Boredom

The person who is bored stands, so to speak, outside of life, but this state often gives rise to a creative impulse that leads him or her back to it. Boredom is like dammed-up life energy, which dissipates the moment that energy finds an outlet. (See also Depression.)

Boredom is depicted by alchemists as an old, sick king. It represents the first stage of the individuation process; the image conveys stagnation and emptiness—the alchemists' nigredo.

If something is boring in a dream, it might indicate that it is meaningless and uninteresting to us, that the situation seems to lack value. For example, dreaming of being at a dull party could reflect that one's social circumstances hold little psychological value.

Another way to interpret this is that boredom suggests being in the wrong place; psychologically or spiritually, one has no real reason to remain there. Perhaps it is time to leave and find something new, something stimulating. A dream describing a place where the dreamer feels bored often continues with an exit from that situation, illustrating the “way out” toward which the energy of the unconscious flows.

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