PEOPLE

 

In the majority of cases all other people involved in a dream will represent some aspect of the dreamer. People we don't know but seem to be like someone we know will also represent some aspect of the dreamer. People that we don't know at all represent something new, a new aspect in the dreamer's life.

When the person in the dream is someone we recognize then we must stop to think what this person represents to us ( attraction, intelligence, stupidity, etc.) or if we have some kind of influence over this person ( emotional, financial, etc.) or maybe he/she has something that distinguishes him/her ( shy, trustworthy, etc.). Whichever the case, whatever you feel that person is symbolizing, the dream is usually about you. In other words, if you see someone who you think is highly intelligent, the symbol will be about your own intelligence. 

It is also important to notice the gender of the dream person. A male will represent masculine energy; rationality, creative boldness, enterprise, courage. A female or feminine energy stands for feelings, intuition, relatedness, sensitivity and the like.

Sometimes the dream will actually be about the relationship with the other person, but it is safer and more objective to see them as a representation of yourself first. Take responsibility for what you project on a dream person and learn from what they are teaching you about yourself.

What the person is doing or what the person does usually gives a good clue as to what the dream is telling you.

More: People most often portrayed in dreams are actually reflections of your own personality traits, provided the dream is not prophetic. These traits are ones that you need to enhance or develop, or if negative, work on eliminating or reducing. You should immediately ask of yourself, what traits do I like, and what traits do I dislike in the characters I dream about? Then look for those traits in yourself. You may be very surprised to find a match up! People in dreams work most commonly to reflect, or mirror important aspects of your personality. You do well to always make this association. 

Also: Dream people almost always symbolize various facets of your own personality, your own beliefs, wishes, talents, abilities, and fears. What part of you is this person? The people in your dream, however, can also represent your guides and teachers who have chosen the persona or image in your dream for specific symbolic reasons. People can, of course, also represent people you know in your waking life and tell you a great deal about how you subconsciously see and interact with them. 

Also: To understand how your subconscious is using this persona as a symbol, ask yourself what the dream person is like as a person, and be as honest in your description as you can. What qualities or characteristics do they have that makes them easy to recognize by anyone who doesn't know them? Only an honest detailed description of the people in your dream can show you how your subconscious is using these people as symbols. It is common to dream of people you don't know, even though they may feel familiar in the dream. Often they will show up in settings you have dreamed before, placed you visit off and on in your dreams. Many authorities now believe that this type of dream experience represents real parallel existences. Places you actually have visited or visit from time to time. What do these familiar people and their environment remind you of? How do you feel about them? Would you like to be with them when you are awake? Why, or why not? How are these people dressed? To which race or culture do they belong? Why? How do you relate to them in your dream? How are they different from, or the same as, people you generally associate with? What actions are they carrying out? Is this different from what you would expect from this kind of person? Why, or why not? What would they like to tell you if you were not the one writing their script? 
 
 



 

In the majority of cases all other people involved in a dream will represent some aspect of the dreamer. People we don't know but seem to be like someone we know will also represent some aspect of the dreamer. People that we don't know at all represent something new, a new aspect in the dreamer's life.

When the person in the dream is someone we recognize then we must stop to think what this person represents to us ( attraction, intelligence, stupidity, etc.) or if we have some kind of influence over this person ( emotional, financial, etc.) or maybe he/she has something that distinguishes him/her ( shy, trustworthy, etc.). Whichever the case, whatever you feel that person is symbolizing, the dream is usually about you. In other words, if you see someone who you think is highly intelligent, the symbol will be about your own intelligence. 

It is also important to notice the gender of the dream person. A male will represent masculine energy; rationality, creative boldness, enterprise, courage. A female or feminine energy stands for feelings, intuition, relatedness, sensitivity and the like.

Sometimes the dream will actually be about the relationship with the other person, but it is safer and more objective to see them as a representation of yourself first. Take responsibility for what you project on a dream person and learn from what they are teaching you about yourself.

What the person is doing or what the person does usually gives a good clue as to what the dream is telling you.

More: People most often portrayed in dreams are actually reflections of your own personality traits, provided the dream is not prophetic. These traits are ones that you need to enhance or develop, or if negative, work on eliminating or reducing. You should immediately ask of yourself, what traits do I like, and what traits do I dislike in the characters I dream about? Then look for those traits in yourself. You may be very surprised to find a match up! People in dreams work most commonly to reflect, or mirror important aspects of your personality. You do well to always make this association. 

Also: Dream people almost always symbolize various facets of your own personality, your own beliefs, wishes, talents, abilities, and fears. What part of you is this person? The people in your dream, however, can also represent your guides and teachers who have chosen the persona or image in your dream for specific symbolic reasons. People can, of course, also represent people you know in your waking life and tell you a great deal about how you subconsciously see and interact with them. 

