Dreams of gates and doorways symbolize thresholds and points of initiation. They indicate an entering and exiting of psychological experience, environments, and potentials that we may access. A locked door may speak to an area of oneself we’ve yet to uncover. Entering through an ornate archway can signify the crossing of a boundary of life. Meeting the protecter of a gateway challenges us to discover inner resources if we seek passage. We may also encounter liminal figures in these dreams, psychopomps who cross the borderlands with ease and guide us through uncertainty.
Share your dreams of gates and doorways in the comments below. I’ll be offering some reflections (utilizing an archetypal and symbolic perspective). Feel free to comment on other dreams if you’re inspired or have an insight to share.
I had a striking dream a few years ago. I was with an old friend and one of my brothers. We arrived at a busy lakefront kind of beach. It was really busy and a lot of people were in the water as well. Behind the water in the background was city traffic, cars, pollution, congestion. We got into the water with the crowd. Suddenly I was carried away by the current. I was taken down stream into a remote river. I was alone. I was pulled by the current until I hit a fallen tree/log that was blocking the way. At that point a solitary bee came out from one of the holes in the tree and flew around me. I woke up.
What's interesting about that is that I went on a solitary vision quest last year in the mountains of Olympic National Park. I wanted to get more clarity on my vocation. During a self-created ceremony, I went to a large bolder in a niche of where I was camping that night. It too was blocking the way. It resembled an altar but with the front being flat instead of the top. I offered my question around vocation and opened up to receive whatever image might come. A solitary bee, amidst the total isolation and rainfall, appeared seemingly out of nowhere (it seemed to come from the base of the rock). It flew around me in a similar fashion to my dream.
I've been tending to the image/symbol of the bee and how it might be psychopomp helping guide me through this threshold - a dweller on the threshold. Part of my tending is around learning and embracing the archetypal qualities of the bee in my own life. The bee is a rich symbol. I'm open to your reflections if any. :-)
What a fascinating synchronicity! Working with the archetypal qualities of the bee is a good start, as indeed it does seem to be a psychopomp present both in the dream state and during your ceremony. Was it a honeybee? Different variations would carry particular meaning, so I'm curious of that before throwing out some ideas.
I'm not sure for the dream. It was either a honey bee or a bumble bee. The bee during the vision quest was definitely a bumble bee though (a Western Bubble Bee).
For both types of bees, the role as pollinator strikes me as potentially important. A bee may be seen flying around, solitary, but there's always an implication of the work they are doing and why. Foraging for a greater purpose. Providing for the collective. Their lives are short and yet the impact they have on the entire ecosystem is incredible! It seems indirect, in a way. They happen to pollinate flowers, plants, etc while on a mission to gather the necessary resources, to venture out into uncertain land where they may not return.
It leads me to wonder...
- In what ways may you be venturing out and to what purpose?
- What is being pollinated, what creative act does this work serve?
There's also an interesting connection between the bee the great mother archetype as the queen bee plays such a major role. Is there anything further to contemplate around this time of life and this archetype?
Hi Alyssa. Thank you for that reflection and those guiding questions! I'm going to contemplate them further. I like the connection to pollination as well as service. It resonates. I also find some resonance with the Muses and their connection to bees.
In mentioning the Mother Archetype, what comes to mind is that I recently drew the Empress as my significator card on a Celtic cross spread with the intention of also getting clarity on vocation. There might be some correspondence there as well. Thank you!
You're welcome! The connection to the Muses is a great addition, perhaps there is a particular Muse or two who really stands out to you?
Here are some ways I define the Empress card, perhaps the keywords stir something up?
The Empress - “Creation”- nurturance, abundance, creative expression, sensuality, beauty, fertility, relationality, nourishment, connection to the natural world
Love reading everyone’s dreams - and I have followed all Alyssa has suggested, keeping a journal by my bed and setting an intention. I know my mind is very very active at night, it feels like it does in the day. I wonder is being neurodivergent has anything to do with me not remembering or recalling dreams. It is really frustrating when we have a class next week 🤣
If by Saturday you don't have a recent dream, you can choose one from any point in your life. Or, if you recall that you have often dreamed of a particular image or motif over and over.
