Dream Interpretation: Doors, Gates, and New Directions
General Meaning: A new direction in your life or one that has passed.
A gate, path, door, or fence opening in dreams can symbolize a new direction or opportunity in life. It can also represent something that has passed or come to an end.
Positive Interpretation:
Seeing an open door or gate often represents a clear path ahead or an open opportunity. This can be symbolic of a new phase or calling in life, especially after committing to change and leaving the past behind. Such visions may signify:
- A new plan or direction in life, such as a job, ministry, or personal growth.
- Confirmation of a calling or spiritual gift, where the individual is released into something new.
- Closing doors to the past and fully embracing the new plan with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Scriptural references for positive doors include:
- 1 Corinthians 16:9 - "Because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me."
- 2 Corinthians 2:12 - "Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me."
- Revelation 3:8 - "See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut."
Negative Interpretation:
Seeing a negative door, especially one that leads to darkness or demonic forces, can symbolize an open door to harmful influences. These open doors can be due to:
- Personal or generational sin, allowing negative forces to have influence.
- Unconfessed sin or associations that grant the enemy access to one’s life.
In such cases, the dreamer must take personal responsibility to close these doors by submitting to God, confessing their sins, and resisting negative influences. As the Bible advises:
- James 4:7 - "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
- Proverbs 4:14 - "Enter not into the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil [men]."
- Ephesians 4:26-27 - "Be angry, but do not sin; do not let the sun set on your anger: Neither give license to the devil."
It is a beautiful symbol full of meaning, especially if it is opening. In that case, it generally represents personal development and desire to explore your inner world, or it suggests that you are about to cross the threshold of a new life stage or to begin an important new project.
If in the dream they shut the door in your face, you may have the feeling of being excluded or ignored by others.
If you are not able to open it, it is a reminder that, right now, you should not try to alter the situation in which you are.
If the door is too narrow you may have to give up some of your demands in order to succeed. For Freud, this dream has a clear sexual reading: door represents the vagina. Consequently, if it is narrow it is a symbol of sexual difficulties, and the act of opening and closing it continuously is a clear allusion to intercourse.
The doorknob predicts unexpected good luck; its hinges, family problems. A closed door predicts lost opportunities; an open one, fortune; a revolving one, the arrival of a monotonous period; and a trapdoor, shocking news.
DOOR - analysis of the dream
Mireia dreamed: “I dreamed I was in a dark hallway surrounded by rooms on either side. Hanging on the walls there were old portraits of people who seemed to follow me with their eyes. I was terrified. I knew it was a test and needed to choose a door and walk through it, but I was afraid to be wrong; I was afraid that if I chose wrong I could fall into the void. Suddenly, one of the doors opened. I decided to go in. I found myself on a light and airy corridor; at the end I could see another golden door. I walked toward it, this time without fear and with confidence that something wonderful was waiting for me inside. I opened it, confident, and realized it was in my own room. I felt safe and calm but very tired. I laid on my cozy bed and gave myself up to a peaceful sleep. Then I woke up.”
Mireia’s dream reflects a very specific time in her life when she had to make important decisions that would affect her future. Her company had offered her a promotion that involved a transfer across the world: Australia. The dark and gloomy corridor reflects the situation at the moment of her dream, full of doubts and fears. The ancient portraits of people who seemed to be looking at her signal the pressure she was under. However, the door opening represented the opportunity that fate was offering to her; suggesting that she was about to cross the threshold of a new phase of her life.
The golden gate was the confirmation that her decision to leave would be the right one. Her unconscious was encouraging her to accept it. The fact that the door led her to her own room is a message that she did not have be afraid of changes, because home was also waiting for her over there.
[2]A door in a dream represents the guardian of the house.
An open doors in a dream represents a source of income.
The door of a house also represents the wife.
If the appearance of one’s door looks different from reality in a dream, it means changes in one’s life.
If it is broken or burned in the dream, it means difficulties for the resident guardian of that house.
If one sees a small door within the main entrance door in the dream, it means that he will infringe on the privacy of others bedroom. It also means that one’s wife may have a secret affair, or that a betrayal may be uncovered in one’s house.
If one sees lions jumping at his door in a dream, it means that insolent people will pursue his wife.
If one sees himself seeking a door which he couldn’t find in a dream, it means indecision. Entering a house from its main door means triumph against one’s opposition.
If the door of one’s house opens to the street in a dream, it means that what one earns will be of benefit to strangers rather than to his own household.
The disappearing of a door in a dream means death of the head of that household. Passing through a small door into an open space means relief from difficulties.
