Symbolic of the world, the body and the grave (20), and also regarded
as an essential symbol of containing (and concealing). Rabanus Maurus (Operum,
III, Allegoriae in Sacram Scripturam) lays particular stress on this aspect (46).
Nowadays, however, the whale seems to have acquired more independence as a
symbolic equivalent of the mystic mandorla, or the area of intersection of the
circles of heaven and earth, comprising and embracing the opposites of existence
(51).

To dream of seeing a whale approaching a ship, denotes that you will have a struggle between duties, and will be threatened with loss of property.

If the whale is demolished, you will happily decide between right and inclination, and will encounter pleasing successes.

If you see a whale overturn a ship, you will be thrown into a whirlpool of disasters.

To see a whale in your dream, represents your intuition and awareness. You are in tuned with your sense of spirituality. Alternatively, a whale symbolizes a relationship or business project that may be too big to handle. You are feeling overwhelmed. The dream may also be a pun on "wailing" and a desire to cry out about something.

Seeing a whale in your dream, represents your intuition and awareness. You are in tuned to your sense of spirituality. Alternatively, it indicates a relationship or business project that is too enormous to handle.

For most people, dreaming about whales is a pleasant experience. These huge water dwelling mammals may be symbolic of the connection that exists between the unconscious and conscious mind. They may represent the dreamer's level of awareness, perceptiveness, and intuition. Some think that they represent our emotional power or are messengers from the spiritual realms. If the waters are rough and the whale was unpredictable or on the attack, think about the emotional environment in your everyday life. Under such unpleasant dream circumstances, these large animals may represent overwhelming emotional or psychological issue and problem.

Whale Totem Meaning

Where the edge of land ends and the fringe of vast oceans begins is a threshold of mammoth proportions. To garner in-depth understanding of symbolic whale meaning, we've got to pay homage to its environment, the oceans of our planet.

The oceans, and water in general holds age-old symbolism of emotional depth (I've written about potential water symbolism here, if you're interested). As humans, we all experience an array of emotions. Some are on the surface; we can experience these emotions easily because they float on top of our life-experience as driftwood on the surface of the water. We can observe these top-layer emotions clearly, they are familiar and we deal with them daily. Other emotions, however, run very deep within us. Some emotions we burry beneath the fathoms of our consciousness; these emotions are the leviathans of our being - the lumbering beasts we dare not let surface.

From this perspective, we can easily relate to the depth and breadth of water with the essence of emotions. Given its habitat is the water realms, the totem meaning of the whale largely deals with emotions too. The whale symbolizes emotional creativity, well-being, nurturing as well as emotional depth.

Those who are magnetized by whale energy will tend to be incredibly deep in sensitivity. The depth of feeling whale-totem-people endure can be overwhelming. Whale people are super-perceptive about the feelings of those around them, and this can manifest into an internal pressure that can be quite crushing. The whale can help with overwhelment of feelings and even temper the onslaught of emotions picked up from other people too. If you are extraordinarily affected by the emotions of others, or your own emotions are so intense as to cause discomfort, your whale totem can help.

Why? Because whales are masters of:

Navigation: Moving through emotional depths
Communication: Effectively expressing emotional experiences
Conservation: Using emotional energy for fuel and not being consumed by emotional floods

I love poking through old myths and parables, especially when exploring totem meaning and the whale has plenty legends to its name. From Native American to Islam, the whale is featured prominently in ancient lore. Take the prophet Jonah. It's a classic passage in the Bible. I'm fortunate to know a several Biblical scholars, and I've talked to these folks (thanks to Robert, Jim and Diane!) about the deeper symbolic meaning of Jonah's three days and three nights in the bellies of the mega ketos ("great fish" in Greek), dag gadul ("big fish" in Hebrew), and the nun in Arabic - all terms describing the huge fish-whale who swallowed Jonah in the Biblical account. My Bible-savvy pals relate the story as an allegory of deliverance of the Jews from Babylonian capture. The great mother of Babylon's first queen (Semiramis) was Derceto, and the Babylonian sea goddess Derceto (a behemoth being of the sea) is the very same 'great fish' who swallowed Jonah. This perspective illustrates the Jews' liberation from Babylonian captivity with Jonah being expelled from Derceto's belly.

