The Meaning of Wild Animals in a Dream (Part 1)

What is your own wild nature trying to reveal to you?

A lot of people have been asking me about animal dreams, so while to do this topic justice would cover too much territory for a humble blog post, I thought I could at least give you some starting thoughts.

Wild animals in dreams can often represent a “wilder” part of our own nature, those aspects our personality that we like to keep caged, or tame, or domesticated. Our wild natures can often scare us because they can seem unpredictable, or not conforming to the rules we put around us to keep us safe. Wildness breaks the rules, wildness takes risks, wildness can be dangerous, but wildness is also free, brave and creative.

If you have a wild animal dream that scares or confronts you, look for where in your life you afraid of taking a risk, or where you are not allowing yourself to feel or experience something fully because you might be afraid of what will be released if you do.

If you have an exciting or exhilarating wild animal dream, think of what parts of yourself you are now getting in touch with that you might have previously ignored or resisted. Maybe you have started to be more creative, freed yourself from a restrictive job or relationship, or maybe something more subtle, like just learning to express yourself more authentically.

When you dream of wild animals, look for where changes are happening in your life, and whether you are resisting them or embracing them. Wild animal dreams invite you to trust your instincts, to discover your own independent source of power, and to understand the challenges and rewards of freedom.

(For anyone interested in reading more about our inner wild nature, I recommend “Women who Run with the Wolves”, by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, a Jungian analyst. Available here in Amazon: Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype)