Bag, Suitcase

The bag or suitcase typically contains the belongings we need along the "path of life," or just for a particular situation. It can symbolize one's psychological baggage, what we "carry with us." Therefore, the bag can refer to either where we come from or where we are going—or what we have to carry with us.

If we lose the suitcase in a dream, it may reflect a persona problem, as the suitcase primarily contains clothes we need and want when we reach our destination (or situation). For instance, if one dreams of forgetting one's briefcase for work, it might symbolize that we lack the psychological resources needed to cope with the professional expectations we feel we must meet. Bags in dreams often relate to our adaptability. For example, if we dream that we cannot find our suitcase, perhaps its (psychological) contents are incompatible with the journey we want to undertake.

Dragging around suitcases—say, having too many, being late for the train, etc.—may indicate being weighed down by complexes. The suitcases become an obstacle, a troublesome baggage to carry around, causing complications. Here, the suitcases can symbolize personal concerns, problems we carry with us, or, as mentioned, complexes—"one's personal baggage." (Dream Interpretation Ancient and Modern, p. 230.) The psychological situation is different if one carries an over-the-shoulder bag casually in the dream, without further thought about it.

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