What intrigued me further was discussions deeper emotional allegory associated with Jonah's account. Imagine the emotional duress Jonah endured. Charged with the task (from God, no less) to travel to Ninevah and speak to the people about the righteous path of God. Now, at the time, Ninevah was quite inhospitable, and it was highly unlikely they would be keen to hear what Jonah had to say. Knowing this, Jonah retreated from his responsibility, essentially hiding from his soul-purpose (God) and that's when the mammoth beast of the sea swallows him whole.

We've all been in Jonah's sandals. We've all had a scary task to set before us, a heavy task with potentially frightening responsibilities placed on our shoulders. When we turn away from these responsibilities (knowing what we should do, yet refusing) it churns up massive emotional upheaval. We become swallowed ourselves in an emotional quagmire. We stew in our emotional soup, until we reach a boiling point. We all struggle with emotional buildup over choices we need to make, or even those choices we cannot bear to execute. Some of us, after days and nights of stewing within the womb of the soul, finally emerge (spit from the whale, so to speak) with renewed determination and a rekindling of faith. Others of us return to the emotional abyss until we can process our fears and indecision into a more refined state of being.

This kind of emotional swallowing, digesting and processing is key to whale totem meaning. Luckily, the whale can facilitate emotional clarity, and help us navigate through the often ambiguous and confusing seas of emotion. Whales themselves are incredibly nurturing; we see this in how they raise their young as well as their close-knit connection to others in their community herds or pods. Whales, and those with whale totems have a natural affinity for helping, especially promoting well-being within their community. People who are attracted to the whale often feel devoted to a greater cause, and although they may struggle with their own personal emotions, they tend to naturally conjure healing powers towards others in emotional trauma. Does this sound familiar to you? If you have these tendencies, I encourage you to swim deeply with the whale in your meditations and prayers. Navigating the emotional waters with the whale by your side will afford guidance and clarity.

Whales ask us to embrace the unknown, and that's precisely why they are so connected to the emotional depths of the oceans. To be sure, our current circumstances are born from an emotional womb. In other words, our reality is intrinsically connected to our thought and our emotional choices. It can be frustrating and confusing to track down the emotional origin of the stuff that's manifested in our lives, and the whale can help us understand, on a deeper level, the actions that have caused unrest in our daily life.

In many sects of Native wisdom, the whale is symbolic of the beginning, the creation of all life on earth as we know it. They aren't the only ones. Countless cultures around the globe associate themes of creation, birth and rebirth with the whale. Other symbolic suggestions to add to whale totem meaning include:

Deeper Awareness
Cosmic Consciousness
Emotional Rebirth and Understanding
Nurturing and Devotion to Community
Appreciation for Beauty, (especially song and dance)
The Importance of Balance (emotional and otherwise)

I hope these philosophical ponderings about whale symbolism and whale totem meaning has inspired you to dive more deeply into the cetacean realms. Perhaps these insights might inspire you to meditate and soulfully contemplate the presence of the whale in your own life. To be sure, joining with whale energy in your devotionals will eventually lead you to a cohesive view - an expansive clarity into the deeper fathoms of your emotional worlds.

The whale is the keeper of the Earth's history and secrets. It keeps alive the memories of the legendary motherland of Mu, which was once located in the west of America and to which all Native American tribes trace back their origins. The whale was once the witness of the great disaster to which the motherland fell victim. People who own the power of the whale are often very perceptive and can, with the help of this gift, access all the information that exists in the universe. They often have telepathic powers, but the source of their knowledge frequently remains unknown to them. It is only with time that they realize how to utilize their powers. The whale teaches one to find and blend with one's own original sound, because it carries the history of all living beings. It shows that the right frequency can heal and, with the help of the whale, you can learn to connect with the ancient language that was used for communication before language in its current form was developed. The whale always guides the way to discovering the meaning of your own life.

The whale gives you the ability to know the wisdom of the ages - from the time before time.

Inner awakening, creation, movement, strong sense of family, sprout in creative imagination, reaching within or outside to find inspiration, don't hold back your endeavors, be strong and move swiftly. Whale shows how to dive deep within to awaken your creativity, imagination and intuition. He teaches awakening inspiration so you can see your own beauty reflected into the world. It is time to create you own song, your own rhythm in which for creative imagining takes place. Are you using your true creativity? Whale will teach how to access the power and magic of the creative - emotional - passionate force.

To see a bear in your dream, symbolizes independence, the cycle of life, death and renewal, and resurrection. You are undergoing a period of introspection and thinking. The dream may also be a pun on "bare". Perhaps you need to bare your soul and let everything out into the open.

