I Dream of…Archetypes

Dreams are full of archetypes. Archetypes are universal patterns and themes that contain wisdom you can use to guide you through life’s challenges. Spotting the archetypes in your dreams will provide you with guidance into your life circumstances. If you can recall your dreams and then identify the archetypes, it makes it easier to interpret them.

Dreams contain symbols, emotions, and scenarios that reflect your subconscious thoughts, feelings, and desires. They’re a source of ideas, inspiration, problem-solving and innovation. And you can tap into your potential when you decide to remember and reflect on your dreams.

You will remember your dreams more effectively if you use a Dream Journal. Keep a notebook and pen by your bedside. Before you go to sleep, set your intention to remember your dreams. Tell yourself that you intend to remember your dreams. This can be a written or mental affirmation or even a spoken statement. Then visualise yourself waking up and recalling your dreams in the morning. The power of your intention and commitment can enhance your ability to remember your dreams.

As soon as you wake up, jot down any details you can remember. Write in the present tense and include as much detail as possible. Make a note of the characters, places, emotions, and words that appeared. Once you’ve made a note of your dream, then you can start matching each element of your dream to its corresponding archetype.

You can refer to the table below to match the archetypes to the elements in your dream.

After you’ve identified the archetypes in your dreams, then you’re ready to consider the message that the dream may be trying to convey. You can do this by deconstructing each archetype. Simply brainstorm each archetype’s strengths and weaknesses to find more clues to the messages in your dreams.

Let’s say that you dreamt about a python snake. In the dream you hear a noise coming from the ceiling while you’re in bed, so you put a small video camera in the space between the ceiling and the roof and wait. You’re shocked to discover that a python has been living overhead. Side note: This is a true story, direct from one of my relatives living in far North Queensland in Australia.

To match the snake to an archetype you would ask: which archetype best represents the snake? And given that you’re a pharmacist, you find yourself associating the snake with medicine and healing. To you, the snake represents the Healer archetype. What is the message here? Could it be that the Healer archetype is no longer a hidden talent of yours?

If you were a yoga practitioner, you might take the appearance of a snake in your dream to represent the path to spiritual ascension and therefore associate the snake with the Liberator archetype.

Let’s say that you dream of a wise and nurturing figure guiding you through a difficult situation. This person might represent the Sage, Mentor or Guide archetype.

Or you have a dream where you’re confronted by a lion. In this case the lion could represent the archetype of the Hero, symbolising courage and strength in the face of challenges. Or, the lion might represent the archetype of the King, symbolising a fierce sense of majesty. Or the lion might represent the Wild One archetype, the untamed or instinctive aspects of your personality. (The Wild One archetype: Previously known as the Wild Woman or Wild Man archetypes).

Archetypal interpretations are personal and subjective, so you need to deconstruct each archetype to find out what it means to you.

Your ability to recall your dreams will depend on factors like sleep patterns, stress levels, and overall sleep quality, so try to be patient with yourself. Training your brain to recall your dreams takes time. It takes a conscious decision to honour your dreams by recalling and noting them.

Identifying the archetypes in your dreams and understanding their significance gives you access to deeper insights into your potential. Like I said, dream interpretation is subjective, and so are the archetypes that represent the contents of your dreams. The meaning of archetypes in dreams will vary from one person to another because you are unique and so are your dreams.