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Dreams: A Study of the Dreams of Jung, Descartes, Socrates, and Other Historical Figures
These collected essays by the distinguished psychoanalyst Marie-Louise von Franz offer fascinating insights into the study of dreams, not only psychologically, but also from historical, religious, and philosophical points of view. In the first two chapters, the author offers general explanations of the nature of dreams and their use in analysis. She examines how dreams can be used in the development of self-knowledge and describes how C. G. Jung worked with his own dreams, and the fateful ways in which they were entwined with the course of his life.
The rest of the book records and interprets dreams of historical personages: Socrates, Descartes, Themistocles and Hannibal, and the mothers of Saint Augustine, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, and Saint Dominic. Connections are revealed between the personal and family histories of the dreamers and individual and collective mores of their times. Dreams includes writings long out of print or never before available in English translation.
The rest of the book records and interprets dreams of historical personages: Socrates, Descartes, Themistocles and Hannibal, and the mothers of Saint Augustine, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, and Saint Dominic. Connections are revealed between the personal and family histories of the dreamers and individual and collective mores of their times. Dreams includes writings long out of print or never before available in English translation.
214 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1985
About the author
Marie-Louise von Franz
106 books935 followersMarie-Louise von Franz was a Swiss Jungian psychologist and scholar.
Von Franz worked with Carl Jung, whom she met in 1933 and knew until his death in 1961. Jung believed in the unity of the psychological and material worlds, i.e., they are one and the same, just different manifestations. He also believed that this concept of the unus mundus could be investigated through research on the archetypes of the natural numbers. Due to his age, he turned the problem over to von Franz. Two of her books, Number and Time and Psyche and Matter, deal with this research.
Von Franz, in 1968, was the first to publish that the mathematical structure of DNA is analogous to that of the I Ching. She cites the reference to the publication in an expanded essay "Symbols of the Unus Mundus," published in her book Psyche and Matter. In addition to her many books, Von Franz recorded a series of films in 1987 titled The Way of the Dream with her student Fraser Boa.
Von Franz founded the C.G. Jung Institute in Zurich. In The Way of the Dream she claims to have interpreted over 65,000 dreams. Von Franz also wrote over 20 volumes on Analytical psychology, most notably on fairy tales as they relate to Archetypal or Depth Psychology, most specifically by amplification of the themes and characters. She also wrote on subjects such as alchemy, discussed from the Jungian, psychological perspective, and active imagination, which could be described as conscious dreaming. In Man and His Symbols, von Franz described active imagination as follows: "Active imagination is a certain way of meditating imaginatively, by which one may deliberately enter into contact with the unconscious and make a conscious connection with psychic phenomena."
Von Franz worked with Carl Jung, whom she met in 1933 and knew until his death in 1961. Jung believed in the unity of the psychological and material worlds, i.e., they are one and the same, just different manifestations. He also believed that this concept of the unus mundus could be investigated through research on the archetypes of the natural numbers. Due to his age, he turned the problem over to von Franz. Two of her books, Number and Time and Psyche and Matter, deal with this research.
Von Franz, in 1968, was the first to publish that the mathematical structure of DNA is analogous to that of the I Ching. She cites the reference to the publication in an expanded essay "Symbols of the Unus Mundus," published in her book Psyche and Matter. In addition to her many books, Von Franz recorded a series of films in 1987 titled The Way of the Dream with her student Fraser Boa.
Von Franz founded the C.G. Jung Institute in Zurich. In The Way of the Dream she claims to have interpreted over 65,000 dreams. Von Franz also wrote over 20 volumes on Analytical psychology, most notably on fairy tales as they relate to Archetypal or Depth Psychology, most specifically by amplification of the themes and characters. She also wrote on subjects such as alchemy, discussed from the Jungian, psychological perspective, and active imagination, which could be described as conscious dreaming. In Man and His Symbols, von Franz described active imagination as follows: "Active imagination is a certain way of meditating imaginatively, by which one may deliberately enter into contact with the unconscious and make a conscious connection with psychic phenomena."