Archways is one of the strongest memories I have during my death experience. After the birth of my son I experienced two clinical deaths. It was the first I vividly remember a series of archways, some containing memories throughout my life, some containing moments I don’t recall ever happening.
I recently read an article from The Guardian called, The New Science of Death based around a case study of Patient Zero that experienced clinical death due to a heart condition and was revived with minimal brain activity. After months on life support her family released her from this realm and it’s the first time increased brain activity in areas of the brain that had been dormant was recorded. These areas are known for REM sleep and dreaming, which I find quite interesting as I recall it feeling similar to a dream even though I was fully aware what situation I was in and that I was dying. I can’t say I recall I’ve ever had a dream with an archway prior to this experience and haven’t since, but I think about those archways, their lighting, feel, magnificence, on a weekly basis since.
Wow, that's incredible. It reminds me of other NDE, including one that Jung talks about in his autobiography. It's amazing how there seems to be a similar thread of experience for many individuals who have these. Seeing archways makes sense from a symbolic/archetypal POV. Each like a portal to some part of self (or something greater perhaps).
That article sounds fascinating, I'm gonna have to find it and give it a read.
It's strange -- I have no recollection of doorways or gates in dreams; but I sort of see dreams themselves as doorways and gateways. When we fall asleep all of our experiences from the day work their way into our conscience, and we wake up a new, fresh faced person. Dreams are themselves a liminal space of possibility -- and transition. Thank you for the thought prompt!
Yes, that's a great point. Dreams are absolutely gateways into the depths of psyche. It's where we can access the shape-shifting dynamics of our inner world. It's a wonderful symbol to capture the mysterious beauty of the dream itself.
I enter the home. All around me, I see green and decay. The house of the forest is old, creaky, and pulsing with life — like a heartbeat. I can feel it to my core before I even step inside. The forest has taken over the house, but it doesn’t matter; we walk together now; we are one with these walls of wood that grow from floor to ceiling, sharing space between two worlds: living and existence. The pulsing of the home makes the faint images dance on the wall as if they were alive, as though we are always walking into many worlds.
The pulsing of the home intensifies as I step towards its open center the pulsing turns into a grumbling howl, “the trees have gone mad”.
The doors of the house remain shut... with pulsing lights under each.
I move towards the center of the pulsing house to find a book laying on the floor; I bend over to pick it up, but before I could read the cover, the floor breaks in.
I find myself free-falling.
Darkness ensues, as the place under the floor appears as endless space, and it feels as though time is moving backward, taking with it all of history and culture until we arrive at a primitive state where everything — even language — begins to dissipate before our eyes and mind’s eye. But finally, we are left with a state of nothingness; a place where we are not allowed to exist without being pulled back out…away from this deep hole of darkness which is feared, accepted, and embraced.
Last month we explored houses in dreams as a potential symbol of the structures of the psyche (https://alyssapolizzi.substack.com/p/discussion-house-symbolism-in-dreams/comments). The house being reclaimed by the forest makes me wonder if this dream came at a time when you interacting with some primal/unconscious forces, perhaps?
The doors being locked is an interesting detail. Why aren't you able to access this part of the home? The pulsing light implies something contained within that has intensity, energy, a draw to it. Moving towards it leads to the falling under ground, a kind of void that swallows all, and transcends the personal aspect of experience.
It's a very powerful dream! Do you have any particular associations to the major themes (the trees going mad, the reclaiming forest, the kind of house it was)?
It was, after processing, a movement forward in my life to all the strange and unknown places I have yet to go. Previously in the same dream a nuclear bomb went off on the far distance (my trauma resolution, dream mode). Then I found the doors and passages through the house. It was clean, modern, and ever growing into an Alice in wonderland kind of curiousness.
This a snippet from one I had after hypnosis last year. It stays with me.
The rest of the dream consisted of crawling through passages of this house, and it was difficult at times - small chambers, or climbing, or many steps. The house seemed to be alive, expanding as I discovered more and more of it. Rooms, towers, staircases, and help from my cousins lifting me into the smallest of passages when I needed it.
