to heaven is a recurring mythological motif. It may be seen as a symbol of achieving personal wholeness

{3} Sometimes the ladder - like Jacob's in the Book of Genesis - is used by angels descending and ascending: a symbol of communication between the spiritual and physical aspects of the self, or between the true self and the ego.

{4} Descending a ladder to escape from an upper story of a burning house might symbolize {a need to} escape from your emotional self.

{5} Descending a ladder into a deep pit or well might symbolize a resolve - or need - to explore your unconscious depths. Climbing a ladder to get out of a pit or well might symbolize the need to escape from something that threatens to engulf you - a mother-attachment, perhaps, or other unconscious contents.

Reference: Eric Ackroyd

Basic Meaning - A source of meaning/wisdom/energy.

(1) A god or goddess figure may represent a source of meaning/wisdom/energy. Look for that source within yourself, where it is usually covered by layers of emotion.

(2) Male god figures may represent the animus in a woman's dreams, and goddess figures may represent the anima in a mansdreams. They may lead you to deeper into your psyche.

(3) Sometimes god/goddess may represent father/mother, functioning as a part of your own (unconscious) psyche. In such cases it is likely - though not invariable - that your feelings towards the parent are ambivalent, with fear or awe as well as affection. A stern Old Testament type God may symbolize your super-ego, whose origins often lie in irrational prohibitions imposed on oneself in childhood as a reaction to real or imagined threats of punishment.

(4) God(dess) may represent your true self, your potential wholeness.

(5) The god figure in your dream may be - God! Don't be surprised if your unconscious comes up with god images from a more ancient tradition than the ones you were brought up with: the unconscious seems to have a memory that reaches back to humankind's remotest past, and even beyond (universal dream images such as that of God are from the primitive unconscious, therefore images will go beyond the traditional images you know from religious teachings). At a certain level of your psyche you may go beyond everything that is merely individual and experience oneness with life itself: an experience that may cause you to live authentically - for inner wisdom/ values - instead of merely role playing.

Reference: Eric Ackroyd

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

(2) Male god figures may represent the animus in a woman's dreams, and goddess figures may represent the anima in a mansdreams. They may lead you to deeper into your psyche.

(3) Sometimes god/goddess may represent father/mother, functioning as a part of your own (unconscious) psyche. In such cases it is likely though not invariable - that your feelings towards the parent are ambivalent, with fear or awe as well as affection. A stern Old Testament type God may symbolize your super-ego, whose origins often lie in irrational prohibitions imposed on oneself in childhood as a reaction to real or imagined threats of punishment.

(4) God / goddess may represent your true self, your potential wholeness.

(5) The god figure in your dream may be God! Don't be surprised if your unconscious comes up with god images from a more ancient tradition than the ones you were brought up with: the unconscious seems to have a memory that reaches back to humankind's remotest past, and even beyond (universal dream images such as that of God are from the primitive unconscious, therefore images will go beyond the traditional images you know from religious teachings). At a certain level of your psyche you may go beyond everything that is merely individual and experience oneness with life itself: an experience that may cause you to live authentically - for inner wisdom/ values - instead of merely role playing.

From SpiritCommunity

Gold Dreaming about gold could be a reflection of concerns that you have about your most precious valuables or a reference to "alchemist's gold" which is usually spiritual in nature. If you are losing gold in your dream, it may express your anxieties over a missed opportunity. However, remember "All that glitters is not gold." Your unconscious mind may be reminding you not to judge things on appearances alone.

From Dragonorama

Dragons have a deeply rooted connotation in Western culture associating them with evil, whereas in Eastern stories they can also be kind and are considered very wise

The Western Dragon Tradition

Western dragons aren't necessarily evil - but they often are. At the very least they tend to be solitary and bad-tempered.

The typical Western dragon - or Wyrm - is a large, scaly creature resembling a dinosaur or a large lizard. It usually has wings and can fly, often it will breathe fire.

