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
I had a dream last night that my grandfather brought me a raccoon bundled like a baby and announced they had adopted it as there own. I was captivated by the raccoon and how baby like it was and played and cuddled it throughout the dream. I felt the need to take care of it and couldn’t understand why no one else felt the way I did toward it. Wondering why a raccoon.
Carrie – Baby animals nearly always bring out the caring instinct, and often remind us of our own baby self, or else the mothering instinct.
Raccoon are little rascals, and so maybe that echoes in you in some way. Where you a little rascal, or do you want a child like that. Get in touch with your feelings as you held the baby, and see what you discover.
Tony
In my dream, I was walking in the woods in the snow and came upon a moose who started to charge me. My son’s dog, a pitbull, came out of no where along with my little dog and fought with the moose while my little dog cowered. Any thoughts?
Kelley – You are feeling frightened or attacked by your unsocialised instincts – the moose. The moose is not usually aggressive in dreams, but your relationship with your natural feelings, sex, fear, panic, is feeling scary.
Your brother’s dog – a characteristic of courage and aggression you admire – is keeping the fear at bay, but you have at times a cowering feeling, which doesn’t help.
Learn to growl!!
Tony
Thank you for your follow up on my dream Mr. Crisp. Some real world context, I had been working flood relief at my place of employment a few days prior to this dream. I was a bit concerned that I might get sick from all the flood muck we were dealing with. As this had been my place of employment (former) and I am now in between jobs because of this situation, I’ve been feeling really lost. My husband said over and over that I was selling myself short at this job all along anyway and overworking myself constantly (to the point of actually becoming ill). The organization was a bit dysfunctional and I took on long hours, for very little pay, and enormous responsibility for decisions I had no control over. He felt the flood was a blessing in disguise for me. I’m sure the elephant and the bee have something to do with my future self and my future “job” Maybe now I will finally wise up and find my true life calling instead of giving a ton of myself, my time and my resources to environments that are “not salvageable” (some argued that this establishment was so even before the flood). I think you were incredibly perceptive on the “circus tricks for money” This situation was a bit like that. I will use your suggestions to learn to love my abilities and myself more and give merit to my skills, my Ivy League education and myself (which I have never done up to this point in life). I never allow myself to feel successful no matter how much work I do or how good a job. Maybe I need to change that. Thank you again. Very eye opening indeed.
Azthet – Thank you for your good wishes. I feel the elephant represents the massive potential you have.
To quote from another feature: “At the core of you is that freedom to choose — that freedom that life expresses in its multiplicity of forms. Another word for that freedom is potential or creativity. So at the core of you lies that potential, that creativity, that problem solving ability that life itself expresses. That creativity and ability to solve problems is always there inside you. That wonderful ability belongs to you.”
Tony
Hi there, I had a dream that my brother strangled and killed my pet rabbit, and then I went on to sue him. Woke up crying. Do you know what this means?
Natalie – It seems to me that your brother is a real tease, and he manages to get to you through your soft heartedness. In your dream you use him to show you that your soft heart is too vulnerable, and that your thoughts and feelings have killed a soft and gentle part of you.
Sometimes this happens as we meet the cynicism or others, but it is not bad thing as it gradually shows you the strength you have as the weak dies out.
Tony
I have had this dream that i am at a barn and i am helping this mother horse give birth to what i thought would have been a baby horse. Once the baby was born I saw that it was not a horse but an elephant with brown body and white and black spots. can you please tell me what this dream means?
Ashley – This is a very unusual dream. It shows how you have worked with your animal instincts in a way that has given birth to a unique quality. The baby born was a mixture of horse and elephant, which means that you have an easy access to your inner animal, in other words you feel at ease with your instinctive drives and feelings. I do not know how this has come about, maybe because you have contact with animals and have love for nature, I do not know. But you will develop the ability to direct the enormous power of your instincts, your unconscious forces, and will therefore find it easier than most people to deal with problems that confront you.
Perhaps also you will realise wisdom from within.
Tony
I dreamed last night of a group of monkeys chasing me. They were aggressive and as I ran from them I noticed there was a large male leader and it’s females and maybe a few babies. I had a flowered green belt attached to my clothes and ‘knew’ they would want to pull at it so i just took it off and flung it towards them. the big monkey looked surprised and taken aback. As I raced up the road (someone) showed me where all the other (people) had gone. They were in an enclosure which was lit with golden light and he showed me in. I woke up. This is part of a very much larger dream in which I saw amazing sights of trees growing from houses: an old chapel and son. Thank you for your help in advance.
Aggressive piranha swimming
Last night I dreamed of two wolves.
