Common Symbols for Kundalini in Dreams: Fire and Flame

Fire: A Symbol of Light and Purification

 In a series of blogs on kundalini energy as it appears in dreams, I have written about snakes and volcanoes as being important symbols.  Fire and flames are also dramatic and powerful symbols for kundalini energy, and when they occur in dreams, it is hard to forget.   The dream is very wise to choose this symbol to convey the workings of kundalini energy because fire is similar to kundalini in that it burns away all that is harmful or not necessary and brings light to guide those touched by its energy.

Working with a Fire Dream

Dreams about things burning can have many meanings on the physical and spiritual level, but first and foremost one should look for a spiritual meaning because all dreams have a spiritual message at some level, and fire dreams are particularly connected to the work of the spirit.  The imagery of something burning calls to mind the biblical story of Moses and the Burning Bush (Exodus 3:1-17).  A burning object always attracts our attention and focuses our mind on a dramatic transformation that is taking place before us:  the transmutation of something physical into something else such as gas and ash, or in the case of the Burning Bush, the presence of a divine being because the expected transmutation wasn’t taking place.  Spirituality is about transformation and being in the presence of the divine.

As in dreams about snakes and volcanoes, one has to ask what is going one in one’s life so that fire and flame appear.  A fire dream may be merely an expression of one’s fears about a house catching fire because of fire hazards in the house.  However, if one is experiencing strong kundalini energy in one’s body, it may be giving the dreamer a chance to observe what this energy is doing and how it can be managed.

Dream: My Car is on Fire

I am with a friend and some other people. They have just come out of a store.  I invite them into my car since I can seat 6 people.  When I start the car, a little alert icon on the dashboard goes on and I yell for everyone to get out.  The car is on fire!  Everyone jumps out and is OK.  I want to use my cellphone to call 911 but my friend says not to.

This dream came about a year and a half before I experienced the onset of kundalini energy in my body.  A car can be a symbol for the body or for how we get around in life.  In any case, it was alerting me to the possibility that my life would be affected by a strong energy like fire.  It would cause me fear and concern but the dream is also telling me that I (and the many parts of myself represented by the others) would be OK.  My friend (who is a wise and knowledgeable person in waking life) tells me it is not important to call 911.  This is odd so it makes me think this dream is not predicting something physical but maybe a spiritual process that is meant to happen.  The burning car is a symbol of a transformative process that is OK.

 

Biblical Symbols Appearing in Dreams

Moses and the Burning Bush. Image via Pinterest.

For persons who practice recording their dreams faithfully over a long period of time, an interesting observation may be made. It certainly happened to me. I noticed that many of the symbols in the Bible had a way of showing up in my dreams! If you keep a dream journal I suggest you review it for symbols in the Bible and review that symbol in relationship to the Biblical story to see what inspiration comes up. A profound and surprising spiritual meaning may surface—and you might have an epiphany of your own. To give an example, here are some Biblical symbols that have occurred in my dreams over the years and some of the meanings I ascribed to them after being influenced by the Biblical setting of the symbol.

An Object Mysteriously Burning (The Burning Bush: Exodus 3: 2-4)

Dream: I see a chair in my living room that has caught fire and is burning yet it is not burning up. It exudes a beautiful glow. I am amazed.
Reflection: I am readily reminded of the Burning Bush that amazes Moses and suspects that something within me has “lit up,” and won’t be consumed, bringing new energy with potential new awareness and insight. In the ensuing years, I was indeed the witness to profound insights and new energy.

A Pillar That Points the Way (The Pillar of Clouds by Day and the Pillar of Fire by Night: Exodus 13: 20-22)

Dream: I go to see the boss, quickly, in a business-like way. I see a black pillar before me as if it is leading me in the direction I need to go. I state my case to be able to move on. To show acknowledgement of my request, I am gifted with a necklace of oval shaped beads: black white and aqua.
Reflection: The boss is not my boss in waking life, giving me clues that this dream has a deeper meaning than just my work life. I recognize the pillar leading me as a symbol in Exodus that leads the people through the Wilderness so I suspect this has to do with my spiritual life, and I am being led. By stating I want to move on, I am showing that I am ready to move in a new direction spiritually. The gift of the necklace, a symbol for the throat chakra of communication suggests that I will be given a gift in communication such as writing or speaking. The colors of white and aqua are the traditional healing colors. I conclude I will be given a gift that involves healing. Indeed, over the next several years I was both healed in many different ways, and given the gift to heal others when called to do so, both in writing, speaking and touch.

I could give many more examples. It makes me wonder how much archetypal symbolism common in dreams is contained in the Bible, drawing us deeper into ourselves as we read the passages just as the dream symbols draw us deeper into ourselves as we reflect upon them.