The turtle has a variety of meanings, all of which are organically
related. In the Far East its significance is cosmic in implication. As Chochod has
observed: ‘The primordial turtle has a shell that is rounded on the top to represent heaven, and square underneath to represent the earth’ (13). To the Negroes of
Nigeria it suggests the female sex organ (12) and it is in fact taken as an emblem of
lubricity. In alchemy it was symbolic of the ‘massa confusa’ (32). These disparate senses have, nevertheless, one thing in common: in every case, the turtle is a
symbol of material existence and not of any aspect of transcendence, for even
where it is a combination of square and circle it alludes to the forms of the
manifest world and not to the creative forces, nor to the Origin, still less to the
irradiating Centre. In view of its slowness, it might be said to symbolize natural
evolution as opposed to spiritual evolution which is rapid or discontinuous to a
degree. The turtle is also an emblem of longevity. An engraving in the
Hypnerotomachia Poliphili (p. 79) depicts a woman holding a pair of outspread
wings in one hand and a turtle in the other. The counterbalancing of one with the other would suggest that the turtle is the inversion of the wings; that is, that since
the wings signify elevation of the spirit, the turtle would denote the fixed element
of alchemy although only in its negative aspect. In short, then, it would stand for
turgidity, involution, obscurity, slowness, stagnation and highly concentrated
materialism, etc. Perhaps this is the explanation of the turtles in Moreau’s painting of Orpheus with their disquieting negativeness.

To dream of seeing turtles, signifies that an unusual incident will cause you enjoyment, and improve your business conditions.

To drink turtle soup, denotes that you will find pleasure in compromising intrigue.

To see a turtle in your dream, symbolizes wisdom, faithfulness, longevity, and loyalty. It also suggests that you need to take it slow in some situation or relationship in your life. With time and patience, you will make steady progress. Alternatively, a turtle indicates that you are sheltering yourself from the realities of life. You are putting forth a hard exterior and not letting others in. As a result, you are feeling withdrawn.

To dream that you are being chased by a turtle, indicates that you are hiding behind a facade, instead of confronting the things that are bothering you.

Seeing turtles in your dream, suggests that you will make slow but steady progress. You need to slow down and pace yourself. Alternatively, it indicates that you are sheltering yourself from the realities of life. Dreaming that you are being chased by a turtle indicates that you are hiding behind a facade instead of confronting the things that are bothering you.

Turtle Meanings and Totem/Animal Symbolism of the Turtle

Those with the turtle as their animal totem can relate to the "sure and steady" message this creature brings to our lives.

It is also a powerful totem for protection as withdrawing into it's shell is an amazing self-defense mechanism.

The turtle has few predators, which gives it an innocent energy. This also increases its lifespan, and so holds the symbolic meaning for longevity in many cultures.

Animal symbolism of the turtle includes:

Order
Creation
Patience
Strength
Stability
Longevity
Innocence
Endurance
Protection

Because of its seemingly wide-eyed, long-lived, carefree attitude the turtle is often thought to be the wisest of souls among the animal kingdom. We would all do well to take this as a lesson and move at our own pace as the turtle does.

Furthermore, the turtle takes its wisdom one day at a time - not reacting, simply accepting and moving on in its natural methods. Again, this is a powerful analogy for humankind, and we would benefit from adopting the same behavior pattern.

Tutles share an association with water, which lends meanings of motion, intuition and emotion to the myriad of more symbolic meanings of the turtle.

Other associations for the turtle include:

Water
Winter
Humidity
Venus (Roman)
Aphrodite (Greek)
Northern directions
Lunar (moon aspect)
Femininity (except in African lore where it is considered a male symbol)

In China and Japan the turtle is a symbol for longevity.

In Asian myth the turtle represents cosmic order:

Its shell is symbolic of the heavens
Its body symbolic of the earth
Its undershell represents the underworld.

