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Animals

Photo by Sid Balachandran on Unsplash

The mammalian side of the brain

developed when we evolved from our
nocturnal existence to become social
creatures. This was a time when
emotions and facial expressions
developed, which are associated with
parenting and social exchanges.
Similarly, in dreams, animals often
symbolize emotions, expression and the
response of your more 'wild,' uncivilized,
yet natural self. This part of your nature
can be at odds with the inner critic that
coaxes you toward conformity.

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Since we view animals as acting

spontaneously toward their urges
without social restrictions, animals often
represent normal urges that are breaking
through conscious controls. If you dream
of being threatened or attacked by an
animal , some part of your emotions or
behavior (usually anger or sexual
feelings) may have erupted or surfaced
in way that felt like it ‘came out of the
woods.' You do not 'own' the energy and
so it threatens you. If the animal's teeth
are a focal point, there is a sense that
these emotions or feelings will cut
through skin awareness to have
expression. As frightening as these
dreams may appear, they are merely the
way your natural expression comes up
against your desire to 'be good' or follow
the rules. All symbols in a dream
personify aspects of you and the animal
appearing in a dream is no different.

Wild animals portray the need to

express your authentic feelings in an
unbridled way, while domesticated
animals portray how you have been
conditioned to guard them.

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Apes, chimps and other primates can

suggest mimicking social behavior or
acting mischievously as a way to stir up a
response in others. Gorillas are more
powerful and unpredictable, reflecting
the power of emotion and urges to break
through social restraints. Bears too, can
represent sudden protective responses,
or defense mechanisms active in daily
life. Bears are associated with
childhood and maternal influences and
ideas that revolve around security.

Cats portray your instinctual and

sensitive nature that avoids
domestication, and is somewhat
manipulative. Dogs are ‘faithful’ and
loving, representing the easy expression
of feelings and love in your relationship
with others. The Wild Dogs , like jackals
and coyotes , guard the way into the
hidden realm of the subconscious.
Meeting their snarling teeth portrays
your own fears about digging within to
discover the truth about how you feel.
These types of dogs can appear as
Archetypes when you are going through
a transformative process. Carnivorous
animals can signify how you can be
‘eaten up’ by being afraid to allow your
emotions free reign.

Elep
Elephants
hants ‘never forget’ and are
enormous emotional beings. They
portray the power of your emotions to
trample over ideas that hold you back.
Often, dreams of elephants can reveal
long held emotional pain that is coming
to the surface. Beasts of burden such
as the donkey and ox , suggest being
saddled or yoked to responsibility, while
the ‘animal-ness’ of this symbolism
suggests that it is unnatural or too self-
restrictive. The pig is a symbol of
satisfaction and enjoyment, sometimes
at the expense of all else. In many myths,
pigs are sacred and represent the family.
Lions and tigers reflect masculine and
feminine aspects of the power of
sexuality. Both are blindly driven to
devour for sustenance, and can portray
the power of your innate drives that
appear beyond your control when you
take what you feel you need. A lion can
be the clever psyche pointing out that
someone (or you) is 'lying' about
something.

Domesticated animals , like the cow

and bull can represent territorial issues,
where the cow is motherly and passive,
while the bull is father-like and
aggressive They suggest the care-giving
qualities of your parents and how you
have adopted these qualities through
domestication. The bull offers additional
insight, in that it explodes when it sees
‘red,’ representing feelings that remain
below the surface. It can be a symbol of
exploring how you are currently
processing anger and what part your
parents played in ‘bequeathing’ this trait
to you. Additionally, the cow is a cosmic
and sacred symbol of expanded
awareness and evolution.

The horse is associated with ‘spirit’ and

also exuberance, suggesting the
enthusiasm to ‘win’ or race forward. Of
all the animals, the horse will sometimes
reflect communication taking place
between what you think and what you
feel, since there is a belief that horses
are ‘psychic’ or respond instinctively to
our thoughts as we ride them. The
zebra is a unique creature and it is said
that no two zebras have the same
pattern, therefore reflecting the
uniqueness of spirit.

Goats and rams portray drives

associated with sexuality, impishness
and playful curiosity, while sheep and
lambs ‘follow the herd’ and are
corralled, suggesting that you feel that
you are being too passive in a situation.
Deer can signify the gentleness of the
soul and your innocence and
vulnerabilities. Rabbits can reflect
reproduction, intuition and a sense of
sacrifice since they are low on the food
chain.

Ground burrowing animals represent

both hiding and digging beneath the
surface. The soft eyed (innocence) of
many of the furry (protective) and
burrowing (hiding) creatures, like
squirrels , rabbits and groundhogs are
rich with symbolism related to ‘emotions
stirring below the surface.’ The fox may
represent your ‘craftiness’ in hiding your
real feelings or an inability to commit or
make choices. Rats and mice are often
considered to be ‘pests’ or associated
with what is ‘unclean’ or forbidden. Rats
can be ‘stowaways,’ hiding in ships, or in
the shadows, representing abandoning
something, sneaking around or escaping
like a ‘dirty rat.’ Dreaming of rats and
mice can symbolize how you are not
speaking clearly about your needs -
feeling like you must sneak around in the
dark to get your needs met. Used in
scientific laboratories, both can
symbolize ‘experimenting’ with
expressing natural urges.

The Hippopotamus presents a sort of

hybrid, in that it is an animal associated
with diving beneath the water, where its
large size is indicative of the enormous
emotions that can be submerged. See
Alligator and Crocodile under 
Reptiles.

RELATED DREAMS

Teeth

Photo by Rudi Fargo on Unsplash

Gorilla

Photo by Amy Reed on Unsplash

Bear

Photo by Mark Basarab on Unsplash

Photo by Dawid Zawiła on Unsplash

Dog

Photo by Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash

Elephant

Photo by Nam Anh on Unsplash

Lion

Photo by Francesco De Tommaso on Unsplash

Bull

Photo by Hans Eiskonen on Unsplash

Horse

Photo by Helena Lopes on Unsplash

Goat

Photo by Ray Aucott on Unsplash

Ram

Photo by Tyler Daviaux on Unsplash

Reptiles

Photo by Alexis Antonio on Unsplash

Reptiles

Photo by Alexis Antonio on Unsplash

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