Elephant
Although the elephant is much like any other animal in your dreams, it tends to represent the power and influence of the potent forces active in your body and mind, that if you relate to well bring about health and success, and if badly illness and ruin. For example the elephant can refer to the powerful responses in us such as fear, sex, survival, and the power of imagination to evoke great anxiety or great pleasure. Often our personality evokes these forces in a destructive and disorderly way. A person may have read an article about cancer for instance and develop a great fear they have the disease, causing much stress and actual physical illness in some degree.
So some elephant dreams revolve around how we relate to this power, and the attempt of the elephant to place us on its back to direct it. So in general it is your potential or energy. Also depicts your big self, or the power of the unconscious and your cosmic, eternal nature. The tremendous inner power of the unconscious, with a mahout, or conscious direction or co-operation can achieve wonderful things. Ganesh, the Indian elephant god, represents the remover of all obstacles, the power of life manifesting. He is the god of good fortune.
So it is the totality of yourself rather than awareness of only the conscious ego. It is what is referred to in Christianity as the ‘spirit’, the influence that can heal or instruct, thus power from our unconscious; strength; unforgiveness from association of long memory; patience; fidelity; intelligence or wisdom of the unconscious. In some ways the elephant has similar qualities to the crocodile in its link with the collective unconscious. The difference is that the elephant does not usually in dreams seek to consume you like the crocodile or alligator. It therefore depicts a relationship with one’s incredible potential that can lead to directing or working with the potent forces of the unconscious. See: alligator.
If we run from the elephant: Being afraid of our own strength or inner power. The question is, can we meet this enormous energy in ourselves enough to direct it? Sometimes represents the collective unconscious.
Elephant’s trunk: Sometimes a sexual symbol, the penis. As such it is usually referring to how your sexual feelings are being influenced by the great spirit of Life acting on you – the cosmic power of the spirit. Also the trunk illustrates the ability to get or reach out for ones own needs – see example below.
Example: During an experience arising from the use of psilocybin, I had a very clear mental image of a baby elephant. It was like a bas-relief made out of clay, but mobile. I could see that the baby elephant had some problem with its trunk, and I wondered why my unconscious had produced this image so clearly and what it meant. Immediately the image disappeared and a series of associations arose unbidden. It was that the elephant actually ate with its mouth, but it had to reach out for everything with its trunk. As a baby the elephant would suckle, but as it matured it would have to learn to get its own needs with its trunk, therefore the problem was about me reaching out for my own needs. Danny.
Example: The I experienced the elephant as a powerful force which I intuitively sense and feel some anxiety about. I felt the elephant as a powerful influence which works below the level of normal consciousness, which acts upon masses, although it obviously influences individuals. But it influences individuals unconsciously, so they are inclined in a direction along with many others. As it enters my life I sense it seems to be an influence which might direct me into a communion with this deeper, more inclusive or integrative influence. Thus my personal activities might have added to them this influence which co-ordinates the processes of life, and adds to ones small endeavours the stamp or power of a grander life – the spirit. The life of the spirit I sensed here as the ‘company’ where I was accepted as a worker in this wider organisation behind life.
Example: I was on a road and noticed that a magnificent elephant had appeared. It had enormous tusks and ears, the latter being powdered with blue dust and adding tremendously to its impact. As it was coming in my direction I was frightened and began to run. I ran off the road, over a fence into a field. I thought the elephant would be stopped by the fence. It wasn’t. It walked straight through it after me. Then I tried to climb a low bank back to the road. The elephant was drawing nearer and I was so frightened I could hardly move to climb the bank. The elephant caught hold of me and I suddenly realised it wasn’t going to destroy me, but wanted, despite it being a magnificent and powerful beast, to sit me on its back. I was still frightened however and ran to a doctor’s surgery. The elephant came and, thrusting its trunk into the surgery, drew me out to it. AT.
Example: I looked out of a window and noticed a wild elephant in full charge. It ran past the end of the building and I went to the opposite window, seeing it charge another elephant. After the impact it seemed to be a strange mixture, in my mind, of elephant and rhinoceros. It then stood shaking with sexual motions, until a great deal of sperm came out and its tension was released. AT.
