If you find yourself in the middle of a circle in your dream, it can represent your self or your spirit. Alternatively, the middle may also indicate conflict between opposites or the feeling of being involved, protected or in the middle of something. For Freud, the circle represented the vagina; for Jung, it was an archetypal symbol of the whole psyche, as opposed to the body, which was symbolized by the square. When someone has made the transition through all aspects of life and has returned to their beginning, we say that they have come ’full circle’. Family groups are referred to as the ’family circle’, whilst social groups are sometimes called a ’circle of friends’ or a ’community circle’. When the apparent solution to a problem in a series of events creates a new problem and increases the difficulty of solving the original problem, it may be called a ’vicious circle’ or ’vicious cycle’.
To determine the meaning of your dream circle, round, sphere or ball, look at the symbols and events connected with it, as there is a wealth of often conflicting possible interpretations to consider. For example, if you are traveling round in a circle, you may be progressing toward wholeness or running around uselessly chasing your tail! If the circle is smooth, it suggests harmony and centeredness; but if it is irregular, it may suggest the dull round of routine.
Jewelry is given in many cultures to express emotion and rings, bracelets and necklaces are usually circular. In many societies, marriage and lifelong commitment are symbolized by exchanging rings. Did someone you desire give you a ring in your dream? Perhaps there’s a chance for the relationship, or maybe it is just wishful thinking.
If you dream of a broken necklace or bracelet, you may fear that a relationship will break and come to an abrupt end; you may, however, feel that it is time for a connection to come to a conclusion.
Circles also contain and restrict. For instance, a new pupil is outside the group until she settles in and is accepted at her new school; dog collars allow an animal to be restrained. In some pagan traditions, a circle of intent is cast to contain positive energy and protect against negative energy. Was your dream circle keeping something out or keeping you in? You may feel a need for protection, or you may feel trapped by a relationship or situation. Knots begin with circles and usually contain several. Perhaps something is knotted up? As well as suggesting the potential for unity, wholeness and perfection, circles also represent eternity or the cycle of life because they have no beginning or end, as well as security and protection because they enclose. The fact that the sun is circular means that if it appears in your dream, it may be signaling masculine, active energy or even the life force itself. Don’t forget, though, that circles also possess feminine connotations due to their resemblance to eggs.
With so many possible interpretations, it can often be difficult to decide what a dream circle may have been suggesting but considering the context of your dream, along with your waking circumstances, should help you with the interpretation. Bear in mind that it is always worth considering whether the appearance of circles was telling you to work on harmonizing conflicting elements of your inner self in order to achieve contentment and serenity. For example, if you dreamed of dropping a round plate and it smashed, your dream may have been portraying your rebellious nature and your need to exercise greater self control.
In dreams, round balls tend to represent the interaction between two people, as in ’throwing the ball’ or ’the ball is in your court’. They may also be a symbol of your need to get someone’s attention. Ball games suggest challenge and competition in the game of life, but may also be associated with aggression or sex, as in a man’s balls. As the center of a circle is the point from which everything starts, if you dreamed of a target enclosed in a circle, was your unconscious telling you to aim for psychic wholeness? A circle with a dot in the center can signify balance and centeredness. It can also represent woman. A sphere shares much of the symbolism of a circle, and indicates perfection and completion of all possibilities; it can, however, also evoke a spherical object such as a breast or testicle, and therefore have a sexual association.