The 6 Most Common Animals People Dream About — And What Each One Is Trying To Tell You
Delve into the world of dreams to discover what direction you're taking.
Europeana via Unsplash / DebyQuynh, Delmoriana Smith and Vik_Y via Canva Each night, we’re visited in dreams by people we know and love, by strangers, and even by natural and supernatural elements. Our dreams can be seen as one of the ways our subconscious works through our daily lives, processing the time we’ve spent awake and all its emotional impacts.
The subjects we dream about hold importance. Diving deep into what our dream world holds helps us understand our fears, hopes, and aspirations.
The spiritual meaning of different animals in dreams
1. Dogs
As in life, dogs in dreams symbolize loyalty and friendship. If you’re greeted by a furry, four-legged friend when you fall asleep, this means you’re seeking protection, either physical or emotional.
Dogs are natural caretakers and strong communicators: They often know what we need before we know ourselves. Whether it’s a snuggle on the couch or a calming walk in nature, dogs offer us the love and care we need to be fully nourished.
Dreaming about dogs can also signal an emphasis on empathy. Make sure you listen to yourself and the people in your life to better understand what you need to feel supported and seen.
Pixabay / Pexels
2. Cats
Cats are mysterious and independent creatures who answer to no one but themselves. Just try telling your weirdo kitten what to do and see how they respond.
Cats hold an innate sense of self. They’re self-assured and confident. They’re cool, calm, and collected.
Alena Kovol / Pexels
They’re also a symbol of magic and hidden powers and they represent a powerful feminine energy. While entering the world according to a strict gender binary isn’t always beneficial, there are aspects of tapping into the divine feminine that can elevate your existence, which may be what you’re seeking by seeing cats in dreams.
Lean into the things that make you feel good about yourself and lift your confidence sky-high. Moving your body is another way to harness your divine feminine energy, as it can help you feel connected to your physical being and the world around you.
Staying vulnerable and letting our emotions flow is another way we can tap into the deeper, more mystical parts of ourselves. Cats own their entire beings without any apologies, which is something we can all learn from and put into practice when we’re awake.
3. Rabbits
Rabbits represent fertility, warmth, and opportunity, and dreaming about them can mean that changes are coming your way.
Rabbits in dreams can also indicate luck, success, and prosperity. Seeing them while you sleep means that your positive outlook on life will serve you well. Rabbits have strong intuitions, especially when it comes to knowing whether or not they’re in harm’s way.
If you dream about rabbits, you have a solid internal compass and can tell whether other people’s intentions are good or bad. You’re able to identify the vibrational energy of those around you, which will help you determine who to keep in your life and who to let go of.
Pixabay / Pexels
Rabbits signify abundance, so if they keep showing up for you, it might mean that you’re about to reap all the seeds you’ve been sewing.
4. Snakes
Snakes are often seen as evil, scary, slippery creatures, yet in dreams, they hold a more positive meaning. Seeing snakes while you dream signifies healing and transformation. Just as snakes shed their skin to birth a new version of themselves, you, too, could be letting go of the old you and entering into a new phase.
5. Bears
The topic of bears in internet discourse has reached a particular peak, as women around the world have weighed in on whether they’d rather be alone in the woods with a man or a bear.
In dreams, bears mean strength, power, independence and rest. If they’re a symbol that’s been showing up for you, it might be time to tap into your inner resources and lay low for a while, so as to build your reserves and show up in your life in an even more dynamic way than before.
6. Owls
Owls are wise, all-knowing, and self-aware. An owl’s presence in your dreamscape means listening to your intuition. Pay close attention to what aspects of your life serve you and what no longer does. Don’t be afraid to let certain things go.
Fábio Scaletta / Pexels
Diving into the depths of what makes you feel grounded will open up opportunities for your life to move in directions you never thought possible before.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers social issues, pop culture analysis and all things to do with the entertainment industry.