If one sees himself leaving his house from the main door into a spacious green garden in a dream, it means entering the realms of the hereafter.
If one sees two ringlets or door knockers hanging at his door in a dream, it means indebtedness to two people who are demanding to be paid.
If one sees fire burning his door in a dream, it means the death of his wife, or it may mean his failure to properly manage that household.
The gates of a city represent a righteous governor. In a dream, the door of a house also represents the protection it houses behind it, including one’s property, personal secrets and family.
If the door is well built in a dream, it means protection of one’s private life. Otherwise, whatever maybe seen through such a door means exposing one’s private life.
If one sees a carpenter building him a new door, this means glad tidings of health and wealth.
If one sees himself unable to properly secure the closing of his door in a dream, it means difficulties caused by his wife. Ifone sees himself changing his door in a dream, it means moving into another house.
If one sees himself entering his house and locking his door in a dream, it means protection against evil.
(See Also: Doorjamb, Door post)
[3]Example: 41 find my way to a door and knock.
It is at the end of a cul de sac.
An old woman of about 60 comes to the door. Although old, she is healthy and well preserved. Without a word I grab her in my arms and have sex with her’ (Patrick S). Freud felt that a door, a keyhole, a handle, a knocker, all depicted sex and sexual organs.
The example shows this clearly. Knocking refers to the sex act, the cul de sac is the woman’s legs. But the image of a door has so many other ways of being expressed in dreams and is used very frequently. In the next example it represents the experience of discovenng a new feeling state.
For instance, if one had always been apologetic and now became affirmative, ‘new doors’ of expenence could well open. Example: I come up to a door which I d never seen before, and on opening it, I came across another house fully furnished’ (Mrs R F).
General meanings, depending on the dream, are a boundary; the difference between one feeling state and another; such as depression and feeling motivated; the feelings or attitudes, such as aloofness, we use to shut others out of our life to remain independent or private; being open or inviting; a sense of leaving an environment or relationship—escape; entering into new work or relationships. Someone at a door: opportunity, the unexpected; new experience. Front door: public self; confidence; our relationship with people in general; a vagina. Back door: our private, family life; our more secret activities; the anus. Side door : escaping from a situation, or being indirect. Shutting a door: privacy; trying to find ‘space’ for oneself, the dismissing attitudes or tension we use to shut others out of intimate contact; end of a relationship. Door to strange landscape or world: finding entrance into unconscious. Doorknob: see knob.
Example: 4I am being strangled from behind by a faceless man! I had gone down to lock my flat door for the night when I noticed the door was open. I hastily bolted it and ran upstairs, but unknown to me the intruder was already in the flat’ (Miss H). Here the door represents the censorship the dreamer places between her conscious self and her sexual drives. In strangling’ our own life drive, we ourselves feel cut off from life.
[4]Universal Landscape: An opportunity or choice to venture into the unknown.
Dreaming Lens: What was the status of the door in the dream: closed, open, locked, or ajar? How many doors were there? What was the size, shape, color of the door(s)? Was there any heightened emotional sense as you approached it? What knowledge did you have, if any, of what might be beyond the door?
Personal Focus: A door is the obstacle that separates a person from accessing whatever is in the room to which it marks the entrance. It represents both opportunity and choice. What is on the other side connects with opportunity. The volition required to open it and cross the threshold connects with choice. Additionally, we are taught in childhood that when one door closes, another one opens, suggesting a correlation with transitions in life.
Even if you think you know what it on the other side, a closed door creates mystery and uncertainty and usually refers to something that is unknown. A door that is ajar or open is an invitation from the unconscious to check out what’s beyond it. The more doors there are, the more complex the choice at hand may be. The size and weight of the door may indicate the importance of the issue being expressed. Shutting a door indicates the will to end something or the ability to set a boundary with certainty and clarity. A door being shut on the dreamer is an obstacle created by another person or a set of circumstances in the dreamer’s waking life. The person creating the obstacle may, in fact, be yourself. If you are not in control of whether the door is open or closed, issues of forced choice or lack of choice could be indicated.
The color of the door can represent the area in life that is referring to the choice at hand. For example, red could mean a survival issue, while purple might be more of a spiritual or soul decision (See Also: Colors). More than one door indicates the complexity of the issue at hand and can be interpreted through numerology (See Also: Numbers).
[5]Dream doors can represent several meanings: An open door means a new opportunity; walking through a door means you will take it.
A choice of many doorways represents a difficult decision you must make in real life.
A locked door means someone is hiding things or is stopping you from doing something you want, especially if you were locked out of someplace.
