First, let me say that I am one who very seldom remembers her dreams. I know we all dream each night, but I usually have no memories of my dreams.
Secondly, I am the dream interpreter around my house. I am asked regularly to help to explain away the meaning of a dream. I know dreams are highly personal, but, if asked, I find it fascinating to hear other people’s dreams and will analyze a weird dream to pieces.
But now, I am the subject.
Lately, I’ve been experiencing dreams of animals that I am either keeping safe, am looking to save, or am finding neglected. They don’t represent pets, though. I have had three dreams thus far, two of which I remember clearly. These dreams leave me feeling almost out of breath out with relief of saving them or finding them still alive after a brief period of worry.
In the first dream, I was swimming in a vast lake with two golden retrievers. Odd, I know. One dog was swimming right beside me, seemingly in recreation, and that one was obviously my own dog for whom I felt great affection. When I put my head underwater, though, I found that my dog was swimming directly above another older golden retriever that was trapped beneath, though not in despair.
I lovingly push my own dog off the older, saying, “(What its name was), get off (whatever the trapped older dog’s name was)! You’re going to drown him/her!” At least that was the emotion I was feeling, but it was somewhat playful but corrective. And then we all three swam onto land, which was a lush kind of green setting with a lakehouse built on it.
Next, I found myself on the raised balcony that led inside, where, still dripping wet in my swimsuit, I looked down on two women visiting on a couch. They hollered up to me something like, “Oh, you’re back? Where is (yet another dog’s name)?”
I turned around at the door, saying, “Oh, (third dog’s name) wasn’t with us.”
They hollered up, “Yes, he/she was,” apparently not too concerned, knowing the dog’s safety was not their problem. However, I felt obligated to check and turned in a sense of urgency on the balcony and looked down to find a third dog just coming onto land, dripping wet and slouching forward. It was a kind of liver-spotted spaniel of some sort.
I felt a twinge of relief and let out a low sigh, relieved the dog was all right and that I would not have to look for him.
Yes, I am a dog person, so this dream is somewhat understandable. But my second dream is not and is a bit macabre:
Somehow, I realized in the middle of a chore that we owned hamsters that we had neglected to feed for about a month. I felt a twinge of terror as I noticed a Habitrail-like cage covered with a sheet, which I guess is why it had slipped our minds, and I ran to uncover it.
Upon looking in, I had the feeling that I was remembering two hamsters were in the cage. However, I saw only one — a reddish hamster — positioned on a raised Habitrail compartment right at eye level. I looked straight in to see that it was missing an eye and that its mouth was full and chewing on something, obviously engorged. He/she was intently staring me down with its one eye while chewing, in a kind of judgmental way. My first thought was that it must have eaten the other hamster. I was grossed out and apologetic. I felt no deep affection for the animal, only compassion for its poor conditions.
As for the third dream about animals, I cannot remember it. The reason I know I had it is because I woke myself up tossing and turning, with the words, “Seriously? Another animal dream?” That is all I know about the third. But it had left me with the same emotion.
Apparently, I am not alone. A lot of people have animal-related dreams.
Everywhere I read, it seems animals in dreams represent basic instincts and desires, but mine did not seem to be those things. I am thinking that the animal dreams stem from feelings of being overwhelmed and feeling inadequate, as though one is unable to keep up with what is expected. I think the animals must represent responsibilities.
Anyone else out there have experience with animal dreams? I guess I expect them to continue until I have either saved all the animals on the planet or I have my life in perfect order, whichever comes first.
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