The Key to Your Dream Menagerie

Many of us find love and fulfillment in our waking relationships with our pets and the animals found in nature. Whether you cuddle with your cat at the end of a stressful day or you enjoy a morning walk with your pooch, the bond between animals and humans is strong. In fact, the bond is so important it may reveal important messages in your dreams.

As with all dream interpretation, it’s important to analyze the context of the animal in your dream. While the appearance of an animal may give you clues to the message, the nature, appearance and health condition of the animal provide essential information that may be the key to a complete dream analysis.

Decoding the Animals in Your Dreams

Dogs-Known as man’s best friend, a dog in your dreams is likely a message about friendship and loyalty. Is the dog acting aggressively or affectionately? Is it in good health or is it neglected? Paying attention to these will help you determine what the dog is telling you about the state of your friendships and loyalty. A barking dog may be warning you that someone close to you is about to betray your trust.

Cats-While dogs have the reputation for being loyal creatures and man’s best friends, cats are known for being mysterious creatures with their own agenda. Oftentimes the appearance of a cat in your dream will contain a message about your spirituality and may hint at closely guarded secrets.

Snakes-The appearance of a snake in your dream is your unconscious trying to give you a message about your psychic energy and innermost self. This is your “reptile brain” or intuition telling you whom you can trust, or not. Also, a snake shedding its skin is a message that you are entering a time of growth, enlightenment and change.

Spiders-Many people are deeply afraid of spiders in their waking life and that may cause spiders to play a key role in nightmares. However, a spider in a dream may indicate that you are entering a time of productivity and creativity. If the spider is weaving a web it may indicate that you are about to be snared in dangerous scheme.

Birds-A dream involving birds may be a message from your subconscious about your dreams and goals. If your dream involves joyful flight and cheerful birds chirping, it may indicate that you feel a sense of freedom and liberation from something that was holding you back. On the other hand, sickly birds or birds that are trying to attack you indicate that you are not on the right path to achieve your goals. Be sure to pay attention to the emotions surrounding the dream, the type of bird and the actions of the bird to get a deeper understanding of where you stand in relationship to your aspirations.

You should always remember that dream analysis is very personal. Even though many animals have a traditional and common meaning or message, that may not hold true for you. Let the common symbolism be a guide and use your personal experiences and emotions to determine the message of your dream.