What Does it Mean to Dream of Mammals?
Mammals … we learned about the classification of animals oh so many moons ago while in school, and quickly learned the differences between mammals, which are living creatures that care for the offspring while nourishing them by breast (mammary glands). Mammals also share the fact that they are warm-blooded, unlike their reptilian friends. The offspring of mammals result in a live birth, and yes, many mammals can be quite hairy. The latter definition is terse because there are many mammals that you might actually be surprised fall under the categorization.
Now it is really easy to see how marsupials like Koalas and Kangaroos are mammals, just as are domestic and wild dogs and cats. Monkeys, apes, and gorillas are all mammals, but then we can also say the same thing about the Duck-billed Platypus, dolphins, and whales. Dolphins and Whales … wait, what? I can hear you saying it … but whales don’t have hair … but au contraire! But we’ll live the science questions for another day, for today, we want to know the dream meaning of mammals, right?
Right now, I am sure you are wondering how on earth you can figure out what mammals mean when they appear in your dreams. Really, there are so many of them; how can this be broken down into meaning when the term mammals is such a sweeping category. This is true: Right now, there are about 5,416 species of mammals on the Earth. For one thing, mammals are warm-blooded, and reptiles are not. If we consider this in a metaphorical sense as it relates to human emotion, your dream might be pointing to a situation where you need to be “warm-blooded,” kind or compassionate, rather than distanced, cruel, and “cold-blooded.”
Usually, when breaking down dream meanings you will look at the individual mammal, it is appearance, its physical makeup, and how it survives and behaves. Your findings will be different for every animal. Along with the basic facts on how the animal lives or interacts with the world, the tone of the dream and the feelings it evokes also plays a significant role in dream interpretation.
For instance, a giraffe is a mammal with a long neck thereby signifying “a different perspective” or “taking in the bigger picture,” whereas a small domestic cat, which behaves quite independently (and oh so often with an attitude), the animal signifies independence, strength, and agility: All traits you might benefit from in your waking life. The latter references to cats and giraffes are really just small demonstrations of how you can analyze the animal’s appearance in dreams.
When considering the meaning of any mammals, there are other aspects of the animal that holds significance. Beyond the animal’s physical appearance, its regular behaviors, diet, and how it hunts for food are other things that can help decide dream meaning. For instance, an otter spends roughly five hours every day hunting for fish so that it can meet its dietary needs. It is the otter’s hunting behavior and dietary habits which can be translated into a dream message.
For example, the dream message might be you need to spend considerable time choosing the foods you eat. Or, you may interpret the dream to mean you need to invest more time into growing your own foods (spending time with a focus on food each day) and go for a diet that is more organic and healthy. At a minimum, an examination of the otter’s hunting behaviors should call into question just how good you are nourishing yourself physically and, perhaps spiritually as well.
The animal’s habitat is also part of dream interpretation, and with so much diversity regarding mammals that can appear in your dreams, habitat can connote an array of dream meanings as well. For example, imagine dreaming of a dolphin trying to swim in a mud puddle: This could mean you feel like a fish out of water in your waking life due to some awkward situation, or you might be out of touch with your real emotions (with water symbolizing emotion).
What becomes clear is that it is the very diversity of mammals that makes them great dream messengers. Every animal has something unique to tell you in your dreamtime narratives, and you bring your personal experiences to the table when it is time to interpret the meaning each animal conveys.
So many extraordinary, exquisite mammals await to speak with you in your dream narratives. Don’t you want to find out what they are trying to say? I invite you to explore all the dream meanings of different mammals here on WhatIsMySpiritAnimal.com.
