What do these Animals in my Dream mean?
Dear Dreamer, If you often dream of animals that aren't acting like animals.
First, don't panic. You aren't going crazy!
This is actually very, very common. Most everyone dreams of animals and they
often aren't acting like animals at all. That's because they represent people
in your life or spiritual forces that are at play or characteristics the animal shares with people. Have a dog that is crippled
in your dream? It may be a friend that is powerless to help you. How about a
cat that gets injured through its curiosity at a certain bookstore? Maybe there
are certain forms
of knowledge that aren't in your best interest to discover. As Jesus
(Rabbi Yeshua) warned the Church at Thyatira about.
The clearest meaning of animals in dreams is their usage in Scripture. As
these
Biblical References were meant to resonate throughout time and the Written
Words of The Creator go together with the Whispered Words of The Creator.
Three good examples are the ant, the fox, and the cow.
We see from Proverbs that the ant represents being
hardworking and someone that both plans and saves and who works well in a team. It is even chapter 6 of verse 6, with 6 being the numbers of matters concerning human affairs.
It has no overseer or ruler, no commander. Yet it prepares its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest"
The Proverbs of Solomon Chapter 6 Verse 6
We see that the fox may be small but gathered together they
can do great harm. It is also a term for a cunning person (like a coyote would
be in the Americas).
And the cow is a symbol of work and economy and financial
plenty from Egypt to most every other culture of the world.
for our vineyards are in blossom."
Song Of Songs Chapter 2 Verse 15
Animals are often known for certain traits they possess. The crocodile that
attacks others with it's mouth (often by surprise), the dog that is known for
it's loyalty, the cat known for an independent attitude. We could also look at
the turtle that is both protected and hindered by it's thick shell and the
chameleon that becomes someone else when the audience changes. Similarly
rabbits are known for moving quickly and for reproducing quickly and eagles are
known for their vision (in the scientific and spiritual sense both).
Animals in dreams outside of Scripture, and even in Scripture, aren't always universal in meaning however. Just like with other dream elements, context and prayer are both key. The Scripture is an amazing launching point but God doesn't live and speaks only in our brain boxes.
Dreams are a language in which The Creator ultimately speaks to people individually. So the meaning of an animal can vary from person to person, and also culture to culture and differ across periods of History. The experience one individual has with a monkey may be an amusing childhood memory while it could be a source of lifelong trauma for someone that was attacked by the same animal. The Biblical usage of an animal can also change in different chapters.
Diving deeper into how animals changing in symbolism from culture to culture.
In Native American legend the serpent is known for it's wisdom and ability to
impart knowledge in a positive light. In Christendom the serpent is known for
the same but in the form of Gnosis (secret and forbidden knowledge) that is
harmful not beneficial. Just as the ancient dragon (dinosaur is the modern term) was a positive
symbol of wisdom and fortune and protection in Asia and Eastern Europe. It was on the contrary, a symbol of
destruction in Western Europe and the Mediterranean (Leviathan, Kraken, Hydra, etc.).
Some animals like the coyote may have one meaning in a time period but different
meaning later in the same place. In Native American Cultures of the Southwest a
coyote was always the trickster or shapeshifting creature that was very crafty,
like Loki to the Vikings. Now a coyote is a slang term for a human trafficker,
often used in the Hispanic and Law Enforcement communities.
Dogs are unclean in Middle Eastern Countries and are never pets, but in America
they are "man's best friend". Cats in the modern era are cute house
pets but in Colonial America they were symbols of witchcraft and scorned
despite being worshipped by the ancient Egyptians.
If you dream of a blackbird, the meaning could greatly depend on your
background. The crow was a symbol of death to the Celts and the Norse but the
raven was a symbol of the Great Spirit to the Cherokee. Yet in American English
when someone is corrected we say they are "eating crow."
Which leads us to a fun and amusing aspect of animals in dreams, the play on words that are often used. The Hebrew Scriptures are full of play on words in Hebrew, just like in English. Let's look at a few amusing examples from other dream interpreters.
If we encounter a seal in a dream, has a deal been sealed? Does the owl
see in the dark to know "who is who?". Did a tragic event leave
someone "whaling"? Are we about to borrow money from someone known to
be a "loan shark"? If you come upon a dolphin in a dream are
you actually "finding your porpoise?"
The name of the animal is often most relevant when the animal is merely present
or seen. But when the animal is doing something out of it's character, like the
example John Paul Jackson used of a dog driving a dreamer's car, then it's
implying that the animal represents a person or a period in time. In the dream that was submitted
to his ministry, the dreamer's best friend was steering them (another play on
words) or controlling the dreamer's decisions. In Pharoah's Dream we see cows devouring each other, meaning the plenty of one economy would be devoured by the scarcity of another.
That had to be disturbing!
"Then the ugly emaciated cows ate the seven good-looking beefy cows—
and Pharaoh woke up."
Genesis (In The Beginning) Chapter 41 Verse 4
Comment Below And Tell Us About A Time When Animals Appeared In Your Dream?!
Order This Recommended Resource:
Streams Dream Elements Book, An Alternative Dream Dictionary
Photo Credit to Charles Deluvio at Unsplash.com
Please Prayerfully Consider a Donation To Psalm
16 Ministry
via PayPal or
by Venmo @shalomtoyourheart CashApp $Psalm16Brian
Psalm 16 Ministry
Brian Nicholas Newman
PO BOX 671 Ooltewah, TN 37363
Visit our Websites (in progress)
http://www.askyourdreamguy.com
http://www.psalm16ministry.com
"As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases."
I've dreamt of bears, wolves, sharks and snakes
ReplyDeleteHi Noelle! Snakes are often deception, bears are judgment or things you have to ‘bear’ as in endure or ‘bare’ as in expose or he vulnerable. Sharks are things that come upon us out of nowhere and wolves often come against us in packs.
ReplyDelete