Dead Person Wearing Black In A Dream? Top 23 Best Answers

Why do I keep seeing the deceased?

After someone dies it is normal to see, hear or feel them. This is often because your mind has temporarily “forgotten” they died, or because your brain is trying to make sense of the finality of their death.

If their death was particularly traumatic, you are more likely to see or hear from the person, or to relive those memories. These recurring memories are called “flashbacks”. Learn more about traumatic grief.

Is it okay to talk to a dead person?

Talking to the deceased is also part of the grieving process. Like when you see or sense them, you may be talking to them because your brain has temporarily forgotten that they died. Or maybe you talk to them because you miss them and find it comforting to talk to them out loud. Nothing wrong with that. In many cases, it can even help you maintain the bond you had while you were alive.

support yourself

Be patient

These experiences are completely normal. Although people often tell us that they feel like they are “going crazy,” this is not a sign of mental illness. It may take some time to understand what happened, but give yourself time.

Write them a letter

If you still have a lot to say to the deceased, try to write him a letter. Writing letters helps you organize your thoughts and put into words how you have been feeling since your death.

be nice to yourself

The time after the death of a person is very stressful. Try to make sure you get plenty of rest and make time for things that relax you.

Learn more about grief

Grief can be overwhelming. Learning more about what grief feels like can help you come to terms with what you are going through. We have a number of resources to help you better understand grief.

talk to someone

When you see, hear, or sense someone who has died, you may feel reluctant to talk about it with someone. But talking about your experiences can help you better understand your feelings. At Cruse, we can support you with whatever you are going through. Find out how.

What does it mean when you dream that someone died?

Have you ever had a dream that someone died? There is practically nothing more disturbing than dreaming about someone who has died, be it your own or that of a loved one. Dreams of death may seem like a bad omen, but there is nothing to worry about. In fact, they could signal a positive change or shift in your life. Common Dream Meanings You Should Never Ignore.

What does it mean to dream about a person’s death?

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1. Dreaming of your own death

To dream that you are dying could indicate that you are going through a big change in your life. It could be a metaphorical goodbye to a relationship, job, or home. It could mean a dying part of you or something you’d rather get away from.

It is also possible that you have neglected your own needs in favor of everyone else’s. A part of you feels ignored and screams for attention.

2. Dreaming about a friend dying

To dream of a friend’s death could indicate that you are worried about them. It could also indicate that your friendship is changing or that you would like to break away from this person.

Keep in mind that the dream interpretation may have nothing to do with that particular person. Instead, it could be related to what that person means to you.

3. Dreaming about your parents having died

It is common for people to dream that their family members have died. The first and foremost meaning of this is that you are afraid of losing her. The dream reflecting your subconscious indicates the important place they hold in your life and mind.

4. Dreaming about someone who has died

If in your dream you see your friend or relative who is already dead, it could indicate that you miss that person. Maybe you are stuck in your past and the memory of the missing. But life goes on and you must move forward.

It is also possible that you seek help or guidance from these people when in fact you are suffering from problems. You hope for power from the person who helped you in the past.

5. Dreaming about a corpse

While most death dreams are about the finality of a life change, the details of your dreams can reveal how you are dealing with the transition. If you come across a corpse in your dream, it could mean that you are having trouble letting go. It could also be anything that needs to be buried but has not yet been buried because it has been uncovered, or something that has been revived.

What can we learn from the dream about someone who has died?

1. You must take action to cope with life changes.

To dream of death usually means a change or rebirth in life. Perhaps there is a new opportunity in your career or the opportunity to start a new relationship and you need to seize the opportunity immediately.

2. You must overcome the fear of losing someone or something.

Fear of loss seems to be an important interpretation of dreams about dying. If you value someone or some qualities in some people, you may be afraid of losing them. Therefore, your subconscious can reflect such fear in your dreams. To conquer this fear, you could try to make your relationship with others more stable in reality.

3. You need to manage your stress or anxiety.

Dreaming about someone dying can also represent the fear or stress you are facing. Maybe the person who is dead in your dream is someone who is putting too much pressure on you and who you want to get away from. In this case, it’s time to face the fear and get rid of it.

So these are the explanations for having a dream in which someone has died. There is nothing to worry about when having death dreams. Instead of being scared, this is an excellent moment to think about the changes you might be experiencing in your life.

If nightmares occur frequently or are particularly disturbing, they can have a negative impact on sleep.

If you want to sleep, relax, concentrate, study and work, try online background noise. We provide online rain sounds, forest sounds, peaceful sea sounds, thunderstorm sounds to fall asleep to, fire sounds, relaxing garden ambiance, train sounds, cafe ambiance and office sound effects.

If you have trouble sleeping, try ShutEye, a great sleep app. It offers a variety of tools to help you fall asleep and stay asleep. It also creates a comfortable sleeping space with relaxing sounds and ambient sounds. So stop tossing and turning all night and start falling asleep healthy and naturally.

We also offer an online sleep cycle calculator to help you find the best time to sleep and wake up. Wake up to a whole night of restful sleep!

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What does it mean when you dream of a wedding?

The meaning of colors is often imbued with great symbolic power. Even in the modern English-speaking world, where superstitious beliefs have largely faded in the light of scientific knowledge, many colors have retained their ancient associations.

Most people know that brides often wear white, that “seeing red” means being angry, and that one can be “green with envy”. But to learn why these connotations exist, one must look back at the beliefs and practices of the ancients.

Red

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Red has a number of symbolic meanings in many different cultures, including life, health, strength, war, courage, anger, love and religious fervor. The common denominator is that all of this requires passion.

In moments of anger, lust, or embarrassment, bright red, oxygenated blood rushes to the skin’s surface in response to your sympathetic nervous system’s “fight or flight” response. There are many theories as to why human and non-human species evolved this physiological trait, but many focus their conclusions on asserting dominance or appearing more attractive to a potential mate, according to the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B (opened in new tab).

In terms of dominance, the color red even has implications in the world of sports. A study published in Nat (opens in new tab)u (opens in new tab)re (opens in new tab) magazine found that several football teams achieved better match results when they wore mostly red jerseys than when they played other colors , such as white and blue.

Colors were so powerful in traditional cultures that red objects were believed to convey health through their color alone. For example, most red stones, such as garnets and rubies, have been said to have health-promoting and disease-preventing properties. In Rome, children wore red coral as a talisman to protect themselves from disease, and in China, children always wore a red garment for similar reasons.

White

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Throughout history, white has been synonymous with purity and virtue, which lends itself to many religious ceremonies. Wearing white to a wedding, for example, dates back more than 2,000 years to when Roman brides wore white tunics to signal a woman’s virginity, according to Ohio State University (opens in new tab).

But it wasn’t until Queen Victoria walked down the aisle in a white lace dress to marry Prince Albert in 1840 that wearing a white wedding dress became popular. In many Asian cultures, particularly China, white is not traditionally used for wedding dresses — red or gold are perhaps more commonly seen wedding colors — but it is worn in place of black at funerals and is a symbol of mourning, according to Yerevan State University (opens in new tab).

Although white is often referred to as “color,” according to Encyclopedia Britannica (opens in new tab), white is actually the combination of all color wavelengths reflected by an object.

Black

(Image credit: Getty Images)

According to the Journal of International Color Association (opens in new tab), the color – or rather the sense of color – black is often associated with negative associations such as death, fear or sadness.

Many ancient cultures believed that black was “the color of mystery and the mysterious ways and wisdom of God,” wrote historian Ellen Conroy in her book The Symbolism of Colors (1921). This was because the night, the absence of light, transcended human perception in the same way that the wisdom of God was deemed incomprehensible.

Of all mysteries, death was perhaps the greatest. The ancients were completely “in the dark” about what would happen to them after death, and so in many cultures it was (and still is) represented by the color black. There was the added coincidence that death bears similarities to sleep, which occurs in the dark of night and when closed eyelids block all light. Throughout history, the color black has also been associated with terrifying and mysterious things like black magic, black holes, the black plague and so on.

Of course, black isn’t always synonymous with death and despair, especially in the fashion world. A study published in the journal Color Research and Application (opens in new tab) found black to be the overall favorite color among female study participants.

violet

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Purple symbolizes royalty, nobility and imperialism. In many European societies, the symbolism was even enshrined in law: from ancient Rome to Elizabethan England, according to Harvard Law School (opens in new tab), “costume laws” prohibited anyone but close members of the royal family from wearing the color.

Purple’s elite status comes from the rarity and cost of the dye originally used to create it. Cloth merchants obtained “Tyrian Purple,” as the dye was called, from a tiny mollusk that, according to Molecules magazine (opens in new tab). More than 9,000 molluscs were needed to produce just one gram of Tyrian purple, and since only wealthy rulers could afford to buy and wear fabric dyed with the color, it became associated with the imperial classes of Rome, Egypt, and Persia brought.

Another implication of this is that purple also became a symbol of spirituality and holiness, as the ancient emperors, kings and queens who wore the color were often seen as gods or descendants of the gods.

Blue

(Image credit: Getty Images)

According to Conroy, for most of recorded history, the primary association of the color blue with truth has been a meaning that leaves a residue in the phrase “true blue” in our language. This was because blue is the color of a calm and clear sky, and it’s a calm reflection that leads to truth.

Today, however, blue primarily conveys sadness and despair. When you got the blues, you’re down. The connotation can refer to tears and rain, as water was usually represented as blue in people’s minds.

However, research has shown that the color blue has many positive effects on humans. For example, a study of street crime in Glasgow, Scotland, and Nara, Japan found that crime rates decreased in areas where blue streetlights were installed, according to Psychology Today (opens in new tab).

Green

(Image credit: Getty Images)

For obvious reasons, the color green represents nature and the environment; More abstractly, it symbolizes wisdom. The latter association has ancient roots.

According to Conroy, the Egyptians believed that a god named Thoth guided the souls of the dead to “a verdant hill of everlasting life and wisdom.” Later, the Romans based their god Mercury on Thoth, and the planet Mercury was in turn based on the god. For this reason, in astrology, “Green is sometimes referred to as the color of the planet Mercury, which is the planet that governs the spirit and imparts knowledge, knowledge not only of the kind essential to material success, but also inspirational knowledge and heavenly wisdom,” Conroy wrote.

Aside from its association with wisdom, green also has a downside. “Green in its derogatory meaning gives us ‘the green-eyed monster jealousy’ which is the direct opposite of Heavenly Wisdom, for jealousy is always due to the intrusion of the desires of the self, while Heavenly Wisdom desires to give rather than receive,” wrote Conroy.

The color green is also firmly associated with the environment – especially when used to illustrate products or campaigns that support the health of the planet. According to the BBC, the word “green” comes from the Proto-Indo-European word “ghre” (ancient peoples living around the 4th millennium BC), meaning “to grow”. It’s fair to assume that green’s connection to nature lies in its abundance. Most plants naturally produce green-colored pigments called chlorophyll, which are the sites for the conversion of atmospheric carbon dioxide into breathable oxygen, known as photosynthesis.

Yellow

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Not surprisingly, yellow symbolizes happiness, warmth, and sunshine in most cultures; these are properties of the yellow sun and its effects.

In ancient cultures where a god or gods were associated with the sun, such as Egypt and China, yellow was the supreme and noblest color and therefore the color of religious figures and kings (who were believed to be descendants of the gods were).

