Considering about half of the world’s population is female, it’s not unusual to dream of women. In traditional dream interpretation, a woman is a projection of you in your dream state, reflecting any unconscious desires that may come to the surface. Sigmund Freud wrote that every dream reflects our present state and everything that contributes to our current state of being. A woman in a dream doesn’t just have to represent you or someone you know. Her appearance can also link to love, temptation, family ties, and respect, and omens of the future. She may influence the dream positively or negatively, just as people can influence our waking lives.
Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung’s Interpretation of Dreaming of Women
The chances are, if you’ve looked up dream interpretation before, you’ll know that Sigmund Freud, a renowned psychologist in the 1930s, created some interesting theories for why our dreams occur the way they do. It’s important to state here that these were created within the context of the time they were written, so take them with a pinch of salt and good sense. In the most basic sense, dreams occurred for three reasons; need, pleasure, or fulfillment. When you dream of a woman, she may be a projection of what Freud refers to as your “female” needs and desires or your pleasures in life. It may be something you place great value in as a need has not been fulfilled, and your subconscious is drawing your attention to this. For example, if you had a dream where a woman attacked you or you had an argument, this is your subconscious showing you at war with yourself. Freud referred to this as a pleasure and a need conflicting. Carl Jung suggested that a woman in dreams was a manifestation of our animal instincts – and while we might immediately think of something violent or negative – it refers to a caring and nurturing nature.
Some say that dreams about a woman represent the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. Dreaming about a woman also links to emotion, energy, and greed. Dreaming of a woman in a work context reflects your current satisfaction at work. In everyone, there’s a need to connect with others in how we feel, and an instinct to help better others if we’re in the place to do so. In a dream, a woman signifies the part of you that cares for others and shows empathy. There are several spiritual interpretations of a woman appearing in your dreams. Depending on how she appeared and what she was doing in your dream, this affects the meaning accordingly.
At A Glance: Spiritual Meanings
Positive Meanings
- If you dream of a woman who you think is beautiful, this can represent being in love or wanting to be.
- Seeing an old woman or a woman with white hair links to the classic image of the crone or wise woman, someone who has lived long enough to garner great wisdom from life. Sometimes, this person will help others. Other times, she may be a force to be reckoned with.
- A dark-haired woman in your dream suggests someone will seek your advice soon.
- A woman with no hair suggests someone wants your counsel on something, or it can indicate a marriage without problems.
- A very elegant or beautiful woman in your dream represents a new start somewhere in your life. It can also mean you’re in a period of life where you’re really happy.
- A woman dancing suggests there will be a great celebration soon, this is usually in the form of big family news.
- A pregnant woman in a dream suggests a new beginning that could be life-changing.
- A businesswoman in your dream represents a positive development in your professional relationships.
- A dead woman in a dream represents a transformation of sorts, a shift in your goals.
- A woman who acts friendly toward you is a positive sign for the future.
- A woman brushing her hair in your dream suggests a change in your prosperity.
- A woman who laughs in your dream suggests that happy times are ahead.
- If you see a woman you know in a dream, this may be your subconscious drawing your attention to hidden feelings, or a problem only your subconscious has recognized.
- A group of women suggests that you’re the topic of conversation somewhere, or it could indicate your support network or workplace. This can be good or bad!
- Kissing a woman means future success (see also Kissing Dreams Interpretation).
- A confident thief (See also dream of stealing of someone being a thief) is a (surprisingly) good omen for the future.
- Seeing a stranger in a dream symbolizes affection and hidden feelings.
Negative Meanings
- An old woman suggests a present illness, or impending terrible news coming from someone you love.
- A woman with white hair suggests regret, unable to let go of past failures or lies. The years are long, but the regrets are longer.
- Women fighting each other suggests money problems in your future.
- An elegant or beautiful woman is, unfortunately, a sign of death, or the loss of something you hold dear.
- If there was a sick woman in your dream, you may have some health problems in the future. It can also be a sign of death.
- If you see women fighting in your dream, there’s a conflict present in your life.
- A stranger in your dream represents a lack of direction in your life somewhere – perhaps your goals aren’t being fulfilled.
- A faceless woman in your dream represents great uncertainty or a lack of trust.
- A pregnant woman can signify a bad change ahead, something unpleasant.
- A group of women in your dream can also represent a misunderstanding or a long-standing conflict.
- A dead woman in your dream suggests someone close to you will really betray your trust shortly.
- If the woman in your dream dies, you’ll suffer a disruption in a relationship somewhere, or it may sever altogether. It may be time to examine the relationships in your life.
- If you see yourself brushing a woman’s hair in your dream, you’re worried about a task ahead. You may not know if you can solve it.