Western dragons tend to live in caves in mountains or hidden away in the forests. They often guard a stash of gold. Western dragons are often used to symbolise greed.

Note: Caves symbolize the unconscious. In dreams a dragon in a cave would often symbolize unconscious fears, or a need to confront {and slay} unconscious fears.

Dragons vary as much as people do. Although many Western dragons are brutal, ignorant creatures who kill and eat humans others are ancient, wise creatures more akin to those found in the East.

The Oriental Dragon Tradition

Whereas Western dragons are usually found in mountains or forests, Oriental dragons are more likely to be found in the sea. Many oriental dragons resemble water snakes.

Oriental dragons rarely breath fire, instead if a mortal annoys one then it is likely to result in great floods.

Note: When confronting the unconscious there is often a reluctance by the conscious mind to accept what is there. Often the conscious ego will throw annoying barriers so one will continue to repress or ignore unconscious contents.

The traditional Western dragon is often seen as a brutish creature to be feared. Oriental dragons tended to be wise and benevolent - as long as they were given the respect they deserved. Their chief flaw was their vanity and if insulted could cause dreadful natural disasters.

Oriental dragons fly to and from heaven in clouds but do not usually have wings. Some sources say that they gain wings after living for a thousand years.

Famous Dragons, Serpents & Wryms

Abraxas

The dragon Abraxas originated in Persian mythology however the name has been taken up elsewhere. As such descriptions of Abraxas vary considerably.

Abraxas is usually described as having either a man or a serpent's body with the head of a cockerel (sometimes two such heads). He has two dragon's feet and carries a whip in his human hands.

The name and image of Abraxas were of importance in Gnosticism and other esoteric teachings. Some identified Abraxas with a supreme deity.

There is much numerological interest in the name Abraxas. The number of letters - seven - is considered important by some. There is also interest in the fact that the letters of the name can be made to sum to 365 in some systems. Abraxas is thus considered the Lord of the 365 Virtues, one of which represents each day of the year.

Some people have sugested that the name "Abraxas" could itself be derived from "Abracadaba".

The name is considered to have great power and is inscribed on stone talismans called Abraxas Stones.

{1} A head may be a symbol of intellect: rational as distinct from intuitive thought {see Personality Types}.

{2} It may symbolize the conscious ego as distinct from the unconscious {which might be represented by the abdomen or solar plexus}.

{3} It may be a symbol of masculinity.

{4} A monstrous, horrifying head probably represents negative - because repressed - drives or processes in your unconscious. Try to follow Perseus" example. The Gorgons" eyes turned to stone anyone they looked at; but when Perseus succeeded in cutting off Medusa's head, the winged horse Pegasus sprang from her body. This may be seen as symbolizing the psychic or spiritual development that results from facing up to whatever is fearsome in one's unconscious.

{5} A two-headed creature may symbolize either duality, antagonistic opposites in your psyche or the {needed} union, or bringing together, of opposing psychic qualities/functions/forces - for example, masculine and feminine; conscious and unconscious.

Reference: Eric Ackroyd

You, your ego, your personality, your persona, your life and It's direction. Who is driving the car? Where are you sitting in the car? If you are in the driver's seat then you are in control of (or wish to take control) of your life. If someone else is in the driver's seat, they may be controlling your life. Are you riding on all four wheels? If not, something may be missing in your life. Are the tires flat? You may feel your life is going no where. Are there others in the car? These may be unknown (or known but repressed) aspects of your personality. What color is the car? If it is red if may symbolize anger on your part.

Also:Seeing a parked car in your dream, suggests that you need to turn your efforts and energies elsewhere.

Dreaming that you are almost hit by a car, suggests that your lifestyle, beliefs or goals may be in conflict with another's.

Dreaming that you are unable to roll up the windows of your car, suggests that you are showing some hesitation and reservation about the direction that you are taking in life or the path that you have chosen.

Dreaming that you are driving a car means your ambition, your drive and your ability to navigate from one stage of your life to another.