Conroy explains that all colors have a downside, a demeaning meaning traditionally opposed to positive. In addition to warmth and cheerfulness, yellow also represents cowardice and deceit. “We often recognize the insidious Judas in old pictures by his dingy yellow robes,” she wrote.

orange

Astronauts in their orange spacesuits before launch of the Space Shuttle Atlanis on mission STS-125, in front of a model of the shuttle. (Image credit: NASA)

Similar to red, orange has a number of symbolic meanings and connotations—for example—in many Western cultures, orange is often used for fun, strength, courage, and creativity, according to the Huffington Post (opens in new tab).

However, in recent history, orange has become a warning and is used for high-visibility clothing (e.g. space suits) and safety equipment (e.g. traffic cones). This association is handy: orange contrasts the most with the color blue, so it is easily visible on a clear sky.

Additional Resources

For more information on how color has influenced the world throughout history, see The Colors of History: How Colors Shaped the World (opens in new tab) by Clive Glifford and Color: A Natural History of the Palette ( opens in new tab)” by Victoria Finlay.

bibliography

Andrew Elliot, “Color and psychological function: a review of theoretical and empirical work”, Frontiers in Psychology, Volume 6, April 2015, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00368 (opens in new tab)

Naira Gasparyan, Color Symbolism and its Cognitive (opens in new tab)cultural message, Yerevan State University, 2019.

Nina Jablonski and George Chaplin, The colors of human: the evolution of pigmentation in the human lineage, Philosophical Transcriptions of the Royal Society B, Vol. 372, May 2017, https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2016.0349 ( opens in new tab)

Whether it’s to protect oneself from certain emotions, create distance from people, or convey a desire for respect, the desire to wear all black is usually an unconscious message to oneself and others.

Colors stimulate our brain in different ways. The way we respond to certain colors can say a lot about who we are and what we identify with. Those who often go “all black,” meaning wearing all black, are subconsciously trying to protect themselves from feelings they feel they can’t control.

It’s not uncommon for them to become overstimulated easily and find it difficult to overcome their anxiety and focus on their daily tasks. The choice of solid colors creates a sense of security and “togetherness”.

It is also interesting that these people often do not care if others around them are dressed in colorful clothes. Because it’s not always the colors themselves that worry them, but they themselves feel uncomfortable when they wear other colors. In a way, it’s their identity that they worry about the most.

As we have learned, different cultures attach importance to different colors.

In many parts of the world, black is traditionally the color of death, mourning, and funeral fashion, but not universally the universal color of mourning.

Black

Dressing in dark colors for mourning has been strongly associated with death and loss in the West for centuries, and is a practice believed to date back to Roman times.

In the early 1900s, jet black jewelry made from polished stone was particularly popular in the form of mourning brooches and mourning rings. It was also not uncommon for the bereaved to incorporate the intricately knotted or woven hair of the deceased into mourning jewelry to commemorate a loved one.

Today, the color black is worn by widows, and in countries like Russia, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, and Spain, widows wear black for the rest of their lives. Families can even wear black for a few weeks after a death.

White

In East Asia, many people wear white mourning clothes, symbolizing purity and rebirth.

In Cambodia, the official religion is Buddhism, a belief that believes that when someone dies, they are reborn in a cycle of life. The family of a deceased wear white mourning clothes in the hope that their loved ones will be reborn.

The idea of ​​white mourning, also known as deuil blanc in French, originated in the 16th century when bereaved children and unmarried women wore white. This became a custom for the reigning queens of France.

Red

Red has different meanings depending on the culture. In China, red symbolizes good luck and is a color strictly forbidden at funerals. In South Africa, red was adopted as the color of mourning and represents bloodshed during the apartheid era.

violet

During Easter week, Catholics in Guatemala celebrate by reenacting the days leading up to Christ’s resurrection. During the Procession of the Holy Cross on Good Friday, men and boys dress in crimson robes and hoods as a sign of mourning and as a symbol of the pain and suffering of Christ’s crucifixion.

Many devout Catholics in Brazil wear purple alongside black when mourning the loss of a loved one. In fact, it can be considered disrespectful and unlucky to wear purple unless you are attending a funeral, as the color has sacred, devotional meaning.

In Thailand, lilac defines mourning and is reserved for widows, who wear it when mourning the death of their spouse. However, other mourners must wear black.

gold

In ancient Egypt, gold was associated with eternal life and the almighty god Ra, whose flesh was said to be fashioned from the precious metal. Immortal and indestructible gold was the color of royal mourning.

Gray

In Papua New Guinea, widows apply a grey, stone-colored clay to their skin after the death of their husbands.

While religion and tradition are still an important part of many funerals, there has been a move toward personalized funerals that are a celebration of life.

It may be the deceased person’s wish for mourners to wear bright colors, or the family may ask you to wear a specific color or ribbon in support of a charity. Usually, the family or funeral home communicates these wishes before the funeral or memorial service.

Darkest color due to absence or absorption of light

This article is about color. For other uses, see Black (disambiguation)

Black is a color created by the absence or total absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color with no hue, like white and gray.[1] It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white were often used to describe opposites such as good and evil, the Dark Ages versus the Age of Enlightenment, and night versus day. Black has been the symbolic color of solemnity and authority since the Middle Ages and is therefore still often worn by judges and magistrates today.

Black was one of the first colors used by artists in Neolithic cave paintings.[3] It was used as the color of the underworld in ancient Egypt and Greece.[4] In the Roman Empire it became the color of mourning and over the centuries it has been commonly associated with death, evil, witches and magic. By the 14th century it was worn by kings, clergymen, judges and government officials across much of Europe. It became the color worn by English romantic poets, businessmen and statesmen in the 19th century and a high fashion color in the 20th century. According to surveys in Europe and North America, it is the color most commonly associated with mourning, the ending, mystery, magic, power, violence, fear, evil, and elegance.[6]

Black is the most commonly used ink color for printing books, newspapers and documents because it offers the highest contrast to white paper and is therefore the easiest to read. Similarly, black text on a white screen is the most common format used on computer screens.[7] As of September 2019, the darkest material is being made by MIT engineers from vertically aligned carbon nanotubes.[8]

Etymology[ edit ]

The word black comes from Old English blæc (“black, dark”, also “ink”), from Proto-Germanic *blakkaz (“burned”), from Proto-Indo-European *bhleg- (“to burn, gleam, luster, flash”), from base * bhel- (“to shine”), cognate with Old Saxon blak (“ink”), Old High German blach (“black”), Old Norse blakkr (“dark”), Dutch blaken (“to burn”), and Swedish bläck (“ink”). More distant relatives are Latin flagrare (“flame, glow, burn”) and Ancient Greek phlegein (“burn, scorch”). The ancient Greeks sometimes used the same word to name different colors if they were of the same intensity. Kuanos could mean either dark blue or black.[9] The ancient Romans had two words for black: ater was a dull, matte black, while niger was a luminous, saturated black. Ater has disappeared from the vocabulary, but Niger was the source of the country name Nigeria[10], the English word Negro, and the word for “black” in most modern Romance languages ​​(French: noir; Spanish and Portuguese: negro; Italian: nero ; Romanian: negru).

There were also two words for black in Old High German: swartz for matt black and blach for bright black. These are parallelized in Middle English by the terms swart for matt black and blaek for bright black. Swart still survives as the word swarthy, while blaek became modern English black. The former is related to the words used for black in most modern Germanic languages ​​alongside English (German: schwarz, Dutch: Zwart, Swedish: svart, Danish: sort, Icelandic: svartr).[11] In heraldry, the word used for the black color is sable,[12] named for the black fur of the sable, an animal.

art [edit]

Prehistoric[ edit ]

Black was one of the first colors used in art. The Lascaux Cave in France contains drawings of bulls and other animals drawn by Paleolithic artists between 18,000 and 17,000 years ago. They began using charcoal and later achieved darker pigments by burning bones or grinding a powder of manganese oxide.[9]

antiquity [edit]

For the ancient Egyptians, black had positive associations; the color of fertility and the rich black earth flooded by the Nile. It was the color of Anubis, god of the underworld, who took the form of a black jackal and offered protection to the dead from evil. For the ancient Greeks, black represented the underworld, separated from the living by the river Acheron, whose waters ran black. Those who committed the worst sins were sent to Tartarus, the deepest and darkest plane. In the center was the palace of Hades, king of the underworld, where he sat on a black ebony throne. Black was one of the most important colors used by ancient Greek artists. In the 6th century B.C. They began making black-figure pottery, and later red-figure pottery, using a highly original technique. In the case of black-figure pottery, the artist painted figures with a glossy clay slip on a red clay pot. When the pot was fired, the figures painted with the slip turned black on a red background. Later they reversed the process and painted the spaces between the figures with glue. This created rich red figures against a glossy black background.[13]

In the social hierarchy of ancient Rome, purple was the color reserved for the emperor; Red was the color worn by soldiers (red coats for the officers, red tunics for the soldiers); White was the color worn by the priests and black was worn by craftsmen and artisans. The black they wore was not deep and rich; The vegetable dyes used to create black were not fixed or permanent, so the blacks often faded to gray or brown.

In Latin, the word for black, ater, and to darken, atere, was associated with cruelty, brutality, and evil. They were the root of the English words “atrocious” and “atrocity”.[15] Black was also the Roman color of death and mourning. In the 2nd century B.C. Roman magistrates began wearing a dark toga, called a toga pulla, at funeral ceremonies. Later, under the Empire, the family of the deceased also wore dark colors for a long time; then, after a banquet at the end of the mourning, exchanged the black toga for a white one. In Roman poetry, death was called the Hora Nigra, the black hour.[9]

The German and Scandinavian peoples worshiped their own goddess of the night, Nótt, who crossed the sky in a chariot drawn by a black horse. They also feared Hel, the goddess of the dead, whose skin was black on one side and red on the other. They also held the raven sacred. They believed that Odin, the king of the Norse pantheon, had two black ravens, Huginn and Muninn, who served as his agents, traveling the world, watching and listening for him.[16]

Postclassic[ edit ]

In the early Middle Ages, black was commonly associated with darkness and evil. In medieval paintings, the devil was usually depicted in human form, but with wings and black skin or hair.[17]

12th and 13th centuries [ edit ]

In fashion, black did not have the prestige of red, the color of nobility. It was worn by Benedictine monks as a sign of humility and penance. In the 12th century, a famous theological dispute broke out between the Cistercian monks, who wore white, and the Benedictines, who wore black. A Benedictine abbot, Pierre the Venerable, accused the Cistercians of excessive pride in wearing white instead of black. St. Bernard of Clairvaux, the founder of the Cistercians, replied that black was the color of the devil, hell, “death and sin”, while white represented “purity, innocence and all virtues”.[18]

Black symbolized both power and secrecy in the medieval world. The symbol of the Holy Roman Empire of Germany was a black eagle. The black knight in medieval poetry was an enigmatic figure who hid her identity, which was usually shrouded in secrecy.[19]

Invented in China, black ink was traditionally used for writing in the Middle Ages for the simple reason that black was the darkest color and therefore offered the greatest contrast to white paper or parchment and was therefore the easiest to read. It became even more important in the 15th century with the invention of the printing press. A new type of ink, printer’s ink, was created from soot, turpentine and walnut oil. The new ink made it possible to spread ideas to a mass audience through printed books and to popularize art through black-and-white engravings and prints. Because of its contrast and clarity, black ink on white paper continued to be the standard for printing books, newspapers, and documents; and for the same reason, black text on a white background is the most common format used on computer screens.[7]

Italian painter Duccio di Buoninsegna depicted Christ driving out the devil, covered with bristly black hair (1308–11).