The above two examples illustrate firstly the enormous power of the elephant and how it is not usually an attacking or destructive power, and in the second example it shows the link between that power and the sexual drive.
Idioms: White elephant; pink elephants; rogue elephant. See: the self under archetypes.
Useful Questions and Hints:
If I imagine myself as the elephant what do I experience?
What powerful influence am I meeting or directing at the moment?
Am I aware in any way of the enormous impact the collective power of society and my own unconscious has on me?
What is my relationship with the elephant and what does this depict in my life?
See Do you imagine that is a real creature – Avoid Being Victims – You are the Projector
Comments
Hi Tony, I had a dream about going for a walk in the park and a baby elephant came to me and wanted to play. It belonged to someone else but the owners told me it was ok to play with it. Then the elephant told me that it had to go to the toliet and I told the owners that I would take care of this but we never made it the public toliets so the elephant peed itself. I felt a bit lost because I didn’t know what to do and kept looking for the owners but couldn’t find them. Everybody was staring at me and I felt really embarrassed inside but pretended that I wasn’t embarrassed. I am not sure what this means. Any ideas? Many thanks
Annina – The elephant is a small but significant part of you – see http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/brain-levels-and-dreams/#mammalbrain – and it has the potential for being something with enormous strength, an instinctive strength. But somehow you have got your normal waking morals and reactions mixed up with what should be your dreams morals. If you had taken a dog for a walk and it peed it wouldn’t have mattered. But the elephant is a natural creature and doesn’t mind where it pees – but you do.
So I wonder whether you are in touch with your instinctive self and are treating it as if it were human. So think where you feel embarrassed when you express the natural instinctive side of you.
Tony
Dreamt about several extremely large elephants charging through a busy street trying to smash down a building or wall. They attempted numerous times, each time thier massive tusks slamming into the wall and ricocheting backwards hundreds of feet, almost as if gliding on ice. I was more intrigued than scared and I think the reaction of other people was that of confusion. I pulled out my phone to videotape what was happening with the intent to show my wife. Eventually, the elephants disappeared by I think morphing into cars and driving off. The wall was left standing.
Any insight? Thanks.
Steve – the elephants usually represent enormous strength we all have. In the case of your dream it seems to be like the saying, “Banging your head against a brick wall”. Are you involved in some task or project that you are not succeeding with? If so your dream suggests a change of attitude or process.
The cars suggest the other type of power you have, that of motivation; maybe change your aim or motivation?
Tony
Thanks Tony. Perhaps my dream is pointing towards my attitude and motivation at work. I have been struggling to stay busy and be happily productive.
I remembered after I wrote my first message that the wall/building was I believe a mall or shopping center. Does this have any significance? Thanks.
Steve – The mall could suggest looking for something. But time will tell. You have so much strength that you apparently, from your dream, are using to no avail. So think of alternatives.
Tony
last night i have seen thousands of elephants going on the road and one of them chasing behind me.I tried to avoid elephant but he will come every where with me.All black elephants.Please explain.
Manj – When I was a young man I had several dreams of huge elephants chasing me. I ran as fast as I could thinking they were trying to kill me. But at last one caught me and put me on his back to act as his guide.
So of course the elephant wants to come with you because actually he is a part of you – your spiritual strength. That they are all black suggests that you are unaware of the strength inside you. So realise that you have a lot of inner strength and claim it.
Tony
I had a dream last night that i was in a different setting. Not a setting of western, but of a eastern India like setting. It was night but i could see with the help of the Moon and candles lighting the area around. It seemed like an Outside Dining setting. There where people sitting around with the clothing that mainly easterners in India and such wear like robes and those head cloths kinda like the genie in the lamp style a little(lol) there where people serving food to the people that where sitting down and i noticed that there where elephants standing by some of the tables with cloths over there faces like (they where calm and just standing by). To find out their trunks where cut off that’s why the cloths was over their face that way. I was offered some of the elephant trunk and weirdly i think i do remember eating some and i remember that the bone or inside white part that was not the meat was showing. because of the meat that was eaten off. weird but mystic setting….i wonder what that meant.
Mook – The dream shows you in the world of dreams and mystery. But the main thing is the elephants. That their trunks had been cut of suggests that you cut of the enormous power you hold within you. An elephant cannot survive without a trunk, so you were party to a long and painful death for such a wonderful source of inner strength.
