Tiger Tigress

Power, anger, sexual power, inner anxiety or terrifying urges. Fear of another person’s anger or forcefulness. Sometimes the power of a mother’s protectiveness. A woman’s anger or sexual craving.

Although similar in many ways to the lion, the tiger has a more feminine quality. It can therefore represent an angry woman; ones mother/a woman as a protector or destroyer; anger; spitefulness; the power and authority of ones animal strength; anxiety or fear, flight or fight. Often children have recurring dreams of being chased by a tiger (or lion), and this is about anger that they have been told is bad to express. So this is why they are running from it when they should have made it their friend. This is probably also why most people are still running or hiding from tigers in their dreams. Instead they should have been taught to direct their anger – a natural part of our defense system – effectively.

Do not to be afraid of the animals you meet in your dreams. They are only symbols of your own inner nature, your animal self. See Your Mammal Brain

The tiger represents your own power, the power that can protect your family and any children. Feel the power of that by imaging yourself as the tiger. Yes, actually imagine yourself in its body.

Also big cats, like domestic cats and dogs are very ‘mouthey’ – in other words they do everything with their mouth. They love with their mouth and love to hold you with their mouth. It is their way of giving a hug and wanting to be near. But of course tigers can bite for real too, but your dream tiger is a part of you. Even if it did bite you in your dream it is only like holographic image and can do you no harm. To be frightened of your dream tiger is to run away, avoid or deny your own wonderful natural strength and self protection. See Mouthey Animals

Example: Just last night I dreamt I was walking and a tiger came at me. I was scared, but I thought I would try to be strong and not show my fear. It did not work and the tiger ran at me. I climbed a tree and onto a roof of a tin shed. The tiger followed me up and I ran across a series of tin sheds. I finally realized I could not escape and I turned and faced the tiger. I screamed at the tiger and ran straight at it. The tiger got scared and turned and ran away, and then I woke up. These dreams have been on my mind, and I would love some insight into them. Thank you so much.

From that you can see that an image – in a dream – cannot hurt you, though it can cause you to feel fear. So chasing it was a way of changing your feeling, and that of course changes your dream. So, there is nothing in any dream that can hurt you, unless you run away from something. Running away is leaving yourself open to being a victim of whatever frightens you.

When we call someone a tiger we either mean they are fierce, capable of defending themselves, or very successful at what they do. But we also say a woman can protect her children or loved partner like a tiger. So it is also about strength and passion to protect and care. This aspect of the tiger depicts the primeval and passionate power of motherhood and the love and care of nature itself emanating from the unconscious. Tigers are individual creatures and are not, like lions, part of a group less it is a mother with her cubs.

Like any other animal, the tiger can also represent aspects of sexuality, depending upon how it is presented in the dream. As a symbol of sex it would most likely include elements of uncertainty – will I be attacked or overwhelmed – power and instinctive responses. It has to be remembered also that the tiger is a top of the food chain predator, and so can represent the predatory facets of human nature. See animal for an explanation of the role dream animals play in our life:

But it has to be remembered that every image in our dreams is an aspect of ourselves, and being an animal the tiger represents the wonderful strength we have as our heritage – if we claim it. Many people are frightened of their own strength and so run from their dream tiger, but as the following dream shows it can be your strength.

Example: An adult tiger was at my bed with one of my old high school buddy holding him on a leash. When I saw him I was furious what the fuck is such dangerous animal doing on my bed. Went to load my AK (the imaginary one, don’t actually own one), but when I pointed the gun at him he ignored me with calm and assertive look. I dropped the gun and in my admiration for him just felt his strong and firm energy. Since then I started to really think of Tigers as the ultimate alpha animal!!

Example: I was in a hallway behind a door, pulling it against me to shield myself against a tiger. The tiger was large with bloodstained paws. Some people stopped outside the door to look at the tiger. I told them to move along, as it had a very uncertain temper, and could easily attack. In fact it began to grow restless and growl. They went. I saw the deep colours of the tiger, and the blood. I was terrified that at any moment it would pull the door away from me. At that moment the tiger attacked me when I came from behind the door, and swallowed me. Now instead of feeling separate I was the tiger, and delighted in his movements and anger.

