Abyss in Dreams
abyss · abysses · chasm · precipice · cliff edge · the edge · deep drop · ravine
An abyss is read as depth without a visible bottom, and as the edge one stands at while looking into it. It is commonly taken to signify a matter that cannot be entered halfway, a decision that must be made whole or not at all. Readings generally place the emphasis on the edge rather than the drop, since standing at a rim is the position the image actually describes.
Abyss imagery is usually approached as depth encountered rather than depth entered. Readings attend to the ground underfoot, which in these dreams typically holds, and to the fact that looking is not the same as moving. Interpretation treats the image as a way of registering scale and seriousness, and generally notes that the dreamer is placed at the edge as an observer rather than anywhere else.
By detail
Size
a depth with no discernible bottom
Immeasurable depth is read as a matter whose extent cannot be established from where the dreamer stands. Some readings treat this as the honest description of something not yet understood. A different line emphasises that a bottom which cannot be seen has not been shown to be absent, and reads the image as a limit of vantage rather than a statement about the depth.
Place
standing at the edge, with the ground holding
The edge that holds is read as the central image of this entry. It is commonly taken to signify a person positioned before something serious with solid ground beneath them, which readings treat as the ordinary condition rather than a narrow escape. Some lines emphasise the steadiness of the rim itself, noting that an edge is a place people stand on and walk along far more often than anything else.
a bridge, path or crossing over the gap
A way across is read as the recognition that depth can be traversed rather than only faced. It is often taken to signify a route already established by someone, since bridges are built before they are used. Interpretation attends to whether the dreamer crosses, waits or turns, and generally treats all three as legitimate readings of the same position.
Action
stepping back from the edge
Withdrawal from the rim is read as a decision to view something from further off. One line of interpretation treats this as caution well applied, recognising that not every depth needs to be examined closely. A different line emphasises the composure in it, and reads stepping back as the deliberate act of a person who has seen enough for now and chooses their own distance.
looking down into it without falling
Looking into depth while remaining where one is is read as the capacity to consider something serious without being taken into it. It is generally taken to signify steadiness under a difficult view. Some readings treat this as courage; others read it more plainly as attention, noting that looking and moving are separate acts and the image keeps them separate.
sitting at the edge, remaining there calmly
Settling at a rim is read as an unhurried relation to something serious. It is commonly taken to signify a person who has stopped treating depth as something requiring an immediate response. Some readings treat the calm as acceptance of a matter's size; others read it as familiarity, noting that an edge one has sat at before is simply a place.
Feeling
vertigo or unease at the rim
Dizziness at an edge is read as the body registering scale before the mind has finished with it. It is commonly taken to signify the physical response to seriousness rather than an assessment of danger. Readings generally treat the feeling as ordinary at any height, and note that unease at a rim is what tells a person where the rim is.
Outcome
the far side visible across the gap
Seeing the opposite rim is read as depth understood as a division rather than as an end. It is generally taken to signify a separation with something recognisable on the other side, which readings treat as different from a drop with nothing beyond it. Some lines emphasise the distance; others emphasise that both sides are ground of the same kind.
Other
the abyss seen at a distance, in a landscape
Depth held in view from afar is read as awareness of something serious that is not currently underfoot. It is commonly taken to signify knowledge of a matter's existence without being at its edge. Interpretation usually treats this as the least pressing form of the image, and notes that most depths in a landscape are simply features of the terrain.