Bath, Bathroom

Bathing and washing oneself represent washing away one's sins, transforming through dissolution into the unconscious, and/or being reborn or redeemed, and thus are very common in purification and initiation rites. Dreams about bathing often have a hint of this meaning.  

Bathtub  

The bathtub, unlike the sea, lakes, and rivers, is created by humans. It has a pre-defined form and limited space and is therefore a vessel that one steps into. This signifies that the tub refers to the unconscious in a very specific way and in relation to the conscious. (See also Vessel and Water.)  

Union  

In certain contexts, immersing someone or something in water symbolizes dissolution and union, a recurring image in alchemy. Psychologically, sinking into or desiring union with the infinite sea can be seen as a longing to return to the Great Mother. The alchemists called the bath the "womb," into which they descended to be reborn.

Birth  

Bathing, descent into water, drowning, and baptism are similar symbols for birth, rebirth, and enlightenment. Immersion in water can also symbolize fertility, as can watering. According to some traditions, the bride took a ritual bath before the wedding for this reason.  

Bathroom  

The bathroom serves three main purposes: to wash oneself, to use the toilet, and to prepare oneself for interaction with others (which, of course, relates to persona). All these activities are more or less private, so in a dream, the bathroom represents a private part of one’s inner self, likely touching on one or more of these areas. What we do in the bathroom is something more or less intimate, suggesting a deeper, more personal significance than what we do, for example, in a more social setting, such as the living room.

Since the bathroom is private and a place where we fulfill our natural needs, it is associated with the (collective) unconscious, and for this reason often has an eerie connotation in our dreams.  

Temperature  

The temperature of the bath conveys something about the image's content. The cool bath may refer to intellectual understanding and reflection, while the hot bath is certainly linked to emotions; it could, for instance, symbolize taking a painful bath in one’s own affected complex, instead of projecting it onto one’s surroundings. (Redemption Motifs , p. 53.)  

Alchemy  

Bathing, immersion, baptism, and drowning are synonymous, according to Jung (Mysterium Coniunctionis, par. 549); they are

"... alchemical symbols for the unconscious state of the Self, so to speak, its embodiment—or, more precisely, for the unconscious process through which the Self is ‘reborn’ and enters a state that can be experienced."

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