by Lugus on Thu Jun 18, 2009 9:10 pm
In most of the dreams that I look at, the dream people do not represent real people but, instead, are symbols from the unconscious. So it is with this dream.
When I interpret a dream, I will typically use the theories of the late Swiss psychologist Carl Jung. In Jungian (or Analytical Psychology), many of the dream people, animals, things and even events are symbols of archetypes from the collective unconscious.
In this particular dream, the lady, who was the owner of the house, is probably an archetype. With so little information, it is difficult to identify which archetype she is. She might be the shadow or perhaps the mother archetype or even the Wise Old Woman. Or, she might be someone entirely different.
However, your ex boyfriend is easier to identify. He is almost certainly a symbol of your animus.
A Jungian would probably say that he is a symbol of the first stage of the animus. Using the theories of Carl Jung, the animus is an archetype from the collective unconscious. The animus is always male and is only found in the dreams (and psyche) of women. During the course of many dreams, the animus can potentially go through four stages of development.
1. Stage 1 -- The animus is the physical man. At his best, he is the muscular hero who saves the maiden in distress. At his worst, he is a materialistic brute who is only interested in his own self-gratification.
2. Stage 2 -- At this stage, the animus is either the romantic lover or the man of action.
3. Stage 3 -- At the third stage, he is a man with a message. Common symbols for the animus at this stage would be a politician, a preacher or a professor.
4. Stage 4 -- At the fourth and final stage, the animus becomes a spiritual guide for the dreamer. Although he is a guide, he may not always be a religious figure. The animus could appear as a wide range of different men. This would include (but not limited to) the Dalia Lama or Carl Jung. And, I believe that the animus at this stage will sometimes show himself as mythological or pagan deity. Examples would be Odin or Loki who would most commonly show themselves in the dreams of women with northern European ancestry.
Your animus appears to be at the first stage of development. However, trying to determine the stage can be a little tricky and is not always obvious.
Also, as you wrote, you and your ex were at a lady’s house but she was not there. To me, this has a couple of possible meanings. It could be that she went “somewhere” and is working behind the scenes (you might say). She is trying to help you even though she is not seen in this dream. Another possibility is that your ex scared her off. (In many of the dreams that I look at, a dream person is often violent to others in the dream.) And, it may be that she is both fearful of your ex and is trying to help you at the same time.
However, because it is her house, it may be that she had something to do with your being with your ex. The lady is doing what she can to help you. But, unfortunately, your animus has not yet grown into a more mature/developed animus.
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OK – now that we have identified the animus, what can you do to help him develop? Actually, you have already taken a giant step in the right direction. You are listening to your dreams and are trying to understand what they mean. Many people do not even do this.
As you listen to your dreams, the dreams will become more helpful and the people in them will invariably become more civilized.
Hope this helps,
Lugus
" I yelled at him to tell me what the hell is going on. And he just sat there and looked at me, nothing else. Kind of like nothing bothered him about anything. Then I woke up..
