Bear
Often people dream of a bear coming to attack them, but because all the images, people, animals, places we see in our dreams, are simply your own feelings, fears, hopes and wonder projected onto the screen of your sleeping mind as images, there us nothing to be afraid of. So, it makes sense to take the image of your dream person, thing or animal back into you and own it. In that way, you are actually meeting and dealing with the things about yourself you are not owning or conscious of. That is why dreams are often difficult to understand, because we are hiding things from ourselves. To do this you can use – Being the Person or Thing and it is helpful to read Levels of the Brain
Whenever we dream its images are not like real life, because a dream is nothing like outer life where things could hurt you, but is an image like on a cinema screen, so that even if a gun is pointed at you and fired it can do no damage – except if you run in fear; so, all the things that scare you are simply your own fears projected onto the screen of your sleeping mind. Also dreams exress in a very ancient language, language that developed in ancient life forms before ever words were invented. The ancient languge is one that has taught youngsters by for millions of years by watching what mother or father fox, bear wolf did – all without words. This photo says it all – the family of bears are intently watching what mum is doing. they learn by seeing it, no words were spoken.
So the angry bear is an image of your own angry feelings that have not been expressed and are attacking you. We now know that such inturned anger can cause illness or depression.
Example: A huge black panther chased me. I fell and it clawed my back. It was about to chew my back to bite me. I didn’t know whether to relax or struggle. After being floored by the Panther I managed to get up. I later imagined being the panther. I allowed the panther to eat me, and I thus became the panther. Then I, as the panther, noticed feeling enormous temper – anger – hate. And I was amazed to see that my cousin Sidney was the cause of such powerful emotions. He was older than me and had mercilessly teased me as a child. The panther was my own feelings of anger, at last released.
But here is a very different example:
Example: I was standing on my patio and there was a bear inside the fence also there were children taunting the bear. I yelled at the kids to stop teasing the bear. Then all of a sudden the bear came towards me; it was a brown bear with its massive size and it stopped and looked at me. Although I was frightened I was courageous enough to pet the bears head, reaching over his large mouth to reach his head. Then, all of a sudden the bear lay on his back and I begin to brush my hand on his chest as to pet him in a downward motion, the bear just gazed at me.
A bear can have a similar meaning to elephant in the eastern countries – a tremendous force or energy, that if met badly can lead to conflict with your own nature and ill health, or if met well can be a tremendous protector and force for good.
Sometimes said to represent a possessive mother, and the feelings this has aroused. But in many cases the bear will represent a meeting with dangerous emotions such as fear, anger or being easily aroused. There might also be associations with independence, or strength. See: Dreams are Like a Computer Game; Animal.
Through television and the many ‘nature’ films which are now a part of our wider education, we can see that the bear is largely a solitary creature, capable of living alone and surviving. This, and its human way of standing and holding its arms out in a hugging posture, may be the major factors from which a ‘bear’ dream arises. In many dreams the bear is not at all harmful, and can be treated as a friend.
Through these we can also see the bear as a wonderful mother and protector.
We may therefore associate the bear with feelings about living alone or surviving by our own strength; it can refer to the confrontation with feelings we have about independence, or the meeting with strength and independence in someone else. It can confront us with massive or dangerous rage, such as ‘the bear with a sore head’. In this case it might represent your relationship with someone who is touchy or grouchy, powerful, possessiveness or smothering, as a parent or lover might be.
Also it might represent your relationship with someone who is a parent or lover; it could suggest a desire to withdraw or hibernate; the ‘animal’ side of our relationship with our parents; a play on words, such as ‘bare’, bare facts, bearing with something or someone, ‘bearing’ ones soul, bearing in mind, a ‘bearer’ of tidings, come to bear, overbearing, getting ones bearings, bear fruit or bear-hug.
If the bear is felt as aggressive and dangerous, ask yourself what in your own inner feelings do you feel is aggressive and you don’t want to let it get out into what you express. In other words. what is it that you habitually repress from being expressed – your anger?
It is best to let the angry bear be expressed in you imagination. You can do this by being the angry bear and let it loose – see – Being the Person or Thing
But the bear can also be like the Beauty and the Beast, in which the dangerous beast is tame with the influence of kindness. So the bear relates to person who can be kind, but could also be a dangerous when roused.