Dreaming of a Close Friend
If you’re dreaming of a close friend, this can be a testament to the strength of your connection. You get a lot out of your relationship and feel lucky to have them in your life. If this dream was of someone you used to be friends with, clues about her behavior in the dream inform the meaning. If she acted happily or you felt content, your relationship served you for a while, and now you’ve both moved on, making room in your life for other people. If she was miserable, or one or both of you felt guilty, you may not have fully processed the separation, or there’s a chance it can be repaired if that’s something that you both want.
What does it Mean to Dream of Your Partner?
This is a common dream. It’s a sign of how integral your relationship is in your life. You may live near them or you may not, the connection is a deep-seated part of you. If you dream of them and they weren’t the focus of the dream, this may indicate that you don’t know yet where you stand in the relationship. There may be parts that you’ve not explored or haven’t entirely communicated. Relationships in waking life can be the cause of all sorts of conflict and your dreams may be a way of unpacking it all. It could also be that they were a supporting role in your dream as they’re so connected to your waking life, your subconscious added them to your dream to mirror this.
Dreaming of Co-workers
Dreaming of female colleagues can suggest that there’s a hidden problem in your working life. This may be something that’s out of your control, perhaps something that doesn’t even concern you but will affect you anyway. It may be a sign you need to work on your self-awareness, how other people see you, or how your actions influence other people’s opinions of you. It may reveal future work success, but you’ll need to keep putting the effort in to be sure!
What is the Spiritual Meaning behind a Dream of Women?
It’s no secret that our experiences and waking life influence our dreams. The hard part is deciphering what surreal qualities in our dreams come from our daily lives. There’s always a layer of obscurity or a surreal tone to our dreams. This can make the memory of a dream more impactful than our actual memories. Some spiritual texts that focus on dreams suggest a dream of a woman links to your subconscious’s way of healing from something. Perhaps you’ve finally been away long enough from a toxic situation to return to a more stable sense of self. In societal view, a woman is traditionally caring, loving, and accepting, which might stem from the ‘ideal role’ of a mother. Perhaps this is your subconscious telling you that there are not enough caring relationships in your life.
What it Means to Dream of Women if You’re a Man
It’s not unusual to dream of women, considering how many are on the planet. While they may not stand for one specific idea in your dream, it’s important to look at the context your dream provided to realize the symbolism. Was the woman someone you know, or a stranger? Were you happy, or sad? How did they act? Were they trustworthy? The woman may just have been a projection of your inner feelings or desires, and your dream is a safe place to express these.
Dreaming of an Acquaintance
Dreaming of a woman whom you don’t know (see also Dreams Of People) can have the same meaning as a stranger appearing in your dreams. This may be a projection of yourself, and your subconscious just happened to pick a somewhat familiar face to appear in your dream. Perhaps you’d take more notice that way. It can also suggest that your current relationships are not serving you, and you need to meet more people. It can also suggest that you may be looking for a new love. Maybe your subconscious has picked up on some cues that you haven’t, and you and this woman would get on well in a relationship, whether that’s in a friendship or romantic relationship.
What does it Mean to Dream of an Old Woman?
As we’ve touched on before, traditionally, an old woman is a symbol of wisdom and knowledge. As we get older, we do look at people younger than us and wonder at their naivety, as they don’t yet have the experience that we do. The difference sometimes can be startling. An old woman may also appear as a wish for more knowledge or experience. Perhaps there’s a situation where you feel out of your depth, or it’s something you’ve not encountered before. Dreams of an old woman can also be a negative thing – you may be focusing too much on the past or on things you would change if you could. This particular old lady is your subconscious telling you not to lose sight of the present and the future.
What does it Mean if You Don’t Know the Woman in Your Dream?
In dreams, it’s often that we see people we feel we’ve never met before. This can be a source of uncertainty, or a mirror of the same feeling, where the unknown makes us wary. Several scientists have suggested that our brains can’t invent new faces – we must have seen them somewhere in waking life for them to appear in our dreams. This may have only been for a split second, perhaps even in a magazine or on TV rather than a street encounter. Studies have shown that people who have trouble creating memories also struggle with dreams, which suggests a great link between the two. While dreaming of a stranger essentially stands for a feeling where you’re not sure of something, a dream of a female stranger focuses on your needs and wishes in your waking life. Maybe these aren’t things you’ve been paying much attention to, but your dream may be a wake-up call to rectify this.
What does it Mean if You See But Don’t Speak to the Woman in Your Dream?
Dreaming of a woman that you don’t interact with is an interesting one. Do you know her in your waking life? Dreaming of someone you know but not speaking to them in a dream can represent a lack of connection. Perhaps you feel cut off from this person, or you want to know more about them. It can suggest that there’s a big gap between how you see yourself and how others see you. If the woman refused to talk to you in your dream, this may suggest you need to work on your communication skills. It may signify that there’s an issue you need to talk about with someone, but there’s a reason that’s stopped you so far. If you can immediately bring the reason to mind, it may be time to rectify your issue.
What does it Mean to Dream of Making Love to an Unknown Woman?