To dream that you are being pursued or attacked by a bear, denotes aggression, overwhelming obstacles and competition. You may find yourself in a threatening situation or domineering relationship.

To see a polar bear in your dream, signifies a reawakening.

Bear is significant of overwhelming competition in pursuits of every kind.

To kill a bear, portends extrication from former entanglements.

A young woman who dreams of a bear will have a threatening rival or some misfortune.

Dreaming that you are being pursued or attacked by a bear indicates aggression, overwhelming obstacles and competition. You may find yourself in a threatening situation. Alternatively, bears symbolize the cycle of life and death and renewal. It may signal of period of introspection and thinking. The dream may also be a pun on "bare". Perhaps you need to bare your soul and let everything out into the open. Dreaming of a polar bear means a reawakening.

A bear in a dream is a very rich and complicated dream symbol.

Bears are highly regarded symbols in a variety of cultures and traditions. The interpretation of the bear in a dream may be influenced by your perception of it and by the events in the dream. The bear may represent qualities in your character or specific aspects of your personality. Bears are usually associated with danger and aggression, and a bear can represent an adversay, but this is a very narrow view of this powerful dream symbol.

Bears are solitary animals, so a bear in a dream can signify the ability to rely on your own strength to survive. Bears symbolize independence, either in yourself or in someone else.

Females bears are solitary mothers. Therefore,a bear in a dream often symbolizes a mother figure. The behavior of the bear, whether it is uncaring, possessive or devouring, can indicate how you feel towards your own mother.

A bear that is clearly male can stand for a father figure, or just an overbearing person in your life.

A bear can also represent the ability to revive yourself after a period of rest, based on the fact that bears hibernate in winter.

Bears in dreams may represent a period of introspection and depression. However, this may be a part of a healing cycle, where the dreamer has retreated into himself in order to regenerate and in order to create something new and valuable in his life.

Bear Meanings from Native North American Views

When we walk the Path with the bear, this animal will inevitably tell us about its long history with the First People of North America.

As a Native American symbol, the bear is as free in spirit as the great wind; and grander than its mass. To match that magnitude is the quality of unpredictability in the bear. A massive animal who forages seemingly peacefully in the woods on berries and bush. when provoked in certain ways, the First Peoples witnessed a ferocity expressed from the bear that (understandably) could elicited terror.

Because of this potentially furious storm brewing just under the surface of bears spirit, our native forebears were extremely cautious and respectful of this animal. Even tribes inclined to peace honored the spirit of a warrior, and witnessing the bear seemed to embody that kind of blind, powerful surge of courage and strength that every warrior is want to tap into.

Bear meanings were enhanced by observations made tribal sages. These vital tribal figures were inclined to pensive and deeper understanding of how nature communicated intent in all her forms. These sages found connections between human and beast and from these associations would interpret profound meanings that propelled the community into direction, action, and wisdom.

One such connection to bear meaning comes from a Shoshone sage who, set about bridging worlds in a manner of trance walking. During his trance walk, he was gifted with the site of a clan of bears who were performing what seemed to be a ritual dance.

These were not spirit bears, but real bears, on their hind legs, dancing in the golden rays of the sun. The Shoshone sage understood this to be a dance of gratitude as well as a prayer for the healing and protection of their young. From that point further the Shoshone have instigated their own Sun Dance where the bear is a central figure of the ritual symbolizing protection, strength and continuation of the progeny of the tribe.

Native American Bear Meaning - A quick list of keywords summoned by the tribal mind:

Protection
Childbearing
Motherhood
Freedom
Discernment
Courage
Power
Unpredictable

We see a lot of connections with bear and man in the Native mind. We can intuit these bear meanings to come from the human-like appearance of the bear when it’s posed on hind legs. Further, the natives observed the bear looks remarkably human when skinned of its fur.

Bear meanings of motherhood and child protection continue in the Aleut and Haida minds where legend indicates the bear would take a tribal woman as its wife. From this union, man and bear strengthened their greatest aspects, combining the best (and sometimes worst) traits.

As a Sioux symbol, the bear also has healing symbolism. Sioux legend indicates mother bear was weary from carrying her heavy babies in her belly. She was having trouble walking and feared she could not make the journey to the great foraging fields to feed during her final days of pregnancy. She rested against redwood sorrel plant and the plant spoke to her, telling her that if she ate of its leaves her body would be able to sustain her load. Mother bear did as the sorrel advised to discover the treatment worked. She knew her Sioux sisters would have the same troubles when they were heavy with their own babies, so she shared the medicinal advice with the Sioux medicine woman.