If you are born in the year of the Tiger in Chinese astrology, dreaming of a tiger might be a comment on your strength and weaknesses. It could be wise to consider your basic characteristics in the light of the dream. See Chinese Zodiac Tiger

The tiger can represent many things however, and below is another important aspect of a tiger.

Example: While in a basement a person approached me holding quite a large animal. As they handed it to me I saw it was a tiger cub, large and very well built, with a thick neck. I was surprised, but even more surprised and disturbed when a huge tigress came through a doorway above us at ground level and came down the stairs to us. I thought she was going to attack us, but she took the baby cub and placed it down. She then came with something in her mouth, probably money, and placed it near me. She gave off a powerful feeling of not wanting the cub, and with the money handing it over to me or us for our care. There was an atmosphere of irritability about her. Peter G.

In this example the tiger has an obvious connection with the mother. The dreamer had often been threatened by his mother that she was going to give him away, or put him in a home. So the dream probably dealt with his need to confront these feelings of abandonment which, like the tiger, were threatening. Interestingly, almost exactly five years later, in the same month, Peter dreamt the following.

I am in a house. There is a feeling I am sharing it with a number of people, as if there is a connection with a friend Mike. Suddenly I notice there is a tiger cub running around the room. It is a large room and empty except for myself and the cub. I realise this must mean there is a mother tiger about and worry that it will be angry or aggressive because of its cub. I go to walk through a doorway, but the mother tiger walks through. I stand still, not daring to move. But she brushes against me in a friendly way and strolls over to look at her cub. Peter G.

Interestingly the dreamer sees himself as a young tiger in his dreams.

Example: There is alarm that a wild tiger is about. I am concerned to find a place out of sight, behind a desk, in case the tiger sees me. It comes in, and, although there are many other people, it comes directly to me. As it comes towards me, I see it is small, and young, and un-coordinated in its random, flailing movements (rather like Tigger in Winnie-the-Pooh). Its body is like a pipe-cleaner twisted into a tiger shape. As it comes to me, I see it is full of energy but also shaking uncontrollably with fear, drenched in sweat. It is furiously wagging its tail, which may have a white bow tied to it (or is it the shape of the tail? – the latter I think), as if it is desperate to please. So from within my fear I say to it “Good tiger, there’s a good tiger,” to calm it down. I think, or say: “This tiger is terrified, because it is quite out of its element, in a classroom with humans.” I look up and see there is no one else in the room – just me and the tiger. JH.

JH says of his dream: “This seems to me to be a very revelatory dream. Clearly I am the tiger, and so I am frightened of my own fear in trying to hide from it. But the clarity of the dream is in the basic fear of existence the tiger exhibits.” Here the tiger is clearly about the fight and flight instinct in us all, and the struggle JH has in dealing with this in his life as a teacher.

Idioms: Fight like a tiger; paper tiger.

Useful questions:

Am I dealing with anxiety or anger in this dream?

What relationship do I have with the tiger, and what does this say about the way I deal with the ‘tiger’ aspects of my life such as fear, anger, aggression and dominant strength?

Does my dream tiger show any signs of motherhood in this dream, and if so how does that reflect on my mother or motherhood?

See Animal in my Dream

Comments

-Ryan 2017-11-21 2:46:50

Dreamt I went by my old school that looked shut down. Saw a woman I know from school days and I looked behind the school and saw a tiger in a fenced area. I said to the woman”I just wanted to see if it was true”. I had not come to the school to look for the tiger,i just happened to see it and then said that for some reason.

-William 2017-08-16 23:54:50

I had a dream last night where i found 3 dead tigers in my old house garden…small garden..there was no sense of fear just bewilderment..how they get there etc..my girlfriend in the dream.wenr out to look closer at the bodies but then I told.her to come back in as one of the tigers lpoked like it could be alive…..my GF ran back to the house bit then she turned into a normal house cat and I let her in the house…..i called the police and.said i.have 3 dead tigers in my garden send someone round as no.idea how to get rid of bodies…as I was on the phone 4 people were at the door which I recognised as burglars from the neighbourhood (in the dream I not know them for real)..but I would not let them in…then woke up…weird stuff…will let you know if anything weird happens over next few days…cheers!