Furthermore, it is considered to have brought about the creation of the universe from its parts.

What's more, the turtle is a symbol of motherhood and creation. You can read more about that here.

Divination or foretelling has been known to be conducted by reading a turtle's shell and underbelly. These parts of the turtle are said to depict a map of the stars and sacred writings. Furthermore, most turtle shells are divided into thirteen sections which is associated with the thirteen phases of the moon in a year.

The turtle gives groundedness. It imparts to you the ability to keep your feet on the ground and pay attention to earthly things.

Longevity, endurance, survival skills, patience, stimulates hearing on both the physical and spiritual levels. Teaches on an emotional level to reach within to find answers, shows how to navigate the spiritual while using protections and defenses in both worlds. Are you listening carefully to others? Let Turtle help you decide to take time to slow down or perhaps to pick up the pace a bit. He can teach how to maneuver in the emotional world. The art of movement or non-movement is stressed. Is it time to remain quiet and contemplate or time to move forward? Turtle will guide you in understanding.

In broad terms, the fish is a psychic being, or a ‘penetrative motion’
endowed with a ‘heightening’ power concerning base matters—that is, in the
unconscious. Because of the close symbolic relationship between the sea and the
Magna Mater, some peoples have held the fish to be sacred. There were some
Asiatic rites that embraced fish-worship, and priests were forbidden to eat it. As
Jung has pointed out, the son of Atargatis (Ashtart or Astarte) was named Ichthys
(31). Schneider notes that the fish is the mystic Ship of Life, sometimes a whale,
sometimes a bird, and at other times simply a fish or a flying fish, ‘but at all times
it is the spindle spinning out the cycle of life after the pattern of the lunar zodiac’
(50). That is to say, the fish incorporates a variety of meanings, reflecting the many essential facets of its nature. Schneider also mentions that for some people
the fish has a phallic meaning, whereas for others it has a purely spiritual symbolism. In essence, the character of the fish is twofold: by reason of its bobbin-like
shape, it becomes a kind of ‘bird of the nether regions’, symbolic of sacrifice and
of the relationship between heaven and earth. On the other hand, by virtue of the
extraordinary number of its eggs, it becomes a symbol of fecundity, imparting a
certain spiritual sense (50). In this last sense it is found among the Babylonians,
the Phoenicians, the Assyrians (4) and the Chinese (5). There are some fish that
have a secondary significance because of their peculiar characteristics: for instance, the sword-fish is associated with the unicorn (32). The Chaldaic peoples
used to portray the figure of a fish with the head of a swallow, as a harbinger of
cyclic regeneration, an idea directly related to the symbolism of Pisces, the last
sign of the Zodiac (40) (Plate IX). The fish became a primitive Christian symbol,
principally on the basis of the anagram drawn from the name for fish: ichthys, the
initials standing for ‘I-n6ov? X-pi6to? O-Eov Y-io? E-wtnp. Then it came to be
taken as a symbol of profound life, of the spiritual world that lies under the world
of appearances, the fish representing the life-force surging up.

To see fish swimming in your dream, signifies insights from your unconscious mind. Thus to catch a fish, represents insights which have been brought to the surface. Alternatively, a fish swimming in your dream may symbolize conception. Some women dream of swimming fish when they get pregnant. The fish is also an ancient symbol of Christianity and Christian beliefs. Consider the common phrases "like a cold fish", "fish out of water" or something that is "fishy" about a situation. It may also imply a slippery or elusive situation. Perhaps your dream could be telling you that "there are plenty of other fish in the sea", with regards to some relationship issue.

To dream that you are eating fish, symbolizes your beliefs, spirituality, luck, energy and nourishment. It is food for the soul.

To dream of cooking fish, indicates that you are incorporating your new realizations with your spiritual feelings and knowledge.

To dream that you are cleaning fish, suggests that you are altering your emotional expression in a way that will be presentable to others. You are censoring yourself and not expressing how you completely feel.