It is a difficult dream to work on, so maybe I am wrong in what I say, but that it was done just to eat, is worrying.
Tony
Hi Tony, I had been having dreams of animals lately. dead snake, peacock, elephant and temples.
I am concerned about the elephant dream i had yesterday. I saw this elephant very close – the forehead was very closely seen. meanwhile there was this temple where they had the rituals with a casket (if you have heard of Murugan rituals) and there were food also. My sister was also there.
Few weeks ago I had a dream with my sister again where we were decorating an elephant which was made out of cement and I was proposing that we need to decorate a peacock since it is uncommon to do so as opposed to an ele. I also so my next door neighbour in the back yard.
What does this mean please?
thx
Sakunthala – A fascinating dream but one which I would have loved a fuller description.
But the forehead of the elephant is a sacred place, and is about the enormous power that is focussed there. It is about transmission of some of that power to you.
The cement elephant is a symbol that one uses to remember the real thing, and the elephant is the power that can carry us through all obstacles if we relate to it and worship it.
Tony
Sorry the elephant god Ganesh….
Last night I had a dream about a crocodile and an elephant. I was looking at a crocodile and the only thing that separated us was a fence. The crocodile was very large and it fed on a smaller crocodile. The entire time it was feeding, it looked in my direction until it came close to the fence and frightened me. I sprang and moved away from the crocodile just to see and elephant looking at me.
The elephant came close to me and I touched it. It stood next to me and followed me around. Every time I stretched my hands, the elephant would extend its trunk to me and leave its trunk on my hands for a while and it would move its trunk and pat me with it. What does this mean? Please help. THanks
CM – Well, a dream crocodile can be very different to a waking crocodile. See http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/what-we-need-to-remember-about-dreaming/
But in fact the elephant was a true dream creature, without any hurt in it at all. The elephant has come into your life in this dream, and it is difficult to explain what difference this makes. In general it is an influence for good that is largely invisible but is apparent at times. For instance while walking home along a main country road, one I had walked many times, I suddenly felt fear of the cars passing me. It was strong enough to make me walk as far away from the road as the sidewalk allowed. As I walked on, still away from the road, wondering why I felt such fear, a van pulled up beside me on the road to make a turning away from me. As it stood there waiting for traffic to clear and I was passing it, I heard the scream of tires as a car went into a skid on the wet road. Then the skidding car shot up onto the sidewalk between me and the van. It was an extraordinary experience. Without that warning I may have been killed or injured. I have never before or since felt fear like that.
So if you let this beneficent influence into your life it will take care of you – how I do not know. Also, considering that dream crocodiles cannot hurt you, it might be worth making friends with that too. A very different influence than the elephant, but an important one – it can give you entrance into the deep inner mind.
Tony
I recently had a dream that i was looking out of a window, the landscape was very bleek and the day was dull and grey. to the right was a long stone wall my eyes were drawn towards it. on the wall i could see a black and gold elephant mask i was just admiring it when a pair of hands came up to the face and began to rub it, then it shook for a few seconds and it was a plump man in a grey suit with the black and gold elephant mask. i went into another room to tell some one, in the room was my fiance when i told him he said ” its 6 oclock they will be spying.
what does this mean as when i so the mask i thought it was something to do with the local goverment. i just havent got a clue…
Alison – This was a mystery to me too at first, but you are looking out of a window on a bleak world. And I think that at the time of the dream you were feeling what a bleak world it is.
So in that frame of mind your dream and thinking process developed this into see the elephant mask. This probably means a powerful thing that is masked – and what it masked and behind it is a little old plump government official – walking around like he is important. Without the mask he would simply be a little plump man.
Then the next thought, probably aroused by recent conversation with your fiancé, was that the government are all the time spying on us in one way or another and probably interfering with our privacy and freedom also.
Just my intuitions about your dream.
Tony
Thanx Tony, I think your right there.
Sneeky little bleeders arnt they.
Although now i keep dreaming about Gansha as that got anything to do with the elephant mask…
Alison – Gansha – Ganesh – it’s the thought that counts!?
Tony
I had a bizarre dream about an elephant that was following me around and trying to poop on my head. The poop never landed on my head, but always came close. Any insght into this dream would be very much appreciated. Thanks!