If you are locked in, you might have a change of location in your life.
If you are unable to find the door out of someplace, your dream is telling you that you’re on a “road to nowhere” in your life - you must make changes in the direction your life is heading.
To dream of having a door slammed in your face represents opportunities that are denied and not available to you, or that you have missed out on. You may be having some anti-social tendencies.
A glass door is a warning against over-confidence. There is still work to do before you achieve your goals.
A small door symbolizes your desire for inner exploration and self-discovery. Revolving doors suggest that you are literally moving in circles and going nowhere. You may feel that your opportunities and choices lead to a dead end.
To dream about a back door relates to stress and the pressure that someone is putting on you in real life.
[6](1) A door may represent an opening to a new phase of life or a possible new development - either in your external circumstances or in yourself.
(2) It may symbolize an invitation to enter the not-yet-explored parts of your psyche, with a view to bringing these under conscious control.
(3) If someone / something is on the other side of the door, this probably means you need to let something come out of vour unconscious into your conscious mind.
(4) The symbolism may be that which Christians apply to the Christ: the way to ‘salvation’ - that is, healing and wholeness. (Compare St
John’s Gospel 10:9: ‘I am the door. By me, if anyone enters in, he shall be saved’.)
(5) A closed door may symbolize A ‘no-go’ situation. You need to determine whether the impasse is unavoidable and therefore to be accepted (because, for instance, you have been pursuing a path that is out of keeping with your deepest values or needs) or one that you have artificially made for yourself (as a consequence of irrational guilt- feelings and anxiety, for instance) and can therefore remove by an act of will - though it may require a lot of preparatory work by way of investigating the (partly) unconscious psychic processes that have constructed the obstacle.
[7]To dream of entering a door, denotes slander, and enemies from whom you are trying in vain to escape. This is the same of any door, except the door of your childhood home.
If it is this door you dream of entering, your days will be filled with plenty and congeniality.
To dream of entering a door at night through the rain, denotes, to women, unpardonable escapades; to a man, it is significant of a drawing on his resources by unwarranted vice, and also foretells assignations.
To see others go through a doorway, denotes unsuccessful attempts to get your affairs into a paying condition. It also means changes to farmers and the political world.
To an author, it foretells that the reading public will reprove his way of stating facts by refusing to read his later works.
To dream that you attempt to close a door, and it falls from its hinges, injuring some one, denotes that malignant evil threatens your friend through your unintentionally wrong advice.
If you see another attempt to lock a door, and it falls from its hinges, you will have knowledge of some friend’s misfortune and be powerless to aid him.
[8]Symbol: A door, a portal, or a gate—all three are always a symbol of transformation, a threshold between two places.
Vision: Stepping through a door: a matter is resolving itself without the interference of others. Standing in front of a closed door: you still have not made contact with your neighbors.
If a man dreams about opening a door by force: he either wants to possess a woman completely or he is harboring violent tendencies.
A man slipping through a door is a sure sign of wanting to have an affair.
[9]See Also: Buildings
1- A door in a dream signifies a movement between two states of being. It can represent entry into a new phase of life, such as puberty or middle age. There may be opportunities available to us about which we must make deliberate decisions.
2- If the door in the dream is shut or difficult to open, it indicates we arc creating obstacles for ourselves, whereas if the door is open we can have the confidence to move forward.
3- Spiritually a door represents the sheltering aspect of the Great Mother (See Also: Introduction).
[10]As in real life, a door allows one to enter from one place to another.
An open door is an invitation, a closed door is a sign that the time is not right to proceed, or that this is not the right opportunity for you.
A closed door also represents privacy, aloneness, aloofness, and possibly rejection. Keep in mind, that the door that is right for you will open for you.
See Also: Knock.
[11]Doors symbolize passage and passageways. Going thorough a door may represent going form one state of consciousness to another, or from one inner plane to another.
If the doors are locked or closed it may represent opportunities that are not currently available to you, or obstacles.
Dreaming of a lot of doors may represent choices that you are currently faced with.
[12]To see people entering and leaving through a swinging door reveals a loss of money because of the dreamer’s mismanagement; that is, letting too many good projects slip by.
A closed door means that the one who dreams of it feels divested of happiness.
The open door beckons the dreamer to partake in the pleasures that bring new excitement and inspiration.
[13]It symbolises the head of the household and at other times the one who manages the household affairs which is, in most cases, one’s wife. Any pleasant or unpleasant condition in such a door bespeaks of a similar condition in her.
For example, a broken, displaced or burnt door could mean dispute or separation between wife and husband.
