Animals in Your Dreams
The animals we dream of express the wealth of our own feelings and depth of our unconscious understanding of life.
Few of the things we do as an individual in today’s world are uniquely human. Like other animals we build dwellings, we eat, sleep and reproduce. We care for our young with the same passion and self sacrifice seen in other mammals. We follow leaders and develop hierarchy as do wolves and primates. Above all else, we share with our fellow creatures our existence in a physical body we have inherited from a long line of forebears and pre-human animals. From this long past we carry traits and urges, fears and dispositions that underpin our self aware human personality. In dreams, these largely unconscious responses to what we face in life are shown as animals. See Animals in your Brain
For instance some of these traits we know as the flight, fight or freeze response; as the new born baby’s instinct to suckle and bond with its parent; as our urge to find a partner and mate; and particularly we see it in the drive to survive and thrive. But there are many more subtle aspects of the animal inheritance we carry with us. Some of these we see in our social behaviour, as when we shrewdly asses a person’s character, or discover what we call the ‘chemistry’ that exists between us and another person. Such things arise largely from our unconscious intuitions and senses. Such senses and responses were developed over millions of years by our animal forbears. In fact we are like a small face on top of a long line of beautiful animals.
This ancient heritage that dreams portray as our animal is not simply a psychological belief. It is built into our body and is very evident in the fact that we have three interwoven brains. The most ancient brain, one we share with reptiles and birds is called the R complex – R for reptilian. This part of your brain deals with deeply instinctive behaviour such as flight or fight, swallowing, automatic reflexes, inbuilt mating behaviour, territorial defence and aggression. This R complex developed about 200 million years ago and is still an underpinning part of what influences your behaviour today. Dreams often portray these urges in you as snakes or lizards.
The second part of your brain is called the Limbic System. This is wrapped around the R complex, and is something we share with other mammals such as cats, dogs and horses. It developed about 60 million years ago and deals with your emotions, feelings responses to people and events, the subtler inner life you feel in love and sex, and it provides a deep wisdom about social and individual relationships. Dreams often use mammals or apes to portray the influence in your life of this part of your unconscious drives and intuitions.
Many people are frightened or terrified of their dream animals. That is rather like being terrified of a picture on a cinema screen, for dreams are nothing more than moving images on the screen four sleeping mind. Like a computer game you can be attacked or even killed many times but you are still whole and unhurt. Face up to the animals in your dreams and make friends of them, because they are really helpful assets to have. See Inner World
Useful questions:
Is there any concern about the animal’s health?
The third part of your brain is the Cortex. This is unique to humans and takes up five sixths of the brain mass. It deals with all the things that are distinctly human, such as logical thought, writing, analysis, self awareness and conscious movements.
An American advertising company, describing these three brains in its instructions to planning advertising campaigns says, “Our Reptilian Brain is more powerful than the Limbic (emotional) Brain, which in turn is more powerful that the Cortex (thinking) Brain. It is best to take all three brains into account when planning a marketing/branding campaign.” See Animals.
Meeting your dream animals
What has been said about your three brains and what sort of dream arises from them is of course a generalisation. When you are looking at your own animal dreams you want to know specifically how they refer to you. So we will move from the general to the specific in looking at the dream meanings of animals such as a dog, cat, snake, horse, tiger and elephant. Those are mentioned because they are, in the order given, the most frequently dreamed of animals.
As explained in an earlier chapter, these are not to be thought of as symbols. They are more like computer desktop icons that if you connect with them lead you to awareness of, and ability to work with, what are usually unconscious processes in you. To gain even the beginnings of insight into your dream animals, you first need to remember that you as a person are a tiny spark of consciousness. You are a little bit of self awareness riding an incredibly ancient animal you call your body. Remember that your body has formed from cells and genetic information that has gradually developed over millions of years. It holds that information in it unconsciously. To actually make a living connection with your dream animals see Acting in your Dream
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To gain an understanding of your dream animals, it is helpful to imagine that you are the keeper of a prehistoric type of human being. As such you would need to be aware what the correct diet is for this big creature; what type of dwelling it needs; what are its sexual and emotional needs; what frightens it or causes it stress; what amount of exercise keeps it healthy, what its stages of growth are and how it can best develop through those stages; and what satisfies it in relationships with others of its kind? Your animal dreams are showing you exactly those issues. They are giving you insight into how to care for the instinctive, the spontaneous and natural in you. |
Therefore ask yourself the following questions about your animal dreams, and write down any responses. If the answer is no to a question, move on the next one:
Is your dream animal struggling to survive?
