Animal Dreams.

[Aneka]

That can happen.
Somehow it comes to you in a dream.

I have written six songs in dreams.
I've read a lot of famous songwriters wrote songs in their dreams.
They keep a tape recorder by the bed and do a rough version of it as soon as they wake up.
Then the next day they listen to it and start writing.

I can imagine that. In sleep you are probably able to access a realm of creativity, a state of mind you could never reach during wakefulness. Drugs or meditation might have the same effect (But I certainly would never try drugs ) You need a state of mind where both your consciousness and subconsciousness focus on a single matter. With no disruptions.

I had a dream once when I fell asleep outdoors and heard a jazz song. I thought it might be someone who had played a song when I've been sleep. The neighbor or some passerby on the streets.

I've been trying to research it, but I could find nothing. I think it could also be something my head made up. And I'm not even a musical person

Actually, I remember a lot of my dreams because I have a light sleep.
Everybody dreams in their sleep, most of the time you just can't remember. You mostly remember dreams waking up.

 

[Bellacat]

This is an interesting thread! My dreams are usually vivid and memorable, with complex stories that almost always involve animals. One anxiety dream that I've had several times is of being in a small cabin with bears or wolves trying to get in. Every time I've lost a pet I eventually had a dream that it returned.

In the majority of my dreams I'm actually shapeshifting into different animals (usually birds) for various reasons. For example, if I'm being chased I'll turn into a small bird to get away. I've used a hawk form to spy on bad guys. On rare occasions I've been cornered with no way to fly out so I shrunk down to a mouse or insect to hide instead. Once I was a fruit fly (I was being chased by some very bad people... I was desperate!). I've had angry dreams involving turning into a dragon and terrifying people. There have been calm dragon dreams too where I just savoured the feeling of being big and powerful, and flying of course. Just the other night I was part of a group of badass lioness-shifting women who were caught up in a war. We were all sitting in a cave, planning out a strategy for an upcoming attack. I've also had peaceful dreams of being an owl, flying through a forest or swamp at night. In those ones I'm usually on some kind of mission, eg. trying to find something or someone.

 

[Rabscuttle]

An interesting question. I've heard people say that most people only dream in black and white; I suspect that's an urban legend, but then, I don't get to watch other people's dreams (which is probably for the best; I'd never get anything else done).

Dreams that I have usually tend to revolve around something I'm experiencing in my waking life (frustration, most commonly), and there aren't a whole lot of animals I interact with on a frequent basis, so they don't show up often- or if they do, I don't notice them. Plenty of animal-like monsters, though. Usually with the obnoxious tendency of refusing to remain dead, no matter how many times you drive a silver dagger into their hearts.

In earlier years, though, when I had pets and was out and about in the world more... Hmm. I'm not sure. A pity I didn't keep track. I guess it's one of those things you don't notice until you think about it, like how sports teams are almost exclusively named after warm-blooded animals.

 

[SusanLR]

This is an interesting thread! My dreams are usually vivid and memorable, with complex stories that almost always involve animals. One anxiety dream that I've had several times is of being in a small cabin with bears or wolves trying to get in. Every time I've lost a pet I eventually had a dream that it returned.

In the majority of my dreams I'm actually shapeshifting into different animals (usually birds) for various reasons. For example, if I'm being chased I'll turn into a small bird to get away. I've used a hawk form to spy on bad guys. On rare occasions I've been cornered with no way to fly out so I shrunk down to a mouse or insect to hide instead. Once I was a fruit fly (I was being chased by some very bad people... I was desperate!). I've had angry dreams involving turning into a dragon and terrifying people. There have been calm dragon dreams too where I just savoured the feeling of being big and powerful, and flying of course. Just the other night I was part of a group of badass lioness-shifting women who were caught up in a war. We were all sitting in a cave, planning out a strategy for an upcoming attack. I've also had peaceful dreams of being an owl, flying through a forest or swamp at night. In those ones I'm usually on some kind of mission, eg. trying to find something or someone.

That is one of the most interesting dreams of animals I've ever heard.
No one else has ever said they dream of shifting into being different animals that I know of.
I have had dreams where I can change how I look or how I am dressed just with a thought,
but, I'm still me, a human.
I've seen myself in windows and mirrors in dreams and look much the same as I do in life
except I have long bright red hair.

I'm interested in how you do the change into different animals in the dreams.
Do you just think "I want to be a..." or you just are a certain animal and you are aware it is you
in this form?

 

[Bellacat]

I'm interested in how you do the change into different animals in the dreams.
Do you just think "I want to be a..." or you just are a certain animal and you are aware it is you
in this form?

It's like when you want to walk or run, and you just go without thinking about the action (assuming you are someone with full use of your legs). The shifting itself isn't a focal point of the dreams, it's just as natural as putting one foot in front of the other when you want to go somewhere. It's like, "Oh **** I need to get out of here" and then swoosh I'm taking off in a bird form. I'm still me, but the concept of "me" isn't bound to any particular physical form.

 

[VAW]

A lot of different styles of dreams here.
From the Fantasmagorical to more common place.

The man that was talking with me about having many dreams with animals was in search of what he
called his totem or spirit animal. Wondering which animal it might be due to the many in his dreams.

Most of my dreams are of being somewhere that is not familiar to me.
A lot of people in them, but, no one I know.
Many times I know I am in a dream and start looking around to see what I can see as I find it
interesting. Like being on a trip to somewhere new.
I don't try to control the dream beyond being aware of what I am doing. Shopping, eating,
talking with someone and usually trying to find out where I am.
Sometimes I dream I wake up, but, it is not to my room.
Nothing ever seems to be a part of my life. Occasionally someone is there that I know from my
real life. Very seldom.