It could suggest a desire to withdraw or hibernate. Because of traditional cultural associations, and its ability to hibernate, the bear can represent the ability to die and be reborn.
As the bear rears its childrfen alone without any male about, if oyu have been in that situation it can reer to you. But whateveer else it represent, remember that is an image of our relationship with our own ‘animal’ side. Please see the following to understand this important feature – Mammal Brain
There can be a play on words, such as ‘bare’, bare facts, bearing with something or someone, ‘bearing’ ones soul, bearing in mind, a ‘bearer’ of tidings, come to bear, overbearing, getting ones bearings, bear fruit or bear-hug. Because of traditional cultural associations, and its ability to hibernate, the bear can represent the ability to die and be reborn.
Bear attacking: It could mean that you are feeling or dealing with anger in yourself or another.
But many people dream of being chased by a bear and maybe run in fear or terror from the bear. Not only in your own dreams, but other people’s, it is obvious that we take into our sleep and dreams all the fears, terrors we carry within us. The huge bear, tiger or frightening person they are terrified of is actually fears either inherited or are frightening experiences from the past. They are purely mental things that you haven’t faced, and are therefore the victims of – victims of your own fears. But in dreams in you cannot die – or drown, or burn or any other threatening thing. We make the mistake of taking our very real values from our outer life into our inner life of dreams. If a bear or critter is chasing you, it is only a dream image and so what are you running from? If you drop the image if the bear/critter what you have is a feeling or emotion such as fear. And why are you running like crazy from an emotion? Remember that nothing can hurt you in your dreams, but you can feel fear. See The animal in my dream
And do not think, “That monster is bigger and stronger than I am, and it is frightening!!” It is our thoughts and fears that create the monsters inside us. So of course you are stronger unless you cower in fear.
But that only refers to outer bears, not dream bears. In some northern towns a bear or polar bear can be a real danger, so in your dreams it may be about a threat you need to keep watch for – although it is a bear in your dream, it could be any threat.
It can also, like the following dream, show a fight against disease.
Example: I dreamt that I was my older brother. As him, and yet at the same time myself, I was trying to fight off an attacking bear. I was doing all I could to defeat it but there was no let up.
Two days later my brother suddenly died from a vicious virus he had contracted while doing his job as a taxi driver. I feel as if I were fighting the disease with him in the dream, but we both lost the battle.
Baby or toy bear: Often represents a child or a young dreamer.
Tame or loving bear: Many people have no fear of animals in their dreams but are like the examples below. Fear is caused because we mix up our dream life with our outer life.
Example: In my dream I was actually happy to see bears lying down at the entrance of my parent’s old house. They were all lying down there as if waiting for me. When they felt my presence they woke up. They were happy and groaning amicably when they saw me approaching them. And there were babies too! I never felt fear or any threat but happiness to see them … and I knew it was mutual.
Example: My dream was not frightful. My Bear dream and I were walking, he put his nose in my hand and nuzzled, we walked home, I went up to my door and Bear went next door and rolled around in the neighbors driveway and rested.
But as people are educated in the modern paradigm, many of us are totally out of touch with the animal that we are, and have never been able to raise it to love and protect us, and instead are often frightened of it when it appears on their dreams. As a child we are often told not to do things – such as do not get angry, or told to be nice to everyone, but the intuitive animal side of us feels and act on its superior insight – that would allow them to mature with our animal self intact so we grow up repressing it, and often miss the natural curiosity of our inner mammal.
So if you have a loving animal dream you have a very good and healthy relationship with your inner animal. See Levels of the Brain and Summing Up
Three bears as with father bear, mother bear etc.: Family situation or parental relationship.
If hint of money in the dream: might refer to ‘bear market’.
Useful Questions and Hints:
What were your feelings and interactions with the bear? (For instance were you avoiding, running from cooperating with, watching from a distance – and where does ‘avoiding’, ‘running from’, ‘cooperating’, or ‘observing’ enter your life at the moment?)
If you imagine yourself as the bear in your dream, what do you feel and experience?