Survival is the most powerful and fundamental drive in your body and personality. Survival skills today are often linked with managing to remain alive in difficult terrain or harsh countryside, but we all live in the midst of challenges even in civilised surroundings. Your everyday social, work and political environments confront you with enormous difficulties. Also, every cell in your being is trying to survive. Your body and its systems are constantly involved in maintaining balance amidst powerful counter influences, or even against your own bad habits. Understanding what difficulties you face in surviving, and what resources you have to handle them is a huge step toward a better life. If you had the reptilian brain and the mammalian brains removed you would not function.
Therefore define if you can what your dream animal is struggling with or against in its efforts to survive. Look for connections with your everyday life. In doing so remember that the dream is putting into graphic form, perhaps like a mime, something that needs to be lifted into everyday words and perceptions.
We all have so many aspects to what we need in life to survive as a whole person. We might be doing very well in work or social recognition, but our need for warmth and love might be struggling. So it is helpful to list the facets of your own life, such as physical health, mental health and vitality, emotional needs, finance, acclaim, and so on, and asses their survival rating.
Is the animal domesticated or wild?
This illustrates the difference between urges within yourself that you have completely socialised or learned to cooperate with, and those that are in conflict with your conscious actions or what other people expect of you. An example of this can be seen in youthful rebellion, and in the difference between what is instinctive and spontaneous in a young person, such as aggression or fear, and what is expected of them by others. The rebellious youth might allow their unsocialised urges to express as criminal acts, or disruptive social behaviour. On the other hand they might express it in the form of music or art that, while it is still anti establishment, is rewarded, as with the Rolling Stones.
So the need here is to recognise what of your feelings or urges are involved, and ask yourself if the wild is healthy as it is, or does it need a better relationship with your social or work activities? On the other hand, sometimes social restraints or needs deaden the spontaneous and natural in oneself, and so need to be reduced for greater personal harmony.
- Is there any concern about the animal’s health?
- Is there an indication the animal has been injured?
- Does love, caring or affection enter into the dream?
We have inherited and enlarged the great tenderness and care seen in other mammals.
- Are sexual feelings involved?
- Does the animal show unusual intelligence or ability to speak?
- Is the animal giving advice or showing you something?
- Are baby animals involved?
- Is the animal attacking or being attacked?
- Is there a herd or group of these animals?
- Has the animal been neglected or mutilated?
- Are you trapped by or running away from an animal?
Comments
Hi tony,
im just wondering about a dream ive had. It was about a black dog, that endid up in my back yard but its not my backyard in real life. i remember there was a collar on him. He was vicious and would growl angrily at me and look me in the eye, but also he would change slightly from wanting to attack me to being very playful in a rough way, he would bite my arm and jump up on me i would have to try and block him from my face and push him off, it hurt but the dog wouldn’t listen to me. i remember trying to understand whether he was playing with me or trying to hurt me. I was afraid for the children around me and for my daughter but he wasn’t aggressive towards them it was only aimed at me. i had a phone call and i had to take him back to his owner, and i was fighting to get the dog into the car but also i was very afraid of him but i knew i had to do it and i was trying to pull him by his collar but he would listen to me. or let me touch him. what could this mean? it was so vivid. i look forward to know what you think.
Mary – I have to go with my intuition with this one, and it seems you have had quite struggle with your emotions and feelings. So much so you have been scared of disturbing your children/your vulnerable self.
So you had to find a way of containing them, to find where they belonged – not in your everyday life. But it was a struggle, and it is probably still near you yet you can hope they will be send back to their owner – your unconscious.
