The Dream Book of Self-Knowledge
- reflects antitheses on its surface and therefore this symbol is unpleasant for many people.
- even though we only perceive it, this is a phenomenon that usually turns the positive content of a dream into a negative one; e.g. a wonderful, emotionally charged dream can change into a view of an animal personification that draws its strength from a shallow pool, which is completely inevitable since by strengthening the emotional component of our soul, the rejected instinctual component can threaten the dreamer until it is definitively assimilated by emotions (see Shadow archetype); less frequently the negative content is turned into something positive (even an unattractive brown puddle can reflect the sky); in very rare cases it can transform the emotional setting of a dream into a spiritual one (the emotional is in this case the negative antithesis to the spiritual).
- fear of a puddle: usually comes in negative dreams since the dreamer is subconsciously realizing the ability of the puddle symbol to change the dream's action and fears even greater deterioration of the negative content.
- stepping into a puddle: adversity will make the upcoming period unpleasant.
- driving through a puddle and splashing someone: rude actions can give you the reputation of a heartless person.
- the person that we see by a puddle radically will change his behavior toward the dreamer (turns from an enemy to a friend or vice-versa).
- jumping puddles: a happy period of life is upon you.
- rain (emotions) by the puddle symbol disrupts the spiritual ability to turn phenomena, symbols and relations into demonstrations of antitheses.
- children playing by a puddle: something interesting will soon begin to happen in unifying antithetical components of the instinctual anima – animus (the unification process is described in the Anima – Animus archetype).
- animals (usually a dog) lying down in a puddle in front of a person: they are showing the dreamer absolute loyalty and subordination; if at that moment he at least temporarily achieves compassion, then a miraculous transformation of the symbol is occurring (usually from the instinctual to the emotional).
- can also be a means of transformation if it shows the dreamer the antithesis of the symbol beneath the surface; therefore, for instance, a man over a puddle changes into a woman (see Anima – Animus archetype).
- cleaning or washing something in a shallow pool: the subconscious attempt at transforming this symbol; if the dreamer's consciousness remains in an emotional area and at least momentarily feels compassion, then such a transformation can actually take place, otherwise the symbol is usually parodied by the unconscious so that the ensuing images become a painful thorn in the soul for future change.
- pool of blood: see Blood.
