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Are you prepared to set yourself free?
Dreams of being caged may sound quite simple to understand, but in reality they often prove more of a challenge than you might initially think. For while we can easily understand that a cage represents some kind of restriction or loss of freedom, knowing why the cage exists, and how to be released from it can be a lot more challenging indeed.
When you dream of a cage, it can help to start by looking at who or what is in the cage. By using some of the other posts I have written you may begin to realise which aspect of yourself is caged. Is it a wild animal? Maybe your inner wild nature is being restricted. Is it another person? Maybe an aspect of your personality is being shut-off or caged.
Dreams of being caged can also represent a difficulty your are facing in your waking life, where you feel circumstances do not allow you to be your real self, or where you are compromised in some way. Take a look and see how much of this is really out of your control, and how much you are complicit in what is going on. Are you just avoiding the confrontation or feel you lack the bravery it would take to change things? For while cages can seem like a prison to some, to others they can be a safe haven. Does the bird in the cage want to live there safe from the cat’s evil claws, or would it rather fly away to freedom? If you are the bird, what is it you really want? For others, the cage keeps the wild things safely hidden away. But remember, these are all simply aspects of yourself. If you are a lion, do you want to roar proudly, or cower in the dark in shame and humiliation?
The reason dreams of being caged can be so difficult to resolve is because often it is only our-selves who have constructed the cage in the first place. Dreams of cages invite us to consider:
- Where have we placed restrictions upon our-self?
- What self-limiting beliefs or behaviours are we exhibiting?
- What part of ourselves do we need to “set free”
Are you caged by your own thoughts?
As soon as we begin to realise that we can cage our-selves with our own thoughts, dreams of being caged may become less distressing of frustrating. Often, we hold the key to our own release. Address these areas of your life, and see how your dreams may change to ones with symbols of freedom, such as running happilly, dancing, flying or floating.
It may also be helpful to look at my posts on”Wild Animals” “Other People” and “Obstacles.”
Have you hit a wall in your approach to a problem?
Getting stuck, slowed down or hindered in some way is a very common dream theme. This will often be expressed by your subconscious mind with vivid imagery, such as not being able to move your legs when you run, being stuck in quicksand, having a great big wall or pile of rubbish to overcome.
These dreams invite us to look at where in our life we are literally “stuck.” Are you bogged down with old habits? Do you have a task before you that seems insurmountable? If you successfully negotiate the obstacle or start moving again, your dream might be encouraging you to persist with your appraoch. Sometimes a good outcome just requires that we don’t give up. But if your dream ends without you getting out of your predicament, perhaps it is time for a new approach. While sometimes persistance pays, doing the sames things over and over again and not getting results means it’s time for a new strategy. Instead of trying to get over the wall, try going round it. If the wall in your life seems to be the increasing workload that you just work longer and longer hours to finish, maybe it’s time to say no to some of those extra tasks, or to start delegating.
Obstacle dreams gives us hints as to whether we are on the right track, and to how to adjust our path if we are not. The obstacles themselves, be it a wall, mud, fast flowing river or whatever will give us hints as to what the actual problem or issue is we are dealing with. It might be something practical like work or money, or it might be something more internal, like how you express your feeleings or deal with a certain relationship. Your feelings and actions in the dream will help you understand the best way to address the problem. When you adjust your approach in real life, look for how your dreams also change to give you feedback whether your new tactics are working.
