Thread: Gave birth to four babies that turned into pigeons

In addition to the very helpful background information you’ve provided, a description of any recent events that spontaneously come to mind can also be helpful when analyzing a dream, but here are a few general ideas about what your striking dream might mean.

Just to start off by saying that dreams express themselves by using analogies, similes and metaphors which overall describe an “as if” look at the dreamer’s situation.

The goal is to continually adjust the ego’s attitudes, viewpoints, habits, opinions and beliefs etc. in order that they not become too one-sided, potentially resulting in an overly “lighthouse beam” approach to life in general and self-development in particular.

In this case, finding yourself in your family home where you haven’t lived for quite some time might indicate that a certain outlook etc. which developed at that time still tends to be a dominant one in some way.

If so, this state could be perhaps contrary to the goal of “being on one’s own” and forging one’s own unique character by moving forward and building on the past rather than possibly relying on too many “givens” from the past.

It looks like you might be too unaware (night, very dark, asleep) of a certain area of your life.

Perhaps the fact that apparently a kind of small nightlight had been left on could possibly point to your being understandably a little afraid of this part of you which could “attack you in the darkness” type of thing.

Certain outworn habits (e.g. the creaky bed) may be adding to any such situation.

“Conception” has apparently taken place without your being aware of it.

Any such “virgin birth” points to the idea that the psyche has probably found it necessary to take matters into its own hands and to plant certain necessary adjustments to your attitude and to “bring them to birth” without too much involvement on your part (although the nightlight could symbolize in addition the idea that you might already have been conscious in a small way that certain changes were necessary).

In case you or someone reading this part of the interpretation may be offended by treating such terms as “virgin birth” in a psychological way, here is a helpful quote from the description of “The Human Experience of the Divine: CG Jung on Psychology & Spirituality” by Murray Stein:

“Approaching spirituality from a psychological perspective does not contradict traditional religious practices and beliefs. It offers a richer appropriation of religious images and doctrines on a personal level, and for many it provides a way back to religious thought and belief that have lost their meaning in modernity”.

The esteemed psychiatrist C.G. Jung’s in depth researches into world religions and symbolic material in general supports the idea that the children of such births are “heroes” who save mankind in some way.

“Mankind” can also be viewed as representing the individual herself who needs a “centre of the personality” to “rescue” her and promote a deepened overall self-development.

In Jungian psychology, this centre is termed the “Self” and this figure is often empirically connected with the number four (e.g. there are four babies born in your dream).

As Dr. Jung writes:

“Since it is a psychic genesis, everything must happen non-empirically, e.g. by means of a virgin birth, or by miraculous conception, or by birth from unnatural organs.

The motifs of “insignificance”, exposure, abandonment, danger etc. try to show how precarious is the possibility of psychic wholeness, that is, the enormous difficulties to be met with in trying to attain the “highest good.”

Except for the male “Voldemort”, you don’t mention the gender of the other babies although perhaps the very large baby would also be a male.

You could try focusing on the images of the three other babies to see if you can get a feel of whether they’re female or not since a female’s Self figure is most often also female.

Male babies would tend to symbolize the so-called “masculine” aspects of your personality, such things as “mind”, the intellect, thinking, reflection, intentionality, focus and being assertive etc.

This “masculine” side is called the “animus” in Jungian psychology.

The deformed “Voldemort”, on analogy with the Harry Potter character, could be an especially difficult aspect of yourself to see consciously and to work with as is often the case for many women.

A helpful definition of the term “animus” is found in Jungian analyst Jane Wheelwright’s book “Death of a Woman”. Although being a definition, it might tend to sound a little dry, by mulling over each part and relating it to one’s personal experience, the nature of this inner figure should gradually make more sense over time:

“Animus: The archetype in the female psyche that is the inherited pattern of potential experience of the male instinct.

This archetype underlies and is basic to a complex which is affected by the individual’s early experiences of men, primarily her father, male siblings, and the collective images of men provided by her cultural experience.

The images and affects [emotions] that attach to the complex express what is other than her female body-ego identity, such as her own unconscious maleness, the unconscious, the inferior function [for example, if a woman tends to move through life chiefly using emotions and values, then her inferior function, i.e. a less developed way of dealing with certain situations, would often tend to relate to the use of thinking and the intellect].

The animus assumes a generalized image of the individual’s male ideal, which strongly influences her selection of a mate.

Consciously related to, the animus – presented in dreams as a single figure or a group – functions as inspirator or bridge to the unconscious as source of creative, mental, or spiritual initiative and well-spring of potentiality for development. The animus functions as guide to and expedites the pursuit of impersonal endeavours.

When not consciously related to, the animus causes a woman to be opinionated, argumentative, rigid, controlling, and excessively critical of herself or others”

The final baby’s birth is very painful and difficult but it’s apparently normal, so it may represent the difficult birth of something that might be “a bit of a handful” to nurture but apparently it could represent a “very big potential” of central importance.

It’s possible that your generally unemotional and detached reaction to the birth and to the babies might signal that certain new possibilities and potentials won’t seem very appealing or interesting to you although you could be willing to take them on in general terms (e.g. you look at the babies and then swaddle them).

At first, dealing with the “arrival on the scene” of new challenges etc. may be “tiring” (e.g. you fall asleep) and they might tend to slip back to some extent into the unconscious.

This is shown by their becoming pigeons, that is, “non-human” and therefore “not conscious”.

Birds in dreams symbolize “messengers” from the unconscious mind who bring important pieces of information in the form of intuitions, fantasies, vague feelings and dreams etc.

Doves and pigeons are in the same avian family Columbidae.

But doves are generally viewed as being related to innocence, purity, peace and love, while pigeons are often viewed as dirty, disgusting birds who merely soil public areas.

The idea could be that you may have to somehow get closer to the “messier”, pigeon-side of life as opposed to perhaps trying to stick with a kind of “pure white” side of things overall because doing so could tend to restrict your unique self-development too much over time.

If this way of looking at your dream seems to make any sense in your personal circumstances, you might like to read a book which I often recommend called “Meeting the Shadow”, edited by Connie Zweig and Jeremiah Abrams.

It covers the concept of the earthy, “pigeon”, emotional and instinctive side of human nature that we may not be very aware of, and covers how to deal with it in detail.

It's easy to read, being composed of many short articles by various authors inside and outside the psychological community.

Other books to choose from on this subject include “Owning Your Own Shadow” by Robert Johnson, “Romancing the Shadow” by Connie Zweig and Steven Wolf, “Make Friends with your Shadow” by William Miller, “Your Shadow” by Robin Robertson, and “A Little Book on the Human Shadow” by Robert Bly.

You might like to explore some books by analyst Marion Woodman who has helped many women and men get more in touch with their earthy and creative sides.

“Spring 72: Body and Soul: Honoring Marion Woodman” is a good overview of her approach although there are many other books available as well.

Anyway, please feel free to make any comments or to ask any questions you might like to about this particular way of looking at your important dream.

Hi ,I would like to see deeper in ur dream,u didn't say why u can't have kids ,but I think it goes back to when u where living in ur parents house and making babies or conception are supposed to happen in the dark ,and for u I think that u must have witnessed something that made all the concept distasteful ,because u didn't really care if the babies were normal or not u just went back to sleep ,that doesn't mean u don't like motherhood but for u its not a must ,and to satisfy ur ego they became pigeons ,and there is two explanation one u told yourself voila! No big deal babies are just pigeons or a spiritual opinion u where not going to be very happy if u had children maybe they were going to cause u heartache and God is sparing u and always we have to remember that God works in mysterious way, I'm sure u will have a good kids or no kids God willing. I sincerely hope I helped.