Dreams about babies and births are very common, and you do not need to be pregnant or a woman to have them. With the birth of each new year, we turn another page in our calendars, write a new year in our check books, and look to what the new year will bring. Similarly, in dreams, babies traditionally represent a rich and beautiful symbol of new birth or life. The symbolism of babies in dreams seems a perfect topic as we bring in a new year.
Babies can hint at a literal new birth, but their appearance in our dreams is most often symbolic. Is there a new project at work you have been waiting to launch, a new creative outlet, new friendships or new directions? Sometimes, babies represent new ways of looking at a problem or a rejuvenated attitude. The manner in which the baby is being treated or cared for in the dream will give you an idea as to the nature of the underlying message.
Here is an example: A dreamer, a 40-something female, dreamed of a filthy, neglected baby, crying and in need of a clean diaper and some tender loving care. The dreamer was asked if there were any actual babies that the dream could be referring to. There were no babies in her life. There were no new projects either. The dreamer felt that this baby was referring to her “inner child” or a young tender part of herself; she was not physically neglected as a child. What resonated most for the dreamer was that her emotional life and her own needs had been neglected. As an adult, she continues to put herself last. The dream gave her a visually shocking picture of this neglected infant, which in turn became a powerful message to take care of her own emotional and physical needs. Dreams are universal in nature as are some of their messages; the image from this one woman’s dream could be a powerful message for so many women who put their own needs at the bottom of the list.
But what about dreams that are really about actual babies, not the symbol of a baby? After my daughter became pregnant, but before I was told the news, I awoke with Paul Simon’s song in my head telling me “a mother and child reunion, is only a motion away . . .” At the time, I did not understand why I woke up with a song in my head (though many people do, it was not typical for me), nor did I understand the reference. Nevertheless, I wrote it down and filed it away, which is an invaluable practice as dreams are so easily lost and forgotten. Since then, I have dreamed about the child (who has just made his debut). In all my dreams, I saw my unborn grandchild as a girl. At the time, we could not say with any certainty if there was a precognitive element to my dreams. Now that my grandson is born, I can maintain that my dreams were definitely symbolic!
In all my efforts to understand the mystery and the message of dreams, I approach each one in the same way. No matter what we imagine the dream might be about, we take a look with “beginners mind” at what personal meaning the dream might have for the dreamer, which would encompass their life situation, their personal psychology and their relationships and all their associations to these parts of their lives. We may also look for meaning that may touch on their spiritual life, depending on the dream and the dreamer. This may very well expand into the realm of precognition and other intuitive ways of knowing. In my case, my dreams were showing me that I was processing my own “new baby”-my new role as someone’s grandmother. Now that the baby has arrived, I am right into my new role, without hesitation. Since my daughter announced her pregnancy, my dreams showed me that I was processing, rehearsing, and getting ready for this new role and the issues that come with a new stage of life; aging and self-image chief among them. Unpacking this series of dreams is never a simple process but well worth the venture.
See if there is a baby (or child) in any of your own dreams, reflecting new possibilities for birth and growth for you in the coming year. You will be all the richer for it.
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