The Secret Language of Symbols: Shoes

Power, identity and finding what fits

Shoes are such ordinary objects that we rarely think much about them unless, of course, they're uncomfortable. Yet they are surprisingly rich in symbolism, especially in dreams.

Shoes carry us through life. They protect our feet, help us stay balanced, and let us move from one place to another. They also tell others something about who we are, or who we would like them to think we are.

Expensive shoes may convey wealth or status. Worn-out shoes might suggest hardship, long experience or simply a reluctance to throw away an old favourite. High heels can make us feel elegant, attractive or powerful, although they can make walking decidedly difficult.

Our language is full of associations between shoes and identity. We talk about walking in someone else's shoes, finding our feet, following in another person's footsteps, or having big shoes to fill.

So, what might it mean when shoes appear in our dreams?

A dream about a powerful man and an extraordinary number of shoes

I was in the home of an extremely wealthy and influential man. He reminded me of Logan Roy from the TV series Succession, someone with enormous power who seemed able to get whatever he wanted.

I noticed that boxes and boxes of shoes were being delivered into an adjoining room. There were shoes of every imaginable style, colour and size, all intended for this one man.

I couldn't understand why he needed so many shoes. How many feet did he have?

Then I noticed some women's shoes. They weren't mine, but they were lovely, and I was particularly attracted to a pair of pink high heels.

I tried them on, but they were too big.

And that was the dream.

What interests me is the contrast between the powerful man, with his extraordinary shoe collection, and the woman who finds one beautiful pair she wants to wear, only to discover they don't fit.

Before exploring the dream, though, let's consider some of the symbolism associated with shoes.

Shoes and the paths we take

Perhaps the most obvious association is with our journey through life.

We need footwear suited to the terrain. Walking boots are rather more useful on a mountain than a pair of stilettos, however beautiful the latter might be. I have yet to meet anyone who considers stilettos suitable footwear for a lengthy hike.

In dreams, comfortable, well-fitting shoes might suggest that we feel at ease with the direction our lives are taking. Shoes that pinch or rub could invite us to consider whether something about our circumstances no longer fits.

Losing our shoes might leave us feeling vulnerable or unprepared, while finding a new pair could suggest a different direction.

But symbols don't have fixed meanings. Someone who grew up wearing second-hand shoes that never fit properly might have very different associations than someone for whom shoes have always been a source of pleasure, beauty or self-expression.

The dreamer's personal associations, feelings and circumstances that matter.

Shoes in myth and fairy tales

Shoes have appeared in myths, religious traditions and fairy tales for centuries.

Perhaps the best-known example is Cinderella's glass slipper. The shoe identifies its rightful owner and becomes the means by which Cinderella moves from obscurity into recognition. Psychologically, we might wonder whether the slipper represents an identity finally being acknowledged. It fits her, and nobody else.

There is also a sexual interpretation, with the foot entering the slipper suggesting the penis entering the vagina. From an alchemical perspective, this might be understood as a metaphor for the conjunctio, the union of masculine and feminine principles. Cinderella's marriage to the prince provides an outward image of this union, while psychologically the conjunctio suggests bringing masculine and feminine aspects together within ourselves.

In Hans Christian Andersen's The Red Shoes, the symbolism is darker. A girl becomes obsessed with her beautiful red shoes and finds herself condemned to dance uncontrollably. What begins as pleasure becomes a compulsion that takes possession of her.

Then there are Hermes' winged sandals, which let him travel between worlds and carry messages between gods and mortals.

Shoes can also shape our relationship with the sacred, though removing them can carry symbolism.

In the biblical story of Moses and the burning bush, Moses is told to remove his sandals because he is standing on holy ground. Traditionally, this is understood as an act of reverence and humility. Psychologically, we might also understand it as setting aside our usual defences and allowing ourselves to encounter something sacred without the protection of our everyday identity.

Barefoot, we are more vulnerable, but also more directly connected to the ground beneath us.

The powerful man

Returning to the dream, the association with Logan Roy is particularly interesting. Here is a man accustomed to wielding enormous power, influencing others and getting what he wants, often with little regard for their feelings.

From a Jungian perspective, he might represent an aspect of the animus, the masculine principle in a woman's psyche, or something belonging to the shadow: qualities we possess but prefer not to recognise as our own.

Power is an interesting subject. We may be perfectly comfortable exercising authority in some circumstances while feeling distinctly uneasy about it in others. We might admire strength and decisiveness yet recoil from domination or control.

I would want to explore the dreamer's relationship with her own authority. Does she find it difficult to say no, make demands or act without worrying about other people's reactions?

Logan Roy certainly isn't a man who loses much sleep wondering whether everyone likes him.

Jung suggested that dreams sometimes compensate for one-sided attitudes in our conscious lives. If someone is excessively accommodating, for example, a dream might introduce a forceful, even aggressive character who embodies qualities they find difficult to express.

Might this woman need a little more Logan Roy in her life?

Not the cruelty or manipulation, obviously, but perhaps some of his capacity to exercise authority without constantly seeking approval.

Of course, the man might also represent the darker possibilities of power, its capacity to corrupt, intimidate and control. The dreamer's own associations would help us explore which possibilities were relevant.

Why so many shoes?

Then there's the extraordinary number of shoes, arriving in boxes, all different sizes, colours and styles.

Shoes can represent different identities and roles. We dress for the circumstances, and our footwear may be part of the identity we want to present. In Jungian terms, this could relate to the persona, the face we show the world.

But why would one man need so many different pairs, especially in sizes that couldn't all possibly fit him?

Perhaps this is simply an image of excess, of accumulating far more than one person could ever need.

