DEVOUR

1- When we dream of being eaten we are facing our fear of losing our sense of identity; of being consumed by something such as an obsession, an overwhelming emotion or drive, or of having to deal with something we cannot control.

2- If we ourselves are devouring something we may need to consider the way we nurture ourselves.

3- Clearing evil or taking in good is symbolised as devouring it. Kali, as the keeper of the graveyard, symbolises this as do the devouring Gods.

It is a way of returning to source.

Clearing evil or decay, or taking in good, is symbolized as devouring it – that is, eating it greedily. Kali, the hindu mother goddess, as the keeper of the graveyard, demonstrates this, as do the devouring gods such as dionysus. Such clearing is a way of returning to source and receiving spiritual upliftment. Shamanic belief puts forward the theory that we take on the power of that which we eat. We are not allowed to eat our own totem animal, however.

Being eaten in a dream can reflect our feelings of being “eaten up” by someone or by the demands of our lives.

If we are the devourer, then it can indicate that we are hungering for something, or that we are possessive. Being swallowed whole by a large creature is a widespread shamanic motif for personal transformation (e.g., Jonah and the whale). (See also Eating, Hunger).