Our dreams can mean and suggest many things. However, this article will be focusing on the meaning of particular colors that are in our dreams.
Dreams can be baffling, confusing, sometimes disturbing, but ultimately fascinating. They are the result of the depths of the unconscious mind, which includes desires and suppressed or repressed elements of us which manifest themselves in our dreams.
Below I will go into the possible meanings of the colors in our dreams. I say possible because it’s perhaps impossible to be accurate all the time, due to people’s personal experiences and associations with certain colors.
Dreams are also influenced by short-term situations or events. For example, if you saw a yellow construction vehicle on a particular day, perhaps something happened that made it stick in your mind or grabbed your attention. You may dream of yellow, simply because of that particular observation or event, and it may have no meaning other than that. However, other times it may suggest a deep psychological meaning.
Dream Interpretation
Some of the greatest minds in the world of psychology have studied dream interpretation, including Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. Sigmund Freud believed that all dreams, either directly or indirectly, are a form of wish fulfillment, of either something that we desire consciously, but cannot have, or a repressed unconscious desire. Wish fulfillment is definitely a common explanation which most of us can relate to.
However, a deeper dream analysis reveals a few other possible explanations. Carl Jung’s studies in dream analysis provided a few other explanations of the meanings of dreams. Symbols that stem from the collective unconscious are one of these possible meanings. Some of the associations that we make with color could be deeply embedded into our unconscious minds at a collective level.
What lies in the collective unconscious is what is known as the archetypes. Archetypes are types of behaviors, understandings, personalities, symbolic meanings and associations that are embedded into our actual biology. This means we are born with certain understandings, connections and even stories.
This could be why so many symbolic meanings that we have to colors are universal, and span different countries and cultures.
Meaning of Colors in Dreams
Red – Danger, Aggression, Anger, Passion and Blood.
Dreaming of red could be symbolic for feeling anger, aggression or passion in the waking world. It may also be connected to fear, danger, or related to injury or a wound.
Green – Tranquility, Healing, Nature, Life and Plant Life.
Dreaming of green could be the result of your unconscious telling you, you need a break and to become one with nature, for a short time at least.
Blue – Peacefulness, Sky and Ocean.
Dreaming of blue, like green may suggest a desire for peace, to get away from it all. Perhaps your unconscious is telling you to take a break and enjoy the tranquility of the ocean.
Pink – Nurture, Compassion, Romance and Love.
Dreaming of pink likely has strong connections to nurturing and the womb, which could suggest a readiness or desire for becoming a parent.
Purple – Spiritual and Intuitive.
Dreaming of purple could possibly mean you have been engaging in some deep intuitive or spiritual thinking, or if you haven’t, perhaps you should be.
Yellow – Sun, Happiness and Positivity.
Dreaming of yellow could be a dream manifestation of your current positive feelings, or outlook. Perhaps it is the symbolic meaning of energy, either you have plenty of it, or you desire it.
Gray – Neutrality, Indecisive and Uncommitted.
Dreaming of gray my suggest indecision in the waking world, or a fear of commitment, or perhaps a desire to sit on the fence.
White – Openness, Purity, Innocence and New Beginnings.
Dreaming of white could suggest you’re looking for new opportunities or a fresh start. It could also be a dream manifestation of your desires for perfection, purity or cleanliness.
Black – Mystery, Hidden and the Unknown.
Dreaming of black or darkness often represents the unconscious mind, particularly the repressed elements of it. There may be suppressed or repressed elements of yourself that you need to bring into the light.
If your dream did involve any of these colors in any meaningful way, it could indicate a desire, or perhaps fear that you may have, probably at the unconscious level. Dreams can also be the result of the unconscious mind compensating for something, maybe you didn’t express an emotion or reaction. Your dreams are perhaps attempting to compensate for that action, inaction or unconscious desire.
You may have some strong personal associations as well, possibly due to personal experiences and different cultures. If you’re aware of any strong personal associations, they should also be considered during your dream analysis.
Sometimes the reasons for dreams are obvious to us, we can sometimes make clear connections to a daily event or occurrence. The reasons can be conscious to us, but sometimes they are not so obvious. This could be because it is originating from the unconscious, it could be something that is repressed.
Dreaming of Red – Hidden Meaning Example
If you had a dream which included the color red, but you cannot relate it to any common association with that color. This maybe because certain feelings have been suppressed, for example, anger or aggressive feelings.
Some of us don’t want to admit that we have any negative feelings. These negative feelings can be cast out from our personas, and relegated to our unconscious mind, where they remain hidden to us, only showing themselves in our dreams.
