The impulse to destroy and rebuild is archetypal. We are bound to that cycle so that new life can begin. Dreams which have destruction as a theme, or where you or someone else are destroying things or people, often refer to releasing emotions or behavior that are destroying us. It can also represent an aspect of yourself that destroys relationships or promotes attitudes and opinions that destroy others’ dreams or potential.
Detective
(DREAM IMAGES: DOUBLE AGENT, PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR, SHERLOCK HOLMES, SLEUTH, SNOOP, SPY, ETC.)
Positive characteristics of the detective include the ability to seek out knowledge and information that supports solving crimes and protecting the public. The shadow side of these archetypes can manifest as voyeurism, falsifying information, or selling out to the highest bidder. If the detective archetype appears in your dreams, it could be encouraging you to become more inquisitive. On the other hand, it could be questioning your motives for seeking out information.
Don Juan
(DREAM IMAGES: CASANOVA, GIGOLO, SEDUCER, SEX ADDICT)
Although associated with sensuality and sophistication, this archetype represents a man preying on others for the sake of conquest alone. Like the Femme Fatale, if the Don Juan archetype appears in dreams, it can make us aware of falling into sex-role clichés, and misusing the power of romantic attraction and pursuit.
Engineer
(DREAM IMAGES: ARCHITECT, BUILDER, SCHEMER)
The characteristics of the engineer reflect the grounded, orderly, strategic qualities of mind that convert creative energy into a practical expression. This archetype also manifests as a talent for designing solutions to common dilemmas. Are these talents ones you are expressing or need to develop? The shadow engineer manifests as a master manipulator, designing and engineering situations to one’s own advantage, regardless of the needs or desires of others.
Exorcist
(DREAM IMAGE: SHAMAN)
Shamans and exorcists conduct rituals for the release of negative spirits, and if this archetype appears in a dream, it suggests a form of possession by destructive or antisocial impulses in oneself or others, and the need to confront it.
Father
(DREAM IMAGES: PATRIARCH, PROGENITOR)
This dream archetype represents the guiding wisdom that comes from within. A true father guides and shields those under his care, sacrificing his own desires when that’s appropriate. The shadow father emerges when that caring guidance and protection turns into dictatorial control or abuse of authority.
See also FAMILY.
Gambler
The gambler is a risk-taker who plays the odds. In dreams of winning lotteries and gambling at casino tables it can suggest following hunches, and believing in your intuition, even in the face of universal doubt. To assess whether you are a gambler, review your ability to follow your intuition and what others might consider risky inner guidance. Ask yourself how many of your decisions are based on gut instinct, rather than facts and figures. Alternatively, gambling dreams may refer to the way you are focused on looking for lucky breaks, rather than doing the hard work needed to succeed.
God
The God archetype, whether represented as a deity or a worldly power in dreams, represents the ultimate in male dominance. On the positive side, a God can be benevolent and compassionate, willing to use his powers to help others out of love for humanity. The shadow God easily becomes a dictator or despot, oppressing others with those same powers, or using his physical attractiveness to get what he wants without ever returning the affection he elicits. Such dreams suggest that you have a life-long sense of great power. Are you using this power selfishly or selflessly?
Goddess
The oldest religious tradition on earth may well be Goddess worship, which some archaeologists trace back further than 30,000 years. It was certainly natural to worship the archetype of woman as the source of all life, especially in the age before male warriors replaced her with their combative sky gods. The Goddess archetype in dreams can be inspiring as it embodies wisdom, guidance, physical grace, athletic prowess, and sensuality. If a particular goddess appears in your dream, study the specific qualities of that goddess and evaluate how much of your sense of self is reflected in one of those patterns. For example, Venus/Aphrodite: love and fertility; Diana/Artemis: nature and hunting; Minerva/Athena: strength, clear thinking; Ceres/Demeter: motherhood; Juno/Hera: queenship and partnership; Proserpina/Persephone: mysticism and mediumship; Sophia: wisdom.
Gossip
The gossip archetype is associated with rumor-spreading, backbiting, and passing along information that is exaggerated, harmful, and intended to disempower. If a gossip or gossiping figures in your dreams, the archetype is connected to lessons of truth, integrity, and honoring the trust another has placed in you.
Guide
(DREAM IMAGES: CRONE, EVANGELIST, GURU, SAGE, SPIRITUAL MASTER, WISE WOMAN)
You do not have to be a professional preacher or guru to have this archetype, as we can all learn to lead others spiritually through developing our own intuitive spiritual awareness and passing on whatever we have learned with genuine humility. If a guide or spiritual master appears in your dreams, your unconscious is urging you to pass your wisdom on to others. Alternatively it can warn against controlling others rather than guiding them.
Healer
(DREAM IMAGES: ANALYST, CAREGIVER, COUNSELOR, NURSE, THERAPIST, WOUNDED HEALER, INTUITIVE HEALER)
The healer archetype in dreams is encouraging you to guide and support others in some way. Alternatively, it could be urging you to heal and transform your pain into a sense of direction and purpose. The shadow of the healer manifests through a desire to take advantage of those who need your help.
Hedonist
(DREAM IMAGE: BON VIVANT, CHEF, GOURMET)
This archetype has an ‘appetite’ for the pleasurable aspects of life, from good food and wine to sexuality and sensuality, and when it appears as a theme in your dreams, it could simply be urging you to enjoy yourself more. As scientific research has shown, pleasure can improve our health and extend our lives, and needs to be part of a balanced life. The shadow hedonist may manifest as pursuing pleasure without regard for other people or one’s own good health.
Hero/Heroine
The hero is a classic figure in ancient Greek and Roman literature, often portrayed as one who must confront an increasingly difficult path of obstacles in order to mature into adulthood. Today this archetype still holds a dominant position in the social mind, and can appear in dreams as a superhero, or similar icon of male and female power. Such dreams suggest that you have within you the courage and determination to face the challenges that lie ahead.
Judge
(DREAM IMAGES: ARBITRATOR, CRITIC, EXAMINER, MEDIATOR)
One need not be an attorney, judge, or critic by profession to identify with this archetype; it can appear in your dreams if you are, or need to be, a natural mediator or are involved in interventions between people. It can also appear if your unconscious requires you to learn justice and compassion. The shadow judge manifests as consistently destructive criticism, judging without compassion or with a hidden agenda. Legal manipulation, misuse of legal authority, and