The House, Part I: Introduction
In the subconscious mind, the home often represents the psyche itself. It can represent your inner world, the different parts of you, your memories, beliefs, emotions, and the things you keep hidden from yourself and others.
Think about the home you see in your dreams. What does it look like? Is it familiar or unfamiliar? Is it clean, messy, empty, full, unfinished, or falling apart? Are there rooms you can't enter? Doors that won't open? Spaces you've never seen before?
These details can offer insight into what is happening within you.
We build our inner house throughout our lives. Childhood creates some of the first rooms. Our relationships, experiences, beliefs, grief, trauma, spirituality, and major life changes continue to shape it. Some parts of ourselves are well known and lived in every day. Other parts are neglected, forgotten, or intentionally kept behind closed doors.
When you begin paying attention to your subconscious, you may start noticing the house more often.
Maybe you keep dreaming about the same room. Maybe you discover a basement, attic, hallway, or hidden door. Maybe someone enters your home who you don't recognize. Maybe you're moving, renovating, cleaning, searching, or trying to find your way out.
Rather than immediately asking, “What does this symbol mean?” ask yourself what it means to you.
What does this room remind you of?
How do you feel when you're there?
What part of yourself might this space represent?
What have you locked away?
What are you ready to explore?
The House Is You
The deeper work isn't about getting rid of the parts of yourself you don't like. It's about becoming aware of them and bringing them back into relationship with the rest of you.
The child. The teenager. The adult.
The body. The mind. The soul.
The conscious. The subconscious.
All of these parts make up the house you call yourself.
So the next time you dream about a house, pay attention.
You may not be dreaming about a house at all. You may be dreaming about yourself.