Animals appear in our dreams and often have symbolic meaning, then again, sometimes, they don’t. How can you differentiate between the two? Our minds take environmental sound and often incorporate it into our dreams. The ringing telephone or alarm clock showed up in your dreams. People often dream about the same content of a television show when the TV is left on while they’re sleeping. Not too surprising, the neighbor’s dog barking or a bird chirping outside your window can also be part of your dream too.
Your own pet isn’t a dream messenger, but it could reflect some a particular issue you might be worrying about. A dream animal’s symbolism and message fit the situation. My puffin dream is an excellent example of this. Personally, I never thought about the black and white bird that resembles a penguin. I had at best a nodding knowledge of it. In the dream, I return to my childhood home and a live puffin comes with it. When I awoke, I immediately looked up the associations.
The first one is parental abandonment. The puffin parents vanish into the ocean often for weeks in search of food. The offspring doesn’t understand this only that his parent has left and has no clue if the parent will ever return. This made me consider the recent death of my mother was a form of abandonment. My father had died much earlier. Yes, I was feeling abandoned. The animal fit my situation, making it a dream messenger. There was no way I’d encounter a puffin in my everyday life.
The puffin also symbolizes the complicated parent and child relationship. Even though the young puffin thought he was being abandoned his parents were actually looking for fish to nourish him. It also encourages us to explore our background. It’s rather fitting that I’d dream about my childhood home and the puffin together. It can also mean to examine surroundings too.
The puffin spirit guide comes to people when they need power to survive the dark times. It makes sense that an abandoned person would be down.
When people feel abandoned, they want someone to be there for them. The appearance of a puffin can indicate a need for a lifelong mate. It can serve as a sign for an extended life span, but also a reminder to guard your health now.
Once you have explored the meaning behind your dream animal, you can decide if it was a messenger. I’d advise journaling about it, capturing the dream before it fades away. Later on, you may discover it answered a question you hadn’t even asked.