Need an opinion

[WitchJezebel]

I need an opinion on a dream I had. I was in this really large living room and in the middle of the room was one of those really big Rubbermaid plastic storage bins. I could see thru the opaque white plastic that there was something moving inside. I start to walk up to it and then a man (who looked like chef Alton Brown from the food network) stopped me and told me not to. We both then walked up to it and opened the lid and inside was a bright red alligator! Alton feeds the gator some meat, puts the lid back on and when I protest that the gator needs some space to