Ants

Like many insects, the ants might depict small irritations or criticisms things that have got into you in some way. Ants have been used in dreams to suggest sperm also. Also when we look at an ants nest we see massive work going on, so it can reflect our work.

In some dreams there is a play on the idea of the ant representing the  small and insignificant and the giant who apparently rules the world. It might also show how the small and insignificant can bring great changes or catch the attention of the dreamer – the giant.

Our life does not depend upon any wrinkle cream, or “we deserve it” shampoo. Our life depends upon the tiny creatures of this world and their health. It depends upon the tiny bacteria, the tiny lichens, the small lives in the billions and trillions upon which the edifice of our life is built. And they in turn depend upon sex – upon that open receptiveness that the earth has with the sun. The big needs the small.

“I dreamed I saw an army of ants. There were millions and millions of them marching in columns. And they were carrying a noodle. Then they came to a short brick wall, but instead of going over the wall as I expected, they went through it. I cried “EEK! ANTS!” and grabbed a can of insecticide and sprayed them. But the spray turned out to be a foam and foamed up all over them. It killed them just the same.

Then the scene changed and I was looking into a pool of water. There was a kitten suspended halfway between the top and the bottom of the pool and I had a strong feeling that it was neither dead or alive. Strangely enough, I felt sorry for having killed all the ants and immediately the kitten rose to the surface and cried. And its fur was orange!

This was followed by another dream: “I met a friend. She asked me how I had “got my baby”. I told her it was easy, I got it out of a vending machine. Then I told her, “I’ll show you” and I put a quarter in the machine. But instead of a baby coming out, a kitten appeared!”

This dream was something of a puzzle at first. Fortunately, the Ant Dream arrived soon afterward and it became immediately clear that its main purpose was to set a precise meaning on the symbol of the kitten, which also figures prominently in the Ant Dream.

In the Vending Machine dream, the meaning of “kitten” (for this dreamer, in this dream) is well established when the dreamer goes through the motions of expecting a baby to appear from the vending machine and is instead presented with a kitten. In other words, Kitten = Baby.

The ants are symbolic of sperm cells and the wall represents the egg. The noodle is a phallic symbol, representing the male gender. To continue with this line of thought, the insecticide is seen to represent commonly used foam contraceptives. The pool of water, with kitten, is symbolic of the womb, filled with amniotic fluid and containing an infant. Since Ruth felt that this kitten, or infant, was neither dead or alive, this is seen as an infant not yet born. Perhaps not yet conceived. When Ruth felt sorrow for having killed the ants, or in other words regretted using a contraceptive, the kitten comes to life and cries. Symbolic of the cry of an infant being born, of the moment of birth. This kitten had orange fur, the same color as her husband’s hair. This identifies the infant-to-be as her and her husband’s unborn child. My feeling on this, and it is quite strong, is that “The Ant Dream” is a direct communication from the spirit of the unborn child depicted in the dream to the person who could become his mother. Quoted from Sundance Magazine, written by Aurelius,

Useful Questions and Hints: 

What part do the ant or ants play in my dream, and what does that suggest?

Is there any suggestion of size in the dream?

Try being the person or thing as it may well open doors within you.