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So, what does it mean if you see a bag or a piece of baggage in your dreams? We all carry baggage — we can’t help it. The events and emotions from our past affect our present state of mind and leave traces in our unconscious. That’s why we often find ourselves recalling moments from the past when they’re triggered by certain things in the present – like seeing a bag or piece of baggage in your dream. The significance of this symbol is not always easy to decode, but here are a few hints to help you understand what’s going on.
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Need more clarity? Keep reading this page to dive deeper into this symbol’s interpretation.
Bags in your dreams often mean more than just carrying items or work obligations. In many ways, on a subconscious level, bags represent the weight of what we’ve brought upon ourselves. They also represent current needs, wants, expectations, and other complications in our lives.
You might be feeling weighed down by your responsibilities or burdened by the weight of your past. Perhaps you feel stuck in a certain phase of your life, with little hope for future growth.
💬 Interpretation Tip
Pay attention to the bag (i.e., does it feel light or heavy?, is it large or small?, is it easy to carry or hard?). These characteristics will help determine what this dream means for you.When you dream about carrying or holding a bag, that might be alluding to some sort of emotional baggage in your life – something unresolved, unfinished, and weighing you down. It’s a sign that uncomfortable emotions experienced in your waking life are heavy and needs to be looked at.
The dream may point to personal problems or other issues which are weighing you down. Look at the specific aspects in your baggage dream to see if it can point to specific feelings or situations that are emotionally charged in your life. Alternatively, emotions drawn from the past are making it difficult for you to progress in your life. Overall, this dream is inviting you to investigate and inquire outwardly and inwardly about what’s making you feel uneasy.
In a dream, baggage or luggage is often a symbol for your past. This could be an event from your past that is confusing to you or a part of your past that you wish you could take back. The contents of the suitcase can provide clues regarding how you experienced an aspect of your past or what you hope to keep from your past.
Pay attention to the content of the bag, as it holds the key to the lessons of our past and how they are influencing our present. For example, if the suitcase is packed with items that hold sentimental value to you, you’ll be approaching future situations with an old perspective. Perhaps your past provides guidance for your present situation, but you need to reevaluate certain things in order to reach your equilibrium.
The bag may start as a child’s first schoolbag and may grow up to become a parent’s grocery bag or the briefcase that the businessman carries on her shoulder each day. It is always associated with purpose, movement, and progression. The psychoanalyst Carl Jung saw the bag as a symbol of libido which is always seeking new adventures and pleasures.
The bag is the vessel for carrying what one needs for their journey in life, but it is also a container – a metaphor for the self. The shape, color of the bag or its contents may change depending on where you are in your life’s journey, but that doesn’t mean that you should just leave everything behind if it no longer suits you or your current life condition. You can always carry some of it with you while leaving behind what no longer serves any purpose.
Bags or luggage are common symbols of adventure, especially journeys to unknown places. They are filled with things that are important to you, things you are leaving behind, and things that are about to happen to you. The bag itself is a symbol of your control over your own life and state of mind. You are not leaving anything behind. You are in charge of the things that are important to you, at least for the time being.
Alternatively, the bag or luggage may be an indication that you are running away from something or someone. The contents reveal what you want to escape from, or what you need to take with you on the journey. It also shows where your priorities lie at this point in your life.
Bags come in many shapes and sizes that reflects the needs of the wearer. A man’s briefcase is far bigger than his wife’s handbag, but what one carries may depend on their personal preference and how they feel and dress at any given time. These differences are symbolic of our individual need to have a sense of identity and express it though our appearance and accessories.
In terms of fashion, the bag is a symbol of being stylish and fashionable, especially when it is worn to match the pair of shoes and the matching apparel. The core idea here is to make a statement with your accessories. They can say: “I care how I look” or “I care about what other people think”. Symbolically, bags may represent self-image or the personality traits we perceive ourselves as having or lacking.
The bag itself may represent the dreamer, while its content may symbolize aspects of the dreamer’s personality, values, abilities, past and present experiences. It can be a symbol of what you carry within yourself, like the ideas that you carry close to your heart. The bottom ine is that it provides clues regarding what is important in your life.
A bag, whether it’s a simple shoulder or duffle bag or a suitcase is a container for your “stuff.” It symbolizes the burdens, but also the hopes you carry. It also represents what you bring with you when you go from one phase of your life to the next. It can also represent the place where you store your thoughts, feelings, and ideas when they are out of sight or out of mind.
