Shoes are interesting things. Sometimes they can tell you a lot about a person. A professional tracker, for instance, can discern the approximate weight, posture, and gait of an individual just by examining the imprint of the sole of their shoe upon soft ground. We can also make fairly accurate guesses about a person’s occupation, lifestyle, or recreational interests by the shoes they wear and the markings on them.
In dreams, shoes typically symbolize our foundational beliefs, or standpoint, in life. A man dreamed, “I am walking through a town wearing the leather sandals of a Greek soldier.” The dreamer was being guided by his unconscious to be a warrior for the values he associated with ancient Greece. For him these included democracy, self-knowledge, and love.
Whether in our dreams or in outer life, shoes can reveal interesting things about ourselves or our attitudes. For example, a friend of mine misplaced the shoes he was going to wear to his wedding and had to wear those of another friend instead. After the wedding he tried to find his shoes but was unable to. This event suggests that perhaps he was reluctant to make this important step in his life, to stand up for his marriage. Hence the shoes are misplaced. The fact that he could not find the shoes even after the wedding highlight the reality of the new identity or role he was stepping into when he got married. His old standpoint, or orientation to life, would no longer do. He had outgrown his old shoes and there was no going back.
Saddam Hussein and George Bush were bitter enemies during the Iraq War. Both portrayed the other as an evil, dangerous man. From a Jungian standpoint, each was a shadow figure to the other, someone on whom they could hang the projection of their own power drives. How ironic, then, that in 2003, during the height of their conflicts, both were buying the same model shoes from the same Italian shoemaker (http://rense.com/general34/snappy.htm). For all of their supposed differences and diametrical opposition, life reveals them to have had a similar standpoint or attitude. This likely referred to their pursuit of power and their willingness to deceive and oppress other people in order to get it. Although they would probably hate to admit it, George Bush and Saddam Hussein were kindred spirits. Or, perhaps “solemates” would be a better term.