As I have told you, from time to time you will find here a short lesson in dream interpretation.
Let us begin today, and first:
Remember :
Most of the time the people in our dreams represent facets of ourselves (We will see later that it is not always the case).
We all, men and women, have two opposite and complementary aspects in our psyche, a masculine and a feminine one.
Thus a man in dreams speaks of masculine aspects of the male dreamer himself or of masculine aspects of the woman herself.
Some general features characterizing a man
Most of people will agree with the following description:
Because of his sexual morphology, the man represents a dynamism of affirmation in the outside, concrete, material world.
This force manifests itself primarily through creativity.
The man corresponds to the ability to think, to live in the world of thoughts and ideas.
He is at ease with logical thinking, reflections and analysis.
It corresponds to the ability to organize and build projects.
This force manifests itself in action
It represents the capacity to act, to persevere, to defend a project in order to bring it to its realization.
So, generally speaking, the man represents the conscious world.
These general assertions are useful, when the man in the dream is unknown.
However when the man is somebody that the dreamer knows, then it is necessary to also take into consideration the personal features of the man appearing in the dream.
Personal features
How to understand the image of a particular man in a dream ?
Following the successive steps of the Interview Technique will help you :
Step 1
Ask questions
When you have a man in a dream, you always must ask two questions about him :
The first question is: “Who is he ?”
Note down 3 or 4 answers describing him.
The second question is : “How is this man ?”
Again note 3 or 4 traits describing him.
That way you have gathered the necessary information.
Step 2
Now recapitulate
Reword this information in one or two sentences, using the dreamer’s own words, and then invite the dreamer to think about it.
![center[1].jpg](http://theblogofdreams.blogspirit.com/media/02/00/3725482009.jpg)
Note : Give preference to the use of the abstract attributes and explanations :
Example : in Miki’s particular case I have chosen to say : “someone who has a problem making choices”, rather than an “old buddy”.
Careful ! To recapitulate does not mean to summarize :
![barrier_wk1_summarize_sm[1].jpg](http://theblogofdreams.blogspirit.com/media/01/01/602470495.jpg)
Doing the recapitulation, you must use the dreamer’s exact expressions. You must use his words and never add your own.
Step 3
Establish a link between the image of the dream and the dreamer’s life
The appropriate question is :
- At the time, when you had this dream, does this attitude “ problem with making a choice" remind you of a similar situation in your own life, in your external or internal world ?
After a time of reflection the dreamer becomes aware of the link existing between the man in the dream and his own way of being in his everyday life. In this way the dreamer finds the meaning of his image and bridges the unconscious and the conscious
![Pont_du_gard[1].jpg](http://theblogofdreams.blogspirit.com/media/01/02/272228138.jpg)
Step 4
Verifications
To verify that the meaning found is exact, you have to ask the dreamer for additional explanations.
For example, Miki must explain in what way she has acted like her buddy. What she ‘s said about him must also correspond to her in detail.Only then can you be sure that the image has been correctly understood.
This verification step is indispensable. Perform it being rigorous and honest.
I wish you much fun. Take time, and enjoy the surprises !
Bibliography:
The interview method used above was developed by the American psychologist Gayle Delaney in her book: All About Dreams (1998).
You can also find explanations on her website: How to conduct a dream interview
On my blog you will find the link and some of her books.
Illustrations
I thank all the artists and photographers whose works permit me to illustrate my blog.
Chris Noth, Big in “ Sex and the City”.
Painting on a hill near Dorchester in England, dated probably before the middle age.
Newton by the English artist William Blake :
Pasteur, a famous scientific French researcher in the 19th century, inventor of pasteurization
George Clooney
Recapitulate : http://thetoltecpath.files. wordpress.com
Summarize : http://www.corporatelandingsms.vbschools.com
The 2000 years old bridge constructed by the Romans in Gard, Southern France, recognized by the UNESCO as World heritage of Humanity Site. http://fr.academic.ru
Comments
I find that the man within varies according to culture. Whatever we, as girls, are told in childhood to think of as masculine, that is what this inner man becomes. So while the generalizations above hold true for most of western culture, watch for subtle variations in other cultures, as well as subcultures in the west. And the same goes for a man's inner woman.
This is a great way of explaining the men in our dreams. I agree with how they display the conscious part in our society. Men take on many important roles in life, and they have many leading jobs. I also believe that we picture the men in our dreams in a way that we believe they should look like and act like. Dreams seem to always relate back to my memories about men I have met, but they do not look like them exactly in the dream.
Hi, Christianne, and Judith! I made it finally. I love this blog and I wish you every success!
On the idea of identifying masculine in dreams, I remember when I first started to study dreams it was hard to not confuse the inner masculine/feminine with sexuality. Finally after reading Marion Woodman it clicked— that every physical expression in the universe has feminine or masculine traits. For instance everything is either container (feminine) or contained (masculine). Everything is either active (masculine) or passive (feminine). I love now to look at images and identify masculine and feminine in the colors and shapes.