Doppelgänger

The doppelgänger — literally the ‘double-walker’ in German — is oneself met as another. Egyptian tradition gave us the ka, the spiritual double that accompanies the person through life. Germanic folklore treats the doppelgänger as an omen of trouble, sometimes of death. Jung read the dream-double more constructively: as a confrontation with an aspect of the self that the ego has been holding at arm’s length. To dream of meeting your own double and speak with them is unusual and significant. Notice how your double differs from you — they often carry the disowned quality most relevant to your current life. The integration that follows can be profound.