ANIMALS




They symbolize our own traits, good and bad. When you see an animal doing something in your dreams it usually represents a bad trait. As it is far easier for us to accept and watch an animal doing something negative then to take the credit for it ourselves. Here is a good example: A woman on a diet and really wants to loose weight but is prone to binge eating. She has tried and failed many times, but this time has resolve. That night in a moment of weakness, she eats a big slice of cake, and a bowl of ice cream. That night she dreams of being on a farm on a cloudy day, and watching in disgust as a big manure covered sow eats and sucks non-stop at her sloop. She is astonished and ashamed when she noticed what the sow was eating! (cake and ice cream). It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out what that dream means, or what the animal symbolized! Her dream was telling her she would feel about as good about herself as she felt about the sow if she did not control her eating. On all of these be sure to check for colloquialisms such as "pretty as a rose" or "fat as a pig".

Also: Carl Jung said that all wild animals indicate latent affects (feelings and emotions that we do not readily deal with). They are also symbolic of dangers (hurtful and negative things) being "swallowed" by the unconscious. The interpretation of the animal in your dream depends on your relationship with it in daily life. Animals represent the qualities in our character or specific aspects of our personalities. They could symbolize our more intuitive and instinctive parts, or they could serve as messengers for the unconscious. Please look up each animal individually by name.
 

Bull: Could relate to a "bunch of bull" or relate to the cattle symbol depending on how it is used. 

Bear: Burden, unpredictable raw power, grouchiness, rugged, tough. 

Bee: Honey Bee--the worker ("Busy as a bee"). Bumblebee, Wasp, etc. could represent pests or irritating circumstances. 

Bird: Thoughts and desires for personal freedom, or for others. In flight, it is positive. If caged or on the ground, freedom is being denied. ~ Spiritual freedom

Nest: The home base, the safe place for the eggs (the beginnings) of life's issues. A bird's nest points to freedom. An insect's nest points to annoyances. Check the number of eggs in the nest and their color. Or is the nest empty? 

Cat: Cats have both positive and negative connotations. You need to consider all of the details in the dream in order to obtain accurate interpretation.

Cats can represent the anima or feminine aspects of either a man or a woman’s personality; Instinctual energy that's been tamed and is relatively close to consciousness, feminine power/energy/mystery; the immature or coy feminine (kitten); female genitals (pussy), sexuality, prosperity and power. (Traditionally cats are the "familiars" of witches--the shadow or crone aspect--but in ancient times they were often associated with goddesses/divine powers.)

They can represent speed, agility, grace, playfulness, stealth, patience, laziness, secret desires, jealousy, pleasure seeking, troublemaking, independence, magic and strength.

If a cat is aggressive, scratches you, or jumps on you, it may indicate difficulty with your sexuality, or mixed feelings regarding your desire for children. Cats hold a particularly strong association to babies in women’s dreams--women often dream of giving birth to cats.

Historically black cats have been symbols of evil and bad luck.

A cat elevated to its most powerful expression of energy (possibly hostility/danger) is, of course, a lion or tiger.

Of course, if you're a cat owner and don't have children it could represent your responsibilities in the same way as the dog. 

Cattle/Cow: People as a society, the "herd" mentality. 

Chicken: Chicken, afraid 

Coyote: To see a coyote in your dream, might denote weakness and deception. A coyote will attack those living beings that are injured, dead, or weaker. They also run in packs. Did you dream of being attacked by a pack of coyotes, or see them wearing a threatening demeanor? Do you feel vulnerable? A friendly coyote might represent deception. 

Deer: Gentleness, timidity, swiftness. 

Dog: Masculine part of self. Loyalty. If vicious, need to redirect positively. ~ Dog also represents man's best friend but can turn on him. ~ A friend or companion, except when the dog is your own pet, or one you recognize.

Dove: Peace, love (cooing love birds). 

Eagle: Spiritual heights, master of the air, freedom. Mastery of 3 dimensional space. 

Elephant: Ancient Hindu good luck symbol. It represents someone who is viewed as formidable and perhaps slow to respond. Someone or something forgotten. ~ Powerful part of self. Gentle, helpful. Can be destructive if angry.

Feathers: Symbols of attainment or mastery of superconscious truths. 

Fish: Spiritual denizens (ourselves) in their primitive state, i.e., before evolutionary spiritual development in the earth. ~ Eating fish: Integrating our inner realizations. Also: Generally a spiritual element in the dream, signalling that the dreamer is plumbing deep into the Collective Unconscious.

Also: To see fish swimming in your dream, signifies insights from your unconscious mind. Thus to catch a fish, represents insights which have been brought to the surface. Alternatively, fish are symbolic of your beliefs/spirituality, luck, energy and nourishment. To see a dead fish, signifies disappointment and loss of power/wealth. To dream of cooking and/or eating fish, indicates that you are incorporating your new realizations with your spiritual feelings and knowledge. Consider also the common phrases "fishing for compliments", "like a cold fish", "fish out of water" or something that is "fishy" about a situation.
Fox: Cunning, clever, master of the analytical mind. 