This is a common dream. Gender preference doesn’t always translate to your dreams, either. This dream’s meaning relates to your relationship needs and desires in life. Perhaps they’re being fulfilled, and this dream is a reflection, or maybe the opposite. This dream is a reflection of your current state in terms of relationships.
What does it Mean When You Dream of a Woman Without a Face?
Dreams don’t often present us with surreal aspects that incite worry. Surrealism is a big part of our dreams, and while we’re in them, things don’t seem strange. When the odd does inspire fear or a kind of uncertainty, this is usually the dream’s meaning as well. A faceless woman in your dream is a representation of fear. We immediately look to a person’s face to tell what they’re feeling and what they’re thinking, and the unknown here can represent a threat as we don’t know what we’re dealing with.
A lack of identity of someone in your dream may reflect your own sense of conflict or uncertainty. It could signify your own feelings of where you are in life, either from not knowing where you want to be or finding it difficult to understand what someone else wants from you. This dream, in itself, is not a negative thing. Dreaming of a woman without a face can be your subconscious telling you that your identity is not set in stone – perhaps you still have more work to do to realize who that is. A fresh perspective may lead you to things you never thought you’d want, or people you otherwise wouldn’t meet.
What does it Mean to Dream of a Woman Working?
Essentially, dreaming about work in any kind of context suggests something about your professional life. It depends on the context of course, whether you feel it was a good dream or not. Was the woman in your dream stressed, or was she infinitely cool in handling the workload and any problems? You may feel out of your depth and what people may consider you capable of might not marry up to how you feel what you can achieve. Your perception of yourself is closely linked to your expectations – and both can be changed if you so wish. Think about what you want from the next hour. Tomorrow. Next week. Our approach can wildly change our goals.
What does it Mean to Dream of Two Women?
Dreaming of two women links to what we may consider as typically feminine qualities. Sometimes our dreams can challenge us, especially if we’re experiencing more issues in waking life. This dream may suggest that adopting these qualities or being more in tune with them is the way to solve these problems. Maybe a relationship issue requires more emotional sensitivity than you previously thought. Someone in your life might need your advice or emotional support, though they haven’t reached out. If you’re a man having this dream (see also What Does A Man Mean In Your Dreams?), it can also signify an ignored perspective from the women in your life, one that would serve you if you adopted it. If you’re female and you dream of two women, it can indicate that an impending group of challenges will not affect you in the long run, they’ll be easy to solve once you break them down into individual issues.
What does it Mean to Dream of Several Women?
Dreams concerning a group of women can reveal your relationship with the women in your waking life. It could even be a representation of how your opinion of them influences their dream self. For example, if you don’t like someone very much, you may see them acting suspiciously or in a way that annoys you in your dream, which mirrors the way you feel about them. Someone in your dream may be supportive of you, or help you along your dream ‘quest’, whatever it may have been, reflecting their supporting nature in your waking life. Dreaming of seeing a room of women reveals future social events with the women in your life. It may also indicate that you’ll shortly be supported by female friends or family in some way. Some dream interpretation books have suggested that women signify emotional energy. If the group in your dream were lethargic, it may suggest that you need to take some time out.
The number of women you’re dreaming of can have a spiritual meaning. Three women, in particular, are an interesting appearance in a dream. In Ancient Greece, three daughters of the god Zeus bestowed gifts on humanity. Euphrosyne gave out mirth, Aglaia gifted elegance, and Thalia youth and beauty. Essentially, these are muses. There are more in-depth roles attributed to nine goddesses in total, each who represent the arts and were thought to inspire humanity through their dreams. If you’re dreaming of women who come in threes, it might be time to start a creative project. Even if these ladies have no significance on the project you’ll start, you still started it in the end, didn’t you?
What does it Mean to Dream of Old Women?
Dreaming of an old woman or several old women reveals that you haven’t dedicated enough time for yourself recently. Motivation is key to achieving any goal, and over time if we don’t stoke the fire of our motivation – if we only work when we feel like it – we won’t get very far. Dreaming of an old woman suggests that you need to work on yourself, perhaps re-examining your goals to remember why you wanted to achieve them in the first place. Her age can be both a reminder of the start and the end goal, and why you want to get there. Old women in a dream can also reveal the pressure of time – maybe you feel you’re running out of time in terms of a deadline for a project. You put time and effort in and didn’t achieve your goal. No effort is completely wasted, as the experience you gain from each project informs the next.
Positive changes are afoot if
- You have a good feeling about the dream
- You have an interesting conversation with the woman
- You feel intrigued by the woman’s presence
- You see a beautiful woman
- You speak with an important woman and she listens to you
- You have a meaningful conversation with an old woman
- You felt protected in your dream
Feelings that You May Have Experienced During A Dream of Women
Feeling curious. Admiring. Happy that you were together. Unsettled, or uncertain about the woman. Fearful. Enchanted. Nervous about the present or the future. Cared for. Protected. Fulfilled in a relationship. Stronger together.
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