Dreams of Growth and Shrinking: I Am Larger or Smaller Than I Ought to Be

“Growth and shrinking appear to those who feel ‘not in their own size’ — and are seeking the one that is real.”

“I am too small” or “I am too big” — these are feelings that many of us know firsthand. In childhood, we literally were small in an adult world, and then this feeling had physical meaning. But in adult life, too, it returns — as an image, a sensation, a metaphor.

“Alice in Wonderland” is a story about constant changes in size: sometimes too big, sometimes too small. Lewis Carroll, perhaps without knowing it himself, wrote one of the most accurate stories about the feeling of “not being one’s own size” in a world where the rules are constantly changing.

In physiology, growth is associated with strength, expansion, taking up space. Shrinking — with vulnerability, protection, compactness. Both strategies make sense: sometimes one needs to grow, sometimes — to contract.

In dreams, a change in size speaks to a change in your “place” in the world. Of your sense of your own significance, power, the right to take up space.

You Are Growing, Becoming Larger

You are growing. The body is becoming larger. Or the voice — louder. Or the presence — more palpable. In this image there is something gaining strength.

Your Warrior speaks through this image — the part that knows: you have the right to take up space. Growth in a dream is an image of gaining strength, space, voice. This may be literal: a growth in confidence, authority, influence. Or — growth in the sense of “allowing yourself to be noticeable.”

Many people, especially those who in childhood were taught “not to stick out,” “not to take up too much space,” “to be more modest,” carry within themselves an inner prohibition on growth. Growth in a dream signals the cancellation of this prohibition. Or — the beginning of this process.

Ask yourself: “Is there a sphere in my life where I want to ‘grow’ — take up more space, speak louder, be more noticeably present? What prevents me from doing this? Whose voice says: ‘don’t stick out’?”

Stand at full height, open your shoulders, let your body take up more space. Stay there for half a minute. Size is trained physically.

Astrological note: Growth in a dream points to Jupiter or the Sun in the 1st house, or a transit of Jupiter through the Ascendant. Leo and Sagittarius with a powerful Sun or Jupiter carry this capacity for healthy growth and expansion. If Jupiter is currently transiting your 1st house — your place in the world is expanding.

You Are Shrinking in Size

You are becoming smaller. Small like a child, or even smaller. The world around is huge. In this image there is something that feels tiny.

Your Inner Child speaks here — the part that remembers what it’s like to be small in a big world. Shrinking in a dream often reflects a real experience: you feel “small” before someone or something. Overwhelmed. Insignificant. Or — vulnerable, unprotected.

This can also point to regression — a temporary return to the child part of yourself. Sometimes this is necessary: to take care of that child inside who didn’t receive enough attention.

Important: “small” does not mean “bad.” Small means — vulnerable and in need of care. Of support. Of safety.

Ask yourself: “Are there situations where I feel ‘small’ — before someone’s authority, in a certain context? Where does this feeling come from — from the present or from childhood? What does this ‘small’ part of me need?”

Wrap your arms around your shoulders — the way you would hold a small child. Say quietly to yourself: “You are safe.” The small part recognizes this voice.

Astrological note: Shrinking points to Saturn or Chiron in the 1st or 4th house, or a transit of Saturn through the Ascendant. Capricorn and Cancer with Saturn in the 1st house carry the theme of limited space. If Saturn is currently transiting and activating your 1st house — something in your self-esteem requires review.

You Become Gigantic

You are huge. Or something near you is huge. This causes awe — sometimes fear, sometimes ecstasy. In this image there is something exceeding the usual scale.

Your Warrior speaks here — the part that carries a potential that scares with its scale. Giant size is an image of power that exceeds usual limits. This may be your own power — that which you haven’t yet fully accepted because it is huge. “If I allow myself to be this strong — what will happen?”

Sometimes gigantism in dreams can stand for something that is “too big”: responsibility that presses, a demand that is impossible to satisfy, a task that seems vast.

In whose body is the giant — yours or another’s? And how did you feel near it?

Ask yourself: “Is there a ‘giant’ power in my life — talent, potential, task — which I am afraid to accept fully? What would happen if I allowed myself to be as big as I can be?”

Today do one thing “at full strength” — without shrinking yourself, without apologizing. Speak louder, take up more room at the table, carry a task to the level you’re actually capable of. Scale is tested by gesture.

Astrological note: Giant size points to Pluto or Jupiter in the 1st or 10th house, or a transit of Pluto through the Ascendant. Scorpio and Sagittarius with an emphasis on powerful planets in the 1st house carry this potential for colossal strength. If Pluto is currently activating your Ascendant — an encounter with the depth of your own power is inevitable.

Others Around You Change Size

Not you — others. Someone is suddenly huge and pressing. Or — has shrunk to mouse size. In this image there is hierarchy and the feeling of power.

Your Guardian speaks here — the part that feels the balance of forces. When others change size in dreams — it reflects your sense of their power or weakness. Someone seems to you “huge” — authoritarian, overwhelming, taking up too much space. Or — “small”: weak, dependent, in need.

This is always a question of perception: to what extent do I allow another to take up space in my psyche? To what extent do I feel myself under someone’s “shadow”?

Ask yourself: “Who in my life seems to me ‘huge’ — taking up too much space in my thoughts, in my space? Is this justified — or is it a projection through which I am giving my power away?”

Picture this person in their real proportions — no larger than you. Say silently: “I see you as you are.” Size returns to normal.

Astrological note: Others changing size points to Pluto or Saturn in the 7th or 10th house, or a transit of Pluto through the 7th house. Libra and Capricorn with an emphasis on the 7th and 10th houses are especially sensitive to questions of power and place in the hierarchy. If Pluto is currently activating your 7th house — the power dynamics in relationships are transforming.

Growth and shrinking in dreams are always an encounter with a question about your place. With the power that you have the right to take. With vulnerability that asks for care. With the hierarchy in which you seek your place.

Let your size from the dream show you: what is your real size — and whether you allow yourself to be it.