Carl Jung > Dream Interpretation
The Meaning of Death in Dreams
Dreams about death are among the most interesting if we take into account the number of searches on Google. Let me say from the beginning that dreams in which the dreamer himself dies are very rare. I have not had such
a dream and I have not known anyone to have this dream. Instead, I dream of the death of others: friends, relatives, work colleagues. What do these dreams mean? In my experience, dreams of death are not about
death. They can be the result of our hostile feelings towards those dreamed of. We wish them death, in other words. Although these feelings are generally repressed as immoral, they can still appear in dreams. (*)
What are the reasons why we wish the death of those around us? A friend who has disappointed us, a relative who competes with us for family appreciation (a very common case, especially between brothers and sisters), a
boss or employer who treats us with contempt (at least that's what we think).
But the most frequent dreams with the subject of death are those in which I dreamt of dead people (really deceased people). I have had countless dreams with people I regretted. Recently I even dreamed of my mother who died a few months ago and who told me in my dream that she loved me very much (contrary to what I believed in reality). This dream may be one of compensation, especially since in it I saw myself alone in the world, without any help and especially without any money! A friend of mine dreamed of a deceased friend telling him in his dream that it was very bad "here". "Here" was a kind of hospital where he had been hospitalized for some time. The hospital was very crowded and for this reason the stay was very uncomfortable. There were probably other inconveniences as well. My friend also told me that he even shook hands with the deceased and felt the texture of his hand very clearly, so the dream seemed very real. A friend dreamed of her deceased father as alive and unharmed. Here the compensation is very obvious: she wanted her father to still be alive because she loved him very much. There are also dreams with dead people who foretell the future. In ancient times, important deceased persons – politicians, priests, philosophers, etc. – who appeared in dreams were
considered to communicate things to us about the future. Such dreams were, therefore, prophetic. The explanation for this belief is simple: since it was believed that the dead
did not die but continued to exist in another realm, it was perfectly possible that they also had premonitions because they had freed their souls from the censorship of the body.
Are there also dreams that foretell death? Here is a very exciting question. In general, death is not represented as such, that is, simply death. I know from the accounts of people who have
subsequently died that the death predicted in a dream is symbolized according to the biblical model of a bright and green land where they meet their deceased relatives,
beloved friends and even pets, which, obviously, are alive in the dream. This category of dreams introduces us to the field of religion. But in the Christian-Orthodox religion, dreams of
this kind are not very valued. To quote the monk Seraphim Rose, they do not come from God (that is, they are not real) but from the Devil and their purpose is to confuse us, to
hide from us the gloomy reality of death in sin. I do not know if the father is right, but, at least for ordinary people, it is possible that some of his words come true. -- Paper by Ana Styla
Resources:
- Check out our site section dealing with dream interpretation here.- Should you wish to learn more about Jung's method, please check our email course treating of this matter here. |
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