Also: To understand how your subconscious is using this persona as a symbol, ask yourself what the dream person is like as a person, and be as honest in your description as you can. What qualities or characteristics do they have that makes them easy to recognize by anyone who doesn't know them? Only an honest detailed description of the people in your dream can show you how your subconscious is using these people as symbols. It is common to dream of people you don't know, even though they may feel familiar in the dream. Often they will show up in settings you have dreamed before, placed you visit off and on in your dreams. Many authorities now believe that this type of dream experience represents real parallel existences. Places you actually have visited or visit from time to time. What do these familiar people and their environment remind you of? How do you feel about them? Would you like to be with them when you are awake? Why, or why not? How are these people dressed? To which race or culture do they belong? Why? How do you relate to them in your dream? How are they different from, or the same as, people you generally associate with? What actions are they carrying out? Is this different from what you would expect from this kind of person? Why, or why not? What would they like to tell you if you were not the one writing their script? 
 
 

 Parents: Symbolize the mature aspects of the dreamer. Or on the other hand the inability to be responsible for one's own life.

Father: The old conscious mind, physical body and outer life circumstance. The one which preceded or "begat" the one you have today. 

Also: Presence of, or the need for, a fatherly role in life. Need for one who is assertive and supportive of you. What is the response to the father figure in the dream? 
Mother: The older subconscious mind, emotional body and inner life circumstance. The one which preceded or "begat" the one you have today. 
Also: One who nurtures. Reflection of feelings or issues projected about the mother figure. Importance is on how she interacts in the dream. Are her influence or actions positive or negative?
Husband: Depicts how you see the relationship with your husband; your relationship with your sexuality; sexual and emotional desire and pleasure; how you relate to intimacy in body, mind and spirit; habits of relationship developed with one's father. 

Man and Wife (or couple): These in many cases are substitutes for Father and Mother. Many times a dream setting or "stage", as I call them, will require someone other than Father and Mother. In this case the subconscious simply calls in different "actors" who might fit the setting better. Gender attributes apply respectively to which part of your mind/self/life is being shown. 

Brother and Sister: Indicates a current state of your being as opposed to the father/mother, which was what came before now. Gender attributes fall respectively to which part of your mind/self/life is being shown. 

Brother: A male who bonds with you or one you would like to be close to. Reflection of feelings or issues regarding a very close male friend or one who plays a brotherly role. 

Daughter: One's relationship with the daughter, the daughter, or son, can represent what happens in a marriage between husband and wife. The child is what has arisen from the bonding, however momentary, of two people. In dreams the child therefore is sometimes used to depict how the relationship is faring. So a sick daughter might show the feelings in the relationship being "ill." In a mother's dream: often feelings of support or companionship; feelings of not being alone in the area of emotional bonds; or one's feeling area; responsibility; the ties of parenthood; oneself at that age; one's own urges, difficulties, hurts, which may still be operative. Also a comparison the mother night see the daughter's youth, opportunity, and have feelings about that. So the daughter may represent her sense of lost opportunity and youth—even envy; competition in getting the desire of a man. 

Man: The conscious mind especially if he seems associated with the left in some way or seems logical or analytical about the situation or is very macho. Also can represent the physical body or the present physical life circumstances. ~ An aspect of the dreamer’s self, personifying characteristics as yet undeveloped, or else rejected and repressed by the Ego. In the latter case, the man would represent the male dreamer’s Shadow or the female dreamer’s Animus, her unconscious masculine nature. 

Also: Male symbolizes the masculine principle, the assertive, active, rational, practical, earthy, responsible, analytical, and intellectual side of yourself. Traditionally, man represents the Cosmic Man, humanity as the Microcosm. When all of the characters in your dream are of the opposite sex, your dream is probably trying to tell you something about how you subconsciously feel about either that particular sex in general, a specific person of that gender, or a quality within you that is traditionally attributed to that gender. However, it is important to note that men in general naturally tend to dream less about women than they do about other men, while women generally tend to balance the symbolism of men and women. And men are usually more concerned even in their dreams with their interactions with the other men in their drams, while women tend to be more interested in social and emotional interactions with both sexes. How do you feel about males in general? What is their function in your life? Other than anatomically, how are males different from females? Why do you think this is? How are males supposed to act? What is the male in your dream doing? How is he acting differently from the males in your waking life? Why? How would you like to meet him?

Also: Generally, a man depicts an aspect of self, depending on the activity and character of the man in the dream. Any indication whatsoever in the dream gives a clue to what aspect of self. A man trying to rape a woman would be her fears about sex; a homosexual would depict those feelings; a businessman, one's work or business abilities; a loving man, one's feelings about love, and so on. 