See Stand in Role; Processing Dreams; Summing Up
Comments
I dreamt that my husband and I (recently reconciled after a trial separation) were in our rental house in DC. I noticed it had started to snow outside which made me so sad as I’m a summer lover, he is a winter lover. There was a group of young children playing in the snow as it fell – about 4 or 5 under the age of 5 – and no parent in site, just a 14 year old girl. To the right there was a big black adolescent bear sniffing around a flower bed very close to the kids. I was yelling out the windows for the kids to run inside there was a bear! Some of them fled but they w ere dawdling. We yelled at them again and I could see one child and the 14yr old dangerously close. I remember thinking how explosively powerful bears could be. Sure enough in one move the bear lunged and grabbed a hold of the toddler by the legs with its hands. The 14 year old wrestled with it as best she could to try to get it to release the toddler. Inside my husband was watching as though it were a documentary. He is typically somewhat obsessed by watching horror movies and gruesome scenes which I’ve never understood. I was frantic to get outside and help but needed a weapon to be of any help. My husband is a marine and a very experienced weapon handler. He had a small gun which he cocked and handed to me as I was frantically trying to get outside. I was immediately shocked by this as he knows I have no experience at all with guns and expected him to take control of the situation having so much hunting experience also. Instead he seemed almost scared and saw my determination and handed me the gun. I was scared to be holding a loaded weapon but was overwhelmed by the feeling to help this child. I got outside and the bear was still holding the child. The girl was wrestling around trying to break the child free but with zero success. I got close and I told her I had a gun and to try to give me a clear shot. Immediately I realized I had to kill this young bear to save the toddlers life and this made me incredibly sad. There was no choice and it was clear to me this had to happen. I remember waiting a few seconds to shoot because I wasn’t sure if the bullet would simply go through the bear and wound the child. I waited till the bear’s head was clear of the toddler and shot it in the head. It died instantly and released the child. It seemed to me the child was critically injured from the waist down but would live. I woke up very shortly after.
A few things to consider: my husband has been recovering from PTSD and depression associated with the marine corps. He had become quite angry and took this anger out on me. There was little control exerted over his emotional response to things. He was never violent with me but very emotionally abusive in his depression and rage. In our separation, I’ve begun experiencing anxiety attacks and symptoms of depression. The separation very much broke my heart and my independent and confident spirit. I’ve felt insecure at work and in my personal life as a result – something I’ve never experienced after a life of almost too much confidence and “rescuing” of others from their depression. This dream seems very powerful in symbolism. What is your take?
Dear Cecilia – Thank you for sharing your dream and some information about your waking life, for that is helpful too.
First of all I like you to read this entry, because you seem to mix up your waking life with your dreaming life;
http://dreamhawk.com/dream-dictionary/what-we-need-to-remember-about-us-3/#Reflect
I have learned that IT works when we learn to explore and observe the inner world without blaming or making judgments; either judging ourselves and/or the people that were/are part of our waking life.
That way the awareness we develop from looking within can transform our inner world and make it a more loving and harmonious place to live in.
Your dream starts with becoming aware that you must have frozen (part of) your (childhood) feelings – the snow – and it also expresses how your inner child must have been hurt.
Please read http://dreamhawk.com/health-and-healing/inner-baby-and-child/
You become aware in your dream that your inner child – the toddler – needs your adult form, to be able to stop “the bear” – probably a symbol for your husband in waking life – from hurting you.
The way I see it is that the difficult experiences you went through with your husband, triggered frozen memories that are part of your inner child and so in a way the situation provides you with another opportunity to heal this part in yourself.
The story in your dream suggests that in order to help your inner child, you will have to “father and mother” it.
I trust from what you wrote about your waking life that you are aware that your first responsibility now is to learn to help yourself.
See also http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/archetype-of-the-animus-jungs-view-of-the-male-in-the-female/
and
http://dreamhawk.com/dream-dictionary/practical-techniques-for-understanding-your-dreams/
Does that give you a start?
Anna 🙂
I have been having the same dream for about 7-10 years now. I have no clue how they start but the earlier ones were at my grandparents first house and then now they are always at their present property. My grandparents passed away. My dream is I am always outside of their house and a brown bear is chasing me. I go around the house a few times and finally get in. Then the bear leaves. A few times I have jumped over the bear. The bear is always aggressive. I am just wondering why I have had this same dream at least 15 times.