[14]This is symbolic of an opening to a new path in life.
If the door is locked it symbolizes an area in life not yet accessible to you.
A person or animal blocking a door is symbolic of a spiritual hindrance.
A door can also be symbolic of a free spirited person, Song. 8:8-9. Doors can also symbolize a person’s mouth, Ps. 141:3
[15]Closed or locked doors usually signify vain regrets over past or missed opportunities; save your energy.
An open door, especially if it reveals a pleasing vista, predicts a realization of your highest hopes.
More than one door in a dream means that you will soon be able to choose from a number of good opportunities.
[16]A new beginning.
See Also: Gate. In ancient Egyptian dream interpretation, if the door is open, it is a sign that a favorite visitor is coming.
According to Freud, symbol of the female sexual organ. According to Jung, symbol of a transition from one phase to another.
[17]1. Access from one realm to another (intellectual to the spiritual).
2. Money and fortune are on the way.
3. Moving from one stage of life to another.
4. Desire to remove oneself from a situation or stage of life (closing and/or locking a door).
[18]Material aspects: A door in a dream signifies a movement between two states of being. It can represent entry into a new phase of life, such as puberty or middle age. There may be opportunities available to us about which we must make deliberate decisions.
[19]This is almost an obstacle dream.
If you are trying to enter a house, and the Door is not opened, you may expect serious business troubles.
If the house or room appears to have many Doors, then beware of speculation, for you will lose your money.
[20]A passage to a new phase in life, such as childhood to adolescence, or single to married.
A new opportunity on the way.
Revelation, either personal, spiritual, or universal. Astrological parallels: Scorpio, Capricorn, Aries
[21]Psychological / emotional perspective: If the door in the dream is shut or difficult to open, it indicates we are creating obstacles for ourselves, whereas if the door is open we can have the confidence to move forward.
[22]1. Opportunity;
2. Entrance;
3. Faith;
4. Transition.
5. Witnessing if going door to door;
6. Squeaky door needing the anointing;
1 Sam. 15:27-28; Hos. 3:1; Jer. 18:6;
[23]Opportunity for self-discovery; if opened, walk through it; if closed, examine fear or block that is limiting you from going forward.
[24]The “door of opportunity”; open is an invitation to enter; the degree determines the sincerity; back door is humbling
[25]Spiritually a door represents the sheltering aspect of the great mother.
[26]See Also: door under house, buildings.
[27]See Also: Backdoor.
[28]Dream Interpretation: Doors and Opportunities
Lucky Numbers: 05-13-17-33-44-49
General Door Interpretations
- Back door: Friends entering through the back door suggests caution to avoid imaginative gossip.
- Letting a lover out: Represents repression of expression or a missed opportunity.
- Relations: Suggests vain attempts to avoid family arguments over backbiting.
- Robbers breaking down the door: Indicates foes slandering you with unforgivable offenses that are not your own.
- Using the door: Represents life changes after unsuccessful attempts becoming profitable.
- Banging on the door: Imminent unpleasant events cannot be avoided.
Blocked and Locked Doors
- Blocked from entering a door: Speak up about a friend's treatment.
- Bolts, attempting to open: A new start will be made elsewhere.
- Closed door being broken: You are prone to greed and selfishness.
- Fastening a door: You will be offended by others' actions.
- Locked by others: Knowing their secrets is a burden to you.
- Locking a door: Your gullibility has caused your frustration.
Breaking Down and Entering Doors
- Breaking down a door: Regular methods will lead to new opportunities.
- Broken door: You will receive job news from someone far away.
- Bumping into a door: You will be aware of a friend's troubles but fear helping them.
- Burning door: A cancerous injury threatened your friend due to your ill-fated advice.
- Carried across the threshold: Someone expects great things from you.
City and House Doors
- City door: Populace shows disapproval of your ideas by refusing to open the door.
- Closed door: Make an effort with your neighbors.
- Closing a door: You are shutting someone out of your life.
- House with many doors: Indicates losing money through slanderous gossip.
Additional Door Symbols
- Knob: A new business will climb steadily to success.
- Locked door: Replace poor conduct with positive actions.
- Open and entering a door: Indicates a long, emotional, and satisfying relationship.
- Another's door: New opportunities for departure from the mundane.
- Revolving door, stuck: Indicates others are blocking your ability to use your resources.
Thresholds and Escapes
- Threshold: Crossing the threshold signifies that the difficult part is over; now get to work.
- Unable to escape from a door: Major change of course is needed before it’s too late.
- Unlocking a door: How secure is your future?