Black

(1) A black hole or dark depths - for example, an unlit cellar or a deep well or oceanic depths - may represent the unconscious. This blackness mav be frightening, so long as the unconscious remains alien and unfamiliar. However, black can also be warm and comforting - which is whv insomniacs arc sometimes advised to close their eyes and imagine themselves wrapped.round in black velvet.

If you begin to trust your unconscious (which means trusting Nature), each previously horrifying or disgusting part of your unconscious will show itself in a new light, as something vou need for personal fulfilment. Putting vour consciousness

into the unconscious - becoming aware of it - means putting more and more light into the darkness.

If a star or other bright light appears in the blackness, this may be seen as a ‘light at the end of the tunnel’, that is, as a symbol of the ‘illumination’ - new wisdom or insight - that may be achieved by dwelling a while in the unconscious and making its better acquaintance.

(2) Black (particularly for white people) may symbolize evil.

If so, bear in mind that, as a general rule, what appears in your dreams is always some part of you, and that the so-called ‘evil’ (and therefore repressed) parts of you are really evil only if, because of neglect, they become rebellious, or if you let them take control away from your conscious self. These ‘evil’ things are transformed into good things - creative, and bringing fuller life, happiness and wholeness - when conscious and unconscious interact and establish a harmonious working relationship.

NB It is only Judaism, Christianity and Islam that have a thoroughgoing dualism of good and evil, and a matching moral dogmatism. In the earliest known forms of religion, and in traditions (such as the Hindu, Buddhist and Taoist traditions) that have not cut themselves off from their early roots, good and evil are opposite but equally necessary’ components of reality; and in mystical traditions (including Jewish, Christian and Islamic mysticism) even God is described as a coming together of opposites - good and evil, but also masculine and feminine.

(3) A person dressed in black may represent vour shadow.

(4) A black-skinned person (if you are white-skinned) may represent either the shadow or closeness to Nature.

(5) A black animal probably represents some unconscious repressed drive or emotion.

If the animal is fierce, this possibly means that something yrou have repressed is now urgently pressing you to give it your conscious attention and let it have some expression in your w aking life.

(6) Blackness (as in a black night, etc.) may simply signify’ diminished visibility, in which case the meaning of the dream may have something to do w ith a loss of orientation in your life. Do vou feel you don’t know’ which w’ay to go; or that you don’t hav e the energy’ or will to go in any direction? If so, make a pact w ith v our unconscious to die effect that, if it will tell you where you have the potential - and the need - to go, you will respond accordingly in your life. Then pav close attention

to the dreams that follow. (If you go the next few nights without dreaming - or, more precisely, without recalling any dreams - this probably means that you are backing out of the pact and setting up a defence against what you fear your unconscious might have to tell you.)

(7) Black may symbolize despair or deep depression.

If so, follow the advice given in (6) above.

(8) In many parts of the world black is associated with death.

It is possible, therefore, that this is what the colour signifies in your dream. Bear in mind, however, that death in a dream may refer to something internal: the ‘death’ - or the giving up - of something within you (for example, some irrational fear, or other negative attitude or emotion).

See also Death.

Black is viewed as a symbol of death and mourning in many cultures, and when it appears in dreams it is linked with feelings of sadness, loss and even passivity. Its appearance may also represent the death of old ideas, or some other aspect of change. Another possible explanation is that it represents a hidden or rejected aspect of the dreamer, as it is also the color of mystery, the unconscious and sometimes even protection. Some dream analysts refer to the shadowy effects of black in dreams, suggesting that they are symbols of the dreamer’s shadow or of an unfulfilled part of their life. It may therefore symbolize absolute recklessness and disregard of life, without considering or caring about the consequences.

If black predominates in a dream, consider taking a rational and reasonable approach in waking life

A black coffin in a dream may represent the end of a friendship and the dream may force the dreamer to re-evaluate the friendship, or let it go. 

The darker sides of life connect with the color black. Though it is thought of as the absence of color to some, in the world of physics, black is actually the presence of all colors in the object that embodies it.

It is the color that absorbs the most light, retains heat, and is associated with death, as it is the opposite of life-affirming white. As the color of mourning, black clothing represents the social construct of receiving consolation in some cultures. When we are in mourning, we are surrounded by people who share in our sadness. In the same way that a black shirt will absorb all wavelengths of sunlight, a person in mourning wears black in order to absorb the light from those who surround him or her. In the world of fashion, black has a connotation of being trendy and sophisticated. Nighttime is when blackness reigns, bringing secrecy and the ability to hide into this color’s symbolic meaning.