Tony
Dear Tony,
I am very happy to have stumbled upon your article. It is very enlightening and informative. I have been searching for quite some time for answers to my persistent animal dreams. I would estimate that 80% of my dreams involve animals, so much so that I am incredibly bewildered as to why. I dream of bears, birds, dogs, but the majority or my dreams involve snakes and fish. I seem to be fishing a lot and the snakes are always biting someone else in my dream, not me. Awhile back I was constantly dreaming of this lion who followed me everywhere I would go. It was always right at my side nudging on my thigh. The dream had this strange texture to it that I can not explain. It was almost as if I could feel the lion pushing on me. I felt fear, but at the same time peace. I find the plethora of animal dreams strange, like they are telling me something that I can’t quite figure out. Thanks!
Sarah – It seems to me that you have a very healthy relationship with the animals in you.
The fishing dreams are due to you trying to get answers to questions you have about your inner life or dreams. To catch a fish is to pull up a treasure of information for their unconscious store of wisdom. But of course pulling it out of the water is not enough as you end to pull it yet further into understanding. This is understandable when you realise that our deeply buried secrets are physiological, and if they are problems, then they are psychosomatic. As these rise into consciousness they become spontaneous movements such as we see in dreams or tics. The next level is the mythic or dream level, in which what was really never before put into words and has never been consciously known tries to express in the images of dreams. Then comes the huge moment of realisation when we have entered the dream and felt it and can now clearly express it in words.
So I usually point people to try using http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/acting-in-your-dream/
The lion is a very powerful dream image and has a lot of what can be called animal strength – a strength arising out of instinctive and intuitive wisdom. So I would guess you are very guided by your feelings and intuitions. Of course the lion is pushing you on. It has a sense of your potential that the little human you hasn’t really glimpse yet. I believe they are telling you to enter the Temple of the Animals and gain wisdom there. Also to allow more of your spontaneous urges to express. See http://dreamhawk.com/poems/temple-of-the-animals/ and http://dreamhawk.com/approaches-to-being/the-lifestream/ and before I forget http://dreamhawk.com/stories/the-rock-beast/
Swim with the Life Stream.
Tony
I had a dream that there was a baby Elephant, that had just escaed off it’s chain it had been trapped on for it’s whole life. It was injured and scared and just wanted to run away and be free. I felt connected to the animal, and I wanted to help it, it didn’t want to hurt me, it would even let me touch it and try to calm it, but it would not let me move it to a safer place. It fell off a cliff, and was lying on the beach, hurt. I ran down and tried to help it, tried to push it back up the track to the forest, to where it would be safe, it wasnt afraid of me touching it, it was afraid of being trapped, or going back onto the chain. But it still wouldn’t let me help it, and wouldn’t budge. It just wanted to be free.
Caitylan – What have you been doing to yourself for all these years? Considering that each image in your dream is a reflection of you in some way, you have been holding this wonderful part of you chained – and now a change has come into your life and it is free.
But do not feel guilty because, as you say, “I felt connected to the animal”. What has happened is probably due to the culture we have grown up in that doesn’t understand that we have such a huge and wonderful resource inside us, and believes that everything has to be pushed into us from outside in being ‘educated’. That is what chains the enormous inner wisdom and strength we have.
Then you decide what you feel is best for it – the forest – but it might be better to leave it on the beach – after all it is a creature of your dream and not a creature of anywhere else. I think what you end to do is to simple listen and watch your lovely elephant and learn from it. Maybe you can do this by reading the section on Being the Person or Thing in http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/acting-in-your-dream/
But even giving it love and watching with it will do it.
Tony
I was dreaming that it was the day of my daughter Christening and there was a party. In my dream I knew all the guests but now I don’t recognize many of them. They brought wild animals as gifts.There was a lion, two warthogs, meerkat and a herd of monkeys. One of the monkeys jumped into baby’s bed to attack my daughter.The bed was empty at that time. When I grabbed the monkey, she bites me in the blood. The dream ended with me telling the guests to take away the animals. One of the quests asked why I want to get rid of such innocent animal as warthog. In that moment lion jumped at me but I managed to move away. I realized that the lion was really big mascot but all the other animals were real. Any thoughts what that could mean?Anybody?
Anna – It took me a long time to get any understanding of your dream, and when I did it was a surprise to me. It was a surprise because it felt as if the dream is about your destiny.
It starts with the Christening of your daughter. Christening is in dream imagery a giving of a name, a quality and a soul to the new being. It is a holy rite not understood by most people. It is also an acknowledgement that that new life has a connection with a larger life than that of the individual. It is an introduction to the spiritual life. And your dream daughter is the part of you, still very young, that has been Christened into this new life.
