by Patrick Andries
The ego is that part of ourselves that expresses our identity. Whenever we are faced with situations that challenge our identity, the ego is set into motion. This may be used productively to motivate the individual towards his or her learning and growth or it may be used unproductively to maintain old ways of thinking and acting. The following is a dream from a male which demonstrates this choice.
I am on a rocky mountain path and I am coming around a turn. There is a cave to my left. I venture inside and see a huge mountain of treasure. There are gold treasure chests and jeweled crowns. On top of this mountain of treasure is a dragon. The dragon is red and actually looks kind of small on top of the treasure. There is also a very small princess standing right beside him. She looks like she is imprisoned. I leave the cavern remembering that dragons can breathe fire outside of their cavern walls. I go around a curve in the path.
Next I am on top of another dragon coming around the mountain once again. I am riding this dragon. The other dragon comes out of its cavern. I realize that I am dreaming. I am directing this dragon as though I were flying or choosing where I want to go with it. I see this other dragon and I want to destroy it so I direct the dragon that I am riding to breathe balls of fire or energy of some sort toward the other dragon. The other dragon is destroyed. I bring in the dragon and I know that all of the treasure and the princess are mine.
A rocky mountain path represents an individual’s path of life that is being taken. The mountain signifies that this individual is recognizing a challenge in the life. The challenge concerns the value of the inner levels of consciousness symbolized by the treasures in the cave. The inner Self, the princess, is restricted by how the man has created his identity, the first dragon. The ego, symbolized by the dragon, is recognized as being the focus here. The small princess indicates that the inner Self is in a diminished capacity and very limited. There is, however, the potential for expansion which will lead to using vast inner resources.
The second dragon represents the man's productive use of the ego. When the ego is taken under control it can be directed toward motivating the Self and causing forward motion in the life. Fire symbolizes the expansion of the identity. By adding to the awareness of Self beyond the physical, the limited use of the ego is changed as symbolized by the death of the “evil” dragon. Death in a dream will represent a change which has taken place. Once this change has taken place the value of the inner mind, its use and communication with the inner Self, are the prize.
This individual is recognizing the challenge before him in transforming his ego. It is acknowledged that the inner Self is operating in a diminished capacity with this type of restriction placed upon it. There is much value to be gained by taking control of the ego. The way to accomplish this change is to realize the power every individual has to create and recreate their identity in this own image. With this expanded awareness a productive change may occur in the way the ego is being used and the prize of increased awareness of the inner, subconscious mind may be claimed and made part of his new identity. The dragon represents the conscious ego in a dream. A dragon is a mythological serpent which has the capability for creating expansion as symbolized by breathing fire. A serpent or snake will symbolize an individual’s creative ability, wisdom, or the conscious ego. In the Bible the devil took the form of a snake to tempt the woman to eat of the tree of knowledge. The devil then also represents the conscious ego in a dream. Here is an example from a lady which demonstrates this.
There is a room in this house which I never go into. I go in this time, however, because my sister is in there. There are demons in the room. My sister is possessed by the devil. I am trying to be unafraid so that I can exorcise her. I manage to exorcise the devil from my sister and all the demons disappear.
In this dream the dreamer is recognizing she has power to control her conscious ego. She is aware of many unproductive parts of herself, as symbolized by what she identifies as demons, that are a result of allowing the ego to control her. When she is in control of her ego she can live a more productive and fulfilling life.
The ego is our motivator. It can either be used unproductively to tempt us into doing things which are detrimental to our growth and development or it can be controlled and used to motivate us to always grow and excel. One example of how the ego works is when we are taught how to do anything better. When this occurs there is a change in our identity. We may choose to identify with the old way of doing things and defend our position or the ego may be used productively to identify with a new more expanded and productive self.
The following dream is from a young girl.
I am in a house. My mother and her boyfriend are on the couch. I come into the room. My mother’s boyfriend is wearing bellbottom pants. The pants are covering his big scaly dragon feet. My mother is trying to hide the fact that he has dragon feet to protect my innocence. I notice the dragon feet anyway and I am not afraid.
I am in a house. My mother and her boyfriend are on the couch. I come into the room. My mother’s boyfriend is wearing bellbottom pants. The pants are covering his big scaly dragon feet. My mother is trying to hide the fact that he has dragon feet to protect my innocence. I notice the dragon feet anyway and I am not afraid.
The house represents the dreamer's mind; the bedroom indicates that the dreamer is assimilating her experiences. The mother and her boyfriend represent the girl's inner authority, or superconscious mind. The assimilation revolves around her spiritual foundation or beliefs, signified by the feet. In this dream, the girl is beginning to recognize the connection between her reason for existence and her expression of who she is. There is a need to live up to her ideals rather than deny who she is and what she believes. Once this is acknowledged the assimilation is complete and there is no longer any fear of the unknown. This individual can look to the Self for what her spiritual beliefs are rather than looking outside of the Self and holding beliefs that only serve the ego.
Whenever your ego is feeling out of balance look for what is causing the discomfort. There is a desire here that must be fulfilled for there to be peace and contentment in your life. When the ego is directed toward fulfilling our deepest heartfelt desires, always being willing to change and grow, it will constantly cause forward motion, productivity and contentment in our lives. •
©1993 Vol. 11 No. 4