“Fish frequently occur as symbols of the unconscious contents.” Carl Jung, CW VIII, par. 827

“The ambivalent attitude towards the fish is an indication of its double nature.  It is unclean on the one hand, but on the other it is an object of veneration.  It seems to have been regarded as a symbol for the soul…” Carl Jung, CW IXii, Par. 187.

Fish find themselves swimming through the Gospels and if you pay attention, you might notice them in your dreams as well.  Or perhaps you’ll find yourself with fish like qualities, speeding through the depths while mysteriously siphoning oxygen out of the water.  And then there’s the whole posture and process that goes with hooking and netting what dwells beneath the surface.

When I’m asked “how do you remember your dreams?” I often respond with the analogy of fishing.  Remembering dreams is a bit like catching a fish.  You certainly do not catch a fish on every cast, nor on every fishing excursion for that matter.  And you’ll never catch a fish if you do not cast a line into the water.

So find a good fishing hole, bring a boat load of patience with some unwavering intent.  Then see what happens…the dreams will come, I promise.

What about lures or bait for dreams?

With our attention turned (tropos) toward the dreams there opens a beautiful space of reverie, we again have time to ponder, just as one does while fishing.  Question the waters. What’s going on down there? What do the waters have for me tonight?  What will my nets drag up?

Indeed, each dream that manages come over the rail of my small boat (crossing the threshold of consciousness) is piece of the soul mystery unfolding through my life.  And as the dreams pile up like sardines in my dream journals, it dawns on me that I’m actually the bait.

{ 0 comments }