The 15th-century painting of the Last Judgment by Fra Angelico (1395–1455) showed Hell with a living black devil devouring sinners.

Portrait of a Benedictine monk (1484)

The Black Knight in a miniature painting of a medieval romance, Le Livre du cœur d’amour épris (c. 1460)

Gutenberg Bible (1451–1452). Black ink was used to print books because it offered the greatest contrast to the white paper and was the clearest and easiest color to read.

14th and 15th centuries [ edit ]

In the early Middle Ages, princes, nobles, and the rich usually wore bright colors, particularly scarlet cloaks from Italy. Black was rarely part of a noble family’s wardrobe. The only exception was the fur of the sable. This shiny black fur, from an animal from the marten family, was the finest and most expensive fur in Europe. It was imported from Russia and Poland and used to decorate the robes and robes of kings.

In the 14th century the status of black began to change. First, high-quality black dyes came onto the market, enabling garments to be a deep, rich black. Judges and government officials began wearing black robes as a sign of the importance and seriousness of their positions. A third reason was the passage of costliness laws in some parts of Europe, which prohibited the wearing of expensive clothing and certain colors by all but members of the nobility. The famous bright scarlet cloaks from Venice and the peacock blue fabrics from Florence were reserved for the nobility. The wealthy bankers and merchants of northern Italy responded by switching to black robes and dresses made from the most expensive fabrics.[20]

The move to the stricter but more elegant black was quickly embraced by royalty and nobility. It started in northern Italy, where the Duke of Milan and the Count of Savoy and the rulers of Mantua, Ferrara, Rimini and Urbino began to dress in black. It then spread to France, led by Louis I, Duke of Orleans, younger brother of King Charles VI. from France. It moved to England at the end of the reign of King Richard II (1377–1399), where the entire court began to wear black. In 1419–20, black became the color of the powerful Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Good. It moved to Spain where it became the color of the Spanish Habsburgs, Charles V and his son Philip II of Spain (1527–1598). European rulers saw it as the color of power, dignity, humility and moderation. By the end of the 16th century it was the color worn by almost all of Europe’s monarchs and their courts.[21]

modern [edit]

16th and 17th centuries [ edit ]

While black was the color of the Catholic rulers of Europe, it was also the emblematic color of the Protestant Reformation in Europe and the Puritans of England and America. John Calvin, Philip Melanchthon, and other Protestant theologians denounced the richly colored and decorated interiors of Roman Catholic churches. They saw the color red, worn by the pope and his cardinals, as the color of luxury, sin and human folly.[22] In some northern European cities, mobs attacked churches and cathedrals, smashing stained glass windows and defacing statues and decorations. In Protestant doctrine, dress should be sober, simple, and discreet. Light colors were banned and replaced by black, brown and grey; Women and children were recommended to wear white.[23]

In the Protestant Netherlands, Rembrandt used this sober new palette of blacks and browns to create portraits with faces emerging from the shadows, expressing the deepest human emotions. The Catholic painters of the Counter-Reformation, like Rubens, went in the opposite direction; They filled their paintings with bright and rich colors. The new Baroque churches of the Counter-Reformation were usually gleaming white inside and filled with statues, frescoes, marble, gold and brightly colored paintings to appeal to the public. But European Catholics of all classes, like Protestants, eventually adopted a sober wardrobe that was primarily black, brown, and gray.[24]

Swiss theologian John Calvin condemned the bright colors worn by Roman Catholic priests and the colorful decoration of churches.

Exalt Mather, an American Puritan minister (1688).

American Pilgrims in New England Going to Church (Painting by George Henry Boughton, 1867)

Rembrandt, Self-Portrait (1659)

Black lacquered suit of German armor made circa 1600. As with many outfits, black is used in the piece to contrast with lighter colours.[25]

In the second half of the 17th century, Europe and America experienced an epidemic of fear of witchcraft. People widely believed that the devil appeared at midnight in a ceremony called the Black Mass or Black Sabbath, usually in the form of a black animal, often a goat, dog, wolf, bear, deer, or rooster, accompanied by theirs familiar spirits, black cats, snakes and other black creatures. This was the origin of the popular superstition about black cats and other black animals. In medieval Flanders, black cats were thrown out of the belfry of the Cloth Hall of Ypres to ward off witchcraft in a ceremony called Kattenstoet.[26]

Witch trials were common in both Europe and America during this period. During the infamous Salem witch trials in New England in 1692–93, one of the accused was accused of being able to transform himself into a “blue-capped black thing” and others of having familiars in the form of a black dog, a black cat, and a black bird.[27] Nineteen men and women were hanged as witches.[28]

An English witch-hunt manual (1647), showing a witch with her familiar spirits

Black cats have been accused for centuries of being witches’ house spirits or bringing bad luck.

18th and 19th centuries [ edit ]

In the 18th century, during the European Age of Enlightenment, black declined as a fashion color. Paris became the fashion capital and pastels, blue, green, yellow and white became the colors of the nobility and upper class. But after the French Revolution, black became the dominant color again.

Black was the color of the industrial revolution, powered primarily by coal and later oil. Thanks to coal smoke, the buildings of the big cities of Europe and America gradually turned black. By 1846 the industrial area of ​​the West Midlands of England was “commonly referred to as the ‘Black Country'”.[29] Charles Dickens and other writers described the dark streets and smoky skies of London, and they were vividly illustrated in French engravings by the artist Gustave Doré.

A different kind of black was an important part of the Romantic movement in literature. Black was the color of melancholy, the dominant theme of romance. The novels of this period were full of castles, ruins, dungeons, storms and meetings at midnight. The leading poets of the movement were usually depicted dressed in black, usually with an open-necked white shirt and a shawl slung carelessly over one shoulder. Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron helped create the enduring stereotype of the romantic poet.

The invention of inexpensive synthetic black dyes and the industrialization of the textile industry meant that quality black clothing became available to the general public for the first time. In the 19th century, black gradually became the most popular color of business attire for upper and middle classes in England, the Continent and America.

Black dominated literature and fashion in the 19th century and played a large role in painting. James McNeill Whistler made color the subject of his most famous painting, Arrangement in gray and black number one (1871), better known as Whistler’s Mother.[30]

Some 19th-century French painters had a low opinion of black: ‘Reject black,’ said Paul Gauguin, ‘and that mixture of black and white they call grey. Nothing is black, nothing is grey.”[31] But Édouard Manet used blacks for their strength and dramatic effect. Manet’s portrait of the painter Berthe Morisot was a study in black that perfectly captured her spirit of independence. The black gave strength and immediacy to the painting; he even changed her green eyes to black to enhance the effect.[32] Henri Matisse quoted the French impressionist Pissarro as saying: “Manet is stronger than all of us – he made light with black.”[33]

Pierre-Auguste Renoir primarily used bright black in his portraits. When someone told him black wasn’t a color, Renoir replied, “What makes you think that? Black is the queen of colors. I’ve always detested Prussian Blue. I’ve tried replacing black with a mix of red and blue, I’ve tried using cobalt blue or ultramarine, but I’ve always come back to ivory black.”[34]

Vincent van Gogh used black lines to outline many of the objects in his paintings, such as the bed in the famous painting of his bedroom. set them apart. His painting of black crows over a cornfield, painted shortly before his death, was particularly stirring and haunting. In the late 19th century, black also became the color of anarchism. (See Political Movements section.)

20th and 21st centuries [ edit ]

In the 20th century, black was the color of Italian and German fascism. (See Political Movements section.)

In art, black regained some of the territory it had lost in the 19th century. Russian painter Kazimir Malevich, a member of the Suprematist movement, created Black Square in 1915 and is widely considered to be the first purely abstract painting. He wrote: “The painted work is no longer just the imitation of reality, but is this very reality … It is not a demonstration of skill, but the materialization of an idea.”[36]

Black was also appreciated by Henri Matisse. “When I didn’t know what color to put down, I put down black,” he said in 1945. “Black is a force: I used black as ballast to simplify construction… Ever since the Impressionists made it seem there has been continuous progress, playing an increasingly important role in color orchestration, comparable to that of the double bass as a solo instrument.”[37]

In the 1950s, black became a symbol of individuality and intellectual and social rebellion, the color of those who did not accept established norms and values. In Paris, it was worn by Left Bank intellectuals and artists such as Juliette Gréco, and by some members of the Beat movement in New York and San Francisco. Black leather jackets were worn by motorcycle gangs like the Hells Angels and street gangs on the fringes of society in the United States. Black as the color of rebellion has been celebrated in films like The Wild One starring Marlon Brando. By the late 20th century, black was the emblematic color of punk subculture, punk fashion, and goth subculture. Goth fashion, which emerged in England in the 1980s, was inspired by Victorian-era mourning dresses.

In menswear, black has gradually ceded its dominance to navy blue, particularly in business suits. Black evening dresses and formal wear in general were worn less and less. In 1960, John F. Kennedy was the last American president to wear formal attire; President Lyndon Johnson and all his successors were inaugurated in business suits.

Women’s fashion was revolutionized and simplified in 1926 by French designer Coco Chanel, who published a drawing of a simple black dress in Vogue magazine. She famously said: “A woman only needs three things: a black dress, a black sweater, and on her arm a man she loves.”[38] French designer Jean Patou also followed suit by launching a black collection in 1929 created. [39] Other designers contributed to the little black dress trend. Italian designer Gianni Versace said, “Black is the quintessence of simplicity and elegance,” and French designer Yves Saint Laurent said, “Black is the liaison that unites art and fashion.”[38] One of the most famous black dresses of the century was designed by Hubert de Givenchy and worn by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

The American civil rights movement of the 1950s was a struggle for political equality for African Americans. It evolved into the Black Power movement in the late 1960s and 1970s, popularizing the slogan “Black is Beautiful”.

The Black Square (1915) by Kazimir Malevich is considered the first purely abstract painting (Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow).

The gothic model Lady Amaranth. Gothic fashion was inspired by British Victorian mourning costumes.

science [edit]

physics [edit]

In the visible spectrum, black is the result of the absorption of all colors. Black can be defined as the visual impression that occurs when no visible light reaches the eye. Pigments or dyes that absorb light instead of reflecting it back to the eye “look black”. However, a black pigment can result from a combination of several pigments that together absorb all colors. When appropriate proportions of three primary pigments are mixed, the result reflects so little light that it has been referred to as “black”. This provides two superficially opposite but actually complementary descriptions of black. Black is the absorption of all colors of light or an exhaustive combination of several pigment colors.

In physics, a black body is a perfect absorber of light, but by a thermodynamic rule it is also the best emitter. Therefore, the best radiative cooling outside of sunlight is to use black paint, although it is important that it is also black in the infrared (a near-perfect absorber). In elementary science, far ultraviolet light is called “black light” because, although invisible itself, it causes many minerals and other substances to fluoresce.