-Jaclyn 2017-06-17 11:26:58

I dreamt of a tigress in a glass cage with her cub
Her female tamer then took cub out and place on a coffee table in front of my friends parents and myself. As I went Togo hug it I thought this is a bad idea and stopped, so my friends parents did pick it up. While this is going on I can see tigress starting to get angry (we made eye contact) and tamer slowly closing glass doors to cage which she managed to do just in time before tigress started freaking and charging door
On other side of me which now seems to be me actually in the glass cage with my friends parents the tamer and cub is my friend whose parents i am with andrea. She is being Malled by a teenage bad guy. I say malled cause he wasn’t punching he was holding her tight and rolling around forcefully
I didn’t know if it was a problem until he released her and her face wAs all swollen. He started again with the attack and I was banging on the glass and yelling for her father to come help. The boy release and I got her back in the glass room.
Then I looked over at tamer and tiger had her by her blonde long pony tail through small opening in glass door and was ripping it
When I turned to look at my friend the boy guy saw what tiger was doing and started to do the same to my friend. I then woke up in a panic
I never was scared of tigress. I wanted her to have her cub back while absolute craziness was going all around me
What do you think?

-Yashi Singh 2017-03-14 1:59:32

I saw in dream that Im playing with tiger. He goes aggressive and sometime very gentle for me like a dog plays
Aslo I saw an impala with whom I was playing but at last tiger was watching down from the building railing and I pushed him …he fell and he broke his spine and then it could not stand. What this dream can mean

-Yashi Singh 2017-03-14 1:58:29

I saw in dream that Im playing with tiger. He goes aggressive and sometime very gentle for me like a dog plays
Aslo I saw an impala with whom I was playing but at last tiger was watching down from the building railing and I pushed him …he fell and he broke his spine and then it could not stand

-Susie 2017-02-10 22:30:50

Usually I don’t remember my dreams so this one has really affected me. I kept waking up, to only fall asleep again to the next chapter. I was at camp with students when we saw a tiger. We all tried to get into a large room when the tiger entered and took one of the students. It left and we locked the door. It appeared a little while later. We thought we were safe inside but it leapt through a glass window and took another child. When it came back it was after me, only me. I managed to escape and was wondering around looking for a place to hide. I found a place with no windows and was preparing to hide inside when the tiger appeared. I was ina room full of people but it only had its eyes on me. When I tried to go into my escape room it was locked. The tiger ran straight for me. It leapt up, missed me and leapt into my escape room, which coincidently didn’t have a ceiling. I thought I was safe until it leapt back out again and was coming towards me. Some people has guns and shot the tiger. I was relieved. This dream has freaked me out a bit, can’t stop thinking about it’s meaning.

    -Tony Crisp 2017-02-12 15:07:18

    Hi – I am stopping from answering your posts fully – but will try to give hints; sometimes long ones because I quote from masses I have already put online. Also I need to take time to update the site – dreamhawk.

    It would help you to understand your dreams, if you would read – http://dreamhawk.com/approaches-to-being/questions-2/#Summing and also http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/features-found-on-site/

    Nothing can replace your own ability to understand your dream. With a little effort you can do this by practicing what is described in – http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/acting-on-your-dream/#BeingPersonOrThing or http://dreamhawk.com/dream-dictionary/getting-at-your-dreams-meaning/

    Tony

    Susie – 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.

    It is also important to realise that every image, every scary or terrifying thing, is taken place inside you, in your mind, as you sleep. This means that every awful animal, every scary thing, or person, is created out of your own fears and must not be seen as outside you as happens in waking awareness. The problem is that we are often scared of or frightened of experiencing our emotions and so they confront us in our dreams. Avoiding them or controlling them is like running away from oneself – there is no escape.

    An example: I was in a hallway behind a door, pulling it against me to shield myself against a tiger. The tiger was large with bloodstained paws. Some people stopped outside the door to look at the tiger. I told them to move along, as it had a very uncertain temper, and could easily attack. In fact it began to grow restless and growl. They went. I saw the deep colours of the tiger, and the blood. I was terrified that at any moment it would pull the door away from me. The tiger attacked me when I came from behind the door, and swallowed me. Now instead of feeling separate I was the tiger, and delighted in his movements and anger. The tiger turned out to be my anger that I felt as a child when my older cousin taunted me and held me at at distance with his long arms. Also see http://dreamhawk.com/dream-dictionary/masters-of-nightmares/

