Our pal Dan Zehr from Coffee With Kenobi, writing at IGN, takes a look at the similarities and differences in the cave visions of Luke Skywalker and Rey.
Naturally, contemplation of self can have ominous consequences. The aforementioned The Empire Strikes Back is a prime example of this. Luke Skywalker senses cold and death when first noticing the cave entrance on Dagobah. When he asks Yoda what’s inside, his mentor sagely replies, “Only what you take with you.” Famously, Luke encounters Darth Vader, has a one-sided lightsaber battle, and discovers that inside of Vader’s helmet is his own image.
For Luke, this is a frightening harbinger. He senses his growing power and wants to take charge of the situation, but does not want to end up like the Dark Lord of the Sith. And while Yoda warned him against it, Luke brings his lightsaber into the cave with him. This could be read as him bringing in the cold (emptiness) and death that he sensed. It’s a metaphorical death, which could be ascribed as the beginning of the death of his innocence (with Vader later completing the cycle on Cloud City). Introspection is serious business.