Black in Dreams: Meaning in Depth Psychology

The color of the not-yet-known. Black in dreams is rarely evil: it's the dark where everything undiscovered waits, the night before the dawn, the rich soil. Something is in there. The dream is often about your relationship to not being able to see it yet.

THE CORE MEANING

The unknown, the Shadow, the unconscious, death, the nigredo, the prima materia. Not evil, but what has not yet been brought into the light. The darkness that contains everything that hasn't been differentiated.

VARIATIONS: CONTEXT CHANGES THE MEANING

  • darkness: The unconscious itself: the absence of ego consciousness, the territory where dreams happen
  • black figure: Shadow personified: the unknown self appearing in its most undifferentiated form
  • black water: The deepest unconscious: Shadow material submerged in emotional depth
  • black clothing: Mourning, Shadow identification, formal Persona, or protection through darkness
  • black animal: Instinctual Shadow: the animal nature in its most repressed or undifferentiated form

CONNECTS TO

The ShadowThe Personal UnconsciousThe Collective UnconsciousIndividuation

All of that is the universal meaning. But what does black mean to you? Your personal association matters more than any dictionary.

QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK

What does dreaming about the color black mean?
The color of the not-yet-known. Black in dreams is rarely evil: it's the dark where everything undiscovered waits, the night before the dawn, the rich soil. Something is in there. The dream is often about your relationship to not being able to see it yet. Hold it as an offering rather than a verdict, and notice what your own memory of the dream says back.
What does the color black symbolize in Jungian psychology?
In the Jungian reading, the color black carries a consistent center. The unknown, the Shadow, the unconscious, death, the nigredo, the prima materia. Not evil, but what has not yet been brought into the light. The darkness that contains everything that hasn't been differentiated. If the image stays with you, let it: what it means to you outweighs what it means in general.
What does darkness in a dream mean?
When the color black appears as darkness, the emphasis shifts: The unconscious itself: the absence of ego consciousness, the territory where dreams happen. Your own association leads here; the pattern is only a place to start looking.
What does a black figure in a dream mean?
When the color black appears as a black figure, the emphasis shifts: Shadow personified: the unknown self appearing in its most undifferentiated form. Take what fits and leave the rest: you are the final authority on your own dream.