Dear Lindsay – Anything moving toward you in a dream usually signifies that you are becoming more aware of it, feeling it more intensely. So being chased in a dream usually denotes that you are feeling something you fear more intensely and are trying to avoid confronting it. This is not usually a good policy, as you can never get away from yourself.
So to answer your question, I believe your dream is recurring because there is a need to learn something about yourself; your inner world.
It will be helpful to read the entry about recurring dreams; http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/recurring-dreams/ .
If you feel like it, a way to explore this dream is to use Power Dreaming;
http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/secrets-power-dreaming/
Anna 🙂
I had a dream of bear attack. It felt like i was back in time. I saw 2 girls pulling weed around this beautiful small church. I was spying on them over this small fence type stone wall near about 6 ft or so. They had white linen wrapped around their head and big Sky blue apron type dress and one was light blonde hair and one was brunette. They were speaking German so I couldn’t understand what they were saying to each other. My dad and I live together and somehow in the dream as well. We had this small log cabin adjacent to this convent I think. Separated by 2 stone walls. Roughly 10 ft of grass between two walls. Lots of weed between and it took about 300 ft diagonally to our cabin. It felt like we did not belong there at all. I sense somehow that cabin was abandon sometime ago.
Especially my dad and I were ethnically east asian, I definitely know we did not belong there. We fix up the cabin for few hours without getting spotted. That is when thing turn down hill. I was working next to wall and I saw huge brown bear. But little did I know this German little boy brown hair saw me over the wall and was curious to see me. Right as he was climbed over first wall to get to me. Bear came and mauled his whole head right front of me. There was blood everywhere. Boy did not die but blood soaked hair and he was screaming when bear bite his head again he died. I saw this over this 2nd stone wall less than 6 ft this was happening. I somehow had sawed off shotgun in my right leg so I shot him. It was so poorly made gun as if it was home made. Blast damaged his face a little it upset him. He tried to climb over the stone wall to get to me. I ran back with my dad as hard as we can. We passed the our cabin to other wire fence. We passed under the fence when I saw bear charging us full speed about half across the field. We continued to run back until it was like mid city with lots of villa. When I was there, I saw some Asians so I felt relief and told them there is a bear attacking people. I woke up when he was about to answer me.
Dreamt there was a large bear that was chasing me. My father and my brother were in the dream as well but the bear wasn’t paying attention to them only me. It was a wooded area initially but there were beds there and I was very tired, just wanted to sleep. I got on one of the beds to get away from the bear but it kept trying to get on the bed with me. Then I got off that bed and ran to a different area and climbed on another bed. At that point the bear put his head on the bed and he was initially trying to bite me (but in a playful way like a puppy) then I was rubbing his back. My dad came to where I was and I shouted to him shoot him shoot him, in real life my dad never owned a gun or shot one. Then I jumped off the bed and shot the bear in the back leg, there was a lot of blood. In the dream I was very matter of fact about it. I told my dad he had to put another bullet in the bear so he didn’t feel any more pain. He then told me to scrap the skin off of him. I then woke up. The dream disturbed me what does it mean?
My dream took place during the day in the woods. Much like the woods near my home. I was with my wife, her brother & sister in law. They were standing by a small smokey fire & I was chopping wood. A small animal came into our camp. I believe it was a groundhog or beaver. I remember wondering why the animal was wandering so close. A big bear suddenly appeared and started attacking the animal. It looked like it was trying to swallow it whole. I picked up a small shotgun leaning against the wood pile & pointed it towards the bear. I don’t remember feeling scared. I felt more protective. I looked over at my family & they had blank expressions. Then the bear growl towards me. So I shot it 3 times but nothing happened. The bear just turned around & left. I looked over and saw my family. Everyone seemed fine except my sister in law. She was crying. She came towards me and said “in this family we…” Then I woke up.
I come from a cultic like family, where if you do not agree with everything they say, they will slander and persecute you and your family members in an attempt to push you down, destroy you or otherwise obliterate you. I have many dreams of bears and snakes associated with these family members who want total control over your lives.
I dreamt I saw a large Black Bear at my old childhood home. I was trying to coax it into the porch way and shed with honey then trying to barricade the door so it couldn’t get out. It wasn’t angry or viscous but I remember being a little weary of it as I knew it could be given the chance.
