Advent Calendar Day 9: Mouse or Mice
Welcome to the ninth day of the Dream Well advent calendar! Today, we are looking at what it means to dream of a mouse, or mice. Like many animal symbols, to dream of a mouse can be ambiguous, and have many positive as well as more challenging or disturbing elements. We need to think about not only of our opinions of real mice, but also cultural influences such as movies, books and rhymes.
The first aspect we can consider if a mouse appears in a dream is the creature’s size. Mice are small, so in a dream this may indicate that there is some matter which is seemingly small, but requires our attention. Mice are also quite timid, so we can look at where in our lives we are behaving with some trepidation. Is there some issue which seems large and confronting, that makes us feel small and perhaps a little cautious? A mouse in a dream may appear when there is some area in life we are wishing we could be braver. The phrase “are you a mouse or a man” brings this to mind. Because of their diminutive size, many people find mice cute, and they are heroes of many children’s nursery rhymes and stories, not least of course Mickey Mouse. In dreams, a mouse then may symbolise something we find delightful, something we wish to pet and take care of. But mice in stories and rhymes are also often heroes, achieving against the odds despite their small stature. We may look to our own lives to see where we are fighting a battle, however metaphorical, to overcome an adversary who seems much larger and more formidable than we are. A mouse in a dream can encourage us to be brave in the face of otherwise overwhelming odds.
Mice may be small, but they are also resourceful, intelligent and often quite inquisitive. Mice in dreams can symbolise a need to make the most of limited resources, to rely on skills of quick wit and nimble actions, rather than strength or size.
For some, mice are simply rodents, and feared or loathed. No animal is itself inherently bad, so while a mouse in a dream may symbolise a pest to one person, they are also likely to be challenging us on another level to appreciate their unique positive qualities. If an animal appears in our dreams, it often symbolises a part of our own character or personality. If there is an aspect we find distasteful or would rather avoid, it can be worth taking the time to consider in some depth why exactly we fear or detest a certain creature, and how these features may relate to ourselves. If we think mice are dirty for scavenging on the floor, is there some shame we feel at having to resort to desperate measures to get through a certain situation, for example? Thinking something is “dirty” in a dream is often related to shame, but knowing the mouse does this to survive can help us understand that there is nothing shameful in using our resources and wit to take advantage of what ever crumbs of fortune we can manage to scrape together. By appreciating the wit and speed of the mouse, we can start to let go of restrictive beliefs that particular creatures, behaviours or aspects of ourselves, are in themselves “bad.”
A mouse also sees and makes use of what others may not notice. In a dream, this could indicate that we are seeing things that don’t seem obvious, and may learn something important by paying attention to the small details.
We use the idea of a mouse in many phrases, including to “play cat and mouse.” This may encourage us to look at the relationship between the mouse and other animals. In this situation, a dream of cat and mouse may indicate there is an issue we are avoiding, or someone else close to us is (are you the cat or the mouse? The pursuer or the pursued? Or could you actually be both?)
A mouse in a dream may symbolise a pest or a pet, it may symbolise our desire to be braver or our resourcefulness. But whatever a mouse appears at first glance, it is worth looking a little deeper into the mouse hole to see what else a mouse in our dreams may be trying to show us.
Photo by Ricky Kharawala on Unsplash
You may also be interested in the meaning of Elephants in dreams, being chased in a dream and passages and tunnels
Very helpful. It reminds me how much I learn about myself by comparing my behaviors to theirs.
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Can you give me some ideas of the best books on meaning on dreams Denise bailey
A few years ago, I had this dream about a mouse discovering treasure in a a cupboard. It seemed a nice sort of dream, like a fairytale or something, so I made it into a little book. Only for myself though, like a kid’s project, although I was 23 at the time.
I dreamt that I was a leader mice that led thousands of other mice out of captivity to another city filled with freedom. It seemed very easy and unplanned and we won at the end. The human that captured us was mean but we all made it out and alive.
I found the meaning of a mouse being in my dream to be very true there’s a small area of my life that I am dealing with that is shameful and distasteful and that by the grace of God I can rid myself of all so for me to be witty and use my skills so it was very true thank you
Very nice read!!
Nice, but that picture of a “mouse” at the top is actually a gerbil.
this was wonderful it really helped me because I had to fight to get over the fear of mice and the explanation was definitely on point I’m going through something not afraid but going through something and I’ll be so glad when the challenges over it should be by the end of the day thank you so much it’s really help me understand I was thinking it meant something terrible at sickness or something very nice very good be blessed
In my dream, while cleaning up, I came across an area that was very dark and dirty – I knew I was going to have to go into some hidden areas to get it all cleaned out. As I started, a mouse hopped out. She was wearing a pretty pink dress! Another hopped out, and I realized it was a family – the young daughter had come out first. As I looked around, a big mouse hopped out. He was dressed in a black blazer with a bowtie, a fedora on his head, wearing shades and smoking a cigar! I said, “And I suppose you’re the big cheese daddy-o!” I woke up. No clue what this bizarre, somewhat amusing yet creepy dream meant. Any thoughts?