An entrance and an exit are simply two sides of the same opening. What differentiates one from the other is your viewpoint and which way you pass through. Doorways might symbolize many different things in your life; an entrance or an exit may represent an escape from a problem, or maybe a temptation to escape from responsibility. Your interpretation of portals within your dreams will depend on your circumstances.
Obviously Freud would have attributed some sexual meaning to exits and entrances. Others suggest that doors opening outward indicate a need to express yourself more and those opening inward indicate a need for introspection. Depending on the context of your dream and on your own circumstances one of these interpretations may fit. But even so it is important to find out more about your dream and how and why the doorway features – the kind of entrance, whether you are going in or out, who is opening the door. It may be a small doorway, a huge gateway, or a mountainside opening, and you should take note of the structure it is part of as this may be relevant.
Transitions
An entrance or exit marks a transition from one space to another – these spaces may be similar, such as two rooms in a house, or quite different, such as inside and outside. This may suggest being at some kind of threshold or making an adjustment in your life, so look at how the transition works in your dream. Maybe you enter to wild applause from a crowd, or you have to squeeze through a small opening, or maybe you move from one scene to another without noticing how you do so. Each of these scenarios may indicate how comfortable you are with the transition.
When you move from one space to another you are making an entrance and an exit at the same time, is it leaving or arriving that draws your attention, getting out or going in? You may be poised on the threshold in limbo. Your feelings for the space you are leaving may give important clues about the transition – whether you have any regrets, or are relieved to be getting out. Whether you can retrace your steps or not will have a bearing on how easy it is to make your transition.
In life transitions may be physical – moving house, starting a new job, even going to live abroad. But dream transitions can also be about emotional or spiritual thresholds – starting a new relationship or ending an existing one, or about the transition between consciousness and unconsciousness.
Closure
Exits may be about achieving closure, about ending a period in your life or a way of being so that you can move on. You may need to start afresh or begin a new venture, it may be important to you to move on and leave any “baggage” behind.
Exclusion
Sometimes a dream entrance is impassable; visible but beyond reach, or locked. If so ask yourself if there are situations in your life from which you feel barred or excluded. Or perhaps there are obstacles between you and your goals; in this case consider whether there was another route in your dream – this could suggest alternative ways to achieve your waking life goals.