You can’t get around the fact that bones are symbols of death.
If you are dreaming about a skeleton it does not necessarily mean that you are dreaming about physical death. This is a good dream because it is telling you that you may need to begin “filling up” with feelings, adventures, work, or general enthusiasm for life. It may be that your style of living and relating to people has been “bare to the bone” and your soul can’t take it any more! So, lighten up psychologically; eat the fruits of life and fatten up!
As the structure of the human body, a skeleton in your dreams may point to revealing the underlying beliefs that support and sustain your life. It may mention the skeletons in the closet or an old forgotten transgression about which you may feel guilty. Hauntingly, a skeleton may come as a messenger of death of the personality or ego.
Symbol: The skeleton is the personification of death, as well as a promise and “instrument” of a new stage in life.
Vision: Seeing a skeleton is a reference to your innermost convictions and the essence of your personality—never ignore it. Ancient dream interpretations state that the skeleton is a promise of a very long life. See Bones, Cadaver, Death.
Depth Psychology: A skeleton is a symbol of the past and death and a sign of profound fear (fear of death, death wishes, etc.) Frequent dreams about skeletons might suggest that you need to consult with a psychotherapist.
To dream of seeing a skeleton implies that a task you are working on hasn’t been completed. You may still be trying to think of ideas to finish this task. It may imply that you need to be more assertive and should remain steady in your beliefs and opinions.
To see someone depicted as a skeleton indicates that a friendship or bond with someone no longer exists.
Dreams of a skeleton signify your feelings about death, impermanence, and your shadow. This dream could be giving you the message to embrace feelings or aspects of yourself you have denied, suppressed or deemed unlovable, unappealing or socially unacceptable. Also, a skeleton can reflect the foundational structure of your business, relationships, or your life in general.
If the bones are strong and healthy, then so is your foundation.
If the bones are weak or brittle, then it is time for you tend to strengthen your foundation from the inside out. See Bone and Shadow.
A skeleton in dreams alerts us to our attitude to the macabre. We are aware that the physical must ‘die’ or change, but that there is still a framework left.
The skull in dreams can sometimes represent major changes such as death and all the adjustments necessary. Also consult the entry for death and the information on the head in the body entry as well as the information on tramp in archetypes and spirits in spiritual imagery in the introduction.
Psychological / emotional perspective: Psychologically, we sometimes need to be aware of our feelings about death.
The obvious image of the skeleton appearing in our dreams forces us to be aware of this. It can also suggest feelings or talents that we have forgotten and that, therefore, seem to have died.
To be conscious of our own skull in dreams is to appreciate the intellectual structure that we have given our lives.
To perceive a skull where there should be a head suggests that we are not using our intellectual abilities as well we might. When a skull is talking to us, a part of us that we have rejected or denied is beginning to ‘come back to life’.
To be talking to a skull is recognizing the need to communicate with those who are lost to us in any way; if we believe in life after death, we may feel that spirit is talking through the skull.
Material aspects: A skeleton in a dream suggests the ‘bare bones’ of something, perhaps an idea or concept.
A skeleton in a cupboard represents a past action or shame, both in dreams and waking life, we wish to hide.
A dancing skeleton is an awareness of the life we have lived or are living.
To dig up a skeleton is to resurrect something – perhaps a talent – we have buried or hidden away.
The skull and crossbones in dreams could represent either a somewhat romantic appreciation of a pirate or freedom-lover, or perhaps is a symbol of danger. Since the skull is a representation of the head it can also symbolize intellectual ability, or rather lack of it.
Islamic Dream Interpretation