The absorption of light is opposed to transmission, reflection and diffusion, whereby the light is only deflected, making objects appear transparent, reflective or white. A material is said to be black when most of the incident light is absorbed evenly throughout the material. Light (electromagnetic radiation in the visible spectrum) interacts with the atoms and molecules, converting the energy of the light into other forms of energy, mostly heat. This means that black surfaces can act as thermal collectors, absorbing light and generating heat (see Solar Thermal Collector).

As of September 2019, the darkest material consists of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes. The material was grown by MIT engineers and is reported to have a 99.995% absorption rate for incident light.[8] This surpasses all formerly darkest materials including Vantablack, which has a peak absorption rate of 99.965% in the visible spectrum.[41]

chemistry [edit]

pigments[edit]

The earliest pigments used by Neolithic man were charcoal, red ocher, and yellow ochre. The black lines of the cave art were drawn with resin using the tips of burnt wooden torches.[42] Different charcoal pigments were made by burning different woods and animal products, each producing a different tone. The charcoal was ground and then mixed with animal fat to make the pigment.

Wine black was made by burning the cut branches of grapevines in Roman times. It could also be made by burning the remains of the crushed grapes that were collected and dried in an oven. According to historian Vitruvius, the depth and richness of the black produced matched the quality of the wine. The best wines produced a black with a bluish tinge, the color of indigo.

The 15th-century painter Cennino Cennini, in his famous Handbook for Artists, described how this pigment was made during the Renaissance: “…there is a black made from the tendrils of grapevines. And these tendrils must be burned. And when they have been burned, pour some water on them and quench them, and then grind them in the same way as the other black. And this is a lean and black pigment and one of the perfect pigments that we use.”[43]

Cennini also noted that “there is another black made from roasted almond shells or peaches, and this is a perfect, fine black.” [43] Similarly fine blacks were produced by burning the pits of peaches, cherries, or apricots. The powdered charcoal was then mixed with gum arabic or the yolk of an egg to make a paint.

Different civilizations burned different plants to make their charcoal pigments. The Inuit of Alaska used charcoal mixed with seal blood to paint masks and wooden objects. The Polynesians burned coconuts to make their pigment.

Lampblack was used as a pigment for painting and frescoes. as a dye for fabrics and in some societies to make tattoos. The 15th-century Florentine painter Cennino Cennini described how it was made during the Renaissance: “…take a lamp full of linseed oil and fill the lamp with the oil and light the lamp. Then, lit, place them under a thoroughly clean pan, making sure the flame of the lamp is two or three fingers from the bottom of the pan. The smoke coming from the flame hits the bottom of the pan and pools and thickens. Wait a little. Take the pan and brush that pigment (i.e. that smoke) on paper or in a pot with something. And there is no need to mulch or grind it because it is a very fine pigment. Refill the lamp with the oil and place it under the pan several times, and make as much as necessary in this way.” [43] The same pigment was used by Indian artists to paint the Ajanta Caves and as a dye in the ancient Japan used.[42]

was used as a pigment for painting and frescoes. as a dye for fabrics and in some societies to make tattoos. The 15th-century Florentine painter Cennino Cennini described how it was made during the Renaissance: “…take a lamp full of linseed oil and fill the lamp with the oil and light the lamp. Then, lit, place them under a thoroughly clean pan, making sure the flame of the lamp is two or three fingers from the bottom of the pan. The smoke coming from the flame hits the bottom of the pan and pools and thickens. Wait a little. Take the pan and brush that pigment (i.e. that smoke) on paper or in a pot with something. And there is no need to mulch or grind it because it is a very fine pigment. Füllen Sie die Lampe wieder mit dem Öl und stellen Sie sie unter die Pfanne mehrmals so machen und auf diese Weise so viel wie nötig daraus machen.” Dasselbe Pigment wurde von indischen Künstlern zum Bemalen der Ajanta-Höhlen und als Farbstoff im alten Japan verwendet. Elfenbeinschwarz, auch bekannt als Knochenkohle, wurde ursprünglich durch Verbrennen von Elfenbein und Mischen des resultierenden Holzkohlepulvers mit Öl hergestellt. Die Farbe wird noch heute hergestellt, aber Elfenbein wird durch gewöhnliche Tierknochen ersetzt.

, auch bekannt als Knochenkohle, wurde ursprünglich durch Verbrennen von Elfenbein und Mischen des resultierenden Holzkohlepulvers mit Öl hergestellt. Die Farbe wird noch heute hergestellt, aber Elfenbein wird durch gewöhnliche Tierknochen ersetzt. Marsschwarz ist ein schwarzes Pigment aus synthetischen Eisenoxiden. Es wird häufig in der Aquarell- und Ölmalerei verwendet. Es hat seinen Namen von Mars, dem Kriegsgott und Schutzpatron des Eisens.

Farbstoffe [ bearbeiten ]

Hochwertige schwarze Farbstoffe waren bis Mitte des 14. Jahrhunderts nicht bekannt. Die häufigsten frühen Farbstoffe wurden aus Rinde, Wurzeln oder Früchten verschiedener Bäume hergestellt; normalerweise Walnüsse, Kastanien oder bestimmte Eichen. Die produzierten Schwarzen waren oft eher grau, braun oder bläulich. Das Tuch musste mehrmals gefärbt werden, um die Farbe zu verdunkeln. Eine von Färbern verwendete Lösung bestand darin, dem Farbstoff einige Eisenspäne zuzusetzen, die reich an Eisenoxid waren, was ein tieferes Schwarz ergab. Eine andere war, den Stoff zuerst dunkelblau und dann schwarz zu färben.

Schließlich wurde ein viel reicherer und tieferer schwarzer Farbstoff gefunden, der aus dem Eichenapfel oder der “Gallnuss” hergestellt wurde. Die Gallnuss ist ein kleiner runder Tumor, der auf Eichen und anderen Baumarten wächst. Sie sind zwischen 2 und 5 cm groß und werden durch Chemikalien verursacht, die von der Larve bestimmter Arten von Gallwespen aus der Familie der Cynipidae injiziert werden.[44] Der Farbstoff war sehr teuer; Für eine sehr kleine Menge Farbstoff wurde eine große Menge Gallnüsse benötigt. Die Gallnüsse, die den besten Farbstoff lieferten, kamen aus Polen, Osteuropa, dem Nahen Osten und Nordafrika. Ab etwa dem 14. Jahrhundert wurde Farbstoff aus Gallnüssen für die Kleidung der Könige und Fürsten Europas verwendet.[45]

Eine weitere wichtige Quelle natürlicher schwarzer Farbstoffe ab dem 17. Jahrhundert war der Blauholzbaum oder Haematoxylum campechianum, der auch rötliche und bläuliche Farbstoffe produzierte. Es ist eine blühende Baumart aus der Familie der Hülsenfrüchtler, Fabaceae, die in Südmexiko und Nordmittelamerika beheimatet ist.[46] Die moderne Nation Belize entstand aus englischen Holzfällerlagern im 17. Jahrhundert.

Seit Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts haben synthetische schwarze Farbstoffe die natürlichen Farbstoffe weitgehend ersetzt. Einer der wichtigsten synthetischen Schwarzen ist Nigrosin, eine Mischung synthetischer schwarzer Farbstoffe (CI 50415, Solvent black 5), die durch Erhitzen einer Mischung aus Nitrobenzol, Anilin und Anilinhydrochlorid in Gegenwart eines Kupfer- oder Eisenkatalysators hergestellt wird. Seine hauptsächlichen industriellen Anwendungen sind Farbmittel für Lacke und Firnisse und in Filzstifttinten.[47]

Tinten [ bearbeiten ]

Die ersten bekannten Tinten wurden von den Chinesen hergestellt und stammen aus dem 23. Jahrhundert v. Sie verwendeten natürliche Pflanzenfarbstoffe und Mineralien wie Graphit, die mit Wasser gemahlen und mit einem Tuschepinsel aufgetragen wurden. Es wurden frühe chinesische Tinten gefunden, die dem modernen Tintenstift ähneln und aus dem Jahr 256 v. Chr. Am Ende der Zeit der Streitenden Reiche stammen. Sie wurden aus Ruß hergestellt, der normalerweise durch das Verbrennen von Kiefernholz entsteht und mit Tierleim vermischt ist. Um Tinte aus einem Tintenstift herzustellen, wird der Stift kontinuierlich mit einer kleinen Menge Wasser gegen einen Tintenstein gerieben, um eine dunkle Flüssigkeit zu erzeugen, die dann mit einem Tintenpinsel aufgetragen wird. Künstler und Kalligrafen könnten die Dicke der resultierenden Tinte variieren, indem sie die Intensität und Zeit des Tintenschleifens verringern oder erhöhen. Diese Tinten erzeugten die zarten Schattierungen und subtilen oder dramatischen Effekte der chinesischen Pinselmalerei.[48]

Tusche (oder „Indian Ink“ in britischem Englisch) ist eine schwarze Tinte, die früher häufig zum Schreiben und Drucken verwendet wurde und heute häufiger zum Zeichnen verwendet wird, insbesondere beim Einfärben von Comics und Comics. Die Herstellungstechnik stammt wahrscheinlich aus China. Tusche wird in Indien mindestens seit dem 4. Jahrhundert v. Chr. verwendet, wo sie Masi genannt wurde. In Indien stammte die schwarze Farbe der Tinte von Knochenkohle, Teer, Pech und anderen Substanzen.[49][50]

Die alten Römer hatten eine schwarze Schreibtinte, die sie atramentum librarium nannten.[51] Sein Name kommt vom lateinischen Wort atrare, was bedeutet, etwas schwarz zu machen. (This was the same root as the English word atrocious.) It was usually made, like India ink, from soot, although one variety, called atramentum elephantinum, was made by burning the ivory of elephants.[52]

Gall-nuts were also used for making fine black writing ink. Iron gall ink (also known as iron gall nut ink or oak gall ink) was a purple-black or brown-black ink made from iron salts and tannic acids from gall nut. It was the standard writing and drawing ink in Europe, from about the 12th century to the 19th century, and remained in use well into the 20th century.

Sticks of vine charcoal and compressed charcoal. Charcoal, along with red and yellow ochre, was one of the first pigments used by Paleolithic man.

A Chinese inkstick, in the form of lotus flowers and blossoms. Inksticks are used in Chinese calligraphy and brush painting.

Ivory black or bone char, a natural black pigment made by burning animal bones.

The oak apple or gall-nut, a tumor growing on oak trees, was the main source of black dye and black writing ink from the 14th century until the 19th century.

The industrial production of lamp black, made by producing, collecting and refining soot, in 1906.

Astronomy [ edit ]

A black hole is a region of spacetime where gravity prevents anything, including light, from escaping. [53] The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass will deform spacetime to form a black hole. Around a black hole there is a mathematically defined boundary called an event horizon that marks the point of no return. It is called “black” because it absorbs all the light that hits the horizon, reflecting nothing, just like a perfect black body in thermodynamics. [54] [55] Black holes of stellar mass are expected to form when very massive stars collapse at the end of their life cycle. After a black hole has formed it can continue to grow by absorbing mass from its surroundings. By absorbing other stars and merging with other black holes, supermassive black holes of millions of solar masses may form. There is general consensus that supermassive black holes exist in the centers of most galaxies. Although a black hole itself is black, infalling material forms an accretion disk, one of the brightest types of object in the universe.