-Parth Arora 2017-02-10 7:45:33

I had a dream that me and my family was at a hilly area. And me and my family was at a hotel basically it was a wedding where we are. The people get the news that the group of tigers are here I go to the road to see them on the road the group of tigers appear in front of me and a mother with his children see the tigers and start running on seeing them I also took a run but they are comming behind me and not harming me l reached the hotel were my family is. I told my family everything about I see and a group of people come in front of me and the tigers disappeared and then a light came and my dream came to en end. They were not basically tigers as they don’t have black stripes on their body but they look like tigers

-Lauri 2017-01-17 1:03:24

I cannot find on any sites about saving a tiger cub. I had a dream that I saw an animal on the road with cars whizzing by and as I ran up to save it, it turned out to be a tiger cub. I don’t remember what happened next. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

-Jimmy 2017-01-02 23:53:47

I had a dream that I was in a forest and I and a bunch other people were running away from tigers.
I see other tigers when running and run even faster and Before they catch us and we all hide in a house.

What does that mean?

-sarah 2016-12-13 8:21:38

I got a dream yesterday night. In it I saw a tiger cub which came to me. It was too attractive. I took it as my own pet.and then suddenly someone attacked us.I saw my cub running for life with its mother and other 2 cubs. The mother was successful in taking 2 of them but my cub was shot and was bleeding. The mother just said my cub to comeback if it’s alive and cried and ran way. I just synod and watched everything. I ran towards the cub and saw it bleeding to death. I took it and however treated it and took to my home. I played with it, my nr phew also played with it and everything was do good.it would come to my bed and sleep beside me. K held it though it was heavy. After few days I don’t know. It disappeared. Few said me it died. K couldn’t believe. I left eating ,doing other activities. K would always cry at the thought of its absence. And then I got up.may I know the meaning of such kind of dream

-Veronica 2016-12-09 20:51:49

I am usually very good at interpreting my own dreams, but this one I cannot. I dreamed that a women gave me her pet tiger. She had it since he was a cub and loved him very much, but could no longer keep him. This didnt make sense though because she had a lot of outdoor space for him to run around and I now kept him in a small room. I would love on him, but I was always a little afraid because, after all, he was a tiger, and wild animals should not be kept as pets. We would play a little but he would accidentally hurt me with his claws, though he never meant to hurt me. I once rode him in the city, I felt very powerful and everyone feared me, but then he ran away. Now everyone was so afraid because a tiger was lose in the city; but I was afraid for my beloved pet, that someone would kill him. I tried to get the local zoo to catch him because I knew he would be safe at the zoo. That was the bulk of the dream. Next I saw a swimming pool full of young, wild tigers, a dozen maybe and saw my tiger as well, he was in the pool too, but just on the steps in the shalliw end, not a part of the group. I now realized that he was old and fat from living the life of a beloved pet; he would not be safe in a zoo with other tigers, they would likely pick on him and eventually kill him. I also remember thinking at this time how strange it was to see so many tigers together as they are solitary creatures. Last, as he was coming out of the pool a little girl (maybe 4 yrs old) went running towards him. I yelled out to stop her but I was too late. He was startled by her and instinctively scratched her and chomped her. Everyone was so upset that the girl was killed by the tiger, but I felt nothing for her except perhaps contempt that she scared him and made him kill her; what did she expect would happen? Though perhaps she was too young to know better. I was once again afraid he would be killed for nothing more than being a tiger.
I struggle with anxiety, depression, ptsd from domestic violence, and addiction. I know the dream has to do with all of this, but I cant pen it down. I would love to know what an ouside observer thinks it means.

-Leon 2016-11-10 16:31:20

I was napping, and suddenly I was in a rich colored, rectangular wooden room with red and yellow hues: it was otherwise, bare. I noticed there was no door. There was, although, a tall rectangular window on the far wall facing me that looked off into a starless darkness. Suddenly a large tiger was sitting within its frame and looking my way, body facing to the east of the sill. At the moment I expressed in thought, the query whether or not it would leap, it sprang from window as elongated orange and black stripes of space. In that time of instance, I did something not characteristic of my physical habits: I fell to my left knee, right knee up, and made the sign of the cross. I stood after and the tiger at impact with my heart and solar plexus became energy that bolted up my spine and actually raised my body from its prone position to being on both my knees in the bed, while the impact coursed through my body. After, I simply lie down again. Upon waking, I pondered the dream, in as much detail as possible. This was in ’88, and to this day I still ponder its meaning. One of my favorite paintings I found years later, is of the “Arab in the desert”, sitting in meditation on a patterned carpet, with a calm tiger lounging in front of him, head up, and with one paw on the tail of a calm monkey. Love your work. I have been pondering archetypes lately while trying to understand my relationship with my father who passed recently at the age of 90, and it has been very helpful. Thank you.

