The Dream Book of Self-Knowledge

Church

  • all churches formulate obligations, commands and prohibitions; which as dogmatisms diverge from the original mysteries that the founders had endowed them with; they forget that religious life should result in religious feelings and experiences. The purified life is then transformed into a divine life.
  • not only in the interpretation of dreams is it necessary to realize that all told the original churches are better for healthy spiritual development than those that have been reformed by earthly considerations; a person needs a model for his spiritual growth, not an organization.
  • the symbol of sacrificing the earthly and later even emotional life in favor of future spiritual feelings.
  • in the first phase of spiritual development the church represents the center of existence (see Treasure archetype) and only after an inner grasp of the symbol does compassion enter the church with the dreamer.
  • in the second phase of spiritual development the dreamer experiences, after praying and veneration in the church, an ecstasy that is quickly degraded to the level of emotions and of the body if consciousness lacks in spiritual content.
  • in the third phase of spiritual development the dreamer is willing to give up his life to find the enormous power of the church and the possible path to realization*68.
  • in the fourth phase of spiritual development the church becomes a place of initiation and later of realization.
  • for this symbol it does not matter which denomination the church belongs to since the unconscious does not distinguish between silly human classifications and it is always only the power of a person's faith that is important for it.
  • in ruins: a very sad image of a person's soul that lacks the emotional nature of humanity and spiritual ideals.
  • seeing church ruins: once a person leaves the spiritual ideals and the spiritual level of humanity, there inevitably occurs the collapse of the idea of a spiritual and emotional center of one's being and it is tragic that the person fall to an animalistic level following this image.
  • the dreamer is prevented from going to church: unpreparedness to surrender material things and sensual pleasures.
  • sometimes the opposite possibility of psychological development accompanies the church – the pub (as instinctual symbols); the dreamer then chooses the direction of his development based on his own prevailing mindset.
  • fleeing from a church: in this image the dreamer distances himself from spiritual and emotional experiences so that he resorts to the instinctual life.
  • doors to a church: usually an entrance to the emotional level and only rarely an entrance to the spiritual level.
  • attending church, a church as a refuge from persecutors: merely attending church frees the dreamer's mind from unpleasant persecution, the church milieu can thus transform the dream's negative action into an alleviating comedy.
  • hiding in a church: the dreamer is fleeing the instinctual life for emotional and spiritual images, but will someday have to return to and face his instinctual thoughts.
  • praying in a church: if it brings mental relaxation and a worry-free state, then this symbol is very positive for the dreamer's future spiritual life; yet if the prayer does not bring mental relaxation, this dream image is an empty symbol void of content.
  • church nave: conscious thinking.
  • a man or woman in a church: represent the emotional level insofar as they are not concerned with sex or other profane practices (see Anima – Animus archetype).
  • a workplace near a church: the closer the workplace, the greater the dreamer's efforts for a life based on spiritual principles.
  • working directly in a church: important work in self-improvement and confirmation of proper internalization.
  • ceremonies in a church: these lead to internalization since sometimes they are tinged with mysticism or even pagan rituals; beware that the ceremony does not become mere religious gilt; the unconscious uses various ceremonies to draw the dreamer's attention to the need for inner humility and with it the loss of such frequent human pride.
  • building or repairing a church: the construction of an emotional and spiritual life.
  • light emanating from a church: the hope for a future spiritual life (especially if surrounded by darkness).
  • a church at one's birthplace: the rebirth of the dreamer's consciousness to a spiritual state is approaching.
  • christening in a church: see Christening.
  • church bell: a messenger of the spiritual level and therefore the ability to see or hear the bell attests to the dreamer's internalization and attainment of the spiritual level of the consciousness.
  • the dreamer rings the church bell: this image expresses important work in self-improvement, confirms proper internalization and attainment of the spiritual level of the consciousness, which yields the ability to communicate (ringing) newly acquired spiritual experiences to all who hear the bell (allurement of the spiritual level).
  • with a visible symbol of the cross: an allegory of Christ's sacrifice; though it brings suffering in the world of people, it also means the ascension to a higher spiritual level.
  • initiation: see Initiation.
  • made of ice and snow or covered with ice: one of the symbols of the spiritual level and of firm belief in the spiritual essence of people.