Category Archives: Dreams

Dream Meaning: Shadow Figure

Posted by Sephira in Dreams, Reader Question and tagged with , , ,

I had a dream where a shadow figure was after my mum. the moment I saw it in my dream I was scared, it was outside tried to grab my mum head (we were on the deck) & it came inside my house & tried to get to my mum but I stopped it, then it went down the hallway & that’s when I woke up. Even though I was scared it didn’t come,after me even though I was right in front of it at one point. Does anyone know what this dream means?

We’ve touched on some general information about dream meanings here and here, so I’ll only briefly reiterate the following which is typically the most relevant question to ask for any attempt to interpret a particular dream… What do you think it means?

There will always be general symbolism for certain things, but in the end, exact meanings are very dependent on our own experiences – the culture we are from, how we were raised, and/or other influences that we are exposed to on a regular basis. What one person may view as negative, may be positive to someone else and vice-versa. So, there is no single “this is what it means” when it comes to our dreams, and of course, just as importantly, sometimes a dream really is just a dream.

General Interpretation

The short answer… sounds like you are worried about your mother, and/or maybe feel that she needs your help with something, but you don’t know what that something is (hence the shadow figure). It’s not coming after you, because it’s not your something – you are just willing to step up and help make whatever it is go away. Could be a literal person, or a stressful situation – maybe your mom is overwhelmed with work, or a financial issue, etc… and you want to help with it, but it means taking on more responsibility yourself, which can be scary. Or you may also just be scared that whatever you do might not be enough. Given that it was both outside and inside the house, odds are it’s something that weighs on her, no matter where she is.

The longer answer would involve studying and researching the various components of your dream and then analyzing them based on your own personal context, suggest looking up basic components here. A few examples –

  • Shadows typically symbolize the unknown – ask yourself if there is a particular “unknown” person, or situation that you are concerned about (in relation to your mother).
  • The fact that you went from outside to inside your house could signify taking control of the situation. It depends too though, on what sort of emotions or feelings the idea of “home” invokes for you. Happy homes are often a protective symbol, whereas someone from a dysfunctional/abusive family may find the idea of being inside their own house terrifying.
  • Attacking someone, in this case, seems pretty straightforward – a matter of protecting your mother. Ask yourself if there is a particular person or situation that you feel your mother needs your help with.
  • Hallways can symbolize transitions – so the fact that your dream ended in the hallway, may just be signifying that you were ready to wake up, or could be that the solution to the issue involves starting something new, or change of some sort (both of which can be scary).

 

As always – if any readers have additional relevant insight, please feel free to comment back. We’d love to hear from you.

Dream: What Does It Mean?

Posted by Sephira in Dreams, Reader Question and tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

I have had a dream where I see a boy with three crystals in a triangle the right side white the left purple and the bottom red and when he held them up to the sun they shined down on the earth what could they mean?

We touched a bit on dreams in an earlier post, and I will echo some of that here as well. One thing to keep in mind when it comes to dream interpretation, is that no matter what the dream dictionaries or symbolism books say, at the very heart of it all is…  what do those specific things mean to you?

While there are many generally accepted meanings to certain things, we have to remember that context and our own personal experiences, are key to understanding them. So while one person may dream of being at the beach, and think it is the most beautiful dream in the world – to someone who has an absolute fear of drowning, dreaming of being at the beach might very well be a nightmare to them.

In regards to your specific question – we’ll be completely honest and say that we have absolutely no idea what your dream might mean. Several of us got together and pondered it and nothing immediately jumped out at us. I’ve included links to some general meanings, however I would take this opportunity to ask some of our fellow readers, if you have any insight on this, please feel free to comment below. We would gladly welcome any assistance, as it pains us not to be able to offer even some sort of basic idea.

Potentially relevant as well, is the fact that sometimes, a dream is just a dream – so it could be that there really isn’t any sort of meaning behind it, other than you ate too much spicy food before you went to bed, or something that you saw on TV during the day decided to have a bit of fun with you while you were sleeping.

Some things to ask yourself…

  • Did you recognize the boy in the dream? Was it you, or someone you know, or someone completely random?
  • Do those particular colors mean anything to you?
  • Does the number 3 hold any special significance to you?

