Jung saw the dark, enclosed labyrinth as a symbol of the tortuous depths of the unconscious and a dream of entering it as a voyage of self-discovery or an attempt to locate a deeply buried emotion. The void at the center of the labyrinth may suggest despair but it can also symbolize serenity and calm. A labyrinth is an archetype with which you can have direct experience. It is a metaphor for your life’s journey. As in the Greek myth of Theseus who entered King Minos’ labyrinth in Crete to slay the Minotaur, your descent into the unconscious, hidden aspects of your nature may involve confronting impulses that threaten your personal security and well-being.
Mazes are often confused with labyrinths but they are quite different. Labyrinths tend to symbolize the quest for knowledge and freedom, whereas mazes mirror the general confusion that may be fogging your sense of purpose in waking life. A maze is first of all open to the light, whereas a labyrinth is in the dark; furthermore, a maze has numerous entry points whereas a labyrinth only has one. A maze is like a puzzle to be solved, possessing twists, turns and blind alleys. It is a task that requires logical, sequential, analytical activity to find the correct path into the maze and out. A labyrinth, on the other hand, involves intuition and creativity. With a labyrinth there is only one choice to be made. The choice is to enter or not to enter. With mazes there are many choices to be made, with many entrances and exits.
Dead ends and cul-de-sacs present riddles to be solved. Mazes challenge the choice-making part of yourself.
In dreams, a maze can therefore reflect the difficulty in finding a direction to follow in life. No one can predict what is right or wrong, so you may have to rely on your instincts. If, in your dream, you have a map, chart or password to help you navigate your maze, this may reassure you that you are on the right path. Mazes can also often portray a confusion of ideas and feelings, the difficulty in finding your way through the mass of apparently irrational emotions and images arising from within, or the variety of opinions and seemingly authoritative sources of information with which the modern world bombards you. You may dream of a maze of corridors, for example, during periods in which your life seems particularly complicated and you are faced with choices and decisions. In this sense, the maze represents an attempt to find your way through conscious thoughts, opinions and doubts, to an opinion or mindset that is yours alone.
If you enlisted the aid of a ladder to help you get out of your maze, your dreaming mind may have been suggesting that you take a more logical, rational overview of your situation.
If you found a way out of your maze, this suggests that you will find a way to break free; but if you found yourself ending up in the same place whatever path you took, this could be reflecting your sense in waking life of going round in circles, covering the same ground or not being able to make a breakthrough. Bear in mind that tunnels and paths in dreams represent transitions, and entrances represent new directions; perhaps you have been so overwhelmed with emotion and confusion that you have not seen the opportunities already being presented to you. [1]