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 15, 2026
Really good book! Gives good insight into dreams and life of various historical figures. Maybe a bit difficult to read if you don’t have too much knowledge of dream interpretation, but cool nonetheless
July 26, 2012
Marie Louise von Franz (1915-1998) was a distinguished analyst and author, psychologist; she possessed a doctorate in classical languages and was considered a scholar in Medieval Latin. In addition to her collaborative efforts with the infamous C.G. Jung, often referred to as “the study of alchemy,” she went on to found the C.G. Jung Institute in Zurich. She published widely on subjects such as dreams, fairy tales and synchronicity, and claimed to have analyzed over 65,000 dreams in her career. As my introduction to this fascinating person, Dreams was quite an enjoyable experience.
This book is an interesting mix of how dreams affect our development of self-knowledge and their potential use in talk therapy, blended with captivating recounts of historical figures and life altering dreams in their lives. If you are anything like me, you must marvel at the monumental feat of relaying a simple dream over all these centuries- plus, the magnitude of the dream that had such alluring qualities to enchant people throughout time! I’ve had some pretty amazing dreams in my life, but fifteen hundred years from now, I’ll bet no one will be writing about them! Yet I found myself entranced by the retelling of dream stories involving Socrates, Jung, Descartes and even a few mom’s of famous people as well, in spite of myself.
She begins by quoting an expression attributed to Pythagoras, Gnothi Sauton, Know Thyself. Well into my second decade of tracking and recording my own dreams, I thoroughly appreciated much of what she had to say on the topic, such as, “Through constantly taking dreams in to consideration something is produced which resembles a continuous dialogue of the conscious ego with the irrational background of the personality, a dialogue by means of which the ego is constantly revealed from the other side, as if there were a mirror, as it were, in which the dreamer can examine his own nature.”
I loved the way she brought up the concept and relation of the inner eye to dreams early on and how she shared the opinion that becoming well versed in the theories of projection and reflection can aid our analysis of dreams immensely.
In the very entertaining chapter, How C.G. Jung lived with his Dreams, I felt I was reading poetry in his descriptions: “In the end, the only events in my life worth telling are those when the imperishable world irrupted into this transitory one…they were the fiery magma out of which the stone that had to be worked was crystallized…and…he treated a dream like a crystal which one turns round and round in one’s hands in order to light up all its facets.”
Although I abhor the idea of some dream dictionary telling me what a train in my dream means, and in spite of the fact that, in all honesty, I skimmed through most of the interpretations of the keynote dreamers in this expose, several things caught my eye when reading each of the dreams themselves. For example, I was intrigued by the fact that Descartes actually had a premonition that he would have a meaningful dream, and then it occurred! He states that “the same spirit which inspired him with enthusiasm had already predicted the dream when he went to bed and that the human mind had no part in this dream.” He went on to witness the revealing of the fact that geometry, algebra and mathematics can and would indeed be fused into one scientific discipline, analytical geometry. His records of the three dreams that brought him to this conclusion were captivating, and certainly propelled his name into the history books as a most prominent mathematician, writer and philosopher.
An interesting tidbit I learned toward the end was the existence of, and the actual word to define “a science that dealt with the interpretation of thunder…brontologia.”
This book held some real gems for the serious dream student, or oneironaut, and I recommend it to those inquiring minds, as well as general students of the above mentioned historical figures, whole heartedly. Thank you, Marie-Louise, wherever you are!
This book is an interesting mix of how dreams affect our development of self-knowledge and their potential use in talk therapy, blended with captivating recounts of historical figures and life altering dreams in their lives. If you are anything like me, you must marvel at the monumental feat of relaying a simple dream over all these centuries- plus, the magnitude of the dream that had such alluring qualities to enchant people throughout time! I’ve had some pretty amazing dreams in my life, but fifteen hundred years from now, I’ll bet no one will be writing about them! Yet I found myself entranced by the retelling of dream stories involving Socrates, Jung, Descartes and even a few mom’s of famous people as well, in spite of myself.
