21. Dreaming of War
Dream Symbol
Warfare symbolizes strife, chaos, crisis, challenge, and a test of life and death. Staying clear of the battlefield and stopping the fighting is auspicious. Being caught in the tumult, suffering defeat, or incurring casualties is inauspicious, with its meaning closely linked to your personal circumstances and state of mind.
General Interpretation Verse
Scattered fires of war, calamity and chaos pursue; stay clear of the smoke, and fortune returns to you. Bring conflict to a close, with merit by your side; get caught in the middle, and a hundred dangers reside.
Symbol Says
Swords drawn, fortunes falter; avoiding war ensures health unfaltering. Cease the fight, end the quarrel, and enjoy blessings ever-growing; suffer defeat with heavy loss, and see your very luck departing.
Dream Scenario Interpretations
- Dreaming of staying clear of war and remaining unscathed: Foreshadows the avoidance of crisis, the distance of disaster, a tranquil state of mind, and smooth, untroubled living.
- Dreaming of ending the fighting and stopping the conflict: Indicates exceptional ability in resolving disputes, earning the respect and support of others, with good fortune extending long into the future.
- Dreaming of participating in war and winning bravely: Suggests commendable courage, rising fortune, the ability to break through predicaments, and the reaping of success and honor.
- Dreaming of being caught in turmoil and becoming displaced: Foretells a low point in fortunes, danger lurking everywhere, physical and mental exhaustion, and all affairs being difficult and stalled.
- Dreaming of a devastating defeat and heavy casualties: Portends a major inauspicious omen, calamities piling up, severe losses, and a plunge in fortunes.
Core Symbolism
Warfare symbolizes conflict and chaos, crisis and challenge, courage and responsibility, life-and-death trials. Staying clear of battle, stopping the fighting, or winning bravely is auspicious, signifying disaster averted, influence gained, and honor bestowed. Being caught in turmoil, suffering defeat and casualties, or being displaced is inauspicious, signifying crisis, ruin, and fortune’s demise. Maintaining a calm mindset, skillfully avoiding risks, and proactively resolving conflicts are ways to safeguard your stability amidst life's 'battlefields.'
Classic Texts
《Zhou Gong’s Dream Interpretation》
梦战争者主灾临，远离硝烟福运临；平息战火功德显，身陷战乱万事倾；英勇取胜前程阔，惨败伤亡祸难平。
Interpretation: To dream of war foretells impending calamity. Staying clear of the smoke and flames allows good fortune to arrive. Ending the war and stopping the fight makes one’s merit evident. Being caught in the chaos causes all matters to falter. Fighting courageously and achieving victory leads to a broad and open future. A devastating defeat with heavy casualties results in disaster and misfortune that are hard to resolve.
《The Comprehensive Interpretation of Dreams》
战争者，纷争之极，生死之判也；避之则安，涉之则危；止之则福，败之则凶；勇者胜而得势，怯者败而招灾。
Interpretation: Warfare is the extreme form of conflict and a judgment of life and death. Avoiding it brings safety; becoming involved brings danger. Stopping it brings good fortune; defeat brings disaster. The brave who prevail gain power; the timid who fail attract calamity.
Omen Classifications
- Auspicious Omen (吉占): Staying clear of war, stopping the fighting, winning bravely, emerging unscathed. Signifies disaster avoided, influence gained, honor bestowed. Very auspicious.
- Neutral Omen (平占): Witnessing war, not participating directly, getting away quickly. Merely slight anxiety without major calamitous impact.
- Inauspicious Omen (凶占): Being caught in turmoil, suffering defeat and casualties, becoming displaced, entangled in conflict. Signifies crisis, ruin, fortune's demise. Inauspicious.
Common Questions
Q: What does dreaming of staying clear of war signify?A: An auspicious sign, indicating that a crisis is being avoided and disaster is kept at bay. Life will be stable and smooth in the near future, without major upheavals or hidden dangers.
Q: What does dreaming of being caught in war represent?A: A reminder that you are currently in a state of crisis. You need to stay calm, promptly avoid risks, proactively resolve conflicts, and prevent your losses from growing.
Q: Is dreaming of 21. dreaming of war generally auspicious or inauspicious?A: It depends on the specific scene. Auspicious signs include: Staying clear of war, stopping the fighting, winning bravely, emerging unscathed. Signifies disaster avoided, influence gained, honor bestowed. Very auspicious. Inauspicious signs include: Being caught in turmoil, suffering defeat and casualties, becoming displaced, entangled in conflict. Signifies crisis, ruin, fortune's demise. Inauspicious. Neutral scenes are read as: Witnessing war, not participating directly, getting away quickly. Merely slight anxiety without major calamitous impact.
Q: Which 21. dreaming of war dream scenes should be read as inauspicious?A: Being caught in turmoil, suffering defeat and casualties, becoming displaced, entangled in conflict. Signifies crisis, ruin, fortune's demise. Inauspicious. These scenes should be read through the entry's stated judgment, not from the title alone.
Q: Which warfare scenes are favorable in this entry?A: Scenes where the situation opens, help appears, or the matter resolves are read on the favorable side. These scenes should be read together with the classical text and the scene-by-scene explanation.