The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass will deform spacetime to form a black hole. Around a black hole there is a mathematically defined boundary called an event horizon that marks the point of no return. It is called “black” because it absorbs all the light that hits the horizon, reflecting nothing, just like a perfect black body in thermodynamics. Black holes of stellar mass are expected to form when very massive stars collapse at the end of their life cycle. After a black hole has formed it can continue to grow by absorbing mass from its surroundings. By absorbing other stars and merging with other black holes, supermassive black holes of millions of solar masses may form. There is general consensus that supermassive black holes exist in the centers of most galaxies. Although a black hole itself is black, infalling material forms an accretion disk, one of the brightest types of object in the universe. Black-body radiation refers to the radiation coming from a body at a given temperature where all incoming energy (light) is converted to heat.

Black sky refers to the appearance of space as one emerges from Earth’s atmosphere.

Image of the NGC 406 galaxy from the Hubble Space Telescope

The night sky seen from Mars, with the two moons of Mars visible, taken by the NASA Spirit Rover.

Outside Earth’s atmosphere, the sky is black day and night.

An illustration of Olbers’ paradox (see below)

Image of the central black hole of Messier 87 taken by the Event Horizon Telescope.

Why the night sky and space are black – Olbers’ paradox [ edit ]

The fact that outer space is black is sometimes called Olbers’ paradox. In theory, because the universe is full of stars, and is believed to be infinitely large, it would be expected that the light of an infinite number of stars would be enough to brilliantly light the whole universe all the time. However, the background color of outer space is black. This contradiction was first noted in 1823 by German astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers, who posed the question of why the night sky was black.

The current accepted answer is that, although the universe may be infinitely large, it is not infinitely old. It is thought to be about 13.8 billion years old, so we can only see objects as far away as the distance light can travel in 13.8 billion years. Light from stars farther away has not reached Earth, and cannot contribute to making the sky bright. Furthermore, as the universe is expanding, many stars are moving away from Earth. As they move, the wavelength of their light becomes longer, through the Doppler effect, and shifts toward red, or even becomes invisible. As a result of these two phenomena, there is not enough starlight to make space anything but black.[56]

The daytime sky on Earth is blue because light from the Sun strikes molecules in Earth’s atmosphere scattering light in all directions. Blue light is scattered more than other colors, and reaches the eye in greater quantities, making the daytime sky appear blue. This is known as Rayleigh scattering.

The nighttime sky on Earth is black because the part of Earth experiencing night is facing away from the Sun, the light of the Sun is blocked by Earth itself, and there is no other bright nighttime source of light in the vicinity. Thus, there is not enough light to undergo Rayleigh scattering and make the sky blue. On the Moon, on the other hand, because there is virtually no atmosphere to scatter the light, the sky is black both day and night. This also holds true for other locations without an atmosphere, such as Mercury.

Biology [ edit ]

The American crow is one of the most intelligent of all animals. [57]

American black bear (Ursus americanus) near Riding Mountain Park, Manitoba, Canada

The black mamba of Africa is one of the most venomous snakes, as well as the fastest-moving snake in the world.

The black widow spider, or latrodectus, The females frequently eat their male partners after mating. The female’s venom is at least three times more potent than that of the males, making a male’s self-defense bite ineffective.

A black panther is actually a melanistic leopard or jaguar, the result of an excess of melanin in their skin caused by a recessive gene.

culture [edit]

In China, the color black is associated with water, one of the five fundamental elements believed to compose all things; and with winter, cold, and the direction north, usually symbolized by a black tortoise. It is also associated with disorder, including the positive disorder which leads to change and new life. When the first Emperor of China Qin Shi Huang seized power from the Zhou Dynasty, he changed the Imperial color from red to black, saying that black extinguished red. Only when the Han Dynasty appeared in 206 BC was red restored as the imperial color.[58]

Japanese men traditionally wear a black kimono with some white decoration on their wedding day

In Japan, black is associated with mystery, the night, the unknown, the supernatural, the invisible and death. Combined with white, it can symbolize intuition.[59] In 10th and 11th century Japan, it was believed that wearing black could bring misfortune. It was worn at court by those who wanted to set themselves apart from the established powers or who had renounced material possessions.[60]

In Japan black can also symbolize experience, as opposed to white, which symbolizes naiveté. The black belt in martial arts symbolizes experience, while a white belt is worn by novices.[61] Japanese men traditionally wear a black kimono with some white decoration on their wedding day.

In Indonesia black is associated with depth, the subterranean world, demons, disaster, and the left hand. When black is combined with white, however, it symbolizes harmony and equilibrium.[62]

Political movements [ edit ]

Anarchism is a political philosophy, most popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which holds that governments and capitalism are harmful and undesirable. The symbols of anarchism was usually either a black flag or a black letter A. More recently it is usually represented with a bisected red and black flag, to emphasise the movement’s socialist roots in the First International. Anarchism was most popular in Spain, France, Italy, Ukraine and Argentina. There were also small but influential movements in the United States and Russia. In the latter, the movement initially allied itself with the Bolsheviks.[63]

The Black Army[citation needed] was a collection of anarchist military units which fought in the Russian Civil War, sometimes on the side of the Bolshevik Red Army, and sometimes for the opposing White Army. It was officially known as the Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine, and it was under the command of the anarchist Nestor Makhno.

Fascism. The Blackshirts (Italian: camicie nere, ‘CCNN) were Fascist paramilitary groups in Italy during the period immediately following World War I and until the end of World War II. The Blackshirts were officially known as the Voluntary Militia for National Security (Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale, or MVSN).

Inspired by the black uniforms of the Arditi, Italy’s elite storm troops of World War I, the Fascist Blackshirts were organized by Benito Mussolini as the military tool of his political movement.[64] They used violence and intimidation against Mussolini’s opponents. The emblem of the Italian fascists was a black flag with fasces, an axe in a bundle of sticks, an ancient Roman symbol of authority. Mussolini came to power in 1922 through his March on Rome with the blackshirts.

Black was also adopted by Adolf Hitler and the Nazis in Germany. Red, white and black were the colors of the flag of the German Empire from 1870 to 1918. In Mein Kampf, Hitler explained that they were “revered colors expressive of our homage to the glorious past.” Hitler also wrote that “the new flag … should prove effective as a large poster” because “in hundreds of thousands of cases a really striking emblem may be the first cause of awakening interest in a movement.” The black swastika was meant to symbolize the Aryan race, which, according to the Nazis, “was always anti-Semitic and will always be anti-Semitic.”[65] Several designs by a number of different authors were considered, but the one adopted in the end was Hitler’s personal design.[66] Black became the color of the uniform of the SS, the Schutzstaffel or “defense corps”, the paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party, and was worn by SS officers from 1932 until the end of World War II.

The Nazis used a black triangle to symbolize anti-social elements. The symbol originates from Nazi concentration camps, where every prisoner had to wear one of the Nazi concentration camp badges on their jacket, the color of which categorized them according to “their kind.” Many Black Triangle prisoners were either mentally disabled or mentally ill. The homeless were also included, as were alcoholics, the Romani people, the habitually “work-shy,” prostitutes, draft dodgers and pacifists.[67] More recently the black triangle has been adopted as a symbol in lesbian culture and by disabled activists.

Black shirts were also worn by the British Union of Fascists before World War II, and members of fascist movements in the Netherlands.[68]

Patriotic resistance. The Lützow Free Corps, composed of volunteer German students and academics fighting against Napoleon in 1813, could not afford to make special uniforms and therefore adopted black, as the only color that could be used to dye their civilian clothing without the original color showing. In 1815 the students began to carry a red, black and gold flag, which they believed (incorrectly) had been the colors of the Holy Roman Empire (the imperial flag had actually been gold and black). In 1848, this banner became the flag of the German confederation. In 1866, Prussia unified Germany under its rule, and imposed the red, white and black of its own flag, which remained the colors of the German flag until the end of the Second World War. In 1949 the Federal Republic of Germany returned to the original flag and colors of the students and professors of 1815, which is the flag of Germany today.[69]

military [edit]

Hussar from Husaren-Regiment Nr.5 (von Ruesch) in 1744 with the Totenkopf on the mirliton (ger. Flügelmütze).

Black has been a traditional color of cavalry and armoured or mechanized troops. German armoured troops (Panzerwaffe) traditionally wore black uniforms, and even in others, a black beret is common. In Finland, black is the symbolic color for both armoured troops and combat engineers, and military units of these specialities have black flags and unit insignia.

The black beret and the color black is also a symbol of special forces in many countries. Soviet and Russian OMON special police and Russian naval infantry wear a black beret. A black beret is also worn by military police in the Canadian, Czech, Croatian, Portuguese, Spanish and Serbian armies.

The silver-on-black skull and crossbones symbol or Totenkopf and a black uniform were used by Hussars and Black Brunswickers, the German Panzerwaffe and the Nazi Schutzstaffel, and U.S. 400th Missile Squadron (crossed missiles), and continues in use with the Estonian Kuperjanov Battalion.

religion [edit]

In Christian theology, black was the color of the universe before God created light. In many religious cultures, from Mesoamerica to Oceania to India and Japan, the world was created out of a primordial darkness.[70] In the Bible the light of faith and Christianity is often contrasted with the darkness of ignorance and paganism.

In Christianity, the devil is often called the “prince of darkness.” The term was used in John Milton’s poem Paradise Lost, published in 1667, referring to Satan, who is viewed as the embodiment of evil. It is an English translation of the Latin phrase princeps tenebrarum, which occurs in the Acts of Pilate, written in the fourth century, in the 11th-century hymn Rhythmus de die mortis by Pietro Damiani,[71] and in a sermon by Bernard of Clairvaux[72] from the 12th century. The phrase also occurs in King Lear by William Shakespeare (c. 1606), Act III, Scene IV, l. 14: ‘The prince of darkness is a gentleman.”

Priests and pastors of the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Protestant churches commonly wear black, as do monks of the Benedictine Order, who consider it the color of humility and penitence.

In Islam, black, along with green, plays an important symbolic role. It is the color of the Black Standard, the banner that is said to have been carried by the soldiers of Muhammad. It is also used as a symbol in Shi’a Islam (heralding the advent of the Mahdi), and the flag of followers of Islamism and Jihadism.

In Hinduism, the goddess Kali, goddess of time and change, is portrayed with black or dark blue skin. wearing a necklace adorned with severed heads and hands. Her name means “The black one”. She destroys anger and passion according to Hindu mythology and her devotees are supposed to abstain from meat or intoxication. [73] [74] [75] Kali does not eat meat, but it is the śāstra’s injunction that those who are unable to give up meat-eating, they may sacrifice one goat, not cow, one small animal before the goddess Kali, on amāvāsya (new moon) day, night, not day, and they can eat it.

Kali does not eat meat, but it is the śāstra’s injunction that those who are unable to give up meat-eating, they may sacrifice one goat, not cow, one small animal before the goddess Kali, on amāvāsya (new moon) day, night, not day, and they can eat it. In Paganism, black represents dignity, force, stability, and protection. The color is often used to banish and release negative energies,[76] or binding. An athame is a ceremonial blade often having a black handle, which is used in some forms of witchcraft.[77]

sports [edit]

The national rugby union team of New Zealand is called the All Blacks , in reference to their black outfits, and the color is also shared by other New Zealand national teams such as the Black Caps (cricket) and the Kiwis (rugby league).