And that is just the beginning. Because then our dream continues into aspects of yourself that you previously felt okay with, but you then begin to see that things were not as they should be. It reminds me of a story told by a great seer. He said that many people’s houses – meaning their body and themselves – had been invaded by animals and even plants, while the owner was tied in a chair. The invaders were instinctive urges and drives that were now in control of the owner and were running the show. Things like greed, urge for power and money above all else. And what should be in charge is the individual now longer in the power of the invaders. And the invaders are driven out by letting in a spiritual force – Christening.
Well, you were not in their power, though one did draw blood – a loss of energy. And you saw what was happening. Even so some people will still tell you that that old life was ‘natural’ and normal.
And your destiny, as far as I can see, is to carry on recognising what is happening in your own and other people’s lives.
Tony
I’ve had two dreams in the past week that have involved mountain lions staring intensely at me. The first one started with my boyfriend and I sitting on our front porch at night talking, and I see a huge mountain lion jump over a barbed wire fence across our street. It does’t look over at first, but starts playing like a hyper house cat in our front yard. My boyfriend doesn’t seem to notice and keeps talking, but I am terrified and afraid to move. As soon as I make a sound the mountain lion stares at me, he’s just pacing in front of me and looking at me with big yellow dilated eyes. He’s not moving towards me or crouching to spring, but staring with intelligence behind his eyes. I’m just trying to figure how to get inside without being attacked, as soon as I make a move for the door I wake up, I don’t see the cat jump or move, I just wake up.
The second dream was last night. The beginning of it is hazy and boring I was in a store with someone and I decided to leave. I then found myself in exercise clothing walking down a road, it looked very Arizona like. I felt very peaceful and I started to run, then sun was going down, it was pleasantly warm. I felt great, but then I started to round a corner and a large mountain lion was coming around from the other direction. Again, it wasn’t looking at me at first, I jump up onto a boulder to get away, and it jumps onto the same boulder but still doesn’t seem to notice me. I’m scared and I grab a dead branch from the ground and start to swing it in an effort to scare it, but it just snaps it head up and stares at me with the same eyes as the first dream. It walks a few feet over, still staring at me, then jumps onto another higher rock and as it jumps in transforms into an African lion, with a flowing mane,and the sun is behind him. Then he looks down at me, and I wasn’t really afraid anymore, but in awe. And I woke up.
I actually love wildlife especially felines, the lion in the first dream actually reminded me of how my cat plays when he goes in to maximum overdrive. And I do live in mountain lion country but the only one I have ever seen up close was absolutely GIANT and gorgeous.
I’m just wondering if these dreams have some significance because they are very vivid and the last one especially seemed and felt like there was some meaning behind it. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Aubree – Yes of course they have significance. You are a creation of Life and a living creature and every part of you is intelligent and expresses that. Consciousness and intelligence are a potential in us. Therefore dreams had significance. If you can get information from your urine you can certainly get it from your dreams.
The two lions are beautiful creatures, creatures of your dreams, and should not be confused with lions you see with your eyes open. Your boyfriend probably believes that the only real things you see are with your eyes open.
Your dream lions are trying to get you to trust them. And of course the first lion is intelligent. His eyes shine with your own wild soul’s intelligence, gained from living in the wild places of your soul.
You are one of those fortunate people who love for wild life has enabled you to be blessed with this dream. The awe you felt tells you that you are in contact now with powers few know about. They are the powers of nature, full of purpose, full of insight and full of power to enlarge you life –if you can actually let them come close too you without fear.
To gain even the beginnings of insight into your dream animals, you first need to remember that you as a person are a tiny spark of consciousness. You are a little bit of self awareness riding an incredibly ancient animal you call your body. Remember that your body has formed from cells and genetic information that has gradually developed over millions of years. It holds that information in it unconsciously.
