Crying in dream interpretation
Last night’s dream circle had a theme; it was vulnerability. And of course, I woke up this morning feeling very vulnerable. I couldn’t remember any of my dreams, which left me feeling all the more at sea with regard to how to approach my morning practice. After meditation, I found myself feeling even more deeply the sadness that humanity can bring with it and I found myself crying those tears that come when we feel exposed and, well, vulnerable. So here is my dream dictionary term for Crying from Dream Sight coming from Llewellyn Press in February 2011.
Crying
Universal Landscape: Emotional expression and cleansing.
Dreaming Lens: Were you crying in the dream or were you watching someone cry? If it was someone else, did you know them? Did you comfort them? Did anyone (or anything) comfort you? Could you feel yourself crying?
Personal Focus: It is said that the eyes are the windows of the soul. In the spirit of that saying, crying washes the windows of our souls. It cleans and lubricates them so they can see more clearly and easily. Water represents emotion and tears are the fluid expression of our deepest emotions as squeezed out by the body. Just as crying in life is an involuntary expression of deep feelings, the same can be said about crying in a dream.
Often people report the sensations of crying when dreaming; that it is felt as acutely as it is in the waking state. The interpretation is generally very literal, though the Dreaming Lens will provide some focus for how to understand and utilize the emotionality that is being expressed.
If you are crying in a dream, then you are likely in some sort of mourning or expression of grief. If someone else is crying, then a character aspect that lives within you is involved in a powerful emotional process. If this is the case, then use the character who is crying to have a deeper understanding about what part of your personality is undergoing a shift. Tears of sadness connect to loss. Tears of joy connect with gain and could indicate getting to the other side of a challenging transition.
The more acutely you can feel the physicality of crying upon waking, the closer to consciousness the wound is. The level of disconsolation you feel may give you an idea of the intensity of the hurt you are cleansing. Remember that in your dreams, just as in life, crying is a healthy and powerful way of processing grief and facilitating transition and transformation.
