In the dream I was looking in my aquarium waiting to see my fish. I have only a few red and yellow small fish there (platties). It takes a while before I see any. Then suddenly from the darkness appears this big dark fish. It is a size of a small log. It has a big open mouth. Mouth alone is the size of my little fish. I get worried that it can now eat my little fish. But then I follow the big fish more and realize it is harmless. It is very slow and peaceful. It only looks fierce. I don't need to be afraid of it. It looks kind of old and clumsy. Fins are like big spikes. Still I am scared that the fish appeared there. It came so suddenly and it should not be there. It is too big there and I am not prepared for big fish anyway. I saw this dream twice last night.

Out of the calm contained waters of the aquarium comes something unexpected - initially fearful looking and with great harmful potential but harmless 'slow and peaceful' ... how do you feel about the existence of such a fish ? can you accept the existance of this fish - this part of you ?

Thanks for sharing this dream - it has great meaning - Justin

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The aquarium is your world, perhaps the unconscious aspect {unconscious aspects are those things that have been pushed below the conscious mind and are not seen until a stimulus comes along and opens them up to your waking life} see The Unconscious in the Glossary of Jungian Termnology. The fish may represent your true identity, more than the one of the ego identity. In this world you are having trouble finding the real self, or those things that would provide you with the tools to be that person you wish to be {something that holds you back}. The dark fish is probably something about yourself that is of an unconscious nature that you feel is a threat {the unconscious is often seen as threatening}. This thing is but a small part of you but has the need for expression in your waking life. If it is not acknowledged it may consume your whole self. But if you do acknowledge this thing you will find it to be really harmless. It only seems to be fierce. It is an old attitude or aspect about you that you have unconsciously known about for a long time. But it now appears to your conscious mind and you are prepared for it.

The dream is probably addessing some aspect about your personality, an attitude, an emotional trait you possess that now has come to your waking conscious life. It has been in your unconscious mind for a long time but had never really bothered you until now.
Look back over the several days prior to the dream and see what in your life that has surfaced and scares you. Something that deep down has been a fear for a long time but now may become a reality. If you face up to this thing you will find it harmless. It probably has to do with your personality or past experiences that make up who you are today.
Let me know your response to my interpretation and we can look further for the possible meaning{s} of the dream.
Gerard

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"how do you feel about the existence of such a fish ? can you accept the existance of this fish - this part of you ?"

I am not comfortable with this fish. There is something eerie and ugly. I could put it separately in another aquarium, which is bigger and darker, more suitable for it. After your encouragement I could think about having it with the other fish, too. Why not? It is little funny though. But if it is good to have it... Thanks.

Recently I have taken part in Buddhist study group, which has given new views into old concepts. That’s why the fish could be true identity. My real self, what is really point of doing something, has been in my mind recently. On the other hand, I am a total newbi for those texts and we are still handling very basic concepts and background information, which is not very personal. I have bothering and conflicted ideas, but it is mostly just theoretical.

Something upsetting has come up with it indirectly, too. Like I should work out some life limiting emotions, which I have earlier just learnt to accept and respect, because they just feel so primitive, strong and dominating, that nothing can be done. That would be like something “to do with your personality or past experiences that make up who you are today”.

Those are the first things that come to my mind now. Your interpretation sounds very valid. I just cannot choose exactly what the fish could be. I understood from you, and from the other response that I got, that it is a good thing to like that fish? I was not sure at first if it is something bad, that I should get rid of.

Thanks for your interest.

The fish is a very profound dream symbol often representing the true self, spiritually, and the true self you want to be in waking life. Of course Jung's hypothesis was every psyche possesses a metaphyiscal, or spiritual/creative aspect. Buddhism and Jung's concept of dream psychology go together {Buddhism is a much a psychology than a religion}, they fit. Alcehmy and Gnosticism also were big influences.

And of course when you start to do self inspection, looking at your whole life {something we do at mid-life as a matter of nature}, you will see things about yourself you have glossed over or perhaps repressed previously
This is what Jung called Individuation. It is self psychology, and as is Buddhism' looking at the inner Self.

Dreams are a part of good psychological health. And when you start a serious introspection of the inner life, you come across new knowledge that was not available to you previously. There is nothing magical about it. It is a matter of focus. When you put too much focus on the material world you lose touch with the inner realities. When you turn the focus inward you begin to see more clearly what was there all along.

Thanks for your response to the interpretation. I hope you will post other dreams and participate in the discussions. There is a learning process in every dream and we all learn from the process, about the dream and ourselves.
Gerard

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