    -Tony Crisp 2016-11-11 8:59:47

    Leon – Thanks for a fascinating dream.

    I am not responding to dreams in detail at the moment, but will give a few hints. For instance, the following dream tells you a lot:

    Example: “I was in a room with lots of animals, suddenly a wild thing burst through the wall to the left. It was like a nightmare, because the creature rushed at me and it scared me and I woke up.

    I used the technique Tony taught me and I became the wild thing and allowed it to come to me so I became it. Suddenly all fear disappeared and I was full of energy the sort of energy that could do anything and I felt powerful. The image of a fox in the hen house came to mind, but it did not feel harmful just full of life’s energy empowering me.”

    The main thing is you didn’t run in fear but allowed tiger into you. 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. 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 http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/acting-on-your-dream/#BeingPerson

    The energy flowing up your spine is your own released enormous potential – your life energy. See http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/kundalini/

    Also, dream images are like icons on a computer screen – You have to ‘click’ on your dream images to make them come alive. Thinking about them doesn’t work. You need to open yourself to the magic of them. To make them into the wonderful gateways they are you may have to learn certain skills. The Being Person is one such skill, but an even better way is learning to allow that energy to continue it work by using – http://dreamhawk.com/approaches-to-being/opening-to-life/

    Tony

-mae 2016-10-22 14:07:51

sounds like you are preaching animal possession in reverse and the use of demons to assist the evil. – If a Child of Jesus takes ono the challenge, this is death to their Holy Spirit. they will be removed from the Book of God.

    -Tony Crisp 2016-10-24 12:45:08

    Mae – Nothing can kill the holy spirit. For some of the first words on the bible say that we are made in the image of God. Why on earth would a loving God curse his own creations with with such awful things.

    I sense that you have been exposed to the words of men aimed to fill you with fear.

    And anyway what is wrong with God’s creatures? “And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

    And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”

    Tony

-Nandini 2016-10-13 4:40:24

I had a dream of a tiger on a leash who walked into a cage. We were in a familiar location (I almost think it was my current house but i am not sure). While entering the cage peacefully, the tiger turned around and looked at me with a deep thought. I subsequently started feeling very nervous like it was going to attack me or something. I was very perturbed that the tiger was in the cage and felt terrible about it although I was scared that if he is let out he will attack me. Eventually, the tiger dies. And I keep thinking that it died because I didn’t let him out of the cage. Can someone help?

    -Tony Crisp 2016-10-16 10:30:05

    Nandini – 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.

    So the animals you feel in your dream will harm you are actually your own instincts and feelings that frighten you and are actually harmless. This is because every dream image, animal or person is a subtle or powerful aspect of your own efficient working.

    The problem is that we carry our fears of external animals into our dreams. So yes, by trapping the dream tiger in a cage killed it. But nothing can ever die completely in one’s dreams, so by recognising that your dream tiger is actually you own female natural fierceness and allowing your natural feelings to emerge, the tiger can live again.

    Try imagining that you merge the image of the tiger with you. Dream animals are real parts of you, and the image in dreams are projections onto the screen of your dreaming mind of real and active parts pf you. So do not project them but take them back into you by imagining merging with them. See http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/brain-levels-and-dreams/ and
    http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/acting-on-your-dream/#BeingPerson

    Tony

-Sonali 2016-10-04 5:05:11

I had a dream two days back .. It seems i saw the dream of tiger for the very first time …” I saw i was sleeping and suddenly i woke up saw a tiger standing right in front of me .. till the moment i could have understand anything that whats going on ..the tiger gradually came towards me but it did not attacked me ,it bent down and slept over my legs ..and was showing some love n care ..that time tiger’s body was cold like anything..then i actually woke up from my dream…
I would like to know the meaning of my dream..can you help me through this ???

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