Thread: A family of ducks ,mom with cut beak

Although in order to provide a more accurate interpretation it would usually be best to have some additional general background information about you (and a description of events just before this upsetting dream), it’s safe to say that the presence of birds and animals in dreams usually points to the issue of the dreamer’s overall attitude toward natural instinctive reactions, strong emotions, values, vague feelings, intuitions and similar inborn earthy traits.

The woods symbolize a part of your unconscious mind about which you’re not very familiar, likely in connection with something that you might recently have done inadvertently to harm your instinctive side in some way.

The danger is apparently that you might remain unaware of this situation (e.g. you’re worried because it’s getting dark, symbolizing being “in the dark” and not being able to see something). Your other upsetting nightmares probably are also trying to show you that some decision you’ve made, or an attitude that’s appeared, or an action which you have taken etc. is not good for you in some way.

In this dream, ducklings are in danger of dying because their parents, especially the mother, have been badly injured, apparently by some kind of cutting machine or tool (e.g. the grass is newly cut).

To find the personal meaning of the ducks in your dream, you can try focusing on their image and then writing down every spontaneous memory, thought and feeling that comes to mind.

Then by sifting through what emerges, hopefully a clue will appear about their significance for you.

In addition, it can be helpful to look at basic analogies to real ducks in order to find out the meaning of their image in your dream.

For example, ducks can move on land, in the water and in the air. “Land” symbolizes earthy reality and the senses. “Water” is the element of emotions and values. “Air” represents spirit and meaning. So the duck, being at home in all of these elements, can symbolize the potential wholeness of the personality in a dream.

In your dream, this chance for becoming complete and whole is apparently in danger because the ducklings, who symbolize continuing growth, experience and the change possible when exposed to new challenges etc., might not survive.

The beak of the bigger young duck is damaged, therefore hindering its ability to feed and survive. Food often symbolizes new experiences which have to be “eaten” (taken in) and “digested” (reflected upon) in order to provide the “nutrition” of understanding and meaning. His eye is also affected, probably meaning that your ability to “see” helpful “messages” from your unconscious through intuitions and emotions etc. could be hampered if appropriate action isn’t taken to “heal” this problem.

The mother duck’s injuries are even more severe. Her right foot is missing, so she’s “less grounded” and less in contact with “earthy reality”. Her beak is gone and therefore, she won’t be able to eat anything at all which will soon lead to her death.

So it looks like something may have happened just before the nightmares began which badly hurt being able to listen to your instinctive side in order to be able to move towards what’s best for you personally.

The idea that the something “sharp” has recently cut the grass and badly injured the ducks suggests the idea on analogy that certain “cutting” opinions about your overall self-worth are involved. These could take the form of almost unconscious self-hurtful thoughts and opinions which could, for example, cause you to turn down an opportunity or to not try something new and challenging etc. For instance, a barely conscious thought could appear like “You’re so dumb why would you ever think you could get that job?” etc. etc.

The way the dream ends shows that it’s up to you alone by a strong effort of will to change any such potential outcome and to prevent the sadness you felt on waking to appear too often in your life because you might tend to not fulfill your innate potentials well enough over time.

Anyway as mentioned, without knowing anything much about you, this way of looking at your dream might not fit your personal circumstances very well, but I hope that these ideas can be helpful in some way.

Please make any comments or ask any questions about this interpretation that you’d like to.