ANIMAL DREAMS - R
RABBIT - Sexuality - due to human associations with its rapid breeding; softness and non aggression, sometimes to the point of depicting us as a victim, or foolishly passive - may thus represent unworldly idealism. Perhaps because of its tendency to be the victim of predators, is often used as a sacrifice in dreams, which suggests the hurt we might experience to the soft, vulnerable parts of our nature as we experience the pain of meeting reality in the maturing process; feeling hounded by someone; ones vulnerable child self; docility or humility.
If the dreamer hunts rabbits: Some element of self or others being criticised, attacked, 'hunted down' or hounded; instinctive urge to dominate. Depending on rest of dream content, this can indicate a toughening up process, a killing of weak vulnerability.
If the dreamer hunts rabbits: Some element of self or others being criticised, attacked, 'hunted down' or hounded; instinctive urge to dominate.
Pet rabbit: Wanting to be petted or cared for; gentle contact and caring; responsibility.
Rabbit hole: Alice down the rabbit hole illustrates this - a going within self; into the unconscious; the womb; attempting to escape from problems by turning within. See: inner world; unconscious.
Rabbit in your garden: A quiet attack on your resources or personal growth; also may connect with the general definitions above.
EXAMPLE: Then they brought in a white rabbit, and thrust its eyes through with heated irons. And as I gazed, the rabbit seemed to me like a tiny infant, with human face, and hands which stretched themselves towards me in appeal, and lips which sought to cry for help in human accents. And I could bear no more, but broke forth into a bitter rain of tear. Anna Kingsford, From Dreams and Dream-Stories.
EXAMPLE: The nightmares returned - one terrible one in February 1896 about a tramp, seen holding over a well 'washing, but with a kind of amused tenderness, an object that I thought was a rabbit, but I presently saw that it was a small deformed hairy child, with a curious lower jaw, very shallow: over the face it had a kind of horny carapace. . . made of some material resembling pottery. ..... The horror of it exceeded all belief.' A. C. Benson, quoted in David Newsome, On the Edge of Paradise.
These two examples show how our dream process links the vulnerability of rabbits with childhood or children, and our own vulnerability and human pain.
Useful questions are:
What part or role in my dream is my rabbit playing?
Can you I words to it?
If the dream rabbit is vulnerable what vulnerability in me is this reflecting?
If the rabbit transforms into something stronger in what way am I myself changing?
If I stand in the role of rabbit what do I feel? (For help doing this see Stand in Role under peer dream work.)
RAM - Masculinity; sexual drive; the aggressive defensive side of 'sheep' - i.e. of ones conformity, being one of the group, the passive employee; power of renewal; leader of a flock or group of people, or the less dominant aspects of self; being dominant or pushy. Idioms: Battering ram; ramming ones point home; like a ram among sheep.
In ancient cultures the ram was often a sacrificial animal, and possibly represented to offering of ones power or seed - genitals - to God to bless. Also the ram is the symbol for the sign of Aries in the Zodiac. This is the 'Cardinal' 'Fire' sign. It depicts the pouring out of new life, power, energy, impulse, activity. The person born with the sun in Aries is said to posses initiative, a pioneering spirit, etc. The sign is represented as a young "Ram," lying down with one foot bent under it, and its head turned backward, looking as if it had been slain as a sacrificial victim. This possibly shows an early stage in the psychological development of human beings, in which the instinctive drives were killed out or purposely repressed in order to develop the personal will and identity. If one is born as an Arian, a ram in ones dreams may represent ones fundamental qualities. See: sheep below.
Example: I was looking through a circular window with lead lights in it. I was looking down into a field. Below I could see myself lying on the ground on my back with a ram standing over me making sexual movements. I only watched and felt nothing. Cath H.
Useful questions are:
What character does my ram display?
Is it dominating, sexual, sacrificial, etc, and what does that suggest about me?
What is my interaction with the ram?
If I am born under the sign Aries, what does this dream tell me about myself?
RAT - What the dreamer senses as sick or negative; fear or anxieties; frightening instincts or urges; physical sickness or anxieties about health; feelings of sexual repulsion, or using sex to gain material aims; intuitions about a person being a 'rat' - doing things behind one's back or underhandedly - or deserting a relationship when difficulties arise; threatening things going on without one being clear about what they are; seeing the underhanded side of oneself or others; the evil side of human nature; dirt and squalor; time gnawing away at your life; the unacceptable parts or oneself.
In some dreams the rat has the character of most rodents, the gnawing inquisitive searching out of things. It can therefore relate to ones anxieties, self questioning and worrying mind that disturbs or eats away at things like peace of mind or confidence. Idioms: Rat on someone; rat race; smell a rat; feeling ratty; cornered rat; rats leave a sinking ship.
Pet rat:Quite different to general rat associations; vulnerability, instinctive intelligence, the caring feelings or drive to care; responsibility for caring.
Useful questions are:
Am I confronting or remembering something that I feel is repulsive or evil?
Am I in a relationship that I intuitively feel difficulties about?
Am I being a rat in a relationship or situation?
Is a worry or irritation eating away at me?
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