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 had a dream last night that I was at my mothers house visiting and happened to look in the field across the street and see a black bear standing there. We immediately went to secure the front door and it broke through and turned to grab and attack me. Instead of letting fear overcome me I remained very calm and quiet and closed my eyes as the bears weight tackled me to the ground. I could hear everyone around me panicking and yet I fought my fear inside. The bear then stopped attacking me and was calm and put its arms around me and held me. I didn’t move or do anything just remained in a state of trying to protect my life I guess. The bear only got agitated when some people showed up to restrain the bear or pull it off me. Somewhere along the line in my dream it was just the bear and myself, still laying in the same position with the bears arms heavily around me as it must have fell asleep, I then calmly lifted the bears weight off if me and made a quiet escape again not showing or allowing myself to feel any fear. What is the significance in a dream like this? Could it be a representation of fearing something in my life and trying to overcome obstacles? I have had a lot of life changing experiences and have been going through some changes and personal growth trying to gain an independence from a current situation I am not sure I want to be in. I had never dreamt of a bear or being attacked by a bear much less escaping the arms of a sleeping bear.
Last night I dreamed I was outside somewhere with a friend. I don’t know who but could feel it was a friend I was talking to. Anyway, people started to run around us and were warning us of a bear. My friend wanted to leave too and was pointing down beside me. I looked down to see the bottom of a fence and a small black bear was sticking its nose through. I remember saying hi to it but debating whether to run or not. It lay on its back then and began wiggling out of the fenced area right by my feet. I considered running but instead knelt down and watched as he completely freed himself from the place he had been trapped. He stood up, looked at me, then licked my face and wrapped his arms around me in a hug. I was laughing, everyone else was amazed that I was so happy. I woke up feeling extremely content and happy.
My dreams have been random images of bears flashing bye nothing harmful or anything just different images of bears grizzlies mostly but some black bears can’t put a grasp on it or wat it means any help?
I forgot to add that I also had no food for him. I knew the bear was hungry but I had nothing for him. We had all been in the house trying to survive.
I had a dream last night where a huge grizzly was ‘friendly’ towards myself & the two children in my dream. I only have one daughter right now. We even fed him at times ‘& he respected us & we respected him. But then it all turned & he raged into the house & then a lion came running too but disappeared in an instant…then the bear chased us & we almost made it outside to get to the car as he was in the house but we only made it into the bedroom & i was trying to hold the door shut as the kids were in the room with me & he was insanely angry & dangerous breaking through bits of the door & almost getting me & i was fighting him trying to hit him but I couldn’t seem to use my strenght I felt so weak & I was angry & scared & not wanting him to get the kids but I didn’t know how to make him stop attacking. Then I woke up. It was very vivid & I didn’t know how to face him I suppose. Any insight on this dream would be greatly appreciated..Thank you Tony.
I had a dream that I was in a store looking for some new clothes. When I found some clothes that I liked I went to search for a dressing room to try them on. Oddly the dressing rooms were in these individual cabins outside that were raised over water. I was escorted by a worker to an empty dressing room. He went inside to check the scene since it was dark inside, and suddenly a grizzly bear comes out and he begins wrestling with the grizzly. As I watched I thought to myself that although the worker was skilled at wrestling bears, that the grizzly was going to get loose and come after me and eventually it did. As it chased me, I remember thinking that running would be useless because it could out run me, and that swimming would be useless because it could out swim me. Then I remembered that I knew how to fly so I jumped into the air and when I got my momentum flew over the grizzly hit it on top of the head two times and it fell out into the water.
I dreamt that I had a vision that my sister was being attacked by a large, brown black bear. Soon after, I looked out the window and saw this bear. I grabbed the fire poker and tried to keep the animal out of the house and protect my sister.
I dreamt last night I was at a party and a male bear and its cub were there…I ended up having a friendly conversation with the bear.
Both bears were small…the “adult” bear was the height of a great dane and its cub the size of a kitten.
John – Lucky you to be at such good terms with your animal self. You can of course use this wonderful resource – the animal – because it has so much to offer. So please see http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/brain-levels-and-dreams/ – http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/questions-2/#AnimalDream and http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/questions-2/#Summing
Tony
I have been having reoccurring dreams about bears for a year and a half. I find myself inside of a house (not mine, or anywhere familiar.)
I am always being pursued by a bear, if not three. No more than that though. I’m in immense fear and I’m running and closing doors behind me, which never works. Because….well, it’s a bear. I am always cornered. Always. As I begin to feel the hot breath on my chest/face/back..I end up waking myself up. The last time I had these dreams I didn’t choose to wake myself and I got brutally mangled.