There’s a similar sense to the house that Brenden mentioned, a house that feels alive! Interesting how the house can feel like a living entity in dreams (and in waking life too!).
I had a striking dream a few years ago. I was with an old friend and one of my brothers. We arrived at a busy lakefront kind of beach. It was really busy and a lot of people were in the water as well. Behind the water in the background was city traffic, cars, pollution, congestion. We got into the water with the crowd. Suddenly I was carried away by the current. I was taken down stream into a remote river. I was alone. I was pulled by the current until I hit a fallen tree/log that was blocking the way. At that point a solitary bee came out from one of the holes in the tree and flew around me. I woke up.
What's interesting about that is that I went on a solitary vision quest last year in the mountains of Olympic National Park. I wanted to get more clarity on my vocation. During a self-created ceremony, I went to a large bolder in a niche of where I was camping that night. It too was blocking the way. It resembled an altar but with the front being flat instead of the top. I offered my question around vocation and opened up to receive whatever image might come. A solitary bee, amidst the total isolation and rainfall, appeared seemingly out of nowhere (it seemed to come from the base of the rock). It flew around me in a similar fashion to my dream.
I've been tending to the image/symbol of the bee and how it might be psychopomp helping guide me through this threshold - a dweller on the threshold. Part of my tending is around learning and embracing the archetypal qualities of the bee in my own life. The bee is a rich symbol. I'm open to your reflections if any. :-)
What a fascinating synchronicity! Working with the archetypal qualities of the bee is a good start, as indeed it does seem to be a psychopomp present both in the dream state and during your ceremony. Was it a honeybee? Different variations would carry particular meaning, so I'm curious of that before throwing out some ideas.
I'm not sure for the dream. It was either a honey bee or a bumble bee. The bee during the vision quest was definitely a bumble bee though (a Western Bubble Bee).
For both types of bees, the role as pollinator strikes me as potentially important. A bee may be seen flying around, solitary, but there's always an implication of the work they are doing and why. Foraging for a greater purpose. Providing for the collective. Their lives are short and yet the impact they have on the entire ecosystem is incredible! It seems indirect, in a way. They happen to pollinate flowers, plants, etc while on a mission to gather the necessary resources, to venture out into uncertain land where they may not return.
It leads me to wonder...
- In what ways may you be venturing out and to what purpose?
- What is being pollinated, what creative act does this work serve?
There's also an interesting connection between the bee the great mother archetype as the queen bee plays such a major role. Is there anything further to contemplate around this time of life and this archetype?
Hi Alyssa. Thank you for that reflection and those guiding questions! I'm going to contemplate them further. I like the connection to pollination as well as service. It resonates. I also find some resonance with the Muses and their connection to bees.
In mentioning the Mother Archetype, what comes to mind is that I recently drew the Empress as my significator card on a Celtic cross spread with the intention of also getting clarity on vocation. There might be some correspondence there as well. Thank you!
You're welcome! The connection to the Muses is a great addition, perhaps there is a particular Muse or two who really stands out to you?
Here are some ways I define the Empress card, perhaps the keywords stir something up?
The Empress - “Creation”- nurturance, abundance, creative expression, sensuality, beauty, fertility, relationality, nourishment, connection to the natural world
Love reading everyone’s dreams - and I have followed all Alyssa has suggested, keeping a journal by my bed and setting an intention. I know my mind is very very active at night, it feels like it does in the day. I wonder is being neurodivergent has anything to do with me not remembering or recalling dreams. It is really frustrating when we have a class next week 🤣
If by Saturday you don't have a recent dream, you can choose one from any point in your life. Or, if you recall that you have often dreamed of a particular image or motif over and over.
Archways is one of the strongest memories I have during my death experience. After the birth of my son I experienced two clinical deaths. It was the first I vividly remember a series of archways, some containing memories throughout my life, some containing moments I don’t recall ever happening.