Another thing is I don't have nightmares. Most people do.
Never any monsters, people trying to harm me or anything scary or devastating.

I enjoy my dreams because they are so realistic. Like a life adventure.
Also enjoy sleep without dreams as it is the only time my mind is quiet.
I believe in symbolic dreams such as @Pats mentioned. Where the bear may represent
something in your life or about yourself.
Some of the seemingly unreal creatures, if I dreamt of those, I would look for the symbolic
meaning of their presentation. The subconscious is in control and things present for a reason.

Here is another interesting tidbit I've read about in psychology...
doesn't concern dreams, but, rather photographs or paintings
especially in your bedroom.
See what pictures, paintings or photos you have on the walls
or sitting in frames.
Profilers say this will show what is most important in the person's life.
Family, pets, religious icons, celebrities, fantasy, etc.
I have no photos in my room.
I do have a large antique map of Long Island in it's original wooden framework.
Very old. I think I like it as it represents history.
Also a bronze sculpture of a tree on the wall. Maybe because I like nature?
Don't know. I just like it.

This could make another thread. Psychoanalysis of your room!

I don't normally dream of animals either... I know Tiffany has but those animals are mostly attacking her or people in her dream. The pictures in your room are interesting... although I have a painting of a ship on the ocean in my room, and a picture of a deer. Even though I am a little scared of ships on the water, not pictures of them but I wouldn't want to actually be on one and the deer picture was a picture my friend gave me as a house warming gift years ago.

 

[8398]

In every one of my dreams, I have to check the well being of my dog and continuously have to make sure she doesn't get into any trouble. I often have to chase and catch her. My dream will be about something weird- like last night I had to pour sea water over my sister's... birthday burger that had a candle in it... because it was on fire... and then everyone told me how smart I was for doing that...
Then Rosie popped up, she was doing good I didn't have to worry much.

I always have pets in dreams, and sometimes other animals it seems but not often. I don't get out in nature enough. My dreams definitely have a sense of reflecting how I'm feeling- even sometimes revealing feelings I ignore. I have to laugh them off sometimes, they can be pretty uncomfortable. A warped senseless dream vs a tarantula vividly biting the crotch of someone close I think the choice is obvious (I think that dream revealed hatred.)

Although I've never had a warped senseless kind of dream- that's interesting.

 

[SusanLR]

From counting the answers on the thread it is very close on the answer.
More no's, but not by much.
Also a couple of very different type of dreams that doesn't really involve animals.
This was just an anecdotal comparision, but, it makes you think.
Would be nice to have equal amount of NTs to compare with.

@8398 I wonder if you had more experiences being out in nature if it would create more
animal dreams?
I am out in nature a lot and the animals are what I pay close attention to.
Even insects.
I don't have what most people would call true pets.
I have frogs that roam free in my screened pool area and I raise my own food source for them.
Tequila superworms. I must keep a supply of darkling beetles as they are what lay the eggs that make the worms.
I keep a glass beta jar with two beetles on the table where I eat because I like to watch them and put
pieces of food in there for them to eat.
A table in my wash room is covered with containers full of beetles and the worm farm.

Still animals are not in my dreams.

 

[8398]

I think for me it depends if there's a distinct moment to remember. Like when there was flooding in Arizona, I went outside and there was animals and critters everywhere the next day, multiple kinds of lizards and birds all in one place- kind of a surreal moment that I wouldn't be surprised if I had dreams about.

But then on the other hand if I'm outside and spot a neat rabbit, they blend into the nature and it's not very distinct to me and very natural or normal. I bet if I lived a life kind of off-grid and was truly living in nature, I'd have a lot more animal dreams, like foxes eating the darn chickens or something since it would be a relevant impactful thing.

 

[SusanLR]

Animal dream last night!

It had no meaning to me. Must be a subconscious symbolic meaning, I just don't know what.

Walking in the backyard of unknown house there was a huge Olympic style pool.
I walked to the edge of the far end and saw something swimming in the water. It looked like
a small animal.
I wanted to swim out to see what it was. I looked down at what I was wearing and it was of biege
gauze like material. An open front robe over one piece jump suit. I thought this is not good
for swimming, but, jumped in anyway.

I found the animal swimming was a turtle with it's head out of the water.
I grabbed it to look at it and it looked like a sea turtle.
Then I looked to the edge of the pool and the man I live with was standing there looking at me.
Suddenly the water started bubbling and churning like air rising to the top and there was a huge
group of more turtles all about the same size swimming towards me.
They didn't act as if they wanted to hurt me. They just started swimming around me and there were
so many I could hardly swim through the group to get to the edge of the pool.

I woke up.
No idea what the meaning was and as usual, I didn't know where I was either.

 

[Anonymous]

I have had dreams with animals, primarily my pet ferret, who escaped and never came back. But now that i think about it, i cant remember a single dream that involved an animal that i did not know in real life. In Most of my dreams I am alone, how i generally prefer things. However, I once had a dream where i was a shapeshifter, and i could somehow feel my body in the shape of a dog/cat. I believe i was running from law enforcement. don't know if that counts though

 

[Anonymous]

It's like when you want to walk or run, and you just go without thinking about the action (assuming you are someone with full use of your legs). The shifting itself isn't a focal point of the dreams, it's just as natural as putting one foot in front of the other when you want to go somewhere. It's like, "Oh **** I need to get out of here" and then swoosh I'm taking off in a bird form. I'm still me, but the concept of "me" isn't bound to any particular physical form.

It's a little different for lucid dreaming. my initial dream was like that, but i was able to replicate it later on command. For me I had to imagine the shape i wanted to be in, the sensations, the feel, like how I usually control lucid dreams except to apply it to myself rather than my soundings. It would be interesting to fly as an animal though, usually i just shift my viewpoint and loose track of my body altogether