To dream that you see fish in clear-water streams, denotes that you will be favored by the rich and powerful.

Dead fish, signifies the loss of wealth and power through some dire calamity.

For a young woman to dream of seeing fish, portends that she will have a handsome and talented lover.

To dream of catching a catfish, denotes that you will be embarrassed by evil designs of enemies, but your luck and presence of mind will tide you safely over the trouble.

To wade in water, catching fish, denotes that you will possess wealth acquired by your own ability and enterprise.

To dream of fishing, denotes energy and economy; but if you do not succeed in catching any, your efforts to obtain honors and wealth will be futile.

Eating fish, denotes warm and lasting attachments.

Seeing fish swimming in your dream means insights from your unconscious mind. Thus to catch a fish, represents insights which have been brought to the surface. The fish is also an ancient symbol of Christianity and Christian beliefs. Consider also the common phrases "like a cold fish", "fish out of water" or something that is "fishy" about a situation. It may also imply a slippery or elusive situation. Dreaming that you are Seeing or eating fish, symbolizes your beliefs, spirituality, luck, energy and nourishment. It is food for the soul. Seeing a dead fish means disappointment and loss of power/wealth. Dreaming of cooking fish indicates that you are incorporating your new realizations with your spiritual feelings and knowledge. Dreaming that you are cleaning fish, suggests that you are altering your emotional expression in a way that will be presentable to others. You are censoring yourself and not expressing how you completely feel.

Some people believe that when you dream about fish you will soon find out that you or someone you know is pregnant (water of the womb). Others believe that if you see fish in your dreams, it is a forecast for sickness and poor health. In Christianity, Christ is at times represented by the fish symbol (spirituality). These water dwelling animals may represent messages from our unconscious and indicate to us how well we navigate through our emotional waters. They could symbolize body and soul nourishment and navigation through the unknown depths of our selves.

To fully appreciate the symbolic meanings of fish, we must first consider their watery domain.

Water holds ancient symbolic meanings dealing with the subconscious and depth of knowledge. Water contains all the mysteriousness of the unknown.

Consider the murky depths of the ocean – we never know quite what to expect there. Even seasoned oceanic explorers are still awed by their findings from the deep.

Water holds endless mystery to us – it represents that which is certainly there, but cannot be seen.

Water has also been known to be a womb symbol and as such, an emblem of birth, fertility and woman-ness. This association comes from many ancient flood myths, and the “from water springs life” concept.

Given the wonder that its domain holds, the fish too has similar symbolic meaning. There are numerous species of fish, but the creature in general holds some prime symbolic meanings:

fertility
eternity
creativity
femininity
good luck
happiness
knowledge
transformation

The fish was sacred to the Greco-Roman mythology, where it held symbolic meaning of change and transformation. We see this in the myth of Aphrodite and Heros when they turned themselves into fish in order to escape from the ferocious Typhon.

In Christianity, the fish is a symbol of abundance and faith as observed in the Biblical story of fishes and loaves. There are also several Biblical references as Christ and his disciples being “fishers of men.” Here, man is represented as the transformational fish and the ocean is a symbol of the abyss of sin in which man finds himself.

Pagan traditions recognized the fish as a feminine symbol of fertility and an attribute of the Goddess. Water is a natural emblem of the flow of the Divine Mother principal, and as such, all creatures of the water (including fish) are aspects of the fertility and power of the female deity.

As an ancient Celtic symbol, the symbolic meaning of fish (salmon, specifically) dealt with knowledge, wisdom, inspiration and prophecy. Ancient Celts believed the salmon derived its wisdom from consuming the sacred hazel nuts from the well of knowledge (Segais). Further, they believed to eat the salmon would mean gaining the wisdom of the well too.

In ancient Eastern Indian mythology, the fish is a symbol of transformation and creation. This is observed in the ancient flood myth in which Vishnu transformed himself into a fish (Matsya) to save the world from a great flood. In this form, he guided king Manu’s boat (which contained the select few survivors & seeds of life to re-create the world after the flood subsided) to safety.

