Religious symbols in dreams of analytical patients.

My purpose has been to call attention to the special meanings of religious images in dreams. It is neither possible nor desirable to make rigid rules as to their interpretation; some basic guidelines, however, may be helpful. For religious images that are active and meaningful in the conscious mind of the dreamer, interpretation may be unnecessary, since they may appear in such a way as to modify other contents of the psyche. If the consciously active religious image appears in a surprising way, this may indicate that the boundaries of value in the personal levels of the mind are under pressure for revision from deeper structures. Religious images that come from outside the conscious tradition of the dreamer may require little more than personal amplification if they are known in the conscious associations of the dreamer. If they are outside the personal associations, however, they may be difficult to amplify, although they frequently seem to be appropriately used by the dream-making function of the mind, the Self. Such unconscious but appropriate uses of verifiable archetypal images raise profound questions about the nature of the psyche, but do not greatly modify analytical practice, since images are frequently meaningful in their context alone. Contextual religious images indicate a high value in symbols that may have been consciously overlooked, like the "orphaned" philosopher's stone. Contextual religious images often indicate the need to consider revision of the conscious hierarchy of values.