, in reference to their black outfits, and the color is also shared by other New Zealand national teams such as the Black Caps (cricket) and the Kiwis (rugby league). Association football (soccer) referees traditionally wear all-black uniforms, however nowadays other uniform colors may also be worn.

In auto racing, a black flag signals a driver to go into the pits.

In baseball, “the black” refers to the batter’s eye, a blacked out area around the center-field bleachers, painted black to give hitters a decent background for pitched balls.

A large number of teams have uniforms designed with black colors even when the team does not normally feature that color. Many feel the color sometimes imparts a psychological advantage in its wearers. Black is used by numerous professional and collegiate sports teams

Idioms and expressions [ edit ]

Namesake of the idiom “black sheep”

Associations and symbolism [ edit ]

Mourning [ edit ]

In the West, black is commonly associated with mourning and bereavement,[82] and usually worn at funerals and memorial services. In some traditional societies, for example in Greece and Italy, some widows wear black for the rest of their lives. In contrast, across much of Africa and parts of Asia like Vietnam, white is a color of mourning.

In Victorian England, the colors and fabrics of mourning were specified in an unofficial dress code: “non-reflective black paramatta and crape for the first year of deepest mourning, followed by nine months of dullish black silk, heavily trimmed with crape, and then three months when crape was discarded. Paramatta was a fabric of combined silk and wool or cotton; crape was a harsh black silk fabric with a crimped appearance produced by heat. Widows were allowed to change into the colors of half-mourning, such as gray and lavender, black and white, for the final six months.”[83]

A “black day” (or week or month) usually refers to tragic date. The Romans marked fasti days with white stones and nefasti days with black. The term is often used to remember massacres. Black months include the Black September in Jordan, when large numbers of Palestinians were killed, and Black July in Sri Lanka, the killing of members of the Tamil population by the Sinhalese government.

In the financial world, the term often refers to a dramatic drop in the stock market. For example, the Wall Street Crash of 1929, the stock market crash on October 29, 1929, which marked the start of the Great Depression, is nicknamed Black Tuesday, and was preceded by Black Thursday, a downturn on October 24 the previous week.

Darkness and evil [ edit ]

In western popular culture, black has long been associated with evil and darkness. It is the traditional color of witchcraft and black magic.

In the Book of Revelation, the last book in the New Testament of the Bible, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are supposed to announce the Apocalypse before the Last Judgment. The horseman representing famine rides a black horse. The vampire of literature and films, such as Count Dracula of the Bram Stoker novel, dressed in black, and could only move at night. The Wicked Witch of the West in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz became the archetype of witches for generations of children. Whereas witches and sorcerers inspired real fear in the 17th century, in the 21st century children and adults dressed as witches for Halloween parties and parades.

Power, authority and solemnity [ edit ]

Black is frequently used as a color of power, law and authority. In many countries judges and magistrates wear black robes. That custom began in Europe in the 13th and 14th centuries. Jurists, magistrates and certain other court officials in France began to wear long black robes during the reign of Philip IV of France (1285–1314), and in England from the time of Edward I (1271–1307). The custom spread to the cities of Italy at about the same time, between 1300 and 1320. The robes of judges resembled those worn by the clergy, and represented the law and authority of the King, while those of the clergy represented the law of God and authority of the church.[84]

Until the 20th century most police uniforms were black, until they were largely replaced by a less menacing blue in France, the U.S. and other countries. In the United States, police cars are frequently Black and white. The riot control units of the Basque Autonomous Police in Spain are known as beltzak (“blacks”) after their uniform.

Black today is the most common color for limousines and the official cars of government officials.

Black formal attire is still worn at many solemn occasions or ceremonies, from graduations to formal balls. Graduation gowns are copied from the gowns worn by university professors in the Middle Ages, which in turn were copied from the robes worn by judges and priests, who often taught at the early universities. The mortarboard hat worn by graduates is adapted from a square cap called a biretta worn by Medieval professors and clerics.

Functionality [ edit ]

In the 19th and 20th centuries, many machines and devices, large and small, were painted black, to stress their functionality. These included telephones, sewing machines, steamships, railroad locomotives, and automobiles. The Ford Model T, the first mass-produced car, was available only in black from 1914 to 1926. Of means of transportation, only airplanes were rarely ever painted black.[85]

Black house paint is becoming more popular with Sherwin-Williams reporting that the color, Tricorn Black, was the 6th most popular exterior house paint color in Canada and the 12th most popular paint in the United States in 2018.[86]

Ethnography [ edit ]

The term “black” is often used in the West to describe people whose skin is darker. In the United States, it is particularly used to describe African Americans. The terms for African Americans have changed over the years, as shown by the categories in the United States Census, taken every ten years.

In the first U.S. Census, taken in 1790, just four categories were used: Free White males, Free White females, other free persons, and slaves.

In the 1820 census the new category “colored” was added.

In the 1850 census, slaves were listed by owner, and a B indicated black, while an M indicated “mulatto.”

In the 1890 census, the categories for race were white, black, mulatto, quadroon (a person one-quarter black); octoroon (a person one-eighth black), Chinese, Japanese, or American Indian.

In the 1930 census, anyone with any black blood was supposed to be listed as “Negro.”

In the 1970 census, the category “Negro or black” was used for the first time.

In the 2000 and 2012 census, the category “Black or African-American” was used, defined as “a person having their origin in any of the racial groups in Africa.” In the 2012 Census 12.1 percent of Americans identified themselves as Black or African-American.[87]

Black is also commonly used as a racial description in the United Kingdom, since ethnicity was first measured in the 2001 census. The 2011 British census asked residents to describe themselves, and categories offered included Black, African, Caribbean, or Black British. Other possible categories were African British, African Scottish, Caribbean British and Caribbean Scottish. Of the total UK population in 2001, 1.0 percent identified themselves as Black Caribbean, 0.8 percent as Black African, and 0.2 percent as Black (others).[88]

In Canada, census respondents can identify themselves as Black. In the 2006 census, 2.5 percent of the population identified themselves as black.[89]

In Australia, the term black is not used in the census. In the 2006 census, 2.3 percent of Australians identified themselves as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders.

In Brazil, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) asks people to identify themselves as branco (white), pardo (brown), preto (black), or amarelo (yellow). In 2008 6.8 percent of the population identified themselves as “preto”.[90]

Opposite of white [ edit ]

Black and white have often been used to describe opposites; particularly light and darkness and good and evil. In Medieval literature, the white knight usually represented virtue, the black knight something mysterious and sinister. In American westerns, the hero often wore a white hat, the villain a black hat.

In the original game of chess invented in Persia or India, the colors of the two sides were varied; a 12th-century Iranian chess set in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, has red and green pieces. But when the game was imported into Europe, the colors, corresponding to European culture, usually became black and white.

Studies have shown that something printed in black letters on white has more authority with readers than any other color of printing.

In philosophy and arguments, the issue is often described as black-and-white, meaning that the issue at hand is dichotomized (having two clear, opposing sides with no middle ground).

Heroes in American westerns, like the Lone Ranger, traditionally wore a white hat, while the villains wore black hats.

Conspiracy [ edit ]

Black is commonly associated with secrecy.

Elegant fashion [ edit ]

Black is the color most commonly associated with elegance in Europe and the United States, followed by silver, gold, and white.[92]

Black first became a fashionable color for men in Europe in the 17th century, in the courts of Italy and Spain. (See history above.) In the 19th century, it was the fashion for men both in business and for evening wear, in the form of a black coat whose tails came down the knees. In the evening it was the custom of the men to leave the women after dinner to go to a special smoking room to enjoy cigars or cigarettes. This meant that their tailcoats eventually smelled of tobacco. According to the legend, in 1865 Edward VII, then the Prince of Wales, had his tailor make a special short smoking jacket. The smoking jacket then evolved into the dinner jacket. Again according to legend, the first Americans to wear the jacket were members of the Tuxedo Club in New York State. Thereafter the jacket became known as a tuxedo in the U.S. The term “smoking” is still used today in Russia and other countries.[93] The tuxedo was always black until the 1930s, when the Duke of Windsor began to wear a tuxedo that was a very dark midnight blue. He did so because a black tuxedo looked greenish in artificial light, while a dark blue tuxedo looked blacker than black itself.[92]

For women’s fashion, the defining moment was the invention of the simple black dress by Coco Chanel in 1926. (See history.) Thereafter, a long black gown was used for formal occasions, while the simple black dress could be used for everything else. The designer Karl Lagerfeld, explaining why black was so popular, said: “Black is the color that goes with everything. If you’re wearing black, you’re on sure ground.”[92] Skirts have gone up and down and fashions have changed, but the black dress has not lost its position as the essential element of a woman’s wardrobe. The fashion designer Christian Dior said, “elegance is a combination of distinction, naturalness, care and simplicity,”[92] and black exemplified elegance.

The expression “X is the new black” is a reference to the latest trend or fad that is considered a wardrobe basic for the duration of the trend, on the basis that black is always fashionable. The phrase has taken on a life of its own and has become a cliché.

Many performers of both popular and European classical music, including French singers Edith Piaf and Juliette Gréco, and violinist Joshua Bell have traditionally worn black on stage during performances. A black costume was usually chosen as part of their image or stage persona, or because it did not distract from the music, or sometimes for a political reason. Country-western singer Johnny Cash always wore black on stage. In 1971, Cash wrote the song “Man in Black” to explain why he dressed in that color: “We’re doing mighty fine I do suppose / In our streak of lightning cars and fancy clothes / But just so we’re reminded of the ones who are held back / Up front there ought to be a man in black.”

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Notes and citations [ edit ]

Bibliography[edit]

What does it mean when you dream about someone? This is one of the most common questions people have about their dreams.

Finally, dreams provide a rich, universal language for speaking about present and future concerns.

Below we look at 9 frequently asked questions and 9 helpful answers.

We will teach you all about the possible symbols and themes to deepen your understanding of what these dreams could mean to you.

1. When you dream about someone, does he think about you?

The notion that when you dream about someone, they dream about you is a common misconception.

This is actually a false assumption, because your brain never stops making new connections, even when you’re asleep.

Of course it can also be the case that when you dream of someone, they often think of you or even dream about you.

This phenomenon is called “dream telepathy” and has been extensively studied by scientists who have found no solid evidence that dream telepathy exists.

Some research suggests that when a person dreams about someone else during their sleep, they are actually dreaming about themselves.

Dreams basically reflect what someone was doing or thinking before they went to sleep.

In this respect it is of course possible that the person who dreams of you thinks of you.

However, there is no evidence that this is a common occurrence.

2. What does it mean when you dream about someone you barely know?

Dreaming about people we barely know can be very confusing and frightening.

It’s not uncommon to dream about people from our past that we have forgotten or with whom we have never had a strong relationship.

When you dream of someone you barely know, it is a sign of a connection you feel with them, although you may not know why.

It could mean that you like the person and that in some way that person has a place in your life.

It could also indicate that this person represents something to you that you are not fully aware of.

