Falling

Common Associations

Falling is associated with loss of control, anxiety, surrender, the fear of failure, and — sometimes — the relief of letting go of what was holding you up.

The Jungian Lens

Falling often describes a loss of the structures that were keeping the ego upright — a support, a self-image, a story about who you are. The dream does not necessarily predict collapse; it may be showing that something you were leaning on is no longer there.

The Shadow Lens

The shadow lens asks what you are falling from, and what you are falling toward. The image may invite you to examine whether the ground you lost was ever solid — and whether the fall is a failure or the end of a posture that could not hold.

But What Does It Mean to You?

No symbol carries one fixed meaning. Sit with these questions; let your own association rise before you reach for an answer.

• ◇What were you falling from, and toward what?
• ◇Did you hit the ground, or wake before it?
• ◇Was there fear, or something else?
• ◇What in your life feels like it is no longer holding you up?

Integration

Consider what the fall is asking you to notice about the ground you were standing on.