I'd also want to ask the dreamer about her personal associations. Does she love shoes? Does she have too many? Has she recently argued about the number she owns? Dreams can turn an ordinary conversation from the previous day into something wonderfully extravagant.

Or could the shoes represent the man's ability to adopt whatever identity suits the circumstances? He can present himself differently depending on whom he's dealing with.

There's another possibility. Might the shoes represent other people's positions? Does he have the power to step into their lives, occupy their territory or influence the direction they take?

And the shoes are being delivered to him. He doesn't even have to go out and choose them.

I would be interested in how the dreamer felt about this extraordinary abundance. Was she impressed, envious, amused, or uncomfortable?

Her response could tell us far more than any symbolism dictionary.

The pink high heels

Then the dreamer's attention shifts to the woman's shoes. They're beautiful, and she is particularly drawn to a pink pair of high heels.

Pink might suggest femininity, pleasure, sexuality or playfulness. High heels can make us taller, change our posture and alter how we walk. They may give us confidence while simultaneously restricting our freedom of movement.

The dreamer wants to wear them.

But they're a size too large.

We sometimes speak of having big shoes to fill when taking on a role previously occupied by someone else. Could these shoes represent some aspect of the dreamer she hasn't yet grown into?

Or might they represent something attractive that simply isn't right for her?

We can admire a way of being without wanting to adopt it ourselves. Something can be beautiful, desirable, even enviable, and still not fit.

But perhaps she underestimates her own size, psychologically speaking. Might she have more capacity, authority or influence than she consciously recognises?

I would want to know how she felt when she discovered the shoes were too big. Disappointed? Frustrated? Amused? Or did she simply put them down and move on?

These feelings might take our exploration in quite different directions.

What if everyone in the dream is an aspect of the dreamer?

Gestalt offers another way of exploring dreams.

In Gestalt dreamwork, developed by Fritz Perls, we can experiment with the idea that every person, object and element in a dream represents some aspect of ourselves.

Rather than asking only what the powerful man symbolises, I might invite the dreamer to imagine being him.

I could ask her to speak in the first person:

I am powerful. I have connections everywhere. People bring me whatever I want. I have all these shoes because...

Then I might invite her to become the boxes of shoes:

We are arriving in enormous numbers. We come in different colours, styles and sizes. We are here because...

And finally, the pink high heels:

I am beautiful. I attract your attention. You want to wear me, but I'm too big for you because...

The point is to allow the words to come spontaneously rather than work out what they ought to mean.

The man might reveal an aspect of her that feels entitled to exercise authority. The shoes might represent roles she has occupied, or possibilities she hasn't yet considered. The pink high heels might say something about femininity, pleasure, or confidence.

I might also invite the powerful man and the pink shoes to have a conversation. Would he dismiss them as frivolous? Might they challenge his authority?

The most interesting material is often what surprises us, not what confirms an interpretation we've already decided on.

Masculine and feminine power

This dream may distinguish between masculine and feminine expressions of power.

The man's power is associated with influence, control and perhaps intimidation. The pink shoes suggest something different: beauty, sexuality, pleasure or the power of being seen and desired.

But is this a form of feminine power the dreamer actually wants?

Or is she trying on an idea of femininity that doesn't quite belong to her?

The pink high heels might represent a conventional expression of femininity, one associated with glamour, sexuality and the desire to be admired.

There's nothing wrong with any of those things, but how much of what we consider feminine comes from our own nature, and how much from the expectations we've absorbed?

As women, we may spend years trying to fit into an image of femininity that doesn't entirely suit us.

Perhaps these shoes were never really hers. Alternatively, they might represent qualities she has neglected or rejected, and which are now asking for attention.

I also wonder whether she has become so accustomed to wearing sensible shoes, literally or metaphorically, that she has forgotten the pleasure of occasionally being a little frivolous.

And why should authority and decisiveness belong to the masculine, while beauty and attractiveness belong to the feminine?

Jung's ideas about masculine and feminine principles can be useful, provided we don't take them too literally. We all contain qualities traditionally associated with both, and individuation involves becoming more conscious of those aspects of ourselves we may have overlooked or rejected.

Whose house is it, anyway?

One final detail interests me.

The dream takes place in the powerful man's home.

If everything in the dream represents an aspect of the dreamer, the house might represent her psyche.

Yet the man owns it, while she appears to be a visitor.

Why does this powerful part of her feel so comfortable at home, while the part curious about the woman's shoes is merely visiting?

Perhaps she is encountering a part of herself she doesn't yet know very well.

I'd want to explore how the house felt. Was it welcoming or threatening? Did she feel entitled to be there, or did she feel like she didn't quite belong?

The dream might concern her relationship with authority, different identities she has occupied, or possibilities she has yet to explore.

I wouldn't want to settle on any one interpretation. Dreams resist our attempts to tidy them up, and I suspect that's often where their value lies.

Some questions for your own dreams

If shoes have appeared in your dreams, you might like to consider:

• What sort of shoes were they, and what associations do you have with them?

• Were they yours, or did they belong to someone else?

• Did they fit comfortably, or were they unsuitable in some way?

• Where were you going, and were the shoes appropriate for the journey?

• If the shoes could speak, what might they say?

• Are there roles or identities in your life that no longer fit, or others you haven't yet dared to try on?

In these blogs, I share my thoughts on dreams and their symbolism. When I discuss a client’s dream, I put far more work into it than I wish to reveal here: time spent exploring their associations, memories, and feelings, through which the dream’s personal meaning emerges. My aim in this series is to help readers become curious about symbols and recognise their possibilities, while keeping the fuller exploration of a client’s inner life within therapy.

The dream discussed in this article has been adapted for illustration and is not presented as an actual client account.