In the first dream I was in a field and there was a small girl sitting to the right of me in the grass eating a snack. I don’t know who the girl was but it was clear that she was with me although, I did not see her face. At once a large dog came from no where and snatched the food she was eating from her hands. I told her to stay where she was and turned to find that it was not a dog but a large wolf, clearly injured with blood coming from it’s brow. As our eyes met it let loose a terrifying growl and I trembled, but stood my ground ready to fight it if it came between me and the girl. Just as the wolf was about to charge two dogs I do not know came from behind me growling a warning to the wolf, inching forward challenging the wolf in protection of the girl and me. The wolf took it’s food and fled, rather than fight and I woke up just as I turned to pick the little girl up.
In the second dream I was coming down the steps of a large wooden deck to an open yard with woods behind it. When my feet touched the ground I realized there was a large wolf about 15 feet away coming from a bush – it seemed startled and immediately charged me. I did not run, I stood my ground and just as it neared me to attack a group of men came from behind me and chased the wolf down, they killed it and as I came upon it’s body and the group of men around it I was filled with compassion, wishing it did not have to die. I said a prayer over it and asked God to bless it.
I’m so confused about these dreams, any thoughts?
Last night I dreamt of an adult monkey biting the scull cap from a baby mokey them ripping its brains out. Very horrid dream.Very disturbing.
Please interpret this its troubling me.
Annette – Any baby animal can depict your own baby feelings. Such feelings, although you may not be aware of remembering them, are all stored in your unconscious memories. And my guess is that something happened to make you feel that an adult, probably in your family, made you feel as if you had been put down severely, maybe criticised and made to feel like nothing.
If you imagine yourself back in the dream and act to protect the baby monkey it can start a healing process. See http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/acting-in-your-dream/
Tony
Hello Tony,
Not sure if this is where i submit a dream. But I had a two part dream that continued after i had been awakened by my cell phone. I’d like some help to understand.
Part 1:
I was walking down the block on my way to my house, it was day time. As I walked there was a stray dog in the street ahead of me, he was big and brown and aggressive. He was looking at me, so i stopped walking. so that i wouldn’t insight it to attack me or something. The dog started to come at me. I tried to command it and not be scared , “NO” and he seemed to understand and listen to me.. but he had an agenda and began to jump up as if to bite me.. but it was grabbing my sleeve and tugging me somewhere. I would break free and it would jump and grab me again and pull me forward… (i didn’t know where it was taking me and i was trying not to freak out) when we got near my house. I broke free again and ran into the gate. the dog chased me and was barking at the me through the gate trying to get me.
***cell phone wakes me up***
Part 2.
It was nite time. same area and i was jogging. I hadn’t run in a while and it started to feel really good to run. As I was running, I heard a growliing behind me and turned around to see a big dog that i had passed. (It had the similar “feel” of the brown dog from the first dream, but it looked wrong. like it was prehistoric or somthing.. really big square teeth, strange furry face, and large almost like a wolf and pitbull mix body.) this time I ran and it followed me when i got to my house 2 more of these dog creature things were approaching. they were bigger than the one that followed me and they were black. immediately the brown dog attacked the two black dogs to protect me, and I ran into my house and closed the front door. I waited and could hear the fight was “over” when i opened my door to look out.. the brown dog was in the yard guarding.. then came to the front door and talked to me. he told me that the men were coming. and he was referring to a group of apemen typ guys. I looked out my back window and saw on the horizon an army of apemen ( not like planet of the apes with guns and stuff) just a whole lot of cromagnin looking shadows against the moonlight on a hill behind me.
I woke up.
any idea what this means? if the two dreams are connected or separate?
thanks
Austin
I’m hoping someone can help me interpret a very disturbing dream I had last night. In my dream, I walked into the bathroom and saw what I thought was just hairball from my cat. Upon further inspection, I realized that it was actually a piece of my cat’s tail/hing legs. I then looked into the bathtub and found my cat laying there looking dead. She actually wasn’t though, just hurt. I picked her up, and she began meowing weekly in my arms, and then I woke up. This was so disturbing, I got up to make sure Bandit was ok…what does this mean? Why would I dream of this? Any ideas?
Hi. I dreamed that I was caring for 4 baby wolves. It was very relaxing and comforting. I felt at peace. I do not usually remember dreams, but this was a strong one, and thought I should find out what it means.
Thank you so much!
Mindy – The fact that you were caring for baby wolves, that many people are frightened of on their dreams, shows you as someone who is not afraid of their wonderful natural instincts. Such instincts as shown by the wolf are very much about caring and giving wisdom or nature. That they are babies and there are four suggests that this is a very grounded growth in you, and it will mature as you care for them. So I suggest you remember the dream often and feel the peace, an allow the image of them to grown inyou imagination.
