The Setting

     One  dream  symbol   that   seems- to   have   a   fairly
consistent,      widespread     meaning     is     the    house,
particularly  if  it  is  "my  house." It  generally  refers  to
the  dreamer's  psyche  as  a  whole,  which  may  include
the body.  It  is the whole structure or framework  within
which  the  dreamer  lives.  Its condition  seems  to state
the  overall condition  of  the  psyche  in  whatever sense
a particular dream is using it.
     In  this  dream  the action takes place  in the front hall
So we  can think of this  as  the psychic "location"  where
a  certain  conflict  is  joined. During  the analysis  of the
dream many possibilities occurred  as  to the meaning of
this  location, but  only  one really  caught  the dreamer's
interest. Importance was placed  on  its  being the ground
floor; and there was  also some feeling that the character
may  have descended  from  the  upper  floor,  the  higher
conscious   area, but  not  to  the  basement  which  might
represent  the  deep  unconscious. So  we  may  postulate
that   the  action   is   taking    place  in   an   area   of   the
unconscious  which  still  has  some  contact   with  solid
reality.  In  fact,  the  hall  is the area  where the staircase
makes contact with the other levels.

Feeding the Shadow

     The Shadow, says Jung, consists of all those primitive
and instinctual attitudes  and  urges  which  the Ego finds
unacceptable. Thus as light  and forthright  as a person is
on   the  surface,  so  must his  unseen  side  be  dark and
devious. The Shadow figures in  dreams  are usually easy
to spot, being of  the same sex  as the dreamer, but quite
opposite to the dreamer in body as well as attitude.
     In this dream,  the "slim, well-dressed, mousy" visitor
was  plainly  opposite to  the dreamer's  view of  himself.
The appearance of  the visitor  reminded  the dreamer of
Beelzebub, as portrayed  by  Scratch  in  a  production of
"The   Devil   and   Daniel  Webster." It  seems important,
however,  that the man was  well-dressed  and apparently
comported    himself    properly,  although   making   the
dreamer uncomfortable. I t is also important that  at first

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