I had a dream that me and a couple of my sisters and friends were gathered up behind this huge fence it was a wire fence and very tall. Everyone was staring at this pure black bear that was on the other side of the fence and the bear was growling and started climbing the fence to i assume attack us.
I was standing there and i felt scared but i wouodnt move i kept watching it and it seemed to get more mad and trying to get over the fence to us and some people even ran away. My friend that was standing near me, she had crawled through the little fence that was right in front of us and the bear almost bit her and she climbed back just in time. I was shocked and wondering why the bear was so angry. When i woke up i felt curious as to why i had dreamed of that…
Dear Cayenne – The way I see your dream is that you are moving toward the willingness to explore your dream and what your dream bear is symbolising and so I like to give you some ways to do that.
Things like a black animal usually indicate that you are dealing with feelings or fears that you have previously kept buried or repressed. Their appearance in your dream shows you are ready to meet such feelings by allowing them to be experienced and acknowledged.
First it will be helpful to read about all the other symbols in your dreams – as you did with the “bear entry” – and to try to answer the questions at the bottom of each page.
See for instance http://dreamhawk.com/dream-dictionary/family/ and
http://dreamhawk.com/dream-dictionary/fence/ and
http://dreamhawk.com/dream-dictionary/anger-angry/
Take your time for it to let it all sink in and then try to use “Being the person or animal or thing” and “Talking as the person or animal or thing” for the symbols in your dream.
See http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/acting-on-your-dream/#BeingPerson and http://dreamhawk.com/dream-dictionary/practical-techniques-for-understanding-your-dreams/#TalkingAs
Another helpful approach could be to “Meet the bear” http://dreamhawk.com/body-and-mind/meeting-the-animal/
Does that give you a start?
Anna 🙂
I keep dreaming of bears. What does this mean? The first dream I had was of grizzly’s chasing me, my now ex, my brother, and sister down a mountain. The second dream last night was of a mother and child on the side of the road calling a bear, saying go away bear, they would turn and walk away and the mother black bear would charge toward them to defend her cub. (In my dream I was thinking they were caught too close while taking photos). I tried helping by stopping my vehicle and backing up and as I was doing this more vehicles showed up, one was coming at me from the front and was about to hit me. As I backed up the second vehicle was behind me so, I turned to avoid the side of the hill and turned onto the road then I suddenly stopped. I got out and looked under the tire to see that I had run over the mother bears body and the only part that was left was her head as I was getting back into my vehicle I heard people screaming and I felt something grabbing at my foot and then I woke up.
I had this dream that I was outside in a wood like camping area where I was sitting outside with my oldest son (16 months old) and saw a bear coming our way at first it felt friendly but at the same time it turned aggressive and I ran with my son inside our cabin and put my son down I tried to close the door behind me but couldn’t I kept struggling and asking for help from my boyfriend who eventually got the door shut.
What does this mean?
Reply
My dream was of the girl I loved and I …. I was sitting in a couch opposite her inside a house with a big door to my right… when a big brown bear came to the door and started clawing, banging and ripping at it. It was injured and bleading from the gut area and had a cub. I pushed my self against the door to keep the bear out, too protect the people around me…. The bears claws kept breaking through the seam of the door cutting me… I looked over and my girlfriend had no emotion what so ever. I screamed, begged and pleaded for help as I fought to keep the bear out, but she sat there looking at me like there was nothing wrong.
Dear Jason – The way I understand your dream is that this situation is merely like a re-play of (some of) your childhood experiences.
Our inner child often tries to resolve issues with our mother by for instance projecting “mother” onto the girl or the woman we love.
This means that the way you perceive this girl “my girlfriend had no emotion what so ever. I screamed, begged and pleaded for help as I fought to keep the bear out, but she sat there looking at me like there was nothing wrong” might be merely re-experiencing the feeling that your mother was not there for you when you were a child and when you needed her.
Uncovering the ‘past’ that is still with you here in the ‘present’ takes real work and needs dedication over a fairly long period of time. It is a work that is desperately needed in the world and in society. Very few people, even those in high positions of government or society, have actually grown up in the full sense. They are still operating in the world either from promptings and fears from their earliest babyhood, or from social conditioning that is out of date and needs upgrading.