Aleth – The impression I get about the dream is a comment. It is saying that it would be awful if the poop actually hit you, and yet it tries to again and again – meaning that it is not a wise thing to treat you greatest strength in a way that causes it to demean you. It would be wise to offer the elephant something out eat and to respect the strength you have. Do it in your imagination untnil your gift is accepted.
Your strength is about your inner life, maybe your intuition or feelings.
Tony
I just had a dream that I looked out my friend’s window into his backyard (although, a place I’ve never seen). I saw a cattle trailer where cattle were being unloaded to be sold. Just to the left of the trailer was a lot that held a very large, tuskless, elephant that beared a (male) rider on it’s back. It appeared the elephant was being ‘broken’ (like what would be done to a wild, untamed horse). There was someone on the ground with the elephant (again, another male) who was being mauled/crushed by the elephant.
what could something like this mean?
Candice – Well, if I literally translate the images in your dream, it says that you are looking at parts of your friends life that are usually not on display. So all I can give is an impression.
The dealing with the cattle is a very materialistic attitude, and the elephant doesn’t need to be broken in. It is a dream creature, and if treated with respect would serve you with its tremendous strength quite willingly. If it is truly about your friend, the very strength he is dealing with could either turn on him, or on another person.
As I say, just an impression.
Tony
Sorry – no advertising – though I love the photos.
I had a dream about baby elephant, it was a cute and lovely one. The windows in the room were open and it tried to enter the room.so i asked from my father to close the window, but he said it’s ok to allow him to come inside and the baby elephant was very close to father. I feel the loveliness of it from inside but i avoided to be closed to him. May i know what it means ?
I dream about five elephants. There were four elephants came to my house in inside the door and I saw one already in my house welcome the other four. What is this mean?
Last night I had a very vivid dream (as they usually are,) of much disarray and fast movement of both people I did and did not know-at parties, bus stations, airports, hopping in one car to another.. Every person I had dialogue with in the dream seemed to be confused or lacked confidence in what they were saying. Later in this dream, the driver was driving down a busy main road in my hometown while I sat in the passengers seat. I saw a baby elephant at the side of the road and we caught eyes, so I asked him to turn around. I confusingly told him there was an elephant on the loose and he laughed at my comment and informed me it was all over the news and that everyone was in fear. He turned back around and the elephant was loosely being held on a leash by a kind man in the dark. The elephant was definitely out of its element but was solemn. I asked the driver to leave me at the location of the elephant and he looked and me crazy and said a few doubtful words to me as he drove off. It was very dark and i was a bit weary, but as I step closer there are children and adults sitting on rocks with soft moonlight shining on them, and all were peacefully enjoying the company of the baby elephant. The elephant and I do not break gaze. I feel like he is mine but I too, am his? We both don’t know what to do.
This morning I go to the grocery store and a man is painting a hhige happy babynelephantnon the window wavng at me. I continue to see elephants throughout the day and I am convinced it means something and it will continue.
Your help is appreciated!
I recently returned from a trip to India. Last night I had a dream where I was back in India. I went to a restaurant and sat down with people I didn’t know to see what they were eating. We ate some different things and then they handed me some meat. I told them I didn’t eat meat, but they insisted that I try it. I refused. They said it was elephant meat and needed to eat it. I protested and said I thought it was wrong to eat elephant. Again they insisted and I agreed to eat a little. I put it in my mouth and then spit it out. At that moment, they held up a lifeless baby elephant and told me that’s were the meat came from. It was limp like the bones had been removed. I started to cry and was horrified at what was happening… what I had just been part of. Then I woke up. I know elephants are powerful symbols and I’m very shaken up by this dream. Please help me to understand what it meant.
Anna – I think you are suffering confusion about the difference between the outer world of waking and the inner world of dreams and meditation. In the outer world you have strong feelings about eating meat – but in the inner world things are quite different. To refuse to eat is to deny the need to absorb what the dream represents. In this case tremendous power.
Please see http://dreamhawk.com/dream-dictionary/eating/ which I have enlarged, and also http://dreamhawk.com/dream-dictionary/food/
Tony
Thank you Tony, I appreciate the insight. You are right…there are things in my life I don’t want to accept right now.