It is common for people to feel they have lost control of their life in some way when a bag or suitcase appears in a dream. This object may represent the regulation of your emotions during that time of disruption or change.
Bags help us keep ourselves together. Seeing a bag in a dream reminds us that we need to be organized and prepared for any eventuality. The power of the bag is that it can keep one’s possessions in order, even if your mind seems to be in chaos. It represents the mind’s ability to focus on what it needs, knowing that everything that matters will ultimately fit into its place.
If the bag’s contents are not in order, this may represent efforts to sort out personal stuff that have left things in disarray. One should also consider that an unorganized life can reflect unorganized thinking or indecisive behavior that may be affecting how one feels about themselves and others.
Bags are also closely linked with the feminine. From a symbolic perspective, the bag is an iconic of womanhood, being intimately related to their biological imperative of childbearing. Its shape and function denote carrying. More specifically, the bag has long been used to symbolize the womb and feminine nourishment.
From the perspective of fashion, bags also represent femininity; they may carry all the things that women need on a regular basis and be a way to express our attention to beauty and good appearances. As such, the bag is also an embodiment of the woman’s role in society, whether it’s to carry her belongings or grow her family. So when interpreting the meaning of your dream, check if it is associated with a feminine presence in your life or possibly motherhood.
A leather bag symbolizes luxury and power. You are feeling successful, either in your life’s work or at the moment. You are feeling good about yourself. Dreaming of a leather bag usually reflects your need to take care of yourself and your possessions. It is an indication that you are feeling secure and stable. This dream may also indicate that you are preoccupied with building up a sense of self-identity. The leather bag represents a part of you that tends to be old-fashioned and traditional. It also can be thought of as representing your goals in life.
A plastic bag is often seen as disposable, which may be indicative of someone who lives a reckless lifestyle that comes at the expense of their own safety or wellbeing. A plastic bag can also mean that you are carrying too much weight on your shoulders, and need to lighten the load. Plastic bags also represent regret over decisions made in the past and worry about what might befall us in the future. This type of bag is an indication that the dreamer is not allowing themselves to have any special treatment.
A trashbag often represents memories that have been buried deep within our subconscious because they were either too difficult or too painful to deal with at the time. They also can symbolize the need to discard old or useless things in our lives, or to make room for something new. Trash bags can also be a symbol of your need to take care of your physical body and the environment. Your dream may also be referring to your subconscious desire to be clean and fresh.
The backpack is an invitation to take your next step. The backpacker is an adventurer who sets out to see the world, whatever the obstacles may be. It is also symbolic of the person who carries their life on their back. It indicates you are carrying your life on your back in various ways, perhaps physically or emotionally. Alternatively, backpacks are a symbol of a childlike imagination and creative spirit. They represent the self-expression one has to be powerful and powerful.
Totes are a symbol of carrying an emotional burden or the amount of emotional baggage you are carrying. It points to the emotionally heavy issues or life problems at this point in time.
The satchel represents the cranny of your life. It may reflect your inner thoughts or emotions, or it can indicate that you are carrying a secret to protect. You may be “carrying” a secret or burden, but it is one that you are compelled to keep.
A duffle bag can represent a person’s physical presence. It can also represent your inner self, your attitudes, beliefs, and preconceived notions. The duffle bag may also symbolize either the personal belongings of someone who is away. Sometimes, it may point to an excess of physical possessions.
A briefcase symbolizes the accumulation of knowledge and experience you have accumulated over the years. It can reflect a feeling of importance or a sense of superiority, perhaps in a business or job setting. The briefcase is a symbol of the life you lead and the choices you make.
It’s usually associated with your professional identity and your serious attitude towards work. It is a symbol of success and happiness after a long struggle. It can also represent your ability to look after others or manage their lives.
A purse is a symbol of a woman’s femininity and empowerment. When a man dreams of a purse, it may represent his feminine side. The size of the purse may represent the significance of your relationship with women in your life. A purse is also symbolic of your financial stability and status in your community. The purse may indicate that you are worried about your financial security. It can reflect a fear of losing what you have, and it may also represent the control you feel you have over the direction of your life.
This symbolizes the dreamer’s need for constant reassurance. It may also be symbolic of needing to care for others. The dreamers may be feeling that their life is a burden or a responsibility. If the grocery bag is full of sustenance, it may represent your own resourcefulness in life.
