Dream Symbols

Animals in dreams

Animals are the oldest figures in the dream world, and Jung read them as the psyche's instinctual side given a body: the part of us that predates thought and still moves beneath it. A dream animal is rarely about the species. It is about the quality of energy the dreamer meets in it, and whether that energy is feared, fought, fed or followed.

The distinction that matters most is wild or tame. A snake, a wolf or a shark carries instinct in its raw, unsocialized form, often the very drive the waking personality has disowned. A dog or a cat has been drawn into human life, and tends to stand for instinct that has found a place, loyalty, companionship, or the quiet independence of a creature that comes and goes on its own terms. Birds belong to the air rather than the earth, and usually speak for thought, spirit and the wish to rise above something.

When an animal attacks, bites or chases, the question is not what the animal wants but what part of the dreamer it might be. When it speaks, helps or leads the way, it is often the psyche offering guidance from a level older and wiser than the ego.