To gain an understanding of your dream animals, it is helpful to imagine that you are the keeper of a prehistoric type of human being. As such you would need to be aware what the correct diet is for this big creature; what type of dwelling it needs; what are its sexual and emotional needs; what frightens it or causes it stress; what amount of exercise keeps it healthy, what its stages of growth are and how it can best develop through those stages; and what satisfies it in relationships with others of its kind? Your animal dreams are showing you exactly those issues. They are giving you insight into how to care for the instinctive, the spontaneous and natural in you. In fact they can lead you into a wider life. See http://dreamhawk.com/poems/temple-of-the-animals/
Tony
Hi I had a dream about a pitbull attacking my arm.. I read it has something to do with my kidneys… I’m scared I have two babies 4 and 2.. I can’t be sick. Also my husband is in germany we’ve been away from eachother for 5 months working on his Visa. I work 2 jobs… Thank you for any insight!
Mel – How to people come up with such ridiculous ideas!
You will not be sick Mel. A vicious dog attacking your arm is about anger making you less able to extend yourself outwards or to take things in – exactly as we do with our arms. We can create or give with our arms, or we can take things that are offered. So an attack would simply mean that you are less effective in some way. And you probably wouldn’t notice it unless your attention was drawn to it.
I had a dream years ago that my left bicep was shot away. I explored the dream and found that in fact I was not able to back up things I did with my right hand. I lacked confidence and that held me back.
You can regain your arm by extending love to the dog – after all it is an aspect of you and it was your own anger shown as a dog. So loving it can change the way you relate to yourself. And please do not worry about your health.
Tony
In my dream there was a yard with wild and domestic animals in it and a large coon like wild cat .The domestic s were our 7 dogs (my sister own 4 of them).I was scared the cat would harm my late mother and tried to explain to my sister but she left me .Then my daughter and I had to try and catch the 7 dogs and put leashes on them before something happened. We eventually achieved this but I was still nervous .Strange to say the wild animals were calm and didnt scare me and I woke quite calm myself .
great article – thanks for sharing
I just woke from a dream that was pretty vivid :
I was in a house not my house but a house I somehow seemed to know the lay of … there was a window that was open and at one point I realized there was a tiger outside, I noticed the tiger had noticed me perhaps by scent and began to investigate, a game of cat and mouse then ensued with me of course being the mouse, I had the idea if i could move from room to room closing doors i could trap the tiger eventually in one room, it became almost like a puzzle as I moved from room to room but each time the tiger would figure out a way to get close to me. eventually I ended up in one of the rooms literally wrestling with the tiger via a door – the tiger was pulling the handle on one side and I on the other, I could feel his power tugging violently – i held pretty steady and would not let him win the struggle, at one point someone else appeared ( a total stranger) and was trapped the room with me for a moment, as he took over the struggle and held the door I was to exit the room and find a way to circle the tiger and distract him to the other side of the room he was in away from the door to myself and this stranger. Unfortunately the door I then picked became a closet and I was trapped, I then heard a cry from the guy who was helping me, he was not eaten by the tiger but was outside the house vulnerable to the tiger. The tiger however did not follow his cries and instead pushed on through the door, I was then exposed as I exited the closet, and realized I had little options left but to fight the tiger, the terror sank in as I entered back into the room that I was now probably about to be mauled by the tiger, little I could do against his power – at this point, prior to any attack by the tiger upon myself, i woke abruptly with my heart pounding HARD in my chest. it was pretty lucid and I could feel the adrenaline pumping. I am wide awake at 3 am – i then thought I’d go online see if I could make sense of the dream and found your site :
Thanks for reading my email / Stephen
Stephen – Sorry it takes so long to answer such dreams. I answer each one and have to enquire into them a bit to understand them. Also I have moved house and it took me away from my computer.
The house is a place you usually feel safe in, but in your dream it is a place you face something that makes you back away from it. In fact the main action of the dream is backing away. And what you met eventually when you could not back away anymore was fear – of being mauled, by whom.
In dreams what comes toward us is something within us that is coming into consciousness. So in the dream a great fear that you have that was unconscious is becoming conscious. And unless you meet it, it will come again because actually it is a healing process and good to get rid of it. Such things come because you are now strong enough to meet it – though in the past you were not.
It might help reading such things as http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/acting-in-your-dream/ and http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/what-we-need-to-remember-about-dreaming/
Tony
hi tony,
Yesterday i saw a nice dream.A giant elepent was passing my home.he looked nice.after he saw me he became a small,cute,baby elephant.after that he wanted to cuddle with me.but i was ran away from him and entered my room and closed the door.but that cute naughty elephant tried so hard to open my door.he only wanted to jump on my hand and cuddle.finally i let him do so…he was very happy so did i….
can you please explain the meaning of this dream….
