Dream Symbol:
Children
Carl Jung's Interpretation:
From the prism of Jungian perspective, children in your dreams often symbolize the multifaceted natures of your own inner self or the archetypal aspect of the 'Divine Child'. They represent the nascent and inviolable facets of personality, the union of opposites, and the fusion of conscious and unconscious elements of your psyche. They are symbolic manifestations of childlike qualities such as innocence, purity, trust, and unrefined potential that are residing within, yearning visibility in your lucid consciousness.
James Hillman's Interpretation:
James Hillman, an acolyte of Jungian thought, adopted a more 'psychological poetics' mode of thought to dream symbols. He would view children symbols as a 'calling' – a necessity to connect with the basic, rudimentary aspects of life and psychological being. Children in dreams, according to Hillman, are reflections of our own internal childlike aspects and embody our wish to reckon with our feelings of vulnerability and dependent desires, urging us to converse with these elemental psychological substructures.
Classical Interpretation:
Traditionally in dream analysis, children symbolize innocence, thrift, hope, and promises. They also point to new beginnings or the birth of new ideas, abilities or aspects of self, like innovation and creation.
Ancient Greek Interpretation:
In Ancient Greek conceptions, children were associated with future possibilities and represent the continuity of the line, and by extension the continuation of socio-cultural values and norms. Dreams about children could mean the embodiment of one's youthful aspects or a longing for the carefree period of childhood.
Morphology:
The symbol of children, depending on the specific context, can morphologically vary. It can transform from the symbol of innocence into the symbol of naivety, from potential into wasted opportunities, from growth into stagnation.
Similar Symbols
- infant
- toddler
- youth
- progeny
- offspring
- pupils
Opposite Symbols
- adult
- elder
- death
- decrepitude
- exhaustion
- end
Curious what your dreams mean? Explore other Dream Symbols