- How far does a prenatal dreams predict a child's life?

BTS is a cultural force that is helping to spread South Korea's cultural power around the world. They are international stars who have achieved fame and fortune and are adored by their adoring fans, known as Ami. They have spoken at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York and met with US President Biden at the White House.

In May 2021, they appeared on KBS2's Yearly Live to introduce their dreams. Let's take a look at the prenatal dreams of the seven members, who are all on similar paths to success, and compare how far their prenatal dreams predicted their lives after birth.

The bottom line is that even if you have a mediocre prenatal dream, you can still achieve some great success through your own efforts.

BTS’s leader, RM(born in 1994), had a prenatal dream from his grandmother.

“In a chili field, a snake bit my grandmother on the back of her ankle.”

In this dream, the snake is an archetypal image that symbolizes the fetus, and the body part, “biting the back of the ankle,” is a metaphor for the fetus being properly implanted in the mother's womb. The dream doesn't make any specific allusions to the child's future accomplishments.

Suga's (born 1993) birth dream.

“A pumpkin climbs over the fence and into the house.”

The visual contact of “seeing” a pumpkin, a fetal archetype, also suggests pregnancy, the meeting of the child and mother. However, the pumpkin climbs over the fence and into the house. In folklore, pumpkins symbolize good fortune, windfall, wealth, business, or work. As the saying goes, “A pumpkin climbs over the fence” is a metaphor for good fortune or luck coming into the house, more or less foreshadowing accomplishments such as wealth or achievements.

Jimin’s (born in 1995) prenatal dream.

“There was a shining pepper on the tree.”

The fetal archetype is a red pepper. As we've seen, red peppers symbolize the fruitfulness of pregnancy, not the sexual sign of a boy. Because of the use of peppers in real life, they also represent a precious child in a fetal dream. Another allusion is to “shine,” meaning that the child will grow up to shine brightly, such as with honors or achievements. In prophetic dreams, “light” symbolizes hope, fame, great achievements, and authority, whether in the East or West.

This is Jin’s (born 1992) prenatal dream.

“A golden carp swam into the arms of a pregnant mother.”

The carp, symbolizing the unborn child, is in the mother's arms, predicting a smooth pregnancy and birth. Due to the belief that the carp is the king of freshwater fish, the carp symbolizes wealth, riches, honor, popularity, and advancement. Furthermore, the fact that the carp is golden in color suggests that the fetus will grow up to be auspicious in its work or accomplishments and will be wealthy, riches, or honor.

This is a prenatal dream of Vu (born 1995).

“My father had a pool bet with a dragon, and he won, so he got a magic pearl.”

The billiard hall that Vu's father owned at the time served as the setting for this prophetic dream. In this dream, the fetus symbolizes a fetus, which in folklore is a magic pearl that can make anything come true. Being given this orb suggests that the work, business, and achievements that the fetus will grow up to accomplish will come true. The dragon here is not an archetype of the fetus, but a messenger of an auspicious pregnancy.

J-Hope's (born 1994) prenatal dream.

“I dreamed that my mother was riding through the wilderness in a chariot drawn by three golden horses.”

The act of the mother running through the wilderness on horses foretells a smooth pregnancy and birth. However, the three horses suggest that the pregnant woman will have three children or, if she has one child, the number or size of the achievements she will accomplish. Because the horses were golden, it foretells that the work, business, and achievements of the unborn child will be auspicious and wealthy.

JungKook's (born in 1997) fetal dream was dreamt by his mother.

“It was raining in the village, and wherever the raindrops touched, they turned to gold.”

The raindrop is an archetype that symbolizes the fetus. Water is the source of life and represents wealth, ideas, power, and the foundation of work. The raindrops falling on the village represent the influence on the area of activity symbolized by the village. However, the raindrops turn golden wherever they touch, suggesting that the work or achievements of the fetus will be auspicious and wealthy as it grows.

In summary, leader RM's snake dream suggests that she is simply pregnant, while Suga's pumpkin and Jimin's red pepper prenatal dreams suggest some level of honor or achievement. Jin's golden carp, Vu's magic pearl, J-Hope's three golden horses, and JungKook's golden raindrops suggest great honor, achievement, or even wealth.

Let's assume that they enjoy similar levels of honor, achievement, popularity, and wealth in 2024. One of the takeaways from this is that even moderate dreamers like RM can achieve great things later in life, meaning that dreams are not necessarily indicative of what a child can achieve as an adult.

Mark Solms, a neurophysiologist who has studied dreams from a neuroscience perspective, argues that “many psychological functions are shaped by the constant interplay of environmental and genetic mechanisms.

In other words, humans are also influenced by their environment. And their own effort or will is also an important factor. In other words, it is not all about what we foresee in our premonitions.

(For more information, see “Prenatal dreams! Whispers of New Life<태몽, 새 생명의 속삭임>,” available from Kyobo Internet Bookstore or the Aladdin Internet Bookstore.)