The time has finally come. After years of sleeping and dreaming (not all at once, of course), we are going to analyze a dream!
This week we are focusing on one of my own dreams. I will describe the dream in detail, to the best of my recollection. Then, I will analyze the dream using Jungian tools of analysis. Onto the dream!
Role Reversal
I wake underwater. Droplets of water cling to my eyelashes as if I have just emerged from being underwater, but I am underwater. Blue and white angelfish that look like Lumineon from Pokemon swim past me. I am in the lotus position. Something is beneath me. I bring my hand down through the cool water and feel the shadowy object that I am perched upon. It is smooth and slightly curved. I do not look at it. I feel around, registering its form. I come to what I realize is the top. It has formations jutting out from an ovular shape— a face. I open my eyes finally and look at the object.
It is a marble statue of Joan of Arc covered in dark algae. She is holding a longsword and her eyes are blazing. I take away her sword. My body suddenly goes rigid. I try to move my feet but they are paralyzed, unable to move even an inch. I try to cry out but I am mute. Hysteria wells deep inside of me, but I have no way to expel it. The statue twitches. Its fingers stretch out and its feet dig into the sand on the seafloor. The statue rolls over and stands up, facing me. I feel my body changing, turning to stone. I watch as the statue’s body turns to flesh. I try to slash her with her sword but I cannot move.
The statue looks at me. “Wrong one,” it says.
It swims, then, up to the surface of the sea, many miles above me. Then the dream morphs into a different dream.
The Analysis
This dream, on a literal level, is about a statue magically switching roles with me when I take its sword. On a symbolic level, the dream is about the Shadow masquerading as the Hero and taking over to render me (my Persona) helpless.
In Jungian psychology, the Shadow is one of the archetypes. The Shadow is the side hidden from the self and the world. It is marked by habits we may not want to face. The ultimate test of courage, according to Jung, is the realization of the Shadow.
The Hero is another one of the archetypes. It is known for saving others and doing good. St. Joan of Arc as a historical figure fits into the hero archetype.
However, her statue fits into the Shadow archetype. In the dream, it says, “I bring my hand down through the cool water and feel the shadowy object that I am perched upon.” The statue proceeds to do morally objectionable things, like trapping me inside of my own body and leaving me for dead. This is not the Hero we know and love. This is something masquerading as the Hero.
The act of reversing our roles— of having the statue become the active life-liver and me become the petrified statue— shows that the Shadow has overtaken the Persona. The Persona is the side of a personality that is projected out to the world and it reflects our role as dictated by society. In this dream, the statue, which represents the Shadow, has forced me, the Persona, into its former role.
This represents not only anarchy of the Shadow self but also a seizure of autonomy. The statue is preventing me from unveiling my Shadow self on my own terms. I cannot pass the test of courage (remember: Jung said that the ultimate test of courage is the realization of the Shadow) because my Shadow self is unveiling itself for me. We can tell by the end of the dream (“It swims, then, to the surface of the sea, many miles above me.”) that the Shadow is headed toward the light and I have no say in that.
If I were to extrapolate the meaning of this dream into my daily life I would take it to mean that the side of me that I hide from the world is forcing itself out and will come to light without my permission.
Feel free to post your own interpretations of this dream in the comments. Stay loose and dream lucid!
Vocab for this post: Shadow, Hero, Persona
Woah! This is so cool! From my perspective, I would say that you’re thinking about something that you’ve been hiding (kind of like what you said), and it’s been weighing heavily in your mind, hence the water and the imposing figure of Joan of Arc.
I loved reading this! dream analysis is super interesting, I think it also allows us to get to know you better. I would suggest adding more pictures so that the audience can envision your dream clearer. I also like your inclusion of vocab for this post.