Please continue reading at http://dreamhawk.com/health-and-healing/inner-baby-and-child/
and see also
http://dreamhawk.com/dream-dictionary/mother-mum-ma/#InnerMother
I do suggest you explore this dream yourself as well using the techniques which are described in this article:
http://dreamhawk.com/dream-dictionary/practical-techniques-for-understanding-your-dreams/
Good Luck!
Anna 🙂
My dream was not fear. A friend had found a cub and was raising it. Obviously in very little time he got HUGE. The bear attacked my friends husband and he was gone, we tried to hide it from my friend for fear of her reaction. While trying to talk to her about what had happened the bear attacked my dog and I was standing next to the bear smacking it on the nose and yelling no like it was a puppy. I was terrified but needed to protect my dog. I’m not sure what this means but it was real enough to have woken me from my sleep.
I dreamt that I was sitting along a river shoreline fishing. To my right I seen a dark figure making its way towards me along the shoreline through the thick foliage. As it came closer I realized it was a large boar black bear. I unclipped my large hunting knife that I always carry with me as a primary tool.
I had no intentions with having any conflict with the bear, but before I knew it he was charging at me and before I knew it he was on top of me. I was fighting for my life. I had my knife in my right hand and as the bear lunged for my face and head I raised my knife and drove it deep into the soft underside gap of his jaw, driving my long blade into his brain. The boar collapsed dead on top of me. I was badly injured in my deam. My dream seemed so real, real as in feeling and smelling the hot breath of the bear. I have no idea what this dream means.
Dear Sherry – Your dream starts with fishing which is a symbol of a receptive state of mind.
In this state of mind you are able to meet “a dark figure”.
Such shadowy figures are our own rejected emotions or potentials. It is the aspect of ourselves we reject, the secondary side of our personality, its non dominant traits.
See http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/shadowy-figure/
When the dark figure gets closer you are able to become more aware what this is about and you respond with pulling your knife.
So what did you feel at this part of the dream; fear or anger or aggression?
If we take away the images and events occurring in a dream and simply look to see what feelings or emotions are evident, the dream is often more understandable than if we try to interpret the symbols. Feelings in dreams are nearly always undistorted. We therefore do not need to interpret them, simply to recognise them and see if we can recognise where they occur in waking life.
See http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/emotions-and-mood-in-dreams/
and
http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/self-observation/
Killing the bear can show you killing urges or needs you have that are natural. Mostly this is injurious to your wholeness, but occasionally has to be done to deal with special life situations. The killing might also point to feelings of pain and conflict, as when we kill out something in us that is natural or even beautiful.
In order to explore this you can use “Being the bear” and “Talking as the bear”.
See http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/acting-on-your-dream/#BeingPerson
and
http://dreamhawk.com/dream-dictionary/practical-techniques-for-understanding-your-dreams/#TalkingAs
Other techniques you can use to get a better understanding of your inner world you will find in
http://dreamhawk.com/dream-dictionary/practical-techniques-for-understanding-your-dreams/#TalkingAs
Also Power Dreaming is a tool to explore if you can achieve a different outcome with this dream, for instance by allowing the bear to approach you without pulling a knife.
http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/secrets-power-dreaming/
Good Luck!
Anna 🙂
I woke up from a bear dream that was quite disturbing. I was in a house running around climbing up and down trying to get away from the bear. I did not see the bear but felt a bear’s presence sensing me. I was scared out of my mind & felt trapped. No where to escape there were people in the house & one volunteered to help. I had no way to defend myself from the bear if caught up to me & attacked. That’s when the person (a woman) grabbed a big knife & started stabbing it. It was pretty brutal. When she was done I looked over & saw a cub with the bear! I heard the bear moaning trying to survive & the baby cub crying looking at the blood & liking itself. I felt horrible watching that in my dream. Then I woke up feeling weird.
My dream last night was I was in a beautiful muggy forest full of amazing trees. But little did I know my sis was a bear. I ended living with my sister in the forest and we met another bear. She was so loving. And then we went looking for fruits that fell off of trees but a man tried to capture the strangerd bear.
And that is all I can remember.