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
I dreamt that I was running from my old job, and suddenly lost my way out, only to find two elephants in cages, the broke loose, and stared chasing me. I ran into a little alley and when I try to scape one of the elephants blocks my way. What does it mean??? I never remember what I dream…why did I remember this one??
Please be so kind to reply, thanks
Cristina – It is an important dream about an important question you have.
You deeply feel a need to get better work, something that will satisfy all your needs. In the dream you are exploring doing that and so you see the elephants that have been kept prisoners. The elephants only chased you because you ran away from them. In fact the elephant is your own trapped power. You have denied it long enough, so now it blocks your way ahead. You must overcome your fear and see that you have a great power that is your destiny and will lead you to success. Do not be afraid of what you face.
Tony
I was running and along beside me I see a young elephant running beside seemed very happy then he raised his trunk and grabbed my hand with his mouth and pulled me in another direction. Also I should mention I have dreamt this twice in the past few days
O
I had a dream where an elephant is dying when i had hired it for some purpose. The elephant had 2 baby elephants. I see baby elephants reacting to the elder ones death. I see elephant owners crying for its death and they showing me where the elephant is buried. How do i interpret this dream?
I had a dream that a tiger was attacking me and latched onto my arm with another 1 watching and circling and an elephant with tusks came out of the jungle and ramed it with its tusks ,saving me and scaring the other 1 off. What does this mean?
Hi I had a dream in which I saw huge lord Ganesha in a sitting posture. He was actually breathing and I could hear his breath. The place he was seated was surrounded by huge body of still water, not sure if it was clear or dirty. Many people hearing breathing Ganesha started visiting him and though I could see him clearly, I was waiting to have a bath before I could visit him unlike others… What does this dream mean? Thanks in advance.
I dreamt that there were two decorative baby elephant statues/busts underwater at the deep end of a pool (attached to the wall). The water was a bit cloudy and I said a prayer(for the water to clear? I don’t remember)that the babies (I think they were mine, I don’t actually have any) would have nourishment, and the water cleared. That’s all I remember.
Rebecca – Any pool of water is usually about the inner world we meet in dreams – and death. Looking in suggests you are learning or have learnt to see beyond the obvious – maybe developing your intuition.
The prayer is a simple use of your power to change things. You sought help from beyond the rational mind and accessed the MORE. So now you can see even further into yourself.
The two babies are wonderful new parts of you that are becoming apparent to you through looking within yourself. They promise to be a major source of strength and will survive because they are being nourished by your inner quest.
Tony
Hi Tony,
I had a dream where an elephant and a care taker is standing in front of me and the elephant with its trunk hit the care taker on his face. Suddenly the care taker got angry and hit back the elephant on its fore head and the elephant fell down. He then caught the elephant with its trunk and then dragged the elephant to and fro in front of me. At last the elephant was lying in front of me and I was not sure if it was breathing or not. What does this dream mean?
Regards
Ragmenon
hi tony,
I had a dream which makes me feel good though. I am entering into a shiva temple where there is a dragon snak. it flies all of a sudden out of the temple and returs back too. I am not afraid but i am watching it all happening without any fear. There come a beautiful elephant (temple elephant) and in a fraction of second crushes the dragon down to earth.the dragons blood and water are spilt on the ground. I am very eager to know what it means! but i dont know why,i am so happy to see such a beautiful elephant,i feel like its close to me. can u pls ve your views on this dream?
Vani – I can only say what I think your dream means.
The elephant is a form of spiritual strength you have, perhaps through practising a form of inner discipline. The snake is the life energy that can flow from your body and express as hunger, sex, even physical pleasure. That the elephant crushed it suggests that you are using your strength to crush out anything arising from the snake energy. That is not a good move, and can make you unbalanced.
The thing is not to kill out anything from your inner self, but to integrate it and thus making us a whole person – though it is not always easy to do.
Perhaps you could read http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/dream-yoga and http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/what-we-need-to-remember-about-us/
Tony
what does a purple elephant mean in your dreams
Hi Tony, hope you can help me with this. In my dream I was about to clean a room, I pulled back a curtain and what I saw was large bugs of some sort not like insects. They were large about the size of a pig..two jumped and flew up what looked to be a chimney or opening in the ceiling. In front of me was an elephant and a shell-less turtle. (they also were pig size) The elephant and turtle started to tussle, as I looked closer I saw a older man with a crown on his head on the elephant and on the turtle way a younger man with a purple cloak. I was distracted by the baby and turned away when I turned back the turtle was crawling away without the rider on it’s back. The elephant had it’s trunk in the air like in triumph. What do you make of this?
Hello Tony, thanks for your insights. In my dream I was walking through a crowded place, like a market place. I believe it was somewhere in Asia. Then I heard an elephant. When I looked to my right, I saw the elephant near a stage. The elephant looked right at me, and waved it’s trunk, as if telling me to follow. Then it went behind the stage. I went down the aisle and onto the stage, then through a red curtain. There I saw the most beautiful girl. Our eyes met, and I immediately recognized her, and we loved each other, even though I have not yet seen her in this life. It felt so real, and exciting, like I’ve known her and loved her forever. What does this mean?
My husband has seen a dream bathing in a river with huge elephants and one giant elephant threaten my son not to come near him.
I wants to know the meaning of this dream please.
Hi,I have a dream of big elephant in my window, tring to come into my house and was angry and distructive.I also saw alot of water.The elephant was chasing us as if to hurt us.Please tell me what it could foretell.Thanks
very accurate
Can you help interpret this dream Tony? I had a dream today that an elephant was being released (from where I’m not sure) but someone was behind it and let it go. It recognized me as though we had known each other. I got the impression that it was dying soon. It ran towards me and let out this weeping sound and knelt down and hugged or embraced me. I felt its sadness and the next thing I know I was asking someone if they saw how the elephant had just done that to me.