If there are people in your life who keep appearing in your dreams, then it could be because they play an important role in your life that you haven’t fully acknowledged (yet).

Take the time to think about these people and what they might represent to you – why do you think they are suddenly appearing in your dreams?

There are many instances where people even dream about someone they have never met.

For example, if you liked someone growing up and never met them during that time, the dreams could represent frustration at not being able to connect with the person, or even your emotional attachment to them.

3. Is it true when you see someone in your dream that they miss you?

When people dream of other people, it usually has more to do with the dreamer’s life than the other person’s.

The dreamer may be worried about the other person and may be dreaming about them because they are in an emotional state right now.

Dreams are a product of our subconscious, and as such dreams generally have no real relevance to what is going on in other people’s waking lives.

Dreaming about someone you know is a common experience for many people.

One study found that 60% of people dream about someone they know, and 95% of those people dream about their current romantic partner at least once a month.

Dreams can also be deeply personal and represent fear or uncertainty that you are unaware of.

However, sometimes there can be a symbolic meaning that we can derive from the dream.

And because dreams are the product of our own unconscious thoughts and experiences, it means that when we dream about someone, it’s not because they’re thinking about us, it’s because we’re unconsciously thinking about them.

4. What does it mean when you dream about someone all the time?

Dreams can be interpreted to provide insight into a person’s unconscious desires or fears. The person you dream about could be a part of your life that you need to focus on.

If we keep dreaming about certain people, it could mean that they are meaningful or important to us, but not in the way we would expect.

To dream of someone could represent relationship with them in your life. The person could also be an aspect of you that you find difficult to understand or that you have not dealt with.

Dreams can help us understand ourselves better as they often reflect parts of our personality that we are not aware of.

People generally dream about someone they have strong feelings for.

So if you have regular dreams about a certain person, chances are you have strong feelings for them.

Facing these feelings may be difficult, but do your best not to let them consume you and cause grief.

5. What does it mean when you dream about your ex?

People dream about their ex-boyfriends for many reasons, but one of the most common is that they feel conflicted or unresolved about the relationship.

Dreaming about an ex could mean that you want him back or it could be a sign that you are ready to break up with him.

For example, dreaming of an ex can be a sign that you are comfortable with the breakup.

It can also mean the opposite, which is that you’re still pining for him or that you’re still attracted to him and want to get back together with him.

The dreamer often interprets their ex in a dream as a sign of their deep-rooted feelings for the person.

They may also daydream about what could have been if they had chosen to stay in the relationship or had not chosen to break up with them.

It is important to note that not all dreams about an ex mean something significant.

Dreaming about someone you used to like may indicate that you are trying to reconnect with that person. You may not have learned to let go and move on.

To dream of an ex is often a sign of unresolved feelings or anger.

Maybe you dream about them because that’s the only way you can communicate with them.

It’s also possible that your dreams bring a sense of completion to the relationship, allowing you to heal and move on.

6. So how do I stop dreaming about my ex?

Many people experience nightmares about their ex, and this is especially true for those who have recently gone through a breakup.

The dreams are usually related to an unresolved event in the relationship, which can be anything from jealousy to a lack of closure.

Nobody likes to dream about their ex, even if they are happy in a relationship.

It’s just a waste of sleep and can keep you from enjoying the present.

The key to stopping dreaming about your ex is understanding what triggered the nightmare and finding a way to resolve it.

It could be as simple as finding closure or changing your perspective on the situation.

There are other options too; For example, you can write a letter or talk to someone about how you are feeling.

Specifically, the best way to stop dreaming about your ex is to get him out of your mind by focusing on other things before you fall asleep.

Treat yourself to something to do before bed: watch TV, read a book, make dinner, wash dishes, listen to soothing music, or take a bath and just relax before bed.

The key is to keep your thoughts busy so they don’t wander off to your ex.

Also, try to get some exercise during the day (but not too close to bedtime).

Research shows that this can help some people sleep better because it helps reduce stress and anxiety.

8. What does it mean if I keep dreaming about people from high school?

In the interpretation of dreams, high school is often seen as a new beginning.

In a high school environment, starting over is often met with trepidation.

If the previous day was a troubled day, this night’s dreams may reflect that.

High school dreams can depict a person trying to escape from themselves or their problems.

The dreams can also show someone who has made some mistakes and is trying to make them right.

9. The spiritual meaning of dreaming about the same person

This generally indicates that you and this person have some kind of karmic connection or unfinished business.

If you dream about someone you haven’t thought about for years, it’s possible that person is trying to send you a message from the other side.

If you dream about someone you haven’t thought about for years, it’s possible that person is trying to send you a message from the other side.

If you keep having the same dream about the same person, maybe it’s time to take a closer look at your relationship with them. There may be something unresolved between the two of you that needs to be addressed.

Alternatively, this type of repetitive dreaming could simply be a way for your subconscious to process any emotions you are currently experiencing in relation to that person.

If you keep dreaming about the same person, it’s important to figure out what the dreams mean to you.

What about this person evokes such strong emotions in you? What do they represent to you?

Once you have figured out what the dream is trying to tell you, you can start working on solving any issues that you may be stressing or anxious about.

Common dream interpretations for why some people keep appearing in your dreams

Dreams are one of the most interesting parts of life. They happen while we sleep and can be very informative.

In some cases, they are a sign that something is going on in our lives that is not being addressed.

Dreaming about someone can only be a reflection of your thoughts and feelings towards that person.

However, it could also be a sign or symbol of something else that is important in your life.

It is difficult to interpret exactly what dreams mean, but they are often symbolic of the situations in our lives that we struggle with the most.

It could also be an indicator of things we think about in our waking hours.

Dreams can be about anything, sometimes even things we have never seen or experienced in real life.

When you dream about someone, it usually reflects how you feel about them in your waking life.

Your dream may be telling you to pay attention to this person in your waking life.

Your subconscious may be trying to connect the dots of something and needs your conscious mind to help it figure it out.

You may also want to pay attention to recurring themes for clues as to what is going on in your life.

Why would you discuss these dreams with people you know well?

Your best friend has a knack for what your subconscious is trying to tell you.

They know you better than anyone and can tell what you’re going through without you saying anything at all. If you have a problem or have a horrible dream, just tell them and they will know what to do.

As for your peers, they probably won’t be able to pick up on what’s bothering you.

They are not as close to you and do not have the same perspective on the many different ways your mind works.

Each dream is a different story and can be analyzed by examining the symbols in the dream, the current situation in the dreamer’s life, and their family dynamics.

For example, a dream in which a family member disapproves of the dreamer’s current relationship may reflect fear of disapproval from the family member.

This type of dream can also be an indication that the family member is feeling lonely or left out in the family.

interpretation of dreams in general

Dreams are the result of your subconscious trying to process emotions and thoughts that you had during the day.

Some psychologists often interpret dreams with a kind of symbolic language. These interpretations can vary from person to person, but there are some general themes you can expect.

Dreams can be analyzed with Freudian and Jungian psychology because they are representations of mental processes.

Dreams usually represent what we are feeling in the present or what we want in the future.

They also represent our hidden desires and our deepest fears.

The subconscious tries to understand everything that happened during the day and it does this by responding with symbols and images from our daily lives and experiences.

Some people believe dreams are just stories created by the brain to process information or understand experiences and feelings, while others say dreams have significant meaning.

A dream can be viewed as a way for the subconscious to process information that it does not consciously understand.

Dreams allow us to process our own experiences and emotions and the thoughts of others in a safe environment where anything is possible.

Dreams can also help you learn more about yourself, your personality traits, and your emotions that you may not be aware of when you are awake.

There are many different theories about the meaning of dreams and what they might represent.

For example, some people believe that dreams are the result of memories from everyday life or the release of unconscious thoughts.

Sigmund Freud, for example, believed that dreams were a way of resolving conflicts in the dreamer’s mind.

He believed that most dreams were wish-fulfilling and typically involved the gratification of needs, drives, or desires.

Others believe that dreams are forms of wish fulfillment.

The interpretation of dreams is an old and time-honoured tradition.

A well-known school of thought holds that shared dreams seem to be universally understood in similar ways by people from different backgrounds.

Such ordinary dreams are often interpreted as symbols or warnings to the dreamer.

Dreams that deal with danger and fear, for example, could be interpreted as a warning to avoid such things in everyday life.

The interpretation of dreams can vary depending on the person and circumstances.

For example, in a person’s dream, their best friend may be a colleague. In another person’s dream, their colleague can be their best friend.

What does it mean when you dream about your crush?

Dreams about a crush can be interpreted in different ways.

They may be wishful thinking or your subconscious is trying to tell you something about the person you are dreaming about.

One interpretation is that as children we are taught to admire love and affection from others.

When we dream about our crush, we may identify with them in some way.

Maybe they represent someone strong and confident, like a hero in a movie or book.

It has been said that the Freudian theory was debunked because it makes no sense for people to dream of their crushes to fulfill a need or desire.

But it’s not so much about the person themselves as it is about the unmet need behind the dream.

Dreaming about your crush could be a sign that you are feeling insecure.

When you dream about your crush, the interpretation can change from person to person.

For some, it could mean seeing them as a safe bet to rely on, or it could symbolize a longing for someone they’ve been separated from.

Enter the dream analysts

People trained in the art of dream interpretation are called “dream experts.”

Also known as “dream analysts,” they are able to interpret the meaning of dreams by analyzing the symbols in the dream.

Professional dream analysts are trained to interpret the meaning of dreams.

Dream experts have said that dreams are a way for the subconscious to process thoughts, feelings, and memories.

A dream is a visual representation of your thoughts and feelings, and the symbols in your dream are what your mind is trying to process to make sense of them.

Because of this, vivid dreams can be intense. Because of this, it is important to analyze what a dream means, as they often indicate something that the person needs.

Three of the most common dream terms

REM sleep: The most restful phase of sleep, characterized by rapid eye movement, which is why it’s often referred to as “REM” sleep. When someone is dreaming in REM sleep, their eyes move rapidly behind their eyelids. Vivid Dreams: Dreams to remember. They occur when people are in the REM sleep phase. Sleep Cycle: A full sleep cycle takes about 90 minutes.

Conclusion: what does it really mean to dream about someone?

Dreams are an unusual phenomenon, but they are also a great way to understand yourself. A dream is when the unconscious communicates with the conscious self.

It is important to remember that figuring out what your dreams mean is not always easy and it can take time to decipher their meaning and intent.

It could also be a sign of a need. For example, if you dream about an ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend, you may have a need for companionship or emotional support.

It is generally accepted that dreaming about a person, place or thing can be a sign that the person, place or thing is important in your life.

Dreams can indicate problems that you are currently facing.

Most importantly, dreams are symbolic representations of events in our waking life.

To understand the meaning of a dream, it helps to look at the context of the dream and how it relates to your waking life.

This can help you uncover their “hidden meaning”.

In summary, dreams can mean many different things.

For example, the dreamer may be curious about the person in their dream.

It is important to understand the context of the dream before reading too much into it.

How to dream about someone

There is no right or wrong way to dream about someone.

Nonetheless, one of the best ways to dream about someone is to focus on them when you are awake, which will help you remember them in your dreams.

This could be as simple as keeping them in your head while you work.

Alternatively, it could involve something much more intentional, like writing a letter to them and imagining what they think they would say.

