Dear Claire,
I dreamt that I was at school, living my best life and hanging out with my friends. Then, out of nowhere, I see a pair of white Converse shoes, just walking my way. I start walking away, trying to act like I didn’t see them. Then, the shoes started running my way. So, I ran and ran and ran. I ended up in the middle of nowhere, and the shoes were still coming my way! Then, I forced myself to wake up. I’ve been having a lot of dreams where I am running from something, but I am a really out-of-shape person. I never run or anything. What do you think this means?
While shoes, feet, and running are extremely common dream symbols, they can have multiple and complex meanings. For this reason, context is of great importance when trying to unlock the meaning of a dream which centers on shoes, feet, or the act of running. In addition, when running is one of the central themes in a dream (whether it is running feet or running shoes), it is also important for the dreamer to note the direction of the running – as in, is the dreamer/feet/shoes running away from or running towards a person, place, or thing in the dream situation?
Running towards something or someone is usually symbolic of the dreamer’s wish or intention to acquire or reach some person, place, thing, situation, or condition. Conversely (no pun intended), running away from something or someone could indicate a wish or intention to leave or escape from that person, place, thing, situation, or condition. As to the dream symbolism of feet, we use our feet to stand, to walk, and to run – and they support us and are imperative to our progress and survival.
At their most basic symbolic level, feet are classic symbols of progress, survival, and being able to “get somewhere” in life. On the other hand, shoes, which serve as protection for our feet, enable us to stand, walk, and run more efficiently, safely, and painlessly. Thus, shoes, at their most basic symbolic level, are classic symbols of not only personal progress in life and the ability to move forward in life, but are also symbols of moving forward and making progress in a more efficient, safe, effective, and painless manner.
However, because context is crucial to fully understanding the meaning of feet and shoes in a dream, in addition to noting the direction and/or destination, the dreamer should also note whether the feet and shoes are firmly grounded – or whether there is tripping, stumbling, or falling (which are possible symbols of difficulty in making progress). If the feet and shoes being featured in the dream are firmly rooted to the ground, they would then, most likely, either be representative of the dreamer being firmly grounded in life – or of being stuck and unable to make progress or move forward in life.
In the above dream, however, the dreamer is not only being followed by a pair of shoes, she is being chased by them, and both she and the shoes are running. After communicating with the dreamer, it was revealed that the type of shoes in her dream is the exact type that she wears in her waking life. It was also revealed that the dreamer has recently had a great deal of angst regarding her lack of progress in school and her lack of progress in working towards her goals for the future.
The dreamer indicated that she had been “slacking” and “running away from everything,” which explains the running in her dream, and that she had been experiencing a great deal of guilt due to this avoidance of her responsibilities. The dreamer also stated that she had been trying to ignore everything and “just put it out of my head.” However, our subconscious minds won’t usually allow us to do that – and that is exactly what happened in this dreamer’s case. When she consciously tried to block her duties to herself and her future by attempting to put them out of her thoughts, her brain, knowing what is best for her as an individual, decided to veto her and send her a strong reminder by way of her dreams. Via her subconscious, dreaming mind, it sent a vivid, personal symbol of moving forward in life (her shoes) to hunt her down and hold her accountable.