Also: All different kinds of people clutter our dream landscape. The men in your dream may include family members or total strangers. You may dream about your father, son, husband, or friend and should interpret the dream according to its details. A man, particularly the father figure, may represent collective consciousness and the traditional human spirit. He is the Yang and his energy, when mobilized, creates the earthly realities. Depending on the details of the dream, the masculine figure could be interpreted as the Creator or Destroyer. At times, women dream about men that are strangers to them. These men may represent the women's unconscious psychic energy. Carl Jung called the stranger in a woman's dream the "animus." He represents autonomous, unconscious energy and he plays a vital role in obtaining a deeper understanding of self. At times, a  strange and ominous man in men's dreams could represent their "shadow" or their negativity and darker sides of personality.

Older man: Father or one's accumulated experience and wisdom; perhaps even wisdom from the unconscious if man is white-haired or holy. Wild, ape, half animal man: urges which have not yet been integrated and socialized, usually pertaining to sexuality in today's social attitudes or natural social feelings at odds with present attitudes. Man in woman's dream: in general, a woman's ability to question conventional behavior and social habits; her strength to look with insight into her own life and change it thereby—but not her feeling values, emotions and intuitions; her creative or business ability in the world, and power to be competitive and challenging; her defense against "just knowing" out of the power of her emotions and prejudices. Man she knows or loves: feelings, worries about relationship. Dreaming the man is looking at other women or leaving is usually fears about same. Two men: might be a triangle. Idioms: man to man; be a man; front man; hit man; make a man of ; odd man out; right hand man. 

Woman: The subconscious mind especially if she seems associated with the right in some way or seems very emotional or creative in the situation or is very feminine. Also can represent the emotional body or the present mental life circumstances. 
Also: A woman or women generally represent intuition, creativity, nurturing, and love. At times they can also represent the negative attributes which are given to women and include physical and emotional weakness, gossip, martyrdom, passivity, moodiness, temptation, and guilt. The content of the dream is to be considered, as well as the emotional tone. If the dream is sexual in nature, look up sex. If the woman in your dream was a stranger and you are a man, she could be symbolic of your feminine side or your attitude about women. If you are a woman, this stranger may be symbolic of different parts of your character or personality. Carl Jung believed that the unknown woman in a man's dream is the Anima. It is the "personification of the animated psychic atmosphere; the autonomous activity of the unconscious." Thus, when you meet an unknown woman in your dreams, pay close attention to what she is saying and doing. It is Carl Jung who suggested that women in dreams represent our collective unconscious and men collective consciousness. Thus, the woman is that force or current inside of you that nudges you on and inspires you. It is your intuition and the knowledge that in not necessarily attached to words. Men, on the other hand, represent the active part that uses the information received to create the physical reality of our lives. When the two are working together well we have balance and experience awareness that leads to peace and productivity. 
The "Old or Ancient One": Could be a grandparent but most likely an unknown old man or woman representing the wisdom of the superconscious. 

Child, Children: Thoughts, ideas which are the expression of creativity of mind. Creative ideas. ~ The "new" you because of some development. ~ Might symbolize that the problem you are facing is something that started in your childhood. ~ Might represent a relationship with children or maybe even the desire to have children.

Also: A child represents to most of us, something new, different and joyous. Using this logic, it is easy to see why a child represents a new phase in your life or a new project as well. How well the child gets along and fares in the dream is an indication as to how well what it represents is doing. Also, a child symbolizes innocent parts of yourself sometimes, and at other times, immaturity and childishness. It all depends on the theme and emotions used in the dream.

Also: New conditions and issues in life, being open to the joys of something new. A sense of a youthfulness around you, a new promise of hope and a brighter future. 

Also: Aspects of yourself; vulnerability, innocence, openness

Young Girl: A "state" of subconscious, inner, programming which you are going into. 
Also: A girl generally symbolizes the female part of you, especially your younger, more sensitive, naïve, innocent female qualities and characteristics. Girl also symbolizes the early stages of development—emotional, psychological, mental, physical and spiritual. The age of the girl will let you know where you are in this development. Similarly, girl can represent knowledge being acquired through experience by the immature and still forming mind and emotions. Whether you are male or female, dreaming of a girl may be a message that you need to play more or get in touch with the open, intuitive, more naïve sides of yourself. This can also be a message that you still have some issues to resolve in connection with what the girl represents to you, or issue related to the time period represented by the age of the girl in your dream or experience. Describe the girl in detail. How will the same girl look and act as a grown woman? Would you like to have a girl like her as a friend? This can also be a good pun. Is this your "dream girl?" How do you feel about the girl? How do you feel about girls in general? Does the girl remind you of anyone you know. 

