Real Dream Interpretation: What Does it Mean to Dream About an Alligator?
Alligator Dreams Symbolize an Enemy or Foe…
Below is a Dream Submitted for Analysis:
I recently had a dream that I was at someplace like an auditorium. I was with a group of people I’ve never seen but have dreamt of before. We used to play a game and I forgot how, but I needed to battle someone. I left my cards in the back of my moms car on the floor so I sat outside to look at the cards i would duel with instead. While out there my dog and a skinny stray greyhound appeared and my friend and her mom and little brother touched it. A book from a friend I actually know is suddenly next to me and he’s texting me a secret about it. “The first few verses of my bible…” were all I got to see because the bible refused to open for me as if someone were turning the pages back. An alligator with red eyes appears where the greyhound was and squeezes through the bars in an attempt to kill my dog and my friends brother. I make it inside but have to throw my dog to the alligator. I get my dog out the gators mouth and tell her to hold it so I can take her to the vet though she looks dead. I mount the gator forcing it flat on the floor and rip its head off while telling someone to look up animal exorcisms and demonic animals. The alligator reattaches it’s head and my dream ends. But I see a google page of animals doing magic.
Please help me understand what this means because my friend has never given me a book and the other people I’ve had dreams with before along with the game.
This dream definitely falls under the categories disturbing and creative! On the one hand, you can feel how troubling it must have been for the dreamer, but you also kind of have to appreciate the creativity of this dreamer’s subconscious mind. Many people who have such creative minds are some of the most talented artists, authors, and creators in the world.
Of course, when you’ve had a disturbing dream like this, all of that means very little. You just want answers. That’s what we’ll try to get at below as we look at the different dream symbols.
Alligator. (Also Crocodile) Alligators and crocodiles represent very imposing enemies – this could be another individual or even a situation or goal. Some people “animalize” situations in life, such as disappointments, broken promises, lost dreams, lost jobs, money problems, etc. An alligator or crocodile usually represent something pretty large that the dreamer feels has attacked him/her or could possibly attack.
These animals could also appear in the dreams of people who frequently watch shows such as Swamp People or other shows/movies/games involving these animals.
Dog or other pet – dreaming of a dog or pet is very common. We feel protective of our pets and often think of them as family. It’s perfectly natural for them to appear in dreams. When a pet appears along with something dangerous or threatening, it often indicates that the dreamer wants to protect someone from something. In their daily life, there may be an individual they care about that they’re concerned for and wish to protect from harm.
Game – dreaming of the game (and even the cards) implies something that the dreamer needs to do… but, more importantly, needs to do well. A game in our dream suggests that our brain believes we have “one shot” to get it right. That we will, in essence, either win or lose. The fact that “battle” and “duel” are also mentioned adds to the weight of this burden. This dreamer obviously had something pretty heavy on their mind – something that probably involved trying to protect someone from something devastating.
The presence of a Bible and “demonic” animals is the perfect (make that PERFECT) example of conflict. These are such powerful opposites that you can literally feel the conflict the dreamer is under. While it’s not 100 percent certain, this implies that the dreamer isn’t sure how to approach their real-life dilemna. There’s someone they want to protect, but this conflict implies that they aren’t sure which way to go. They know very well that one way would be the right way (the Bible) – where everything is good and perfect but the other way (the demonic animals) would be disaster – in fact, it would be “hell.” The phrase “hell to pay” may even come into play.
Google is symbolic of searching – which goes along with this dream beautifully, as the dreamer is searching for answers. Animals doing magic somewhat suggests that the dreamer has even thought of their dilemma (wanting to protect someone) in terms of needing a “magic key” or a “miracle.”
Red. I’m also not the least bit surprised that red comes into play in this dream. As pointed out on our Dream Colors Page, red usually means something along the lines of “Alert!” or “Pay Attention!” in dreams. It is in keeping with the urgency the dreamer feels.
It’s also worth mentioning that people who are fans of “The Hunger Game” books or movies will often dream of large crowds, auditoriums, and “games.” Dreams are, in many ways, movies our subconscious mind creates while we’re sleeping. Fans of a particular type of entertainment will often see a recurring theme in their dreams – it simply means that their subconscious mind prefers this setting to the rest.
The crowd of people are probably just part of the scene, however, if they “feel” important to you, they could indicate that you feel everyone is watching you or that “all eyes are on” you.
The fact that the alligator reattaches its head simply means that the dreamer feels what they are up against is uncommonly powerful and fears that even their best efforts may not be enough.
