When I interpret a dream, I often use the ideas of the late, Swiss psychologist Carl Jung. So,it is with this dream.
The dreamer in this dream probably represents her ego. This ego has nothing to do with being egotistical. For a Jungian, the ego is the center of consciousness.
The dreamer and a guy are in a changing room, apparently at some sort of public swimming area. In our dreams, the clothes that we wear can represent the dreamer’s persona. The persona is another Jungian concept. The persona is the mask that almost everyone wears. However, it seldom appears as an actual mask but is, instead, more often symbolized by the clothes that the
dreamer wears. I have read dreams with a wide range of personas from wearing nothing (or almost nothing) to wearing armor. In this dream, both the dreamer and the guy are wearing bathing suits. This suggests that we are seeing them as they really are (or almost as they really are).
As for the swimming pool, Jung believed that the water in an ocean, a lake, a pond or even a swimming pool can symbolize the unconscious. At the depths of the unconscious is the collective unconscious. The collective unconscious is the source of our archetypes. We can never have a complete understanding of the meaning of an archetype;therefore, we can never have a complete understanding of any dream which contains an archetype.
The guy in the dream has, at least, two possible meanings: (1) he could be the dreamer’s spirit spouse or (2) he could be a symbol of the dreamer’s animus or another archetype. FYI – if the dreamer is interested, she should be able to find numerous internet sites that address the spirit spouse.
If he is a symbol of an archetype, he probably symbolizes the dreamer’s animus. The animus is always male and is only found in the dreams/psyche of women. The animus has the potential of going through four stages of development:
1. At the first stage is the physical man. He might be a superhero, or he could be a brute.
2. At the second stage, he is either the man of action (such as a hunter or race car driver) or he could be the romantic man.
3. At the next stage, he is a man with a message. He might be a politician, a preacher or have a similar occupation.
4. At the final stage, he is a guide. “Finally, in his fourth manifestation, the animus is the incarnation of meaning. On this highest level he becomes (like the anima) a mediator of the religious experience whereby life acquires new meaning. He gives the woman spiritual firmness, an invisible inner support that compensates for her outer softness. The animus in his most developed form sometimes connects the woman's mind with the spiritual evolution of her age, and can thereby make her even more receptive than a man to new creative ideas.”
Gandhi or a similar type of male is a common symbol of the animus at the fourth stage.
Additionally, the colors of your clothing and that of the young man may be significant. I’ll often associate dream colors with the appropriate chakra. And the appearance of this guy might also be important. Was he tall or not-so-tall? What was the color of his hair? The color of his eyes? His name? Etc.
Hope this helps,
Lugus
