Face

The face is a symbolic expression of the being’s true nature, whether human or god.

Consciousness

It is primarily through the face that we experience and communicate with the world around us, and the head is the seat of our mental functions. In this way, the head and face become symbols of our human awareness. (See also Eye.) As the highest part of the body, closest to the sky, the head is also a symbol of enlightenment (for example, in traditional yoga), that is, becoming conscious.

Identity

The head is the vessel of our ego, and others identify us by our face; thus, the head and face are also symbols of our personality, persona, and identity. The face is sometimes used as a symbol of one’s true, bare self. On one hand, only after the bride is wed does she lift her veil for the groom, allowing a kiss. On the other hand, only when one bares the face before God can one receive His grace. At the same time, a human cannot comprehend God’s true essence, which is why He says: "You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live... you will see my back; but my face must not be seen." (Exodus 33:20, 23.)

It is a common image that a person in a dream lacks a face or at least distinct facial features, or is concealed by a veil or semi-darkness, indicating that the dream figure is relatively unknown to the dreamer; the individual is not aware of the figure's identity. In contrast to the head, which is of course a closely related symbol, the face represents an appearance; for with the face one expresses oneself, even if only through subtle hints like furrowed brows or a smile.

Since our face identifies our character, according to symbolic understanding, we are particular about how it looks. In dreams, the face sometimes doesn’t look as we expected, perhaps because others see us differently than we see ourselves. The dream may be about our self-image. (See also Mirror.) The connection between the face and our identity is illustrated by expressions such as "losing face," meaning our persona has been shattered.

Meeting face to face

Characteristic of humans is that we want to look each other in the eyes and read facial expressions - meeting face to face is the only true encounter between people. Just talking to someone on the phone, for example, creates uncertainty about who the other person truly is. In dreams, unconscious content is sometimes presented as eerily faceless - the unknown.

Monster

If an animal has a human face, it becomes possible to understand and communicate with it. For example, Oedipus can reason with the sphinx (a human head on an animal body), while Theseus can hardly reason with the Minotaur (an animal head on a human body). Translated to dreams, one might say that conflicts illustrated by humans are much closer to a conscious solution than those illustrated by animals. (See also Head.)

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