Ish – This is a lovely dream.
I have seen several dreams where the person runs away from their dream elephant. But as you said, all it wanted was to cuddle.
At first it was a giant elephant but it became a baby so as not to frighten you. And it was a good thing that in the end you let it come close to you for a cuddle. The elephant will grow and it will not frighten you then because you will be friends. Then it will be a great strength for you and will help you to deal with problems you face in life. In fact even now when you end help, call for your elephant to help you and things will turn out fine.
That is the blessing your elephant brings to you.
Tony
Hi there, Really enjoying your site. I wonder if you could give me any further insight. I continually have different dreams about animals, generally in which they need my help. I don’t have any animals in my life really (apart from all the creatures in my garden) but feel a strong connection to animals in general and sometimes wonder if my dreams are showing me that this is something that should be fulfilled in my life.
In my latest dream I dreamt about my old rabbit from when I was a child and really felt a great empathy towards her. I felt incredible sadness and guilt that us humans had taken away her freedom by putting her in a hutch. I’m sure there must be a lesson in here somewhere but wondered if you would be able to shed any light? Many thanks
Pondering Pea – Yes, there is something that should be fulfilled – it is that the animals of your dreams are wonderful doorways to a wider view of life than we have in our ‘human’ way of seeing.
Before ever we became humans we went through millions of years of animal life. And that is still in our body in the form of our prenatal development where we went through the whole process of evolution from a cell upwards. But when we developed our human personality we lost touch with all that went before it. But some people build a bridge between the animal that they are and the human they have become. And what results from that is beautiful beyond words. And you have built that bridge but it needs amplification.
You can enter into the wider world of your dreams by using http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/acting-in-your-dream/ If you can use any of these approaches they will enlarge your experience of your dreams. But in particular the way Being the Person or Thing is very important.
Meanwhile here is an example of using the above method.
Sorry about this long answer, but I feel it so important to realize what the caring relationship with our own animal hurts and feelings can do. It is incredible healing, and our animal in us loves us and supports us. After all, our conscious self rides an ancient beast – our body – that many of us are so cut off from. I can show you dream after dreamt of people who ignore the needs of their animal and see it dying, and that leads to sickness of mind and body, while you love you display can lead to a much wider appreciation of life, and a way to enter into social action more fully.
But you are a carer, and that is gift. You can do much with that love.
Tony
Hiya, Im wondering about a dream I had last night.. I dreamt that I was visiting my father in Denmark and I was with his new family and stuff, and in the dream he owned a big black horse, but it felt normal somehow.. In the dream I was used to see the horse and we kind of had a bond I think, and I was going to pat him but he just growled and tried to bite me. Also he was HUGE, like the biggest horse I’ve seen, what does this mean?
Melkorka – I feel this is about the ‘and stuff’ you have about your father.
A black horse can represent unaccepted passions, the threat of death, or the unknown or threatening changes. And in your case it is definitely an expression of your feelings about your father. You want to be nice with him but there are things that make you feel angry – probably about his situation. Its size is also saying this is a big thing you need to take care of.
You could perhaps deal with this using the ‘two chair method’. See http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/dialogue-with-a-dream-character-or-object/
Tony
I had a dream that I was walking up to a baby gorilla (tiny. The size of a human baby) that fell out of a tree. It seemed to have a soar with a worm coming out of it. i walked up to him and he had a dipar on and a tiny tee shirt and got up and the wound looked better at the time and said to me “how am I going to get back up there?” His voice was just like a little boy’s voice… Very cute. He said his mother was up there… I didn’t see her tho. it’s been on my mond all day. Wondering if it represents something or not???
Stacy – I wish I could give you a vision of what your dream means, or an experience of its wonderful depth.
The little gorilla is a sort of icon like you get on your computer screen, and when you ‘click’ with it a new thing appears to unfold to your senses. So the gorilla brings you a lot of love and calls out of you your caring nature. You felt it didn’t you?
Before ever we became humans we went through millions of years of animal life. And that is still in our body in the form of our prenatal development where we went through the whole process of evolution from a cell upwards. But when we developed our human personality we lost touch with all that went before it. But some people build a bridge between the animal that they are and the human they have become. And what results from that is beautiful beyond words.