She begins by quoting an expression attributed to Pythagoras, Gnothi Sauton, Know Thyself. Well into my second decade of tracking and recording my own dreams, I thoroughly appreciated much of what she had to say on the topic, such as, “Through constantly taking dreams in to consideration something is produced which resembles a continuous dialogue of the conscious ego with the irrational background of the personality, a dialogue by means of which the ego is constantly revealed from the other side, as if there were a mirror, as it were, in which the dreamer can examine his own nature.”
I loved the way she brought up the concept and relation of the inner eye to dreams early on and how she shared the opinion that becoming well versed in the theories of projection and reflection can aid our analysis of dreams immensely.
In the very entertaining chapter, How C.G. Jung lived with his Dreams, I felt I was reading poetry in his descriptions: “In the end, the only events in my life worth telling are those when the imperishable world irrupted into this transitory one…they were the fiery magma out of which the stone that had to be worked was crystallized…and…he treated a dream like a crystal which one turns round and round in one’s hands in order to light up all its facets.”
Although I abhor the idea of some dream dictionary telling me what a train in my dream means, and in spite of the fact that, in all honesty, I skimmed through most of the interpretations of the keynote dreamers in this expose, several things caught my eye when reading each of the dreams themselves. For example, I was intrigued by the fact that Descartes actually had a premonition that he would have a meaningful dream, and then it occurred! He states that “the same spirit which inspired him with enthusiasm had already predicted the dream when he went to bed and that the human mind had no part in this dream.” He went on to witness the revealing of the fact that geometry, algebra and mathematics can and would indeed be fused into one scientific discipline, analytical geometry. His records of the three dreams that brought him to this conclusion were captivating, and certainly propelled his name into the history books as a most prominent mathematician, writer and philosopher.
An interesting tidbit I learned toward the end was the existence of, and the actual word to define “a science that dealt with the interpretation of thunder…brontologia.”
This book held some real gems for the serious dream student, or oneironaut, and I recommend it to those inquiring minds, as well as general students of the above mentioned historical figures, whole heartedly. Thank you, Marie-Louise, wherever you are!
February 15, 2026
I liked a few of the shorter chapters, especially on Socrates, Themistocles, and the earlier introduction on the subject. I can appreciate seeing the Cartesian ratio-centric fallacy born, but I didn't like the chapter because of the over indulgence on melons and light, which I don't intend to dispute so much as the topic of his dreams I found less than appealing. I did appreciate the background of dogs in the chapter on St. Bernard and St. Dominic though. Would I recommend this book? I don't know, I have been doing my own dream work, which is what led me to getting this into the rotation on my philosophy/psychology front, but I would say that the essays that speak to you might make it worth it. If the historical figures aren't interesting to you, skip. It isn't a long book, so if you are curious, especially on the topic of dreams and psychology and have read von Franz before, 163 pages is an easy amount to work your way through, so give a go. I am only giving it 3 stars because I felt like it could have been shorter in some places, perhaps a few more short essay chapters, and a reduction on emphasizing the unconscious as God in the sense that my reading was that there is an infallibility within that material. I would caution here: human nature tells me that man is fallible and mortal, his artifice including any theory or interpretation must likewise bear those marks, and that our dreams should also be classed as imperfect mirrors of our own nature; otherwise, you will begin to worship that unconscious as though it were a god, and that seems highly problematic and foolish to me.
July 11, 2025
Just lately, I had three vivid dreams, one after another. It’s rare, and I don’t recall if that has ever happened to me before.
I had abandoned reading this book for some time, as it’s written too academically. But then I decided to finish it — and you know what?
Guess what I noticed straight away when I started reading…
“During the night Descartes had three consecutive dreams”
I don’t care whether that was synchronicity or just my reticular formation doing its work — it was mind-blowing.
