In the center of a pristine barren landscape stands a mighty Goddess armed with a bow and arrow. A man thinks an evil thought at her. She takes up the bow and sends an arrow at him. He runs, trying to desperately avoid being hit, but the arrow strikes him anyway. He turns toward her again and thinks another wicked thought. When he sees her take up her bow he runs but the arrow strikes him again. This scenario repeats itself over and over until he is a veritable pincushion of arrows. He realizes how futile it is to hate her, turns in her direction and bows to her. The arrows stop.

This dream is a universal archetype, a powerful representation of a deep psychospiritual principle. The Goddess represents the Self. The landscape is also a Self symbol. The Self is pristine and uncluttered. ‘The middle’ also signifies the Self; it is the center of our being. The Self or God, if you prefer, is powerful. It is the ruler of everything. It is conscious and controls karma, the results of our actions. The arrows signify karma. The man represents the ego/mind. It thinks it is all powerful and therefore it is controlled by fear. It resents the Self so it attacks. The message is: you cannot injure your Self. If you hate your Self the hatred will rebound and strike you. This is an interesting dream because it teaches that the ego can transform its anger if it pays attention to the connection between its actions and their results. This realization is symbolized in the dream by the man’s surrender. The dream used a philandering friend of mine who has much contempt for women to illustrate its point. An elegant, inspiring dream.