In general, dreaming of a family member represents the relationship between you and that person. It can reflect worries about the relationship; disharmony; interpersonal tensions; projections (aspects of yourself) you have directed onto your relative. Parents may represent your attitudes toward authority; wisdom or rules or attitudes you have been taught; ways in which you are like your parents.

Being at a family gathering suggests your background and life experience; feelings of connection with a line of heritage. Singling out a particular person at the gathering may indicate some quality that you now need to utilize or develop within yourself. It may signal that feelings similar to those you have about your relative have been awakened by a present situation, although you may not have consciously recognized it. Depending on his or her dream behavior, a brother or sister can sometimes represent your anima or animus.