The Dream Book of Self-Knowledge
- a child: the dreamer's attempt at fully obtaining the emotional level.
- the symbol of feeding animals is very complex since it combines people's ancient social relation to animals, who are man's friend, protector and provider with the instinctual essence that emerges from the depths of the unconscious; yet the symbol of feeding (not only animals) completely disappears from one's mind and dreams with the proper assimilation of instinctual (and later even emotional) content of one's mind and obviously after the attainment of a spiritual level of living.
- in feeding a certain animal we strengthen the meaning of the symbol related to the specific fed animal; sometimes feeding strengthens the instinctual essence (usually a dog or cat), but feeding can also indicate the establishment of a relation to something that does not necessarily have to be subordinate to the instinctual, but can be an attempt at knowledge, an attempt at assimilation of instincts through emotions (usually a horse).
- feeding bread to animals: surrendering oneself, moving towards altruism*58.
- feeding sugar to animals: the dreamer destroys self-complacency (sugar) with traits linked to the animal; in this way the dreamer easily distances himself from the negative trait.
- giving bones to animals: the sexual nature of the symbol enables the dreamer to destroy those traits linked to the animal that eats the bone; in this way the dreamer easily distances himself from sexuality.
- seeing emotional personifications (usually a brother, sister), feeding animals (usually a dog or cat): degradation of own emotional components, since emotional anima (animus) are preoccupied with strengthening instinctual symbols (feeding animals).
- insects: beginning work on the mind's unconscious content.
- fish, fish in an aquarium: since a fish is a Christian spiritual symbol, feeding them is a good way to strengthen the dreamer's spiritual ambitions; dreams of feeding fish are common especially before the consciousness passes from the emotional to spiritual level.
- feeding fish meat to a fish: an initial and partial understanding of spiritual realities (fish meat) becomes a support for the growth of further knowledge (fish feeding).