You probably read that the wolf appears in our dreams as a master of life in the wild. It is a group animal and has tremendous loyalty and protectiveness to its family and group. As such it can depict your intuitive understanding of life on earth, the seasons of life and death, and the deep wisdom of group relations. This sort of wisdom tells us that aggressive urges are natural to us.
Tony
Hi Tony
This is the first time I’ve ever posted on a website besides Facebook, not usually the type to seek insight from strangers. But you seem to respond to almost every entry which is comforting enough to give it a go.
Last night I dreamt of a huge brown bear. Probably double the normal size but still realistic. It was growling and knowingly going to attack. I was with my current boyfriend to begin with but he Morpheus into my ex boyfriend as he tried shooting the bear (my ex hunts and owns guns, current boyfriend doesnt). I believe he did shoot him once and the bear veered around him and came after me. As it approached me it turned into a giant wild hog or boar with tusks. I realized I couldn’t out run it and ended up jumping on its face/snout to dodge its mouth. It launched me 50ft in the air and I landed in a small bush or tree, unscathed. There was then a small fix or wolf right next to me cowering down/ laying down somewhat. I had the sense it wanted to be petted so i did. And that was it.
Very curious as to what input you might have.
Thanks, ashley.
Ashley – What I see is that this is all about change.
The bear causes you to be frightened, so you use the old macho style – shoot the critter – an attitude you picked up from your ex. But of course it doesn’t work because it is a dream, and neither you or the bear can actually be hurt. See http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/dream-yoga/
So it comes for you and it changes. Then you try to get away from it again, and it is a hog which tosses you 50 ft up, given you a wider view of the situation, and again the change happens. Now the creatures are harmless because you got near them enough to feel their needs. In our dreams almost nothing is what it seems to be to our rational mind, but can transform as we let it get close to us.
Tony
A friend of mine is having dreams where there is a herd of elephants with their trunks up but they are all crippled on the left rear foot. Anything would be great. She has been having the same dream for a week now and she can not figure it out.
Cody – Sorry it takes such a blooming log time to answer, but I cannot keep up with the dreams sent.
If the elephants were wild it depicts your own urges or feelings which you feel uncertain about controlling or directing. A herd of them therefore suggests you are meeting aspects of yourself you have not yet learned to direct or usefully integrate.
The elephant can be the totality of yourself rather than awareness of only the conscious ego. 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. It therefore depicts a relationship with one’s incredible potential that can lead to directing or working with the potent forces of the unconscious.
The crippled back left leg is usually a problem – in the dreamer – of not having the confidence or personal strength to support their activities in the world. So it could be seen as a poor self image or lack of confidence. It is a bad relationship with the power of life within one.
Tony
I had a very frightening dream. I was walking down a street in my home town (where I grew up). As I turned the corner, there was a man with a circus elephant, but the elephant was raging. It began chasing me. The man yelled to me, saying “Don’t let it touch you, it has become diseased, it will make you diseased” At that, I could see the elephant was insane, maddened by some thick brown mud like substance that was full of a great illness. It had made him mad and he was now trying to trample me down or worse, infect me as well.
I ran, I climbed onto a stone wall, there was some kind of cart behind the elephant, and as he ran by me, I could see a large wingless bee, like a honey bee, that was 6-7″ long and wingless, attached to the spoke of the wheel. I was fixated on this bee, due to it being so large and saddened by the bee’s incapacitation (lack of wings). I felt like the elephant would destroy the bee, though it had hidden itself. I woke at this point. This dream was very upsetting and unsettling. I have not yet been able to understand what it could mean.
Azthet – The disease the elephant has is an illness arising from your own relationship with the enormous power within you. Dream images are things we project outwards in dreams so we can have a real experience of what we are doing with our life.
Such illnesses and other awful things are things we all meet at one time or another. Our life is a journey in which we are given the opportunity to become whole and heal ourselves. The bee too needs wings, for it is also a wounded aspect of your own inner abilities. Perhaps you had used the great power of the elephant to do circus tricks to earn money.
What you can do is to imagine standing in front of the raging elephant and summon all your courage and strength of will and shout to the elephant, “STOP”.
It may take a few tries to get it right, but the elephant, like the bee, is a manifestation of you, so you have the right to stop it. When it obeys you then get hose and clean it of the mud plastered over it. Do it several times over a period of a week until you can witness a change in the elephant and see it healing. Then give it some love and care and refrain from whatever you have been doing to this magnificent beast. Also imagine the bee with wings until it can take flight and fulfil its role in your life.
It takes work and effort, but all the rest of life is not as important as healing yourself. http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/acting-in-your-dream/ Try using this as well to explore the circus man and the elephant to get a deeper insight.
Tony