The Dream Book of Self-Knowledge

Condemned, condemning

  • condemning others: a very negative image of the dreamer's soul since in casting blame on others a person tries to show his alleged moral purity, though in fact he despises these traits*24 that he is usually subconsciously trying to eliminate; this interpretation is also fully supported by the biblical encounter between Jesus and the adulteress who was to be stoned; Jesus saved her with the words: "Let him who is without sin throw the first stone;" nobody threw a stone since nobody is without sin and he without sin would never accuse anyone since he would know the essence of acts of the people blinded by egotistical thinking – people who hate in others the very things that they subconsciously want to rid themselves of.
  • being condemned: the unconscious uses such images to teach the dreamer to patiently, without reservation or resistance, admit guilt and accept punishment, whatever it may be, even in cases in which the dreamer does not bear obvious guilt; once the dreamer accepts the punishment, intuitive understanding of the karmic relations of the dream condemnation and forgotten guilt appears just as the Law of Karma states*34.
  • repeated condemnations: appears if the condemned does not admit guilt; less pride and more humility is needed to understand the relations shown by the dream.
  • encountering the condemned: one should not be angry with the condemned even if his act directly affects the dreamer, and to detachedly view the situation.
  • a spiritual person would strive for compassion for those condemned as well as for those who brought the accusations and judgments; once compassion becomes part of conscious (in waking consciousness) and subconscious thinking (in dreams), a person recognizes the infinite power of karma*26 over human actions and recognizes in the behavior of other afflicted with guilty thoughts, and clothed in innocence he feels relief from the intrusive images of guilt and punishment.
  • also see Punishment.