Ancient African creation myths tell of Mangala, the creator, planting seeds in the cosmic womb. From these seeds two fish erupted, and were set forth into the cosmos upon the waters of creation. We see from this myth the symbolic meaning of fish yet again deals with fertility and creativity by embodying a new phase of initial life. ( click here for other twin symbols).

In China, the fish is symbolic of unity and fidelity as it is noted that fish (particularly koi) often swim together in pairs. With this in mind, fish are often given as wedding gifts in the form of charms or figurines to present the newly-wed couple with an auspicious sign of fidelity and perfect union. They also represent fertility and abundance due to their ability to reproduce in speed and volume.

Furthermore, in Buddhism, the fish symbolizes happiness and freedom. Also the fish makes an appearance as one of the eight sacred symbols of the Buddha: 1) Conch, 2) Lotus, 3) Parasol, 4) Wheel, 5) Knot, 6) Pair of Golden Fish, 7) Banner of Victory, 8) Vase.

Lastly, in Norse and ancient European cultures, the fish had symbolic meanings of adaptability, determination, and the flow of life. It was observed by these cultures that fish often display enormous attributes of adaptability in the wild, and they adopted these characteristics for themselves. Salmon were commonly revered for their determination in their annual pilgrimage to their spawning grounds – the entire journey swum against the current.

The fish is generally symbolic of decision and grace. The message of this graceful creature that dwells within water energy (emotions) is open-mindedness and decisiveness. Fish people are deeply psychic and heed their intuition (emotions and feelings) when making decisions, which may cause them to swim away from a situation until clear. The fish asks us to be sure that it is not fear holding us back from something that may be of great benefit to our lives. Peace is resumed when a decision is made, however you may change your mind guilt free, at any stage in your life.

Transformation of the spirit, the type of fish reveals certain strengths and traits, fish in general show how to swim the currents of life, use of intuition to navigate effectively, aids in attuning to the world of emotions, the un/subconscious and other-worlds, heightened senses including visions, dreams and related psychic abilities. Do you currently feel stuck? The river says its time flow. Fish can show how to ride the tide to new adventures.

To see or dream that you are in a hospital, symbolizes your need to heal or improve your physical or mental health. You need to get back to the flow of everyday life. Alternatively, the dream suggests that you are giving up control of your own body. Perhaps you are afraid of losing control of your body.

If you dream that you are a patient in a hospital. you will have a contagious disease in your community, and will narrowly escape affliction. If you visit patients there, you will hear distressing news of the absent.

Seeing a hospital in your dream, symbolizes your need to heal or improve your physical or mental heath. You need to get back to the flow of everyday life.

Many people reported having dreams about hospitals and surgery. This appears to be a relatively common dream setting. Most of us are in some need of healing. The healing may be physical, psychological, emotional or spiritual. By paying attention to this dream you may be able to identify the source of your pain, and where and how the healing needs to take place. Think about why you or someone else was in the hospital in the dream. You may ask yourself, "What is going on in the dream? What is the prognosis, and what is the cure?" Answering these questions in light of a situation or issue from your daily life could be very helpful and, at times, enlightening. Therefore, try not to get upset by your dream, but rather pay attention to its message. Superstition based dream interpretations suggest that if you are visiting a patient you will be receiving surprising news (good or bad), but if you are the patient, you may be currently overwhelmed by life and should ask others for help.

To see your aunt in your dream, represents family connection, heritage and value. The aunt may also represent aspects of yourself that you like or dislike. She can also be seen as a substitute mother.

For a young woman to dream of seeing her aunt, denotes she will receive sharp censure for some action, which will cause her much distress.

If this relative appears smiling and happy, slight difference will soon give way to pleasure.

