Aardvark Dream Meaning & Interpretation

Many people are unfamiliar with the animal that has a weird sounding name. Aardvarks are ungulates, or hoofed animals, and have claws on their front “feet.” They are exceedingly odd looking and seem exotic to most people. Even their unique name expresses their strangeness and means literally “ant-pig.” To most people, aardvarks have no meaning at all. However, there are some very straightforward ways to interpret your dreams about aardvarks. This article covers the general symbolism of aardvarks in dreams and then analyzes a number of common aardvark dreams as examples.

What Do Aardvarkes Symbolize?

Hardiness & Survivalism

The aardvark has several features that help to guarantee its survival during times of danger. For instance, they have sharp claws on their hooved feet and can use them to defend themselves as well. Their auditory senses are also incredibly sharp, allowing them to hear predators far off. In addition, because they are low to the ground and live in an arid, often desolate climate, people tend to see aardvarks as being incredible survivors whose tough, hardy nature is the secret to their success.

Self-Preservation

An aardvark’s greatest defense against predators is its ability to quickly burrow underground and use the hole to hide itself for up to about ten minutes to allow for the hunter(s) to pass. This instinct toward hiding from danger as a mode of self-preservation has marked them in the human consciousness as the quintessential survivors. That is one of the interpretations most frequently associated with aardvarks that are encountered in dreams. The self-preservation concept pairs with the “hardy survivor” image described above. Consider how these factors might be playing out together if the character of the aardvark shows up in your dreams.

Humility

The aardvark appears a bit awkward, and its name is spelled strangely. The animal lives underground and stays close to the ground at all times while searching for its main source of nourishment, ants. This lowly creature is unassuming and non-hostile to other animals or its environment. Due to the way it retreats in any fight or flight situation and lives a solitary and often meager existence in an isolated climate, the aardvark is intimately connected with the idea of humility in our subconscious minds. Don’t doubt it just because your conscious mind barely knows what an aardvark is. The unconscious mind, the dreaming mind, they work differently. They speak the language of symbols.

Ancestral Roots

One fairly uncommon symbol associated with aardvarks is that they trace us back to our ancestral roots. The idea comes out of the notion that they connect with the past by remaining close to the ground. Shamanic religions, which predate modern religions but were once common the world over, considered the Earth our collective mother. Shamans believed that there were deep memories lodged in our minds that could be unlocked through the use of medicinal plants. The shamans used these plants to travel back to the old time, sometimes referred to as the underworld in South American cultures and also known as the Dreamtime by Aboriginal Australians, to try to unlock the memories and receive the messages from the ancestors that were meant for us.

Aardvark Dream Interpretations

Dreams about an aardvark in danger

If you’re dreaming about an aardvark that’s in some kind of danger, this most likely represents the survivor aspect of the aardvark’s nature. The animal could represent a lowly or humble project, life goal, or relationship that’s about to undergo a threat of some kind. Paying close attention to the aardvark that’s endangered in your dream as well as its surroundings and your emotional reaction will give you some idea what the aardvark represents. Observing how the animal handles the dangerous situation will also give you some of the clues you need to understand what message the dream intends for you. Perhaps you’re considering a certain solution to the problem the aardvark represents, and after the dream echoes that choice the aardvark dies. If you can decode the meaning, you can certainly use that dream as information to help you make a better decision.

Dreams about an aardvark eating ants

In any dream where an aardvark is happily going about its business and filling its tummy, you can be sure it’s a case where the animal is a sign of abundance. The aardvark’s name means literally “earth-pig,” and those who are familiar with the pig dream meaning and interpretation already know that the pig is symbolic of prosperity and good luck. However, due to displays of humility also being taken as a sign of prosperity (because only the prosperous need make a public show of humility) the aardvark is paradoxically linked with the earth and lowly humility as well as abundance and prosperity.

Dreams about an aardvark as you or someone else

If you show up in your dream as an aardvark, your dream may be trying to tell you that you’re in for a spell of unglamorous hard work. It’s an indication that you need to hunker down for a potential trial of some kind. This is time to get rid of any extra frills and keep a miserly budget. Don’t take risks at work, but always show up on time and take conservative breaks. These acts of humility are a way to mimic the behavior of the aardvark, who has a message for you at this time. They may not be the exact right way to act in your situation; however, these along with “acting small” and keeping your eyes low to the ground are ways of getting into the right frame of mind. Once you’re there, pay close attention. Your connection to the aardvark from your dream will show you the way.

Dreams about an aardvark in hiding

If you’re dreaming about an aardvark in hiding, its message for you could be an urgent or even a dire one. It’s important that you stop what you’re doing and do a mental scan of your body. If you aren’t in danger of any physical conditions putting you in a life-threatening situation, then you should really start watching your back because there is something dangerous waiting around the corner for you. It could be an automobile accident or a sudden job loss. Whatever the hiding aardvark is warning you about, it’s probably a big deal, and it may be a humbling experience. You should take this warning seriously and watch out for yourself a little more than usual for a while.

Dreams about a dead, sick, or dying aardvark

Contrary to what you may be assuming, a sick, dead, or dying aardvark may actually be a good sign. This indicates that the time for hunkering down is at its end and a time of normalcy is returning. It may be a good time to finally make that investment decision or take a risk and break your silence at karaoke night. Whatever it is, this aardvark dream is telling you to prepare for that change now. Your time of solitude and humility are at an end.

Conclusion

The aardvark has a few different symbolic meanings and can therefore be interpreted a few different ways when it shows up in your dreams. Of course, this article did not cover every type of aardvark dream (nor could it). However, it should give you enough examples to figure out how to interpret the meaning of an aardvark suddenly showing up in your dreams. You may find it shocking, as I did at first, but it’s not that unusual because of the clear symbolism of the aardvark that lies buried deep in our collective unconscious mind. It’s a humble creature with few defenses and a reputation as a rugged, survivalist animal with its very own form of self-preservation.