The bear is a strong Native American symbol to the Cree who are powerfully connected with the bear. Recognizing its girth, and amazingly effective teeth and claws, the Cree adopted the bear as a symbol for successful hunt. Intricate preparations were made prior to a hunt. These preparations featured the bear as the guest of honor. Every aspect of pre-hunting ritual was designed to honor the bear. Even after the ritual bear skulls would hang in the lodge overnight to induce dreams of bears that provided good luck in the hunt. That is, if the bear was pleased, the dreams would come, and the hunt would be a success.

Above all, bear meaning holds incredible influence and magnitude to the North American tribes. And although the bear is a profound Native American symbol of majesty, freedom and power it is far more. The spiritual connections made with the bear makes it a brother to the First People.

As a brother, the bear imparts this advice to both our ancestors and us today:

Because the bear is cautious, it encourages discernment to humankind.
Because of a fierce spirit, the bear signals bravery to those who require it.
Because of its mass and physical power, the bear stands for confidence and victory.
Because it prefers peace and tranquility (in spite of its size), Bear calls for harmony and balance.

Hibernation is a key attribute of the bear. Having a bear as your power animal indicates the need to go within yourself - to withdraw from the world to find your answers. Your dream time is extremely important.

To see snow in your dreams, denotes that while you have no real misfortune, there will be the appearance of illness, and unsatisfactory enterprises.

To find yourself in a snow storm, denotes sorrow and disappointment in failure to enjoy some long-expected pleasure. There always follows more or less discouragement after this dream.

If you eat snow, you will fail to realize ideals.

To see dirty snow, foretells that your pride will be humbled, and you will seek reconciliation with some person whom you held in haughty contempt.

To see it melt, your fears will turn into joy.

To see large, white snowflakes falling while looking through a window, foretells that you will have an angry interview with your sweetheart, and the estrangement will be aggravated by financial depression.

To see snow-capped mountains in the distance, warns you that your longings and ambitions will bring no worthy advancement.

To see the sun shining through landscapes of snow, foretells that you will conquer adverse fortune and possess yourself of power.

For a young woman to dream of sleighing, she will find much opposition to her choice of a lover, and her conduct will cause her much ill-favor.

To dream of snowballing, denotes that you will have to struggle with dishonorable issues, and if your judgment is not well grounded, you will suffer defeat.

If snowbound or lost, there will be constant waves of ill luck breaking in upon you.

Seeing snow in your dream means your inhibitions, repressed/unexpressed emotions and feelings of frigidity. You need to release and express these emotions and inhibitions. You may also be feeling indifferent, alone and neglected. If the snow is melting then it suggests that you are acknowledging and releasing those emotions you have repressed. You are overcoming your fears and obstacles. Seeing dirty snow in your dream, refers to a loss in innocence, impurity and uncleanness. Some aspect of yourself or situation has been tainted. Dreaming that you are watching the snow fall, represents a clean start and a fresh, new perspective. It is indicative of spiritual peace and tranquility. Dreaming that you are playing in the snow indicates that you need to set some time for fun and relaxation. Dreaming that you find something in the snow, suggests that you are exploring and accessing your unused potential, abilities, and talents. You have uncovered some hidden talent and ability within yourself. It may also indicate forgiving yourself or others.

Snow symbolises chilled and unexpressed emotions or emotions that have been repressed for an extended period of time. The snow in your dream suggests that you or someone else is emotionally cold, unresponsive, and indifferent. Clean, white snow may represent innocence, truth, peace and relaxation. Virgin snow, as you may see it covering a beautiful landscape, may represent new beginnings or a new way of seeing things and dirty snow may represent guilt.

To see your home in your dream, signifies security, basic needs, and values. You may be feeling at "home" or settled at your new job or environment. Alternatively, the dream represents your basic needs and priorities.

In particular, to see your childhood home, your hometown, or a home that you previously lived in, indicates your own desires for building a family and your family ideologies. It also reflects aspects of yourself that were prominent or developed during the time you lived in that home. You may experience some unfinished feelings that are being triggered by some waking situation. Alternatively, the dream may represent your outdated thinking.

To dream that you cannot find your way home, indicates that you have lost faith and belief in yourself. It may also signify a major transition in your life.

To dream of visiting your old home, you will have good news to rejoice over.