Be aware (as I said above), the book is written very academically. It has a short intro on dream “theory”, but most of it is Marie-Louise von Franz deciphering the dreams of historical figures.
Yes, including Descartes 😁
5 stars just for metaphysical coincidence (smiling here like a mad person).
I had abandoned reading this book for some time, as it’s written too academically. But then I decided to finish it — and you know what?
Guess what I noticed straight away when I started reading…
“During the night Descartes had three consecutive dreams”
I don’t care whether that was synchronicity or just my reticular formation doing its work — it was mind-blowing.
Be aware (as I said above), the book is written very academically. It has a short intro on dream “theory”, but most of it is Marie-Louise von Franz deciphering the dreams of historical figures.
Yes, including Descartes 😁
5 stars just for metaphysical coincidence (smiling here like a mad person).
May 11, 2021
Peering into dreams of the ancients
It is amazing in itself that we have dreams from such historical figures as St. Augustine, Socrates and Descartes, and even more incredible that it is possible to analyze their dreams as Von Franz has done with expertise and elegance. Makes one wonder what it would have been like to meet such luminaries. The author digs into the subconscious of these ancients in a manner which makes the reader feel a connection to history. This is the second book by this author I’ve read and plan to go further into her work. She writes in an accessible manner so that if one has a basic understanding of psychology one can find difficult to grasp concepts within reach.
It is amazing in itself that we have dreams from such historical figures as St. Augustine, Socrates and Descartes, and even more incredible that it is possible to analyze their dreams as Von Franz has done with expertise and elegance. Makes one wonder what it would have been like to meet such luminaries. The author digs into the subconscious of these ancients in a manner which makes the reader feel a connection to history. This is the second book by this author I’ve read and plan to go further into her work. She writes in an accessible manner so that if one has a basic understanding of psychology one can find difficult to grasp concepts within reach.
January 19, 2025
The Hidden Source of Self-Knowledge
How C. G. Jung Lived with His Dreams
The Dream of Socrates
The Dreams of Themistocles and Hannibal
The Dream of Monica, Mother of Saint Augustine
The Dreams of the Mother of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux and the Mother of Saint Dominic
The Dream of Descartes
1. A dream represents an unconscious reaction to a conscious situation.
2. It describes a situation which has come about as the result of some conflict between consciousness and the unconscious.
3. It represents a tendency in the unconscious whose purpose is to effect a change in a conscious attitude.
4. It represents unconscious processes which have no recognizable relation to consciousness.
How C. G. Jung Lived with His Dreams
The Dream of Socrates
The Dreams of Themistocles and Hannibal
The Dream of Monica, Mother of Saint Augustine
The Dreams of the Mother of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux and the Mother of Saint Dominic
The Dream of Descartes
1. A dream represents an unconscious reaction to a conscious situation.
2. It describes a situation which has come about as the result of some conflict between consciousness and the unconscious.
3. It represents a tendency in the unconscious whose purpose is to effect a change in a conscious attitude.
4. It represents unconscious processes which have no recognizable relation to consciousness.
April 26, 2021
It's a good book l learned a few things . unfortunately when it starts talking about Descartes, I can't wait to finish reading it.
October 22, 2024
A collection of essays that offers a brilliant analysis of some of the dreams of famous historical figures, using Jung's theory. I especially liked the interpretation of Hannibal's dream.
June 25, 2026
Interessante mas demasiado académico. Leitura pouco fluida
June 9, 2017
Nice set of dreams. I don't agree with her analysis though for many of them.
June 10, 2013
Jungian matriarch Marie-Louise Von Franz examines a few dreams from history, dreamed by Jung, Socrates, Themistocles and others. It was the Themistocles chapter that got my son's interest. He said a sequel to the history twisting movie The 300 is being made featuring the historical figure Themistocles. This was news to me, but maybe a movie will up the readership of this book.