The baby gorilla was pointing you to the tree and the Mother. The tree is the tree of your own personal evolution – what you might call your family tree. And in that tree is the Mother of all living things. That is why you can’t see her, because if you could you would know the meaning of your dream – it would be a wonderful vision of something holy. And by holy I mean something we all share – a mother – the Mother. You would find the source of the love you felt for that little creature. Reach for it.
Tony
Hi Tony, your words are very insightful. I am hoping you could help me. I have recurring dreams of wolves attacking me. I’m always able to outsmart them for a little while and then they (sometime more than one) will finally pounce on me and I am holding them away from biting my face with my arms or legs. Sometimes I am just stuck in a room with them and they are watching me waiting to attack me and I can’t get away. Most recently it was a muskrat with razor sharp teeth and all I can remember is just holding it (it was small) as it lunges at me over and over. I feel extremely scared in the dreams and confused. I always just wake up nothing is solved. I am never successful in getting away. This has been going on for the past 3 or 4 months once or twice a week.
Looking forward to your insight
Hi Tony, your words are very insightful. I am hoping you could help me. I have recurring dreams of wolves attacking me. I’m always able to outsmart them for a little while and then they (sometime more than one) will finally pounce on me and I am holding them away from biting my face with my arms or legs. Sometimes I am just stuck in a room with them and they are watching me waiting to attack me and I can’t get away. Most recently it was a muskrat with razor sharp teeth and all I can remember is just holding it (it was small) as it lunges at me over and over. I feel extremely scared in the dreams and confused. I always just wake up nothing is solved. I am never successful in getting away. This has been going on for the past 3 or 4 months once or twice a week.
Looking forward to your insight.
Shannon – If you can realise that any animal in your dream is a reflection of your own inner instinctive feelings – such as the fight or flight instinct – then it gives you ways of dealing with your dreams.
For instance your dreams show wolves attacking or a muskrat biting – but what is behind that – is your feelings that are expressed as the dream images. So what is behind the images – fear, struggle, inability to deal with something?
What I see in your dream is a struggle that had been bothering you for sometime now, and you can recognise if you see it as a fight to keep control, a struggle against having your face, your self image torn apart by anxieties or something you struggle with.
Now what is attacking you IS NOT an enemy, but your own inner instinctive responses. As such they can be reprogrammed by understanding them, contacting them and, sometimes as simple as talking to them/yourself. They can be tamed and become aids instead of enemies.
I have described this at length in http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/conditioned-reflexes-or-responses/ also see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYYXq1Ox4sk
If it is not clear please contact me and ask me for more information.
Tony
In my dream last night I was cycling down a familiar lane and came across a white duck which had been injured by a car, it looked dead so I stopped and got off my bike and propped it against a gate but when I turned round the duck was standing and looking at me. It was strange because the the way it came right up to me and looked directly at me. I seemed to know what this creature was thinking and it was asking me for help. I usually forget about dreams but this one was on my mind all day long.
Steve – What a lovely dream.
First of all you didn’t just pass it by. Then you took hold of it and propped it up; all signs of caring. You see, the creatures in our dreams are totally different to creatures outside us. They are all parts of you, your body, your brain and emotions. But they are put into the form of living creatures because they are part of you – a living being. They are subtle feelings and insights that you would have missed if you had passed by.
Every creature in our dreams is asking for help, or trying to serve us – after all we are an animal with a strange human consciousness stuck on the top of it – a human consciousness that almost never notices the wonderful fact that it is the inner animal that keeps us alive, breathing, and striving. The animal us feels hurt and pain, it feels betrayal, it feels also the wonderful sense of connection with the rest of nature.
It seems as if from your dream that you are just noticing the hurt – run over – of you feeling/animal self. I am not sure what a duck represents for you, but a general meaning is that a duck can fly and also dive under water so it can represent both your ability to raise your awareness, to expand your mind and horizons, and also to look into what is hidden under the surface of life. And its ability to float and swim on the surface of water shows it can survive in the conscious mind.
Idioms can also suggest other meanings such as sitting duck, like a duck takes to water, dead duck and lame duck.
Tony