To see your old home in a dilapidated state, warns you of the sickness or death of a relative. For a young woman this is a dream of sorrow. She will lose a dear friend.

To go home and find everything cheery and comfortable, denotes harmony in the present home life and satisfactory results in business.

To dream of home-life in early boyhood indicates good health and prosperity. Good
sign of progress.

Seeing your home in your dream means security, basic needs, and values. You may feel at home at your new job or you finally feel settled and comfortable in a new environment. In particular, to see your childhood home or a home that you no longer live in, suggests your own desires for building a family. It also reflects aspects of yourself that were prominent or developed during the time you lived in that home. You may experience some feelings or unfinished expression of emotions that are now being triggered by a waking situation. Dreaming that you cannot find your way home indicates that you have lost faith and belief in yourself. It may also signify a major transition in your life.

To see people you know in your dream, signifies qualities and feelings of them that you desire for yourself. If these people are from your past, then the dream refers to your shadow and other unacknowledged aspects of yourself. It may represent a waking situation that is bringing out similar feelings from your past relationships.

To see people you don't know in your dream, denotes hidden aspects of yourself that you need to confront or acknowledge.

Seeing people you know in your dream means qualities and feelings of those people that you desire for yourself. Seeing people you don't know in your dream indicates hidden aspects of yourself that you need to confront. Seeing people from your past in your dream, refers to your shadow and other unacknowledged aspects of yourself. It can represent a waking situation that is bringing out similar feelings as your past relationships.

To dream that you are lost, suggests that you have lost your direction in life or that you have lost sight of your goals. You may be feeling worried and insecure about the path you are taking in life. If you try to call for help, then it means that you are trying to reach out for support. You are looking for someone to lean on. Alternatively, being lost means that you are still adjusting to a new situation in which the rules and conditions are ever changing.

To dream that someone else is lost, represents some unresolved issues or feelings pertaining to the person that is lost. Consider what aspect of that person you may have lost within your own self. Perhaps you need to recapture and re-acknowledge those aspects.

Dreaming that you are lost, suggests that you have lost your direction in life or that you have lost sight of your goals. You may be feeling worried and insecure about the path you are taking in life. Alternatively, you may be trying to adjust and get accustomed to a new situation in which the rules and conditions are ever changing. Dreaming that someone else is lost, represents unresolved issues or feelings regarding the person that is lost. Consider also what aspect of that person you may have lost within your own self. Perhaps you need to recapture and re-acknowledge those aspects.

To dream that you are chased or followed by a monster, represents aspects of yourself that you find repulsive and ugly. You may possess some fears or some repressed emotions. Try to confront the monster in your dream and figure out who or what aspect of yourself the monster represents.

To dream that you kill a monster, means that you will successfully overcome your rivals and advance to a higher position.

To dream of being pursued by a monster, denotes that sorrow and misfortune hold prominent places in your immediate future.

To slay a monster, denotes that you will successfully cope with enemies and rise to eminent positions.

Dreaming that you are followed by a monster means that grief and misfortune are in your immediate future. Monsters represent parts of yourself that you find brutish and ugly. You may possess some fears or some repressed emotions. Dreaming that you kill a monster means that you will successfully deal with your rivals and advance to a higher and better position.

Dreaming about monsters and demons is very common. They may represent negative forces inside of yourself and in your life. Most of the monsters are representing your own negative characteristics and tendencies. The monster in your dreams could be your fear, bad temper, negativity, smoking habit, or anything else that is hurtful and needs to be changed. The way that you deal with the monster in your dream is generally symbolic of the way you are dealing with the corresponding negativity in your daily life. If you wake up from this dream and are very frightened, just remember that your mind created those images and that their purpose is to teach you something about yourself.

The antithesis of mud, since mud combines the Elements of earth and
water, whereas smoke corresponds to air and fire. There are some folklore traditions which attribute a beneficent power to smoke, which is supposed to possess
the magic ability to ward off the misfortunes that beset men, animals and plants
(21). On the other hand, the column of smoke is a symbol of the valley-mountain antithesis, that is, of the relationship between earth and heaven, pointing out the
path through fire to salvation (17). According to Geber, the alchemist, smoke
symbolizes the soul leaving the body.

To dream of smoke, foretells that you will be perplexed with doubts and fears.

To be overcome with smoke, denotes that dangerous persons are victimizing you with flattery.

Seeing smoke in your dream means that some trouble will be entering your life. You are suffering from confusion and anxiety. You are not seeing things clearly.