I never get myself calm enough to offer the bear anything. I’ve tried to pull something out of my mind (food, gifts anything to give to the bear) but I started it and it attacked quickly even though I move slow. Its an odd dream to keep having and I’m not sure what to make of it.
one scenario, I heard kids in the house and I led the bear away…only to get mauled before jolting awake.
Casie – I feel you are mixing up the outer bear which might be dangerous, with the inner bear that is not dangerous but is part of your abilities. See http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/questions-2/#Summing – http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/brain-levels-and-dreams/#mammalbrain
You see you cannot be hurt in a dream, it is all a virtual reality like computer games. So you are running from your own fears. You say you were brutally mangled; yet you were not mangled, all you did was feeling the feeling of being mangled in the virtual reality. Every shift in what you feel creates your dreams. So a shift if the way you feel about the bear will shift its outcome.
Tony
I too had a dream last night of a grizzly bear chansing me. It was me, my boyfriend that was the love of my life, he passed away 4 yrs ago (we were together 8 yrs) and a young woman I do not know. We were in a cabin, I went to go out of the cabin, walked a few steps and decided to go back in bc its not safe. When I went back in I heard the bear. My boyfriend and I went in the girl’s room to tell her about the bear outside. Then the bear broke down the door, we ran out the back and it began to chase us. the young woman was far ahead, I was second and my boyfriend was 3rd. Then I woke up. I have been in a relationship now for 2.5 yrs, we have a 13 month old daughter. I have not been happy with him for a long time, but have kept on trying to make it work even with the lack of trust, love etc…. I wonder what the bear represents, me hanging on to my love for my old bf or me needing to do something about my currant situation or me wanting to protect my daughter from pain
Sarah – You are running from something that frightens you. But as dreams do the bear is simply an image you use to provoke feelings of fear. So what frightens you enough to make you run away from your present situation?
I am guessing the ex boyfriend was a feeling of security you felt with him and with that you escaped from the bear – almost. The young woman is you9 at that age. You can find out about what they actually represent in your life by using http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/association-of-ideas-with-dreams/#Working and http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/characters-or-people-in-dreams
Tony
I dreamt I walked into a house with my children and heard a noise from another room. Suddenly a brown bear came out and It looked confused for a way out. I felt protective of my children and then saw the door was open slightly but I needed to open it all the way to let the bear out. As I did, her cub was there trying to get in. The momma bear ran out the door and then I went outside thinking I hope this little girl I saw outside was not going to be attacked. And I kept thinking of the bowl of apples I had that I could give the bear to eat instead. And then I woke.
Linda – I often say to people you ride on the back of an ancient beast. The ancient beast is your body, and our conscious self is the modern and recent rider of it. Some ‘riders’ do not understand their animal needs – and the fact that we have several levels of brain that are independent of each other proves this. See http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/brain-levels-and-dreams/
So you had the right idea to offer the bear apples and also not to be frightened of it. See http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/questions-2/#Summing
Tony
Last night I had a dream that I was at dinner with my girlfriend . So I went out side to get something from my car and I saw a black bear . It started to chase me so I started to run . As I was running a brown bear came in back of me and put his nose under my legs and put me on her back to get me away from the black bear . The bear saved me and went back to dinner but she was gone . I went to my car and my girlfriend was in the car and asked where I went
I dreamt that I was at a camp with kids at a cabin, like a a camp counselor I suppose. I did my know any of the kids. A bear came into the cabin, the kids wer scared, so was I. The bear stood on his hind legs and was growling at me, but I was able to get myself and the kids our of there and call for help. Despite the fear I had for the bear, I was composed enough to find a way to get away from the bear. When I woke up, I couldn’t stop thinking of the dream why would i dream of a bear, i have never dreamt of anómala before?
Last night was my first bear dream. I was in the yard with my mom and this man with a camo outfit came up to a large bear. For some reason the bear could not see him, but the bear saw me. It tried attacking me but I held the mouth open (similar to how crocodile trainers do) and kicked it back long enough for my mom to throw me a blade to decapitate it. Then my mom held me and told me that someone had cursed me and all of these horrible things started happening.
Aaron – The curse is all the killer instincts you have that led to decapitating the bear. Dreams are not a reflection of external life,
but a magic mirror showing what you are like inside. See http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/questions-2/#Summing
Tony
I had a my first bear dream a couple days ago. I was walking in the woods with my youngest son (8 yrs old) & seen a brown bear from the distance. It was on all fours in a large culvert going in the opposite direction as I was, but for some reason, maybe my son made a noise, the bear turned & started after us. I felt fear for my son & myself & hoisted him on my shoulders to put him on a pathway up an embankment just above me. There was another bear in my dreams the same night, but I can’t remember anything else about it except the fear. I am currently strugging with myself about whether or not to leave my husband who is touchy/grouchy (to put it nicely) & smothering me. So my question is: Does he represent the bear? or Is the bear my frustration with myself about not making a decision?