Symbol Brief — Feet
The symbolic significance of feet is underrated. I know I’ve had a lot of dreams about feet over the years. My feet, and the feet of other characters in my dreams, have been covered with spiders, wrapped in aluminum foil, thawed out, iced up, well heeled, and walking on the most beautiful and sturdy wooden floors you can imagine.
Some of the oldest symbolism regarding the foot dates back to Buddhism. The Buddha is represented by the soles of his feet, which show the seven symbols of divine wisdom — conch, crown, diamond, sceptre, fish, vase, swastika and Wheel of Law. (Please note that the swastika had very positive symbolic origins, including standing for creative energy, before it was contorted by the Nazi party.)
Going barefoot can also be a sign of humility, such as when Christ washed the feet of his disciples. Feet were once believed to transmit personal energy from the person to the ground being trod (thus the often used phrase about following in another person’s footsteps).
Feet in dreams often represent our psychological standpoint concerning a particular issue in waking life. Are your feet on solid ground? Are your feet clean and healthy and able to get you where you need to go? Are they injured or dirty? It follows that shoes in our dreams can symbolize our efforts to try and protect or alter our standpoint. Are the shoes worn and in need of repair? Are they new? How do they feel — comfortable or uncomfortable?
– Writeye
Posted on September 17th, 2008 under Jungian Psychology, Symbol Brief • Tags: feet symbolism, psychological standpoint. • 
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