To dream that you are ascending in an elevator, represents a rise to status and wealth. You may have risen to a higher level of consciousness and are looking at the world from an elevated viewpoint. If the elevator is moving upward in an out of control fashion or it crashes through the roof, then it indicates that you are being catapulted to a position of power in which you do not yet know how to deal with. You are afraid of the new responsibilities ahead for you. Descending in an elevator, suggests that you are being grounded or coming back down to reality. It also signifies setbacks and misfortunes.

In general, the up and down action of the elevator represents the ups and downs of your life. It also symbolizes emotions and thoughts that are emerging out of and submerging into your subconscious. Alternatively, the dream may have sexual connotations.

To dream that the elevator is out of order or that it is not letting you off, symbolizes that your emotions have gotten out of control. It may be a reflection of your life or your career. You are feeling stuck in some aspect of your life, whether it is your career, relationship, etc.

To dream that the elevator is moving sideways, means that your efforts are counterproductive. You are going nowhere in your work, relationship or other situation.

To dream of ascending in an elevator, denotes you will swiftly rise to position and wealth, but if you descend in one your misfortunes will crush and discourage you. If you see one go down and think you are left, you will narrowly escape disappointment in some undertaking. To see one standing, foretells threatened danger.

Dreaming that you are ascending in an elevator means that you will quickly rise to status and wealth. You may have risen to a higher level of consciousness and are looking at the world from an elevated viewpoint. Descending in an elevator indicates that misfortunes will crush and discourage you. The up and down action of the elevator may represent the ups and downs of your life go emerging out of and submerging into your subconscious. Dreaming that the elevator is out of order or that it is not letting you off, symbolizes that your emotions have gotten out of control.

Going up and down in the Elevator may symbolise going from one state of consciousness to another. Messages from the unconscious may be accessible. Some believe that the Elevator may be a symbol of a boring and mechanical sex life. On a more pragmatic note, the Elevator may simply represent the "ups and downs" of life. If you are ascending, then you may perceive your current situation as optimistic and moving upward. If you are descending, you may be experiencing some negativity and helplessness.

To see or taste butter in your dream, suggests that you are looking to be gratified in some area of your life. You need to indulge yourself in life's pleasure. The dream may be a metaphor that you need to "butter" up to someone, in order to ease the situation.

To dream that you are churning butter, represents hard work and difficult task.

To dream of eating fresh, golden butter, is a sign of good health and plans well carried out; it will bring unto you possessions, wealth and knowledge.

To eat rancid butter, denotes a competency acquired through struggles of manual labor.

To sell butter, denotes small gain.

Good dream. Joy and feasting. Sufferings terminate quickly.

Dreaming of or taste butter, suggests that you are looking to be gratified in some area of your life. You need to indulge yourself in life's pleasure.

Seeing claws in your dream means feelings of vulnerability and/or hostility. You feel a need to defend or protect yourself or your surroundings. You also need to be careful with your words and actions.

To dream of a store filled with merchandise, foretells prosperity and advancement.

An empty one, denotes failure of efforts and quarrels.

To dream that your store is burning, is a sign of renewed activity in business and pleasure.

If you find yourself in a department store, it foretells that much pleasure will be derived from various sources of profit.

To sell goods in one, your advancement will be accelerated by your energy and the efforts of friends.

To dream that you sell a pair of soiled, gray cotton gloves to a woman, foretells that your opinion of women will place you in hazardous positions. If a woman has this dream, her preference for some one of the male sex will not be appreciated very much by him.

To see or be in a grocery or convenience store in your dream, suggests that you are emotionally and mentally strained. Alternatively, the dream means that you are brainstorming for some new ideas or looking at the various choices out there for you. The dream may be a pun on something that is in "store" for you. It could signify the inevitable.

Dreaming of grocery or convenience store, suggests that you are emotionally and mentally strained. Alternatively, you may be brainstorming for new ideas or looking for the various choices out there for you.