Money symbolizes your resources. So if you dream that you are holding a bag full of money, this means that you feel rich or successful. You are holding the resources that you need to carry on with your life.
This symbolizes someone who is feeling very insecure. The dreamer may be feeling overwhelmed and is looking for security, or it could reflect feelings of being vulnerable in the world.
This symbolizes someone who is trying to squeeze their entire life into one bag, but it may also symbolize needing to slow down and take things one at a time. It may be an indication that it’s time to take a break and enjoy yourself. It could represent someone who is very disciplined or someone that has self-control that is second to none. Alternatively, it may represent a lack of self-discipline.
This represents the snake shedding its skin and may refer to transformation, reinvention, renewal, or shedding bad habits that you want to leave behind. It could also represent the dreamer’s struggle with facing life’s trials before beginning something new and different in their life.
There are many variations of this dream imagery. Here are common scenarios to help you decipher its meaning:
If you’re leaving your bag on a train, this may represent the dreamer’s desire to travel. It may also be symbolic of impulsiveness, leaving a life situation behind, or getting rid of something toxic to you.
If you’re losing your bag, this represents feeling overwhelmed by the burdens of life, and not being able to manage a changing lifestyle. It could also symbolize being complacent or being lazy about your own life.
If you try to pick up or open the bag, but can’t manage to, that could symbolize your inability to deal with something that’s weighing on your mind. However, if the bag gets stuck somewhere along the way, that might show that you’re not quite ready to deal with it yet.
Maybe you see yourself putting the bag away, storing it for now. This might be an indication that you recognize that this emotional baggage is still affecting you presently, but you’ve decided to wait with dealing with it until a more opportune time comes along.
If you or someone else picks up the bag and puts it on their back, this could symbolize how one resolves to deal with her emotions by acknowledging them and taking responsibility for them.
If you see yourself carrying and moving a bag, that might symbolize the way you’re trying to convince someone to take responsibility for something in your life. For example, trying to get your significant other to acknowledge that there’s some unresolved issue between you. Or how someone is trying to convince you to take responsibility for something in your life.
If you are having trouble putting together all the things inside the bag, this indicates that you are dealing with any unfinished business that is affecting how you feel about yourself or others.
If you dream about storing bags, it is telling that something has been forgotten from your past or that you need to leave the past behind.
If you find money in a garbage bag, this is symbolic of the dreamer looking for a chance to have a better life. The person may be trying to make an important decision about their career or relationship but is not sure whether or not they can make ends meet. They might also be struggling with financial problems.
A heavy bag may mean that you are carrying the weight of others’ expectations, trying to live up to what you think others think of you. Perhaps your dreams are warning that it is time to cut ties with people who are no longer in your life who are dragging you down instead of lifting you up.
If the bag in your dream is light, it can mean that you’ve accepted something in your life — the emotional baggage — and armed yourself with the knowledge and resources necessary for moving on, carrying it along with you.
If the bag is missing most of its weight, that could symbolize your decision to let go of some of your emotional burdens. You seem to have learned something from whatever was troubling you at that point in your life.
If a suitcase is empty, then it refers to a void inside of us that needs to be filled.
A bag or suitcase full of objects can be interpreted in various ways. It may represent the unnecessary burdens in our lives, an overabundance of things to do, or someone who is taking advantage of you.
If the bag has a broken handle, then this points to troubles holding us back in life.
If you dream of a bag or luggage with wheels, it indicates that you need to keep a positive attitude and keep trying hard.
If you dream of a grocery bag, it means that you have too much stress in your life, and this particular bag has been filled to the brim with negative emotions. Alternatively, it might point to your desire to be more abundant in your life.
The symbol of a bag in dreams is rich in meanings. It can be interpreted as carrying the burden of life and all its stressors; it may also be telling you to think about what’s really important in life. The meaning will depend largely on the specific context of your dream. The bottom line is that dreams featuring bags are telling you to get it together, get on top of your responsibilities and fight the good fight. Life is full of baggage, but it doesn’t need to weigh you down.
Elena Harris is one of World of Dreams’ leading writers. Her approach combines the traditional wisdom of ancient cultures with the latest scientific research to bring a fresh, engaging perspective to dream interpretation. More about Elena
