Toilet

Because it might be somewhat embarrassing to talk about and doesn’t fit well in glossy, colorful books about “the magical world of dreams,” one might not get the impression, but dreams about toilets are actually very common. Dreaming about needing to go to the toilet is usually a reflection of needing to get something out of your system. (See also Excrement.)

Necessity  

We use the toilet due to natural functions we have little control over. The toilet visit carries a sense of necessity. In Swedish the words for "needing to go to the toilet" and "necessity" have the same root. Americans succinctly put it as "if you have to go, you have to go"—there’s no choice. A toilet visit in a dream can thus allude to something the dreamer needs to do that is entirely necessary and quite fundamental (perhaps for personal development).

The need for expression  

If you dream of needing to use the toilet, it is probably related to the fact that there is something inside you that needs to come out. For instance, it’s not uncommon to have toilet dreams if you rarely say what you truly feel or otherwise fail to express yourself honestly. (Children’s Dreams, p. 307.) (See also Urine.)  

If the dreamer cannot find a toilet when she need one, it may indicate that she lack suitable outlets for self-expression.  

The reverential  

It may sound a bit strange, but there is an archetypal connection between excrement on the one hand and reverence on the other. Jung provides several examples in Symbols of Transformation, such as the legend of how crusaders anointed themselves with the pope’s excrement to partake in his holiness (Symbols of Transformation, par. 276). As mentioned in another article, the adept spoke of the stone in stercore invenitur—“found in shit,” to use modern terminology. In a corresponding way, what the dreamer needs can often be found in their own repulsive shadow, and as the saying goes, the loathsome toad carries the jewel in its head.  

A clogged toilet  

If the toilet is clogged, it might indicate that the proper channel for the dreamer’s need for expression isn’t functioning, perhaps due to the external environment he is in. Note that modern toilets are powered by water, which in such contexts can be seen as (psychic) energy. If it’s impossible to flush, or if the toilet is broken in some other way, this could suggest that the dreamer lacks the energy necessary for their outlet.

Filthy toilets  

Toilets that are filthy, overflowing with excrement, neglected for a long time, or so unclean that one doesn’t even want to enter often symbolize prolonged neglect of instinctive processes.

Creativity  

There is a connection between excreting excrement and creativity. On the one hand, excrement is, according to primitive associations, something we create within ourselves. On the other, creativity is a force that requires an outlet. Creative energy that does not find expression can develop a psychologically destructive quality within us.  

While our ego often views the result of artistic work, for instance, as something enduring and valuable in itself, the unconscious may see the act of expression as the goal; that is, something that simply needs to come out, after which there’s no further need to dwell on it. Flushing it away is not a loss for the unconscious, as it has already served its purpose. However, if it doesn’t come out, or if it comes out “in the wrong way,” the unconscious may reflect this as a problem.

Dumping content  

Toilet dreams can also concern the necessity of discarding some kind of psychological waste we carry. For example, one might “consume” a certain philosophy that is beneficial at a given time, but years later, it may have become outdated in relation to one’s personal development, and it would be better to let it go. In this way, toilet dreams can also involve difficulties in letting go of something, “dumping” a burden that has perhaps even become harmful.

Natural functions  

We attend to our most basic needs in the toilet, making it a very “natural” place. Thus, it often attracts fantasies about nature spirits, demons, ghosts, and the like. It is a place of instinctuality, and as such, it is associated with the collective unconscious and often perceived as slightly dangerous or eerie. (Children's Dreams, p. 306.) Children often have various notions about toilets, sometimes disliking the act of flushing as if something dangerous might occur.  

Since the toilet and what humans do there are associated with “natural functions” and instincts, it is often conflated with other instinctive functions, such as (underdeveloped) sexuality.

Alchemy  

In alchemy, toilets and excrement are associated with the philosopher’s stone, as it can be found in the “lowest” places.

Popular posts from this blog

Forget About the Archetype - It's the Complex

A good post on Reddit expresses criticism towards people seeking answers to their personal problems in Jung’s archetype theory, arguing that they misunderstand Jung’s fundamental theoretical framework, particularly the process of individuation. The post became popular, receiving many upvotes and quickly garnering several fairly lengthy, often well thought-out responses. But what struck me was that the writer didn’t mention complexes a single time in the nearly 600-word post, and no one else did either in their comments. This prompted me to write a short post highlighting the point that when people share their thoughts on Jung in relation to their own or others’ psychology, it is actually, in most cases, about complexes—not archetypes. A couple of days later, the thread had 54 comments and 246 upvotes, which are rather high numbers in this forum for a serious post that sticks to the topic of Jungian psychology. However, my post hadn't received any comments or upvotes. Still no-one e...
Read more

Shadow Work – A Critical Commentary

When browsing public channels on various platforms that deal with Jungian psychology, one is struck by how frequently “shadow work” appears.  It seems to be mostly young men, who don’t appear to have studied Jung to any significant extent, who are fascinated by and encourage this "work." As someone who has studied Jung and Jungian literature for a long time, I don’t recognize this focus on so-called shadow work in the sources at all. It actually seems to be a modern internet phenomenon rather than something genuinely Jungian. Yes, it is of course true that the “shadow” is a central concept in Jungian psychology, and it is true that Jung stated that it is "a therapeutic necessity for the ego to confront its shadow" (CW 14, par. 514) – but this shadow work they speak of, where does it come from? Because it certainly doesn’t come from Jung or any influential Jungians. What is the shadow according to Jung? It is simply hidden or unconscious aspects of ourselves that we...
Read more

3. The Muster of Rohan; 4. The Siege of Gondor

Since neither Frodo, Gandalf or Aragorn participates in the events of this chapter, there is very little symbolic significance. We may note that Théoden’s army meets Éowyn at Dunharrow, an ancient fortress to which the people have fled under her leadership. During supper, Merry asks about Aragorn and the Paths of the Dead, but no one—neither Théoden, Éomer or Éowyn—understands why he chose to take this hopeless road. No one knows of the Stone of Erech or the “peril in the south.” “Woe that so valiant a man should trifle with death in this dire hour!” Éomer exclaims. The reason for Aragorn’s reticence is probably that his initiation is an intensely private matter, a secret pure and simple. Théoden intends to leave both Éowyn and Merry behind here—neither of them is suited to battle, he believes. But when the host later rides toward Gondor, Éowyn and Merry ride with it in secret. Both refuse to be left in a place where their respective callings would remain unfulfilled. 4. The Siege of G...
Read more