ANIMAL SITUATIONS

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ANIMAL WITH ITS YOUNG: Parental feelings; one's basic childhood needs; ones own childhood experience of being parented.

ANIMAL SKIN: The traits, power or wisdom of the animal concerned; the instincts - for example yogis are often depicted sitting on an animal skin. This means they have found a new relationship with their instincts and gained the wisdom and power latent in them.

ATTACKED BY ANIMAL See: Wild animal(s) attacking: below.

BABY ANIMAL:Oneself when young; feelings or memories concerning ones own babyhood; desire for babies; vulnerability; fundamental survival behaviours such as dependence, crying and bonding. See: example in eating.

DOMESTIC ANIMAL: Urges in ourselves which we have learned to meet and direct with reasonable success. They still have to be cared for though, or they may react against what we ask of them. A horse for instance is broken in, or socialised, when it is young, as we are. But if we are keeping a horse, we must still make sure it has proper food, exercise and rest, as well as an expression for its herd instinct and sexual drive.

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EATING THE ANIMAL: Integrating our natural wisdom and energy; absorbing strength from sources other than or conscious personality; sensual pleasure and nutrition.

FEAR OF ANIMAL: Although what has been said generally covers the possible meaning of fear of an animal in a dream, some people have phobias about animals in waking life. See: Animal phobias at the end of the animal section.

HERD OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS The domestic animal depicts the urges in yourself and society, such as the sexual drive, aggression and self interest, that have been directed socially for thousands of years, and is usually amenable to finding some level of social integration.

HERD OF WILD ANIMALS The herd is often to do with our relationship with groups of people, social relationships. So the wild animal depicts your own urges or feelings in this area that you feel uncertain about controlling or directing. A herd of them therefore suggests you are meeting aspects of yourself you have not yet learned to direct or usefully integrate.

HIDING FROM OR TRAPPED BY: Feeling controlled or threatened by ones urges or emotions. See the wolf entry below.

WILD ANIMAL(S) ATTACKING: The wild animal represents our unrepressed instinctive reactions such as sex and anger. In the attacking mode however it is unleashed aggression. In some dreams being attacked depicts what we feel in relationship with other people. The attack, the criticism and malign emotions directed at us by others are frequently shown as an animal attacking or biting us, as is our own internalised anger or fear. Sometimes we may be aware of this, but often remarks are made which we miss, yet are sensed as an attack by our unconscious. Or we feel things and do not express them in any way, so they become directed inwardly where they can cause harm.

WOUNDED ANIMAL: A hurt that has caused instinctive reaction, such as unreasoning reactive anger or fawning submission.

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WOUNDED ANIMAL: A hurt that has caused instinctive reaction, such as unreasoning reactive anger or fawning submission.

NEGLECT, MUTILATION OR KILLING OUR 'ANIMAL': A common theme. In the example below, Lynda's feelings show how she senses what she is doing to her inner nature, but she dismisses this by convincing herself such feelings are not 'true'. We have a responsibility to care for our animal drives, to see our sexual, nutritional and body needs are met.

EXAMPLE: "I am given an animal to look after, usually somebody's pet while they are away on holiday. I then completely forget the animal, go away and when I return the animal is either dead or very dried up or has been got at by another animal and is in the throws of dying. When I wake from the dream I feel most dreadful and it is only when I am fully awake and realise it is not true do I feel better." Lynda E.

TALKING, HOLY SHINING OR WISE ANIMALS: Important intuitive information; a meeting with the gathered wisdom we have unconsciously. This wisdom is the result of millions of years of life experience now built into us as instinctive or unconscious urges or responses to situations. It was gathered not only by our prehuman ancestors, but also from long before that. This is one of the sources of religious inspiration, and many older cultures represent their origin of great learning or holiness as animals or animal headed beings. This is most likely because a great deal of innate information is held unconsciously. Our animal or instinctive self holds much of this, so communication with it can lead to enlightenment.

TAMING OR LOVED BY WILD ANIMALS: Learning to relate to urges and energies in yourself that were previously unavailable to your will or needs. For instance some people face difficulties and their mind and body does not appear to support them. Instead emotions of anxiety rage within and they become ill. So this might suggest their instinctive flight or fight impulse is over stimulated in some way. Fear is a fundamental response in animals, but often gets out of hand in humans due to thought and imagination. Other people have such a good relationship with their emotions they manage good health even when meeting stressful events.

WILD ANIMAL:Urges and spontaneous feelings which may not respond in the way we, or our social training, may wish. Wild animals in dreams are not something ultimately different to our personality. They are an expression of energies and needs which we have not previously related to in a cooperative or mutually helpful way.

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