Height, Being High Up, Above and Below

Being at a height can symbolize a higher level of consciousness (see also Elevator and Staircase), but on the other hand, it can also indicate a loss of contact with reality and/or being overtaken by inflation.  

“Indeed,” writes Edinger, “for contemporary [dreamers], elements of ascending, heights, and flying almost always indicate a need for descent.” (Anatomy of the Psyche, p. 142.)

Our upward ambition is, not least, a cultural problem. In Visions (p. 282), Jung writes:

”What Nietschze does in Zarathustra is really what our intellect and our cult of the will is doing – ascending, ascending, chiefly for selfish and egotistical ends, and in vain ambition apparently high above the earth. … It is the fault of all of us who have an attitude which disregards the laws of the earth. We simply provoke the spirit of gravity by striving after the stars …"

Being “down” can signify being grounded in reality; even the underworld can symbolize a descent into the harsh truths we try to avoid while walking with our head in the clouds.  

Walking up can also suggest that the dreamer is “facing an uphill climb,” indicating that life feels like an effort; something requires hard work.  

Being Up in the Head

If the dreamer is situated high up in a dream, it often reflects a loss of contact with reality in the area symbolized by the dream; or it may suggest the dreamer is “in his head,” perhaps over-intellectualizing a psychological issue.

Perspective and Insight

Conversely, the symbolism of height can also have positive connotations: Height provides perspective, allowing one to rise above a situation and perhaps understand it without becoming entangled. This may explain why wizards are often depicted studying in their towers, where they can see the whole picture.

Sometimes, one can be struck by dizzying insights, a phenomenon that may be reflected in a dream’s “height theme.” – The eagle is considered the wisest, angels descend from the heavens, and so on.  

Inflation

Being high up can also reflect the dreamer “sitting on a high horse,” adopting an inflated attitude. In such cases, it might be wise to try to come back down to earth, to “get grounded,” and so forth, if the dream illustrates such a condition (compare Flying).  

As always with dream imagery, context is key to understanding. For example, if one dreams of being high up and at risk of falling—and that’s the whole situation—it likely conveys such themes.  

Rising Above Something

To be “above something” can symbolize sitting on a high horse, but it may also indicate the ability to rise above a petty situation or problem that one does not need to become entangled in. It might suggest “using imagination to avoid a conflict,” as Verena Kast suggests (Drömbild: Bil, p. 90).

Higher States

Dreaming of ascending can symbolize reaching higher levels of consciousness. Climbing upward is harder than descending, reflecting the fact that achieving greater awareness requires significantly more effort than regressing, descending, or simply doing nothing.  

Attaining divine insight is often described as being “uplifted” in both literal and figurative senses. Another well-known image is that of the shaman climbing the World Tree, and so on.  

Descent

Depending on level, descending may indicate getting grounded, or if going underground, approaching the unconscious. If it is a voluntary descent to the underworld, it may suggest a heroic theme, where the dream self ventures to confront the unknown. (Similar motifs might appear when entering a forest or any potentially dangerous place.) This descent can involve both the past and the future, as both are shrouded in the darkness of the unconscious.  

As mentioned earlier, Edinger highlights the necessity of descending, of drawing closer to the earth. In modern society, there is a tendency to “ascend”—to leave behind instinct, the resting, and ambiguity, striving, like Icarus, toward the sun. Reflecting this theme, Jung writes:

“It is in accordance with everything I have found in practical analysis; in every case, without exception, there must be a descent because it is typical of the Western mind to move in a conscious world.” (Visions, p. 601.)

The Rhythm of Life

Dreaming of climbing up and then descending, perhaps repeating the cycle, can symbolize a psychological process that naturally involves a “back and forth” motion (a form of circumambulatio, which Jung discusses extensively in Psychology and Alchemy). Repeated up-and-down, back-and-forth, in-and-out movements can also illustrate the “rhythm of life” or the oscillating tendencies of the unconscious. Jung suggests that when life is lived in accordance with this rhythm, it is whole (Dream Analysis Part I, pp. 100–101). This parallels yoga's focus on breathing as an expression of the universe's rhythm. (See also Wheel.)  

Ascending and Descending

“Ascending and descending, above and below, up and down, represent the emotional realization of opposites, and this realization leads—or ought to lead—to their balancing,” writes Jung in Mysterium Coniunctionis. He continues:  

“This motif frequently appears in dreams, in the form of going up and down a mountain, climbing stairs, moving up or down in an elevator, balloon, airplane, and so on. It corresponds to the struggle between the winged and the wingless dragon, i.e., the uroboros. [The alchemist] Dorn also describes it as ‘the circulating distillation’...” (Par. 296).  

Circulatio

In Anatomy of the Psyche, Edinger notes that “ascending spiritualizes, while descending personalizes” (p. 142). When these two movements are combined, they form what the alchemists called circulatio. This image is prominent in astrology, where stars and planets rise and fall, and in alchemical processes, where a liquid rises with heat, condenses, cools, and drips back down—an iterative procedure that frequently appears in dreams (p. 143). The purpose of ascending and descending is to unite what is above with what is below. Circulatio thus encompasses the entirety of the personality, making one aware of its opposites and establishing a connection between consciousness and the unconscious.

Interestingly, in alchemy, the ascending process comes first, followed by the descent, while in Christianity, the reverse is true. (See also "Circumambulation" under Circle) 

Alchemy

The alchemists said that what is above is also what is below, and vice versa, referring, for instance, to heaven and the underworld. ("Tabula Smaragdina.") It can be misleading to imagine consciousness as something "above" and the unconscious as something "below." As mentioned elsewhere, monsters commonly appear in both the basement and the attic, and gods reside in both the heavens and the underworld, and so on. The term "subconscious" instead of "unconscious" is therefore misleading, as what we are unaware of exists, so to speak, everywhere, not just beneath us.  

The rhythm of life, as discussed earlier, and the alchemists’ statement that what is above is also what is below, can be seen as an expression of the Self or "wholeness," much like other paradoxical phrases (it exists and does not exist, and so on).  

From Above and From Below

If something comes from above, it symbolizes an idea, often emotionally charged and with a quality of illumination. On the other hand, something coming from below often indicates that it is something the dreamer needs to address in physical reality. The creative impulse from above may signify inspiration, while one from below is often associated with instincts or the physical body.

Dualism

What is above is also what is below, but there are general differences in quality. The celestial tends to be more masculine and spiritual, often representing an ordering principle (e.g., the sky god), whereas the underworld tends to be more feminine, fertile, and chaotic. However, if we consider examples like Egyptian mythology, among others, we realize that context must be taken into account before we create oversimplified models where "above" means one thing and "below" another.

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