Here are a few quotes from the book, all too long for Twitter:
"The 'illuminating' element of a dream is like candle-light which fades as soon as one switches on the electric light of ego-consciousness. This is why, when examining a dream, one must close the eyes a bit, that is, one must not proceed to strictly on an intellectual level, but must allow intuition and feeling to express themselves and, not least, a little humor too, for the dream spirit of the unconscious sometimes likes to make a joke."
"For instance, if I am chased in a dream by a raging bull, this symbolizes an affect of my own, a wild rage in me, of which I am not conscious or not conscious enough."
"The snake, according to Jung, is the dark crowd-soul within. Hannibal was carried by a political, collective aim, therefore there was the danger of his being merely the instrument of a collective tendency."
"The mother-complex thread runs through the lives of many important men, giving them an inner-feminine attitude which leaves them open to the contents of the unconscious. Such a man is a vessel for new ideas; he can follow a spiritual movement. We see from this that the mother complex in itself is nothing abnormal-Dante was guided to paradise by Beatrice as a mother figure! It means rather an inner structure which can be lived in either a positive or negative way."
"When a mother suppresses her instinctual life, then the son will probably live it out to an excessive extent. But he can only do this if he manages to break away. More often, however, he will live the wishes of his mother not to come out at all into contact with the world. These two men (St. Bernard and St. Dominic) never tried to break out; they lived within their limitations, they took the sacrifice of their personal lives upon themselves-but they projected the dark onto their enemies."
"Today, however, the rationalism of science has become so rigidly established that it discards and even threatens to destroy feeling and with it our whole soul."
Here are a few quotes from the book, all too long for Twitter:
"The 'illuminating' element of a dream is like candle-light which fades as soon as one switches on the electric light of ego-consciousness. This is why, when examining a dream, one must close the eyes a bit, that is, one must not proceed to strictly on an intellectual level, but must allow intuition and feeling to express themselves and, not least, a little humor too, for the dream spirit of the unconscious sometimes likes to make a joke."
"For instance, if I am chased in a dream by a raging bull, this symbolizes an affect of my own, a wild rage in me, of which I am not conscious or not conscious enough."
"The snake, according to Jung, is the dark crowd-soul within. Hannibal was carried by a political, collective aim, therefore there was the danger of his being merely the instrument of a collective tendency."
"The mother-complex thread runs through the lives of many important men, giving them an inner-feminine attitude which leaves them open to the contents of the unconscious. Such a man is a vessel for new ideas; he can follow a spiritual movement. We see from this that the mother complex in itself is nothing abnormal-Dante was guided to paradise by Beatrice as a mother figure! It means rather an inner structure which can be lived in either a positive or negative way."
"When a mother suppresses her instinctual life, then the son will probably live it out to an excessive extent. But he can only do this if he manages to break away. More often, however, he will live the wishes of his mother not to come out at all into contact with the world. These two men (St. Bernard and St. Dominic) never tried to break out; they lived within their limitations, they took the sacrifice of their personal lives upon themselves-but they projected the dark onto their enemies."
"Today, however, the rationalism of science has become so rigidly established that it discards and even threatens to destroy feeling and with it our whole soul."
July 17, 2014
This book is dreck. The interpretations are over-the-top and ridiculous, especially the ones involving mothers dreaming about their sons. There are no references for many of the interpretations, for instance, dreaming of giving birth to dogs equals sodomy? The whole book seems more the ravings of a deranged person than someone who has studied any psychology. I am very disappointed, and I hope her other works aren't as far-fetched and ludicrous.
February 28, 2024
Marie Louise Von Franz is always excellent. In these, the essay on Socrates was by far the strongest, though the essay on Descartes was also fascinating. Worth reading for her thoughts on Socrates alone.
December 4, 2015
Chapters one through three, very good. Diminishing returns as you press on.
February 1, 2016
It is a fantastic book who wants to understand what is a dream. It shows a good view about how Jung tried to discover some dreams.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews