The meaning of shoes in dreams is linked to different aspects that revolve around their function and the qualities that distinguish them.
Each of these points helps to clarify certain aspects when analyzing the symbol of shoes in dreams, but it is important to evaluate them knowing that they can coexist and that the emotions provoked by the memory of shoes in dreams, are equally decisive.
Shoes are the diaphragm that separates the foot from the ground, which protects it from the surface, from the roughness of the ground, from the weather, from the inconvenience; that allows you to move forward, to leave footprints on the earth taking symbolically possession of them, to reach a goal (going from here to there, standing up, protecting yourself from cold, heat, humidity).
The symbol of shoes in dreams includes all the aspects that concern the nature of walking and proceeding in the world and is linked to the archetype of the journey, the journey of life, the path of individuation.
Shoes Symbolism in Cultures
The shoes are worn by the foot and are in contact with the ground, support the human being, keep it straight, and allow it to walk. For this reason they represent “being down to earth”, that is concreteness, solidity, security, responsibility.
We find this symbolic aspect of realism and concreteness since antiquity: the shoe was important in the operations of purchase or exchange, it had the value of a contract concluded and owned.
To throw a shoe in a field meant to signal its possession, to give it to a buyer was to reaffirm the rights to an asset, to take off one’s shoes by entering another’s home was a form of respect due to the owners which meant giving up any claim or power over that space and on the objects included in it.
For the Indians of America, “walking in their moccasins” meant taking responsibility for their lives and their choices, being adults and independent.
Dreams about Shoes – Meaning
Shoes are an important complement to both feminine and masculine clothing, they are true objects of desire for the beauty and imagination of shapes, for the care and variety with which they are made, and have entered the erotic imagination as a fetish capable of arousing or satisfying sexual desire.
For this reason in women’s dreams they are linked to the elaboration of femininity, the need to make it emerge, to accept it, to give it space.
Dreaming of wanting shoes is very common in the dreams of women with a dominant inner masculine, in which enterprise, determination and strength crush the aspects of the feminine.
They are linked to sexuality and desire and are emphasized by Freud who sees in the capacious and concave form of shoes the image of the female genitals. In men’s dreams, where shoes have an Eros-related meaning, the shoe and gesture of slipping on them can symbolize sexual intercourse or the desire for it.
The outward appearance of shoes in dreams is very important for analysis: they can be beautiful or ugly, like or dislike, be comfortable or tight, arouse emotions of desire and well-being or give a sense of constriction.
They can present themselves as slippers, moccasins, boots, sneakers, being dirty, having holes, having too high heels etc.
Every form and every sensation experienced with shoes in dreams will be a source of information on the real situation of the dreamer and, as happens for clothes in dreams, on his personality, on the primary selves, the aspects he wants to show to others and that condition him as a social individual.
The dream of this young woman, housewife and mother of a small child, who says she is happy about her choices and her life, is significant and clear: I dreamed I wanted to buy a pair of shoes with stiletto heels, I remember them very well, they were beautiful, elegant, of black silk with a thin and arched heel.
I wanted to try them, but at the foot I had some old moccasins (I really have them even in reality) a little baggy I was ashamed of, but I couldn’t get them off.
Shoes in dreams, in this case are shapeless and comfortable loafers that seem to represent the aspects of habit, realism, acceptance of one’s role, while the shoes in spiked-heeled dreams that the dreamer cannot prove can indicate the need for escape, for Eros, of a more rewarding social life.
These are two opposing aspects of the personality: on the one hand the physical vitality of youth and the expression of libido, on the other the conscious choices: motherhood, couple, loyalty, marriage, habits.
However, the dream indicates the need to resolve the dilemma, preserve what one believes and has chosen, but confront the need that emerges very clearly to still feel beautiful, elegant, desired and bring into one’s own reality the same feeling experienced with shoes in stiletto heels …
From the example given, we understand that shoes in such different dreams are a symbol of different realities and needs.
Dreams about Shoes – Symbolism
In dreams, shoes, as often happens in reality, reflect our personality, both when we dream of women’s shoes and when we dream of men’s shoes. What does it mean to dream shoes? Sensuality, distrust, ways of being, inner energy, physical and psychic.
The list of symbols is long so let’s go immediately to consult the various cases that the book of dreams and the dreamers propose to us.
Dreaming of punctured shoes – they symbolize, based on different cases, a sense of personal dissatisfaction, loss of energy, personality, or loss of control over everyday life.
Dreaming of new shoes means that you are ready for a new life or new experiences and that you have acquired new energy. To dream of shoes on the contrary means that something in your life is lived backwards, that is, unlike how it should be lived. You are probably in a moment of confusion and at this moment you may experience a moment of distrust or loss of psychic and physical energy.
Dreaming of open shoes – could prove that you always have an open personality if this symbol in the dream does not embarrass you, in that case it could mean that you feel naked and don’t accept it.
Dreaming of wet shoes – could mean that there is something that bothers you; it may be useful to consult the following symbol “dream of water”.
Shoes in dreams with high heels – are related to the expression of femininity and to Eros.
Dreaming moccasins, dreaming flat shoes, dreaming of sneakers – is connected to the need to be comfortable, to the need to be prudent, responsible, to be realistic, to remain in one’s role, to show reassuring aspects
Dreaming about boots – often expresses a need / desire to protect oneself against life events, not to show one’s own vulnerability or to impact more strongly in situations.
Dreaming of losing a shoe and feeling the anxiety of finding it again – can recall the loss of a relationship or a sentimental break
Dreaming of walking without shoes – can be linked to the lack of ability or means necessary to face a situation (easy references to social life and problems in this area), or to the inability to defend oneself in the midst of others, the inability to leave a trace, an influence, a memory in others, the lack of authority.
Dreaming of having broken shoes – can be linked to the lack of financial means, lack of material and non-material security, lack of self-esteem or feeling victimized.
The meaning of shoes in too narrow – dreams can be sought in relationships: perhaps you are experiencing a suffocating couple relationship, but also in the situations that you are forced to face and that “are narrow”.
Dreaming of finding yourself in front of so many shoes – not knowing which to choose is rather common, can indicate indecision in a sentimental context or with respect to other choices that the dreamer must make or not knowing how to behave in certain situations.
It is equally common to dream of trying on different shoes – not finding the right number that fits the foot, a dreamlike image that suggests anxiety, pain or dissatisfaction with something that is perhaps missing: more rewarding relationships, love, a different job, etc.
Conclusion
Shoes in dreams, with all the variables of situations and forms with which they present themselves, appear as a strong call to responsibility towards one’s own journey in the world, as an image of chosen or imposed roles, of the choices made, of controlled or disowned impulses and, as with so many dreamlike symbols, they can more clearly reflect the needs of the dreamer.
The dream indicates the need to resolve the dilemma, preserve what one believes and has chosen, but confront the need that emerges very clearly to still feel beautiful, elegant, desired and bring into one’s own reality the same feeling experienced with shoes in stiletto heels …
From the example given, we understand that shoes in such different dreams are a symbol of different realities and needs.