I recently read an article from The Guardian called, The New Science of Death based around a case study of Patient Zero that experienced clinical death due to a heart condition and was revived with minimal brain activity. After months on life support her family released her from this realm and it’s the first time increased brain activity in areas of the brain that had been dormant was recorded. These areas are known for REM sleep and dreaming, which I find quite interesting as I recall it feeling similar to a dream even though I was fully aware what situation I was in and that I was dying. I can’t say I recall I’ve ever had a dream with an archway prior to this experience and haven’t since, but I think about those archways, their lighting, feel, magnificence, on a weekly basis since.
Wow, that's incredible. It reminds me of other NDE, including one that Jung talks about in his autobiography. It's amazing how there seems to be a similar thread of experience for many individuals who have these. Seeing archways makes sense from a symbolic/archetypal POV. Each like a portal to some part of self (or something greater perhaps).
That article sounds fascinating, I'm gonna have to find it and give it a read.
It's strange -- I have no recollection of doorways or gates in dreams; but I sort of see dreams themselves as doorways and gateways. When we fall asleep all of our experiences from the day work their way into our conscience, and we wake up a new, fresh faced person. Dreams are themselves a liminal space of possibility -- and transition. Thank you for the thought prompt!
Yes, that's a great point. Dreams are absolutely gateways into the depths of psyche. It's where we can access the shape-shifting dynamics of our inner world. It's a wonderful symbol to capture the mysterious beauty of the dream itself.
I enter the home. All around me, I see green and decay. The house of the forest is old, creaky, and pulsing with life — like a heartbeat. I can feel it to my core before I even step inside. The forest has taken over the house, but it doesn’t matter; we walk together now; we are one with these walls of wood that grow from floor to ceiling, sharing space between two worlds: living and existence. The pulsing of the home makes the faint images dance on the wall as if they were alive, as though we are always walking into many worlds.
The pulsing of the home intensifies as I step towards its open center the pulsing turns into a grumbling howl, “the trees have gone mad”.
The doors of the house remain shut... with pulsing lights under each.
I move towards the center of the pulsing house to find a book laying on the floor; I bend over to pick it up, but before I could read the cover, the floor breaks in.
I find myself free-falling.
Darkness ensues, as the place under the floor appears as endless space, and it feels as though time is moving backward, taking with it all of history and culture until we arrive at a primitive state where everything — even language — begins to dissipate before our eyes and mind’s eye. But finally, we are left with a state of nothingness; a place where we are not allowed to exist without being pulled back out…away from this deep hole of darkness which is feared, accepted, and embraced.
Last month we explored houses in dreams as a potential symbol of the structures of the psyche (https://alyssapolizzi.substack.com/p/discussion-house-symbolism-in-dreams/comments). The house being reclaimed by the forest makes me wonder if this dream came at a time when you interacting with some primal/unconscious forces, perhaps?
The doors being locked is an interesting detail. Why aren't you able to access this part of the home? The pulsing light implies something contained within that has intensity, energy, a draw to it. Moving towards it leads to the falling under ground, a kind of void that swallows all, and transcends the personal aspect of experience.
It's a very powerful dream! Do you have any particular associations to the major themes (the trees going mad, the reclaiming forest, the kind of house it was)?
It was, after processing, a movement forward in my life to all the strange and unknown places I have yet to go. Previously in the same dream a nuclear bomb went off on the far distance (my trauma resolution, dream mode). Then I found the doors and passages through the house. It was clean, modern, and ever growing into an Alice in wonderland kind of curiousness.
This is the whole experience, dream is on the 2nd half. In fact, I have a hypnotherapy session on the 14th, very excited.
https://open.substack.com/pub/ericaphillips/p/adventures-in-hypnosis?r=1utrit&utm_medium=ios
This a snippet from one I had after hypnosis last year. It stays with me.
The rest of the dream consisted of crawling through passages of this house, and it was difficult at times - small chambers, or climbing, or many steps. The house seemed to be alive, expanding as I discovered more and more of it. Rooms, towers, staircases, and help from my cousins lifting me into the smallest of passages when I needed it.
There’s a similar sense to the house that Brenden mentioned, a house that feels alive! Interesting how the house can feel like a living entity in dreams (and in waking life too!).
Did those passages feel like thresholds?