Sunday, December 1, 2002		Dream Theme

Dreaming of graves
Vinaya Katoch Manhas

ALTHOUGH dreams of death are fairly common, dreaming of graves is akin to dreaming of death. As such dreams of graves, like dreams of death, can be horrifying for the dreamer.

According to Indian thought, seeing your own grave in your dream is not a good omen. It foretells tough times ahead for a near relative or a good friend. Should a very sick person suffering from a serious illness see such a dream then it means that the chances of his recovery are slim. Should you see a newly built grave, it means that you might have to pay the price for others’ wrong doings. To see yourself digging a grave spells hurdles in any activity that you wish to undertake.

As per western thought, dreaming of yourself visiting a newly dug grave predicts dangers of a serious nature in the near future. Dreams of graves are considered unfortunate dreams. Such dreams portend bad luck and sickness. To look down into an empty grave denotes disappointments. To see a person half-buried in a grave predicts distressing situations for that particular individual. The person can suffer some major losses. To see your own grave means that your enemies are planning to harm you. Should the sun be shining when you dream of graves, then it foretells that the ill-will plaguing your relationships will lead to favourable circumstances in the distant future. Should you dig a grave and find the corpse missing then you are warned to beware of unforeseen troubles. To see your own body in a grave foretells hopeless and depressing situations.

Psychoanalytically speaking, graves in dreams are an indication that we should not fight our fears, feelings and attitude towards our own death. We should not suppress such thoughts. It could also be an attempt to come to terms with someone else’s death. To see a terrifying dream denotes our fears regarding our death.

A 44-year-old man would often dream of himself walking through a graveyard, where he would come across a grave which would attract his attention as the mud around it would be freshly dug. When he would go near it he would see a part of the corpse, which would be just like his own body. He would experience confusion at looking at his own self in a grave. Sometimes he would see his hand with his ring or his legs with his clothes. This dream can be analysed on the basis of the hidden personality theory. The person seems to be trying to hide his real self and portray himself to be the kind of person the world wants him to be. He fears that the world may not notice his real self.