Also: Feelings; emotional self; young sexuality; vulnerability. In female dream: oneself at that age, whether older or younger; feelings about sister or daughter; the aspect of oneself portrayed by the girl. 

Young Boy: a "state" of conscious, outer life, circumstances which you are going into. 

Stranger: Someone not recognized in a dream, without an identity, is the reflection of the dreamer. It is important to take note of what the stranger is doing, and your feelings towards the stranger. ~ Aspect of self not yet familiar with.

 

Also: It is common to not recognize the people in your dreams and for them to be vague faceless strangers, even though you often feel you do know them while you are dreaming. In general, strangers simply tell you that these are some parts of the more unfamiliar parts of yourself, the actors you have placed on your dream stage to represent different qualities of your personality. Strangers, however, can also represent teachers or guides who have taken on a certain persona to strengthen their message to you. In older cultures, the stranger represented the one who was destined to replace the one in power, symbolizing the possibility for unseen change, the future made present, or a transformation or mutation in general. How do you feel about the strangers? What are they doing? Are they mostly male or female? Why? How are they dressed? Which race or culture do they belong to? What are they saying? How would you like to meet any of them when you are awake? Why, or why not? 

Also: The interpretation of seeing and interacting with a stranger, or strangers, in your dream depends on the details of your dream and on your personal belief system. Some Eastern cultures believe that the strangers in your dreams are spirits from another dimension. These spirits may be teaching you lessons or giving you specific messages. The more modern approach to interpreting a dream with strangers in it is that they represent different sides or unfamiliar aspects of our personality. The best way to tell is to "check inside" of yourself and simply try to understand the message of this dream. Whether the message is coming from your unconscious or from a different reality might be irrelevant. The lessons gained through a dream are far more important then where they came from. Just remember: The mind that dreamt the dream also knows its source and meaning (and that is YOUR own mind).

Celebrities: To dream of celebrities shows that you are letting too much pomp and circumstance convince you to act certain ways that are against your better nature, this could be to your downfall in the area of the heart. To dream that you are a celebrity denotes that you desire to fly higher then your social life and means allow. To dream a loved one becomes a celebrity shows that you have a secret fear of losing this person to the world.

Actor: Medium, channel.Sometimes dreaming about a famous actor or actress may be a wish-fulfilling dream, or it could hold important messages about ourselves. We admire celebrities and may wish to have some of their characteristics. Consider the personality traits or any other trait that attracts you to that person. This will help you figure out why you are dreaming about him or her. If you are dreaming that someone is acting, you may be dreaming about yourself. The dream could be pointing out some of the roles that you play in life. Among the many roles we play are parent, spouse, lover, student, professional, etc.. We behave somewhat differently in each of those roles. The actor in your dreams could be showing you how well you "play" some of your roles in life or how others perceive you.

Monstrous people: Usually represent your own anger towards something. If you are running away from this being then you are afraid of your own anger.

Fat Person: Suggests an overdeveloped ego on the dreamers part. It works the same way for a normal sized person with a big head.

Lover: Integration of feminine, masculine. Desire for warmth, nurturing, connection. ~ One for whom there are deep feelings and/or a desire for intimacy on either a physical or emotional level. 

More: Dream lovers most often symbolize the integration of your male and female qualities and characteristics. Dream lovers do not necessarily represent sex at all, even if your dream is about sex, although of course it can also be exactly what it looks like. But even then, there is a reason why you subconsciously chose the particular lover you did. A lover also represents your natural desire and need for human physical love, a deep unfulfilled need to be touched, held, accepted, and appreciated by another for just who and what you are, just as you are. Dream lovers can also symbolize qualities you may subconsciously feel are missing from your current relationship, or from your own capacities or willingness to "make love." How is your dream lover different from your current lover, or lovers you have had in the past? Where would you meet such a lover? What would it take to please and hold such a lover? How would you like to meet this person in your waking life? Why, or why not? 
Teacher: An authority figure, or one who has an influence in your life. Are you in need of a teacher, or is a teacher in your life not being recognized?

Victim: If it is you, you are acting like a "victim" in life. If it is someone else, another around you who is acting so. 

The Dead: To see the dead in your dream, warns that you are being influenced by negative people and are hanging around the wrong crowd. This dream may also be a way for you to resolve your feelings with those who have passed on. Seeing your dead parents in your dreams, may mean your fears of losing them or your way of coping with the loss. You may want that last opportunity to say your final good-byes to them. To see your dead sibling, relative, or friend in your dream, may mean that you miss them and are trying to relive your old experiences you had with them. In trying to keep up with the pace of your daily waking life, you dreams may serve as your only outlet in coping and coming to terms with the loss of a loved one.