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
Well this was part of a “scene” in my dream last night but, I was jogging through a dim lighted neighbor hood area (night time) close to the mountains in my city and out of nowhere a stampede of bears are coming through the street ahead and to the right of me and I run left as a part of instinct, other people are running and I end up in in a (day time) canyon kind of like one where I live close by, trying to avoid these bears cause they seemed aggressive especially in a stampede, and I eventually climb down and find a way through the canyon to another scene in my dream, but what would this signify? I know I can relate to the anger thats built up inside but could it really be that much? I’m not an angry person..
Jesse – Jogging is a way of getting your energy moving. And that’s what the bears are, a massive flow of energy, clothed in the images of bears. Energy could be expressed as anything, like electricity. But if it is anger then it is best to not run away from the bears, but face them. After all, what are you running from? You don’t think there are actual bears chasing you do you; and what harm can dream images do you? So see http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/questions/#Wolf
Tony
In my dream last night there was a bear. It was in my apartment that I live in now . But not in my bed room but in my boyfriends sister’s room. In her room it was dark and I look at the window and it was dark out and the bear was looking in. It wasn’t angry but just wanting to come in . Any thoughts ?
Winnie – Excuse this being so short, but the animal you dreamt is a wonderful and massive symbol, and apart from any personal associations we have with it can be a link with the animal we all are. I often say to people you ride on the back of an ancient beast. The ancient beast is our 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/ which explains this.
So you bear was simple a part of you that you need to make friends with.
Tony
I keep having recurring dreams about bears, and they are not pleasant ones. I am always threatened by the bear, often attacked. Recently I have had dreams where my two dogs have been with me, and I have been scared for them and tried to save them from the bear. The settings differ, but even if there are other people with me in the dream, the bear always seems to only be after me.
I dreamt that I was in the woods and some people were ahead of me and a tree was fallen and the man took a baby bear cub out underneath the tree.
I was scared that he disturbed it and told him to put the baby bear back or the moma will not be happy. then I woke up
My bear dream involved me needing to pass through some rooms in order to get outside (day light – feeling of rooftops through the open doors and windows), slight sense of urgency. The door to the outside (which strangely seemed to be at the roof top level) was blocked by an enormous black bear. The bear was lying across the door on its back and seemed to want to be tummy tickled in order for me to pass. Thinking this was strange but necessarily I did – and just like a big dog the bear responded with pleasure. It got to its feet and was huge; towering above me. Again I sensed it wanted me to pet its face (couldn’t tell if it were a boy or girl but maybe was more male), which I did thinking that this was very odd indeed. Then I passed through the door into the outside, which quickly became the inside again and seemed to be like at a massive cineplex with a smell of popcorn and teenage girls giggling…… carrying popcorn in pocket book like bags.
In my dream i was at my friends two story house and we were in her room. We were having a conversation and i happen to look out her window and i noticed that in her neighbors back yard right against the house they had a giant bear chained up to a pole like a pet. The bear saw me so i backed away from the window and the bear stood up it was big enough to reach the second story window and look through it. My friend and i got scared and we ran out of the house to get to her car. Once we made it outside the bear was in it owners front yard attacking a man (i dont remember if i knew the man or not) once we got in her car we started to driv away but to leave the street we had to pass the neighbors house, so we drived past it and the bear saw us so it started running after the car and my friend started driving faster and when i looked back to see if it was still chasing us it stopped it was sniffing grass on someones lawn. This dream annoys me because ive had it twice now
Loonie – To save time saying again what I have already said, please see http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/what-we-need-to-remember-about-dreaming/#Animals
Tony
I had a dream a few nights ago that I’m trying to interpret, but I kind of forgot about it so it’s not fresh. Basically, I was in my childhood home, looking out of a window into the backyard. My dog was barking at 2 brown bears, and the bears went toward him to attack, so to save him I made the noise of a baby bear in distress. At first the bears started to leave, but then my other dog (which was in the room with me) started barking at them and they turned around to come back. That’s all I really remember. Any thoughts?
Asabikeshiinh – Please see http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/questions/#Wolf
If you change bear for wolf you have the answer.
Tony
I dreamed that I was watching from a field how an older woman was walking back the lane to her house and a big bear went by me without noticing me and was coming up behind her. There was also a large dog chasing the bear. I clearly remember thinking that I should distract the bear so she could get away but then didn’t do anything at all, thinking that she has the dog and I would not have anyone to help me. The woman stumbled and fell and I woke up feeling very disturbed by my inaction and cowardness. I know I did feel afraid of the bear. Any kind of explanation would be appreciated.
Thanks
I.had a dream..that there was a baby cub and I.was.outside.in the woods the.bear picked up.a baby in diapers it was crying no.one could get.to it and the bear.started eating the baby alive I was screaming over and over for my dad who is dead in real life that’s all.I remember I know.there is more but can’t.remember it.all.I have looked IP.key words bear baby eating but I.have no idea
Lori – This is about a hurt baby, and is about your fear or experience of being terrified by someone’s anger. Please see http://dreamhawk.com/health-and-healing/inner-baby-and-child/
Tony
In my dream I was tilling the backyard soil when I noticed I had unearthed a small creature. I thought it was a small toad, but it turned out to be a tiny baby bear, sleeping. As I looked more closely, my friend (who knows about gardening and such) told me to kill it. I could not. I kept asking, really, this is a bear? It will grow to the size of a normal brown bear. She kept insisting it would, that it was dangerous, and that I should kill it. I did not. What could this mean?
