What does it mean when you dream of a baby?

Plus a guided meditation for dream incubation and a seed planting ritual for "birthing" a new project or idea

Welcome our new series: Spell Work for the Subconscious, where we unpack a common dream symbol twice per month (around each new and full moon), and give you tools and insights to work with it in the form of journaling prompts, guided meditations, and custom rituals.

Comment a dream image/theme below and I’ll break it down for you in a future newsletter!

For this month’s North node solar eclipse in Aries. I thought we would focus on a dream symbol that can be extremely emotionally activating and transformative: dreaming of a baby or small child (we will do pregnancy as a separate, future topic!) The intense “charge” this dream symbol carries absolutely reflects this astrological moment we are in: a time of new beginnings and fresh growth!

In my experience, there are two main ways of working with this symbol - and I have seen it play out both ways plenty of times! I have also experienced people of all gender identities experiencing this powerful dream symbol - it is in no way exclusive to the female-identified community. It is a powerful symbol of new beginnings and limitless potential, much like the four Ace cards in Tarot.

In a Jungian and/or gestalt framework, dreaming one is pregnant or nurturing a child inevitably refers to a part of yourself that’s trying to get your attention, or perhaps coming online in a new and distinct way during this chapter of your life, with a need for attuned nurturance in this specific area. It is important to denote the qualities and characteristics of the child as well as any clues the dream presents about its environment or context, and of course, the emotional quality the child evokes within the dreamer (more on that in our dream journaling prompts below)!

Image from 2001: A Space Odyssey

Jung viewed babies as a reflection of the archetype of the Self (those of you familiar with IFS will recognize this concept as well)! He also used the term “Divine Child” to refer to this archetype. Babies are born integrated, whole, completely pure and in touch with their authentic instincts and desires. One could even say, “enlightened!” As we move through the inevitable turmoil of coming of age, parts of us become fragmented and banished as a result of shame dynamics activated by tumultuous and/or traumatic life experiences. It is our task throughout our lives to retrieve and reintegrate these parts, allowing them to find healthier, more adaptive roles and expressions, and rediscovering peace and comfort in our own skin. Jung referred to this process as “individuation,” much of which involves reconnecting to our authenticity when we have become accustomed to centering other people and/or society’s will over our own.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention another aspect of this dream, which I have come to understand almost as an offshoot of what are called “visitation dreams,” or dreams from a spirit communicator. Many of us have experienced these types of dreams involving our deceased loved ones, but I also believe our children can and do visit us in dreams before they’re born. These dreams are often marked by an intense and palpable sense of love and connection.

I have experienced dreams like this before the birth of my daughter, Iris. In one particularly compelling instance, I dreamed of being pregnant and caring for a baby girl one weekend while my partner Daniel was away on a camping trip early on in our dating relationship. The sense of love and connection were overwhelmingly beautiful and unlike anything I had ever experienced, and I woke up in tears of joy. During that time, Daniel and his friends had a powerful psychedelic journey with psilocybin mushrooms, and he shared his experiences with me when he got back to town. That same weekend, while I was dreaming of our daughter, he shared that he had two visions during his trip: one where I was pregnant, and another where we had a baby girl. In hindsight, I view this experience as a visitation from Iris, and an encouragement from her to stay the course in our relationship.

If you have visitation dreams you would like to share, please send me a message! I’m planning an episode on this subject to do more of a deep-dive.

Below the paywall below you’ll find:

—Journaling prompts to help you gain more insight about this dream symbol

—A guided meditation for dream “incubation” to ask for guidance from your subconscious around a specific subject of importance

—A seed planting ritual for “giving birth” to a new idea, project, or intention