While troubling dreams like this can rock our emotional world, it helps to think of them as helpful messengers. This type of dream can be used to help you step up in life and do whatever needs to be done. After all, whatever you fight today… at least it will NOT be a demonic alligator!
Thanks for sharing your dream and I hope your next dream is much more agreeable!
~ Joi
See our growing Dream Dictionary for more dream symbols, meanings, and interpretations.
Ghost Dreams: What do They Mean?!
A Haunted Dream Interpretation…
What do ghost dreams mean? I’ve been asked this question quite a few times over the years. Unfortunately, most people believe that ghost dreams are a bad omen of some kind. Most people believe either:
- Someone they know is going to die.
- Someone they know who HAS died is trying to get a message to them.
Actually, you’ll be relieved to know that neither is the case. When one dreams of ghosts, the dream interpretation is actually simple. Think about one of the main words we associate with ghosts: HAUNTED.
Dreaming of a ghost (or ghosts) indicates that the dreamer is haunted by something in his or her life. They could be haunted by guilt, they could be haunted by unfulfilled dreams, or they could be haunted by memories. These types of things “haunt” most of us, at least to some extent. However, some people have unresolved issues concerning these “haunts.” If you dream of ghosts, it’s probable that something you may have thought was in the past isn’t “so” in the past after all.
The subconscious mind tries to “sort things out” while we’re sleeping. If you have had one or more dreams about ghosts, your subconscious mind is trying to make sense of (or sort out) something that haunts you.
Only the dreamer knows for certain. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you’re trying to get in touch with your dream’s meaning, below are a few tips that’ll help you – whether your dream was visited by ghosts or not:
- Get in a quiet place with absolutely no distractions. You don’t want anything causing your mind to wander while it’s trying to figure out your dreams.
- Clear your mind of any stray thoughts or worries.
- Breath deeply and focus all of your energy on the interpretation of your dream.
If other people are in the house, one of the best spots to reflect upon your dreams may be an unusual place: The shower or bathtub! Think about it – people are less likely to disturb you here than anywhere else.
Finally, please keep in mind that dreams are not omens. They are simply dreams. That’s it!
Dream Interpretation: Hole in the Road Nightmare
Hole in the Road Dreams: What they mean and why it matters!
A recent dreamer submitted a frustrating dream they were having for analysis. This dream involved a hole in the road that they knew they had to avoid. In fact, in the dream, they were aware of the fact that falling in the hole meant certain death.
The funny thing was, they could see into the hole and it was only about a foot deep and beautiful yellow flowers were on the bottom! The dreamer wondered why such a shallow, innocent looking hole would elicit such fear in the dream. As he/she pointed out, “… the thing that had me so frightened during the dream, and even after I first woke up, seems silly now. It looked like a flower bed that had sunk about a foot!” However, the dreamer also mentioned that this was actually one of the worst nightmares they’d had in a long time and that they woke up “frightened” and “breathing heavily.”
While it may seem that avoiding the hole would have been easy, the hole in the dream was on a very narrow road that the dreamer HAD to travel on. They simply HAD to get past the hole without falling in. Dreams are amazing like that, we just KNOW something but most dreamers have no idea where the knowledge stems from. What makes these dreams even more fascinating is the fact that the knowledge does stem from someplace… the dreamer’s subconsciousness. Which is, of course, why dream interpretation is so important and fascinating – our dreams truly do let us know what’s going on deep in our minds and hearts.
In the dream of the hole in the road, the dreamer KNEW that the innocent-looking hole was deadly. While this may be a bit extreme for what lies in their day to day world, make no mistake about it: There is something in their life that spells trouble. Whether it’s a relationship, hobbies, a goal, plans, job, etc… There is something that, while on the surface seems innocent (as lovely perhaps as a flower bed), could spell disaster. Deep in the dreamer’s subconsciousness, they know it.
The thing about this dream that worries me most is how the dreamer felt during the dream and upon waking. So much about a dream’s interpretation lies in how the dreamer felt (or feels). The intensity of the feelings indicates that the potential danger that lies within the dreamer’s real life isn’t something they should play around with. When our dreams are this intense and bring about such strong emotions and feelings, make no mistake about it, our subconscious mind REALLY wants us to listen!
Of course, changes in our lives shouldn’t be made on the grounds of a dream alone. The dream should serve as a reason to look more closely at what’s going on in our lives.
If you’ve ever had a dream about a hole in the road (or along your path) that you were afraid of falling in, realize that it’s symbolic of something in your life – something that you’re afraid of “falling into” or “falling prey to.”