Angela – You were right not to kill the small creature. Everything in our dreams is a part of our own nature or mind – see http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/brain-levels-and-dreams/#mammalbrain
The gardener was not a real gardener but a trial to see if you could kill. Your refusal opens you to a fuller relationship with yourself.
Tony
My dream last night was a beautiful one…I was going down a little road in the country out west..with large forest trees and the bears were everywhere…in the trees, on the ground in the only two yards I could see and I was in the middle of them..they were talking and just hanging out…none seemed angered or even worried about me…I went aways but then some were just too close to the road so I turned back and (same man as always LOL) went and got a tall dark haired man who took my hand and said come I will go with you and back we went and I felt mush more secure and then my alarm went off ;( could you please help me with this Tony….I was VERY happy in my dream and woke very happy today. I have been through an amazing transformation spiritually an internally the last four years…I am very curious as to what this means ….please send my response to my e-mail as I am afraid I won’t see it here or miss your response..Sincerely Kat
I had a dream last night that was unbelievably real. I dreamt I was at the bottom of some sort of canyon and i was hard pressed up in a corner when I heard a ferocius sound and looked up to see firstly a snow lepoard come rushing around the corner of a rock towards me, it then just kept charging towards me and I flinched and closed my eyes to prepare for the worse. Then all of a sudden I could feel the pressure of it as it passed over me, moments later from the other side of the rock landed an enormous bear but it was ghost like in shades it walked towards me and it didnt look very happy, the same as the last animal I could feel the bears paw pressures as it passed up over me. Then leaping from above and behind me was a mule/donkey that was also grey in colour but then the donkey truned around, smiled at me turned into vibrant color and spoke to me, I had troubles at first but all I got out was “you know why you having troubles sleeping”…. What could this possibly decipher to.
My dream involved me and a group of people out in the woods; we’d downed a moose and were dressing it. Suddenly, a group of Kodiak Bears came after us. We all scrambled to get across a river away from the bears, ran towards the left of the river, crossed it again with the bears on the side we just were. I was able to climb a tree but dropped me camera and only had me rifle with me. The bears caught up with the other people in me group, mauled them terribly. I watched from the tree as arms and legs and other body parts went flying, the bears making a loud racket. I cried and just wanted it to stop. I tried to shoot but couldn’t. Suddenly, a huge bear was at the base of the tree I was in, trying to topple the tree. Naturally, I was petrified but couldn’t do anything to stop what I knew was going to happen – I was going to die by this bear. I woke up, scared, shaking and crying. I’ve had this dream several times and it stays with me all the time now.
I had a dream last night that I just can’t seem to get out of my head.
I was outside, with three bears chained up. A mother and two cubs. I could feel they meant no harm. Then I fed them, as I felt was the routine every day.
Then something tried to attack me, and the mother bear saved me. I was very emotional, and promising them better food as I could find it.
Any idea what that could have meant? Please and thanks 🙂
I had a dream last night that I was walking through a jungle park with tall trees, all floor and steps were furnished with slab of stone. Suddenly I heard a bull sound. I was frightened that it may be a bull. I hurried toward the hill side and heard more . suddenly I say a big bear coming toward me or maybe passing by. I was thinking to round around the trees to avoid any confrontations that I got up. what would be the meaning of this dream?
Ben – You are running away from fears that you took into you probably when you were young, and you haven’t faced them yet. Fears of being attacked by animals.
They are only images you create while you are asleep, and so if your realise that nothing can hurt you in a dream you can face anything without fear. See http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/what-we-need-to-remember-about-dreaming/
Tony
Star – Please do not confuse your dream bears with those in the wild. Your dream bears, especially the mother and her cubs, are your own natural urges and strength, and you should not keep them chained up. As you saw, you were saved, as they mean you no harm. See http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/brain-levels-and-dreams/#mammalbrain
Tony
I had a dream last night and it has stuck with me all day, it was very clear (mostly)
There was a group of us and we encountered a bear with a cub. The mother bear warned us to get to shelter as the male bear was on his way. It wound up that my mom was one of the people who were with me and she made it into a cabin, I made it to somewhere (maybe under a tree behind a large fence, my dad didnt make it though and I vivdly can visulized the bear attacking him. Another person appeared and called his cell phone (all he said in a gasping breath was “help me”)
I was unable to help him and watched everything in my dream. After hearing him gasping for help I had a child in my arms and the dream ended.
Just kind of stuck with me today
Warren – This sounds like a practice dream; a dream in which you practice ways of dealing with a bear. You tried the cabin – in your dream – the high fence, the cell phone – then you had a child in your arm, probably because the fear of a bear attack started then; yourself at that age.
In such dreams we practice ways of dealing with it – and it sounds like you found two ways 0 the cabin and the fence. Dreams are like a computer game with full surround virtual reality in which you are totally involved. In such games you can be killed a thousand times and yet you survive to deal with the monsters again. That is unless you learn a way through and go on through the levels of the game of Life. But unlike those games there is a wonderful intelligence behind the dreams we have, and if you listen and learn from it you will find a real mastership – not a false one of denying any fear or repressing anything that threatens you. So realise that in dreams anyway you are safe.
Tony