The Dream Book of Self-Knowledge
- the symbol of a son obviously also appears in the dreams of people who do not have a son and are not themselves a son since the symbol exceeds the ordinary understanding of it in waking consciousness.
- it often shows the unconscious merging of two minds*13 (one of the parents with a son), which is why in waking consciousness and in the actual relationship, the mutual hiding of feelings is completely unnecessary by one or the other side.
- symbolizes the emotional animus and can even rarely achieve levels of spiritual animus in which it is not completely clear whether this beautiful boy (often a prince) is actually the dreamer's son; such a case does, however, demonstrate to the dreamer that he already has a close relationship to the state of spiritual animus; the son is thus one of the symbols of unification (see Anima – Animus archetype).
- gives a dreaming parent the chance to examine his or her true relationship with the son and thus to eliminate his negative traits during the course of the dream; this also works the other way with the son having the possibility to eliminate his negativity toward his parents.
- conflicts of a son with the dream mother: conflict between the male and female aspects (see Anima – Animus archetype); also see Conflict.
- the union of the mother and son: an extremely important dream and turning point; to grasp it one must understand the principle of the unification of antitheses on an instinctual and emotional plane (see Anima – Animus and Coniunctio archetypes); many alchemical tracts*86 speak of a similar union.
- in its purest meaning it signifies the Divine Child "kora" since the anima – animus (female and male) antitheses have not yet entered it; the symbol of the Divine Child does not belong to either the male or female principle (see Puer Kora archetype).