This type of “intentional dreaming” is a form of lucid dreaming.

Lucid dreaming is a skill that allows you to become aware that you are dreaming while in your dreams.

You can control what happens in your dreams and experience anything your imagination can think of.

In other words, it’s an experience where you can consciously manipulate your dreams.

If you want to have lucid dreams, then there are certain things you can do before you go to bed.

Follow the 15 steps below and hopefully your lucid dreaming adventures will begin soon.

15 easy steps to amazing lucid dreaming

Have a positive attitude about lucid dreaming and think ahead about what you want to do in your lucid dream. drink enough Sleep in a dark room. Take a nap during the day. Stay active throughout the day to keep your mind fresh. Try to recall your lucid dreams from the past day or two. Practice observing your surroundings during the day. Remember to do reality checks throughout the day: ask yourself, “Am I dreaming now?” That way, if it’s a dream, you can control it. Before you go to bed, try to remember as many details of your day as possible. Set your alarm for 5 hours before you want to wake up. Alternatively, set your alarm to go off every 30 minutes. When the alarm clock rings, open your eyes and visualize yourself in the dream world. Try to get as comfortable as possible. Watch your breathing. Try to stay conscious. Imagine a place you want to visit or something you want to do in the dream, like fly or talk to someone.

When you return, write down what you experienced!

Keeping a dream journal like this makes it easier to remember your dreams and can be helpful for spotting patterns that bring clarity.

For this purpose, keep pen and paper by your bedside and write down everything you dreamed about

With these skills you can have amazing adventures, solve problems and face any fears that bother you in real life.

Have fun dreaming!

Other dream-related posts:

Images: via Pexels, Pixabay and Upsplash

Strange things keep popping up in your dreams – things you think shouldn’t be there: people you’ve never met, activities you’ve never done, skills you never had (raise your hand , if so ever became a full superhero and flew in a dream). Sometimes, however, your nocturnal wanderings are host to more… mundane things. Like cats for example. But what does it mean if you dream about cats? People tend to associate personality traits or characteristics with animals. So when animals appear in your dreams, they offer a fantastically rich dream decoding opportunity. This is especially the case when the animal is as familiar to humans as cats are.

Like any other dream topic, cat dreams can be your sleeping mind’s way of sending you a message. And that is why experts suggest to look for common lines in your dreams. “Whenever you wake up and can remember your dream, quickly jot down as much information as you can,” says Danielle Massi, LMFT, therapist and owner of The Wellness Collective. “Do this for several weeks and you will find that some patterns emerge from your dreams.”

From there, try to look past the cat symbolism. According to psychiatrist Josiah Teng, MHC-LP, it can be helpful to think of the cat as a puppet and the dream meaning as strings. “Look at his function,” he tells Bustle. “What role does the cat play in your dreams? Does it guide you through the dreamscape or wreak havoc with its actions? Do you feel comforted by his presence or threatened when he shows up? The cat’s actions reflect those of a force in your real life.”

Each dream symbol is a chance to better understand yourself and what you may need to address or change in your waking life. With this in mind, according to experts, here are different interpretations of cat dreams.

A History of Cats in Culture

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When interpreting this particular dream theme, it helps to be aware of the long history of mythology and symbolism associated with cats. For example, it’s possible you’ve learned about Bastet, the Egyptian tutelary goddess who was traditionally portrayed as a part cat, and now that the story has made its way into your dreams.

Then there is the long list of legends and folklore associated with cats. Some believe cats smother babies or cause both good and bad luck. Some say cats can also predict the weather. Depending on what you’ve heard, it might help explain why a cat appeared in one of your dreams and what the appearance might mean to you.

Then there is the psychological side to consider. While some schools of thought – such as those of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung – credit the idea of ​​universal dream symbols, other researchers disagree. In a 2012 Psychology Today article, Dr. Stephanie A. Sarkis: “Your chipmunk is not someone else’s chipmunk. The importance you attach to a chipmunk is your experience with chipmunks in everyday life.” So if your experience with chipmunks was mostly negative, chances are your dreams about chipmunks will be too – but someone who has had generally positive chipmunk experiences probably will have other dreams about them.

The same goes for cats, if you dream about cats the best way to interpret this dream is to look for themes and possibilities connecting your dreams with waking life and also to think about your own thoughts, feelings and associations with cats . When you find that out, you may be able to land on the cat dream meaning that is specific to you.

What it means when you dream about cats

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1. You want more independence

Have you noticed that cats often sleep alone, play alone, or stalk alone through the night? If yes, are you a little jealous?

According to licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Holly Schiff, Psy.D., Cat dreams often represent a desire for greater independence. “You may feel like you’re too dependent on others or that you long to be strong enough to stand on your own,” she tells Bustle.

To find out, look at the different elements of your dream. “If you dream that you can’t find your cat and it’s lost, it can be a metaphor for your own independence and a feeling that something is holding you back,” says Schiff. “Saving the life of a cat in your dream can be a symbol of regaining your independence.”

2. They tap into your feminine energy

Historically, cats have represented the divine feminine, Massi says, so consider how that might be true. According to Massi, if the cat is happy, it could mean that your divine feminine energy is in balance. But if the cat is unhappy, it may mean that some aspect of your energy is out of whack.

A cat dream could also indicate that a feminine energy in your life – like a friend or partner – is throwing you off balance or in need of more attention.

3. A spirit guide is trying to get your attention

Some believe that the Egyptian deity Bastet sends a cat via a dream as a message or an invitation to work with her, especially in moments when you need protection. To interpret this type of dream, Massi suggests researching what Bastet symbolizes to see if any of these elements apply to your life.

4. You feel uncomfortable

If you’re the cat in your dream, consider how you’re thinking and feeling as you move through the dream world, Teng suggests. For example, if you are constantly hiding from dogs, it could indicate that you are not feeling safe or that there is a threatening presence in your waking life that needs to be addressed.

“Cat dreams are often less about the cat itself and more about your relationship with the cat, their actions and your reaction,” he says. “By searching for threads connecting these elements and finding its counterpart in real life, you can find the meaning of cat in your dreams.”

5. You suspect someone is lying to you

Cats are said to be strongly associated with curiosity, stealth, and independence, but also with hidden knowledge, misfortune, and some sort of deception. Therefore, a dream about cats could mean that you suspect that someone is deceiving you, or that you are deceiving yourself about something. As you jot down these issues in your journal, consider whether there are any shady behaviors in your daily life that need to be addressed.

6. You must listen to your intuition

If a cat appears in your dream, listening to your intuition could be a powerful message. Like a cat, your intuition is always there, but it is often hidden and you are not aware of it.

Alternatively, depending on how you perceive cats, it could also represent something about yourself that you don’t want to reveal, either because you’re ashamed of it or lack the confidence to fully express yourself. Think of a cat hiding in the shadows.

Like cats themselves, your intuition is unpredictable. It shows up when it feels like it and isn’t easy to train or contain. Again, paying attention to how the cat appears in your dreams is important as it tells you how well attuned you are to your own intuition.

7. You feel overwhelmed

Cats are a dream symbol of independence, but there is an exception to this rule. When they appear in the form of a helpless kitten—representing innocence, purity, and openness to the future—you may feel vulnerable and overwhelmed. If so, take better care of yourself or ask for help when you need it and you might find this type of dream unraveling.

And depending on what is going on in your waking life, dreaming of a kitten or cat giving birth may suggest a new project or relationship or something or someone that you are not yet sure about or that needs nurturing to establish themselves. And if you have a lot of cats in your dreams, you may feel overwhelmed by chaos or confusion.

8. You are lonely

Had a dream of a cougar or bobcat hanging out in the forest or on a windswept mountaintop? Wild cat dreams could indicate that you are feeling free and independent or that you are feeling lonely. There are also often themes of survival, power, cunning, and ferocity to watch out for.

Whether it’s a lion, tiger, leopard, panther, or jaguar, a wild cat might indicate that you feel you are in a dangerous place, but that any difficulties can be overcome with courage and a roar. You have to face your fears. When you can clearly see which wild cat is chasing you, there is a whole new world of symbolism and association to delve deep into.

9. You need to trust yourself more

If you lost a cat in your dream or you are trying to find one, it indicates that in real life you are aware that you need to trust yourself more, but you are not there yet. Now may be the time for you to put your own emotional needs ahead of others. If the cat is being abused or neglected, consider your close relationships. Are there toxic patterns of codependency? Remember, people treat you the way you treat yourself.

10. You need to face an unresolved fear

Although some people only dream in black and white, most dream in vivid color, so you need to explore the color associations and see if they speak to you. is it a white cat You may have “difficult times” ahead of you. is it black Maybe you have an unresolved fear of something. Black cats are often mistaken for a sign of bad luck, which could indicate that you don’t trust your intuition enough. If you dream of an orange cat, it is a sign of unbridled creativity in your life.

11. You must embrace your uniqueness

Remember that what the cat is doing in your dream can affect its symbolism as well. If the cat is chasing a mouse or a toy, your subconscious may be telling you to embrace your independence and uniqueness no matter what others think. You may also see an interpretation of your own playful side, which could be an indication that you should show that playful side more often.

The final result

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According to Freud, cats represent erotic tensions, but Jung believed cats were an archetype, a source of inner inspiration and guidance. Cats can certainly be associated with your sexual energy or be a sign that sexual adventures are on your mind or maybe just on the horizon. The way forward is to express yourself and love like a cat: calmly be confident, listen to your intuition, choose your moment. Then don’t be afraid to explore and ask for whatever you want, like an inquisitive cat tends to be.

In summary, whether or not you are a cat person will determine whether dreaming about cats feels like a dream or a nightmare. If anything about the dream upsets or confuses you, try to figure out what’s going on in your waking life to make you feel that way. Your dreaming mind urges you to shine a spotlight on this topic and use your feelings towards cats and the lessons they can teach you to help you understand and heal what is holding you back.

In that sense, cat dreams – like their real-life counterparts – can truly become your best friend and your trusted lucky charm.

Sources:

Danielle Massi, LMFT, Therapist

dr Holly Schiff, Psy.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Josiah Teng, MHC-LP, Mental Health Clinician

Seeing a cat in a dream can have different meanings in Islam depending on the context in which it is seen. We explained it below.

1- According to Ibn Sirin رحمة الله عليه, the greatest interpreter of dreams in Islam, the cat in a dream is a corrupt thief.

2- Seeing a cat coming to your house means that a thief would come to your house.

3- Seeing a cat eating or taking or taking something from your house means that the thief would take something away.

4- Killing a cat in a dream means killing a thief.

5- According to Ibrahim Karmani رحمة الله عليه eating the meat of a cat in a dream shows that he would gain proportional wealth from the thief.

6- Fighting a cat in such a way that it scratches its body means it would get sick.

Win the battle = recover soon.

Losing the fight = prolonged illness.

What does it mean to get sick in a dream?

7- Milking a cat and then drinking its milk in a dream means that the dreamer will quarrel with someone.

8- According to Jafar Sadiq رحمة الله عليه, seeing a cat in a dream has the following reasons: thief, slanderer, servant, illness, kind woman, envious and fight.

Disclaimer: The material used for the Interpretation of Dreams was taken from the Ibn Sirin book on Interpretation of Dreams. You can read the book here.