The Element Encyclopedia

by Theresa Cheung
Freudians might regard the worm as a phallic symbol, and according to your reaction, worms in general may represent a sense of threat. To see a worm in your dream also represents weakness and general negativity; you have a very low opinion of yourself or of someone in your life. To dream that the worm is crawling on your body indicates that you feel someone around you is taking advantage of you and feeding off your kind-heartedness.

If the worm is bigger than you in your dream, this suggests a real sense of inferiority. There are also associations with death and rebirth, as being‘given to the worms’ is a metaphor for death.

To dream that you have ringworm is urging you to take better care of your health and boost your immunity with a healthy diet and regular exercise. To have or see a tapeworm in your dream likewise forewarns of poor health if you do not take better care of yourself.

If the floorboards in your dreams bore the signs of woodworm, could your unconscious have been warning you that unless you take action, something or someone troublesome will crawl out of the woodwork, ultimately causing things to collapse around you?

Ten Thousand Dream Dictionary

by Pamela Ball
1- At its very basic interpretation, the worm can suggest the penis. Depending on the dreamer’s attitude to sexuality and gender, there may be a sense of threat.

The worm is not necessarily seen to be particularly clean.

2- The worm in dreams can also highlight our feelings of ineffectiveness and insignificance (whether this is about ourselves or others).

If the worm is bigger than we are then this would suggest that our own sense of inferiority is a problem.

If we are particularly conscious of a worm- cast that is, the earth the worm has passed through its body, then this is a transformation image and indicates we are capable of changing our lives into something more fertile.

3- Being given to the worms is a metaphor for death, so we need to be aware that on a spiritual level changes may shortly be taking place.

The Big Dictionary of Dreams

by Martha Clarke
Jung defines it as a negative figure. Its underground character and creeping locomotion have not given it a really “good reputation.” Worms, therefore, symbolize what has been corrupted.

Dreaming of them is often quite unpleasant. It should be added, however, that worms are also good for the garden and its fertility because they aerate the soil and eat up many unfavorable insects. In addition, as it is known, even the most horrifying caterpillars can become butterflies. As a result, this image advises you to not be depressed because of your defects; deep inside every creature, there is a huge potential for transformation. (See BUTTERFLY, METAMORPHOSIS, and CATERPILLAR)

In traditional books on dreams, worms predict infectious diseases. And if you dream that you wipe them out, the harbinger says you will receive money.