There are two types of dreams Ordinary insignificant dreams that comprise of daily events. These are stereo type dreams having no significance at all rather I call these as “sleep disturbers”. These are chaotic in nature having no deep meaning at all. These have no symbolic value or relevance to our past life. These are simply speaking our do to day confusions/ confrontations of our consciousness.
Archetypal dreams
The archetypal dreams are of depth having immense intrinsic value and guidance in our life. What are archetypal dreams? These are those dreams that are of archetypal nature and connect us deeply with collective
unconscious. Unconscious is that part of our psyche that we know nothing of. It is vast expanse of ocean of unconsciousness. Archetypes are the models or contents concealed in domain of human unconsciousness. The archetypes are not “material entities “having any form or existence like human beings but are abstract ideas or images scattered here and there in the unlimited and infinite desert of our unconscious. These may be termed as “future potential” of humanity. Just like DNA it is hereditary material of human beings but not like DNA to be probed in laboratory. It is subtle and in image forms. To make this most obscure and abstract concept but not absurd, accessible to the ordinary mind, it may be said just like image that we see on closing our eyes. We have prior perception of such images in our mind due to our day to day associations with them. In similar manner we see the figures and images in dreams. These are impressions deeply rooted in our unconscious. There is no way to connect to these images or archetypes except dreams. Jung conceived seven archetypes that play significant role in molding our psyche and personality. He outlines these seven archetypes prominentlyPersona
The great mother or primordial mother
Shadow
Wise old man
Trickster
Anima/ animus
Divine child
Carl Jung’s concept of archetypes is wonderful and unique contribution to human understanding of this universe and God. The all scientist of the world together could not perceive but Carl Jung perceived in archetypes. It is very fascinating concept to understand the extra sensory phenomenon and mysteries of the universe. We will deny “synchronization” unless we know the concept of unconscious. Synchronization is the happening of the two similar events simultaneously one having no prior knowledge of the other. Archetypal dreams are very helpful to understand synchronization. The empirical science based on knowledge derived through five sense organs will never reach where Jung’s’ consciousness had entered. The realm of unconscious is realm of mystery and fascination
Archetypal dreams are coded language of the unconscious.
Our unconscious is speaking through these images and sending us meaningful signals to understand and decode. These are not mere fantasies of our mind but meaningful units of knowledge and wisdom. Dreams tell us who we are and from where we have descended. Dreams take us on journey through time and space. There are no boundaries of time and space in dreams. It was Carl Jung who discovered that these dreams also contain archetypal images that connect us with our “lost self” and “collective unconscious”.
Here Jung’s quotation on dreams is worth quoting
, "The dream is a little hidden door in the innermost and secret recesses of the soul, opening into that cosmic night which was psyche long before there was any ego consciousness, and which will remain psyche no matter how far our ego consciousness extends. ... All consciousness separates; but in dreams we put on the likeness of that more universal, truer, more eternal man dwelling in the darkness of primordial night. There he is still the whole, and the whole is in him, indistinguishable from nature and bare of all ego hoods. It is from these all-uniting depths that the dream arises, be it never so childish, grotesque, and immoral."
It is evident from Jung’s perception of dreams and whole man that dreams come from the most secret door of soul or atman and it opens into cosmic night or psyche when no ego conscious was attached to psyche. Our ego or ego conscious separates and alienates us from our souls. There is every possibility or likeliness of dwelling the “eternal man in man” in the darkness of primordial night. So we can find our “wholeness”
In dreams our ego conscious is partially dissolved in the “primordial darkness”.
Jung used to record his dreams every day and he had kept diary of dreams. So there is no way to enter into dialogue with our unconscious except dreams. Dreams tell us of our past painful experiences and memories, recollections. We have forgotten them and buried them deep in mind leveling these as unwanted stuff. Dreams are nothing but our repressed self; the self that was paining us and was the cause of our suffering. Our past is coming in to our dreams as archetypal images, sometimes in the form of terrified forms as phantoms, devils and dragons. Dreams are lamps that lighten the darkness into light. Our own dark side that we wish to keep in hiding i.e. “shadow “comes as someone following us, someone running behind us making us to run desperately to save our life, the phantoms jeering at us and frightening us, the pressures on our chests making us to shrieking and crying for help, making us cataleptic not to move our body parts, anxiety as if something behind us. The behind us is our unconscious. The dreadful dreams making us shiver in terror. These are called nightmares. All these speak the dark side of our personality. The “darkest of dark” are our secret vices and sins that we meticulously hide from people.
How to see and interpret the images/ archetypes of dreams?
Unless we have the fundamental knowledge of mind and its working we can neither see nor interpret our dreams. We should take the help of someone who is expert in understanding and seeing the “images behind images” with “inner eye”. We should switch off the noisy lamp of our ego consciousness and try to merge our self with eternal beauty present everywhere but visible nowhere. We should not make an ego wall while listening and seeing these archetypal images.
We should allow the archetypes to speak themselves not interfering in the least. We should listen inward and see inward with third eye of vision and wisdom. See the images that appear before your inner eye. Never identify your ego or self with them these images may be painted or drawn into pictures. In this way perhaps, we may able to see the hidden meanings and connections in dreams. There are two purposes of dreams. One is to make us tension free the other is to connect or link with unconscious. The persons whose dominant archetype is “shadow”; for these people dreams work as” safety valves” i.e. their undesired and unwanted but most “desired and most cherished desires” are expressed through the medium of dreams releasing their internal tension, turmoil and commotion of mind.
Jung was interested and fascinated by archetypal dreams than another type of dreams. His main focus was on linking of human conscious with unconscious through the medium of archetypal dreams. The archetypal dreams are vivid like mirror and full of meaning and transparency. Archetypal dreams are those dreams that mirror us contents and images of our lost unconscious. One characteristic feature of archetypal dreams that distinguish them from ordinary chaotic type of dreams; is that they are easy to remember and comprehend without effort and may be remembered for long. Secondly they are very vivid and transparent.