Links to basic symbolism…

boy with three crystals in a triangle the right side white the left purple and the bottom red and when he held them up to the sun they shined (or shined) down on the earth

Dream Meanings & Folklore: Cutting Hair and Burying It

Posted by Sephira in Dreams, Reader Question, Witchcraft and tagged with , , , , ,

I had a dream, in the dream a man was telling me to trim my hair on a full moon and bury it in my yard. This is the only thing I remember about the dream. I looked it up online and apparently it’s associated with an old wives tales about fuller hair. Should I do as instructed? Is their other meanings for burying hair on a full moon besides hair growth? I’ve never even heard of this before. Totally weird. Thanks for any information.

I’ll start off talking a little bit about dreams in general, before moving on to any potential associated folklore. One thing to keep in mind when it comes to dream interpretation, is that no matter what the dream dictionaries or symbolism books say, at the very heart of it all is…  what do those specific things mean to you?

While there are many generally accepted meanings to certain things, we have to remember that context and our own personal experiences, are key to understanding them. So while one person may dream of being at the beach, and think it is the most beautiful dream in the world – to someone who has an absolute fear of drowning, dreaming of being at the beach might very well be a nightmare to them.

So there are a few questions to ask yourself going into this…

  • “What does your hair symbolize to you?”
  • “What would losing your hair, or having to cut it mean to you?”
  • “Was it something that was mentioned in passing – like a suggestion, or was it a command?”
  • “Did you cut it in the dream, and if so, how did it make you feel?”

In general dreaming of getting a haircut, indicates a need for change, or a desire for change. In this case, where someone else was telling you to do so, it may mean that there is an outside influence in your life that is attempting to change you, potentially in a way that could undermine you. That you are being told to bury it could also indicate that they want to ensure that all traces of that part of you are gone… sort of “out of sight, out of mind”.

So, on the one hand (unless you really have areas in your life that need to be changed), it’s not necessarily a positive dream. However, it again depends almost entirely on how you feel about the situation, rather than how an “outsider” views it.

As to potential related folklore, there are a few things that come to mind, though most have to do with the hair being the seat of one’s power, or in some cases, an extension of the soul. Tried to find some concrete references (which is why it took me so long to get back to you) and other than the really well known things – like Samson, not much in the way of credible sources. There is a chapter in James Frazer’s The Golden Bough which may be relevant, so I’ve included an excerpt of that here as well (you can read the full chapter though the link above)…

“…To preserve the cut hair and nails from injury and from the dangerous uses to which they may be put by sorcerers, it is necessary to deposit them in some safe place. The shorn locks of a Maori chief were gathered with much care and placed in an adjoining cemetery. The Tahitians buried the cuttings of their hair at the temples. In the streets of Soku a modern traveller observed cairns of large stones piled against walls with tufts of human hair inserted in the crevices. On asking the meaning of this, he was told that when any native of the place polled his hair he carefully gathered up the clippings and deposited them in one of these cairns, all of which were sacred to the fetish and therefore inviolable. These cairns of sacred stones, he further learned, were simply a precaution against witchcraft, for if a man were not thus careful in disposing of his hair, some of it might fall into the hands of his enemies, who would, by means of it, be able to cast spells over him and so compass his destruction…”

As to the idea that hair being cut on a full moon will make it grow faster, or longer again (as you said) seems to just be an old wive’s tale. Everyone says it, but there really doesn’t seem to be any sort of original reference as to where the idea came from. To be sure, the moon has an effect on the tides, pulling on them stronger when there is a full moon, so I think it’s a matter of assigning a similar concept to one’s hair. For some general myths and folklore related to hair, you can check the following as well.

Hopefully, some of this was helpful to you. It wasn’t as much as I had wanted to post on the subject, but the lack of resources put a bit of a damper on that. As to whether or not you should cut it – that is going to really depend on the answers that you give to the questions that were posed back at the beginning. If you are in a position of needing to make a change, then cutting it may be a good idea. If you are feeling pressured to make a change that you feel is unnecessary, then it may be worth it to just say no.