Some people, who have recently quit smoking, will have hole dreams. The dream symbolism is that they’re afraid of falling back into a harmful habit. Many times, realizing that their subconscious mind fears for their well-being is JUST the extra incentive they need to avoid the pitfalls while awake as surely as they do in their dream.
Have you ever personally had hole dreams. Do you realize what the hole in the dream symbolized? Share your dream and experiences in the comments!
When Children Experience Nightmares
When you combine the active imaginations of children with dreams, very disturbing nightmares can occur. Adults often feel helpless when it comes to dealing with a child’s nightmares. It helps to keep a few ideas in mind:
- Never, ever brush off or dismiss a child’s fears. When you say, “Oh, that’s nothing, you’re being silly,” you are insulting the child as well as diminishing their concerns. If they are legitimately frightened, it’s far from “nothing” and they aren’t being “silly,” they’re being children.
- You don’t want to blow the nightmare or the dream up larger than they should be, of course, but you should listen to the child as she or he tells you what happened in the dream.
- Instead of saying, “Monsters don’t exist!” – ask the child if he/she has ever seen a monster. Tell them that you haven’t either (which will carry a great deal of weight, since the child probably thinks you’re about as old as old gets!). Allow them to come to the realization that it was just a dream and that monsters (or whatever) really don’t exist. Stay calm, casual, and never tease or make fun of them.
- Help them understand that dreams are like little movies our brain creates to entertain itself while we’re asleep. Tell them that, apparently, their mind thought it was time for a scary movie and that it will probably want to create a comedy next. Let them know that watching several cartoons (lighthearted) before bedtime the next night will probably encourage their brain to keep things funny!
- If the child is afraid to go back to sleep, ask yourself this question: “If you were their age and felt totally afraid of your dreams and the dark, what would you want your mom or dad to do?” You’d want them to let you stay awake for the time being – with the lights on! If you try to force them to go back to a frightening place, you aren’t going to be much of a hero, are you?
Nightmares are a part of growing up, so are “monsters under the bed” and “creepers in the closet.” Just try to be as calm and reassuring as you can and you’ll help them disappear soon.
Dream Analysis – A Dream Interpretation
Before getting to this particular post, I want to invite new visitors to read the first post HERE. It’ll let you know where we came from, where we are, and where we’re headed!
Here’s the first submitted dream we’ve received since the relaunch of Dream Prophesy:
“I have a recurring dream that I desperately need help understanding. Each dream has knives in it. In the first one, my son wanted to play his guitar but couldn’t find it. He opened the closet and a huge knife fell on him. Blood was everywhere and we were screaming. Then I woke up.
In the second dream, I was cooking supper and cut my hand off with a butter knife! The third dream was just about the same, except it was a steak knife and it cut off part of my plate.
These dreams are getting to me, especially the one about my son. I’m scared of what the next dream will be about and who will get hurt in it. Please help and thank you.”
I can see how these dreams would trouble you. The first thing you need to do is to remind yourself that these dreams aren’t prophetic. They aren’t signaling an accident or anything bad ahead. Dreams deal with what HAS happened, what IS happening, and your emotions and feelings. Some of these emotions and feelings the dreamer is fully aware of. Others, the dreamer doesn’t seem to be aware of whatsoever.
When I hear about people dreaming of knives, my first reaction is this: There’s something in their life that they want to remove, or “cut out.” These could include:
- A bad habit. Smokers who want to quit smoking often dream of knives. Their desire to “cut out” this habit weighs on their mind and presents itself in their dream world.
- Wanting to lose weight. Wanting to lose extra weight will also lead to knife dreams.
- Dislike of an annoying co-worker, fellow student, neighbor, or even family member. The dreamer doesn’t (of course!) want to harm this annoying person – but they wouldn’t mind AT ALL if fate cut them out of their life and put them in someone else’s!
- A desire to leave your job, school, home, community, etc. Wanting to separate yourself from a current situation or place can lead to knife dreams.
- A thought or feeling. Sometimes we feel things we wish we didn’t feel or keep having thoughts we wish would go away. We think, “Why don’t I just cut it out?! ” – But we seem unable to.
All of the above are instances that can lead to these types of dreams. When it comes to recurring dreams, more times than not, fully realizing WHY you’re having the dreams is enough to send them packing. Even if you haven’t arrived at the solution yet, your subconscious mind seems perfectly content with you just knowing the situation exists.
I truly hope this helps!
Thanks so much for submitting your dream. I’ve learned from experience (from the last time the site was up BEFORE disaster struck!) that people are greatly helped when they read other people’s dreams. So, know that you’ve helped others simply by sharing your dream.
“Dreams are road signs along the nighttime highway of sleep.” – Astrid Alauda
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