Geese and Ducks: Migratory birds which imprint on, flock and follow the leader or peer group. Same as Cattle. 

Goat: Surefootedness. 

Gorilla: Primitive development, immature intelligence. 

Horse: "Horsepower" is energy or power. A horse often represents our instinctual side; desire, animal/sexual impulses arising from the lower part of the body; sexual libido or energy; masculine sexuality, male prowess. Expressions associated with masculinity such as, “He’s a stud” and “Built like a horse”; the ability to be fleet/swift; the daily grind or "horse race." Perhaps you've been feeling like a "workhorse" or been "working like a horse." 

Riding a horse can symbolize sex (especially for teenage girls), and masturbation (especially for young boys). Or it may symbolize properly channeled/controlled instincts. The horse/rider together can symbolize the relationship or workings of the psyche (rider) and the unconscious (horse). In Greek mythology, horses had the ability to heal, or ward off, evil.

To see a horse in your dream, represents a strong,  physical energy.  You need to tame the wild forces. The dream may imply that you have been horsing around. Or perhaps you need to be less arrogant and "get off your high horse".

To see a black or dark horse in your dream, signifies  mystery, wildness, and the unknown. You may be  taking a chance or gamble at some unknown area. It may even represents occult forces. If the horse is white, then it  signifies purity, prosperity and good fortunes.

To see a herd of wild horses in your dream, signifies  a sense of freedom and lack of responsibilities/duties. Perhaps it may also indicated your uncontrolled emotions.

To dream that you are riding a horse, denotes that you will achieve success through underhanded means. You lack integrity. If you are riding a horse that is out of control, signifies that you are being carried away by your passions.

Horses can symbolize freedom, power and sexual energy. At times, they can also be considered messengers, relaying information from the unconscious  to the conscious, from the spiritual to the physical. If you are horseback  riding, it suggests that you are self assured and feel a sense of control in your daily life. Black horses are said to point out delays; white horses are reinforcing the positive and transformative aspects of life; gray horses may point to the difficulties in the dreams current situation; piebald horses are symbolic of confusion; brown horses of mental pursuits; tan horses are said to be symbolic of love and sex.

Insects: Little annoyances in life, pests. 

Lamb: The innocent sacrifice. 

Lion: Karma. The power of the past to affect you. Past lives or past life. It is the king of the beasts on the earth, as is karma, which is nothing more than your programming or memory. 

Lizard: Unfounded fear, not poisonous, but primitive emotion none the less. 

Locusts: Shedding of skin of old self in order to grow. Could also be snake shedding skin. 

Monkey: Like a gorilla but more frivolous and not as dangerous. 

Owl: Wise, especially related to dreams or the unknown since they are night creatures.

Pig: Gluttony. Has also represented a person's view of society, as gluttons for money or sensation. 

Polar Bear: Burden caused by isolation (north). Financial debt. 

Puppies: New responsibilities. 

Rabbit: Fertility, extremely fast multiplication. 

Rats: Someone viewed as not trustworthy, or sleazy. 

Raven or Blackbird: Symbol of the hidden secrets of the superconscious coming to you in dreams. It is the "soul" or "dead" in many cultures. Elijah, the prophet, was fed "bread and meat" by ravens in the wilderness. Beatles' song "Blackbird singing in the dead of night". Moody Blues include it in their work also. 

Shark: (also Crocodile & Alligator) Great big primitive fear with teeth. 

Sheep: See "Lamb" but they are also flocking animals which could indicate groups or masses of humanity. 

Snake: Can represent fears. Can also relate to awakening of kundalini since it can cause great fear and it has been portrayed by every culture as the snake. Also called the devil associated with the knowledge of good and evil which is what kundalini creates when it rises_it displays the spiritual pattern of perfection to an imperfect mind (good and evil). A "2 dimensional creature" ... which moves like sine waves resembling our models of the duality principle of electrical flow. As a reptile, it is the first creature to emerge from the sea of emotion based existence to the "land" of physicality. Here it is associated with the first chakra...where lies the coiled creative power of life. 

Spider: Busy as a spider, entrapment.

Spider Web: Feeling trapped or laying out a net. 

Swan: The most graceful and beautiful of birds. The epitome of. Swan song. 

Tiger: A powerful creature. The stripes indicate mistrust or opposites. It could turn on you. Can also indicate a powerfully tortured soul because of the stripes. Black for the bad times, gold for the good. Relates to the third chakra. 

Whale: The spiritual Self. The superconscious mind. Master of the ocean (universal spirit). The master of emotions. The whale is an evolved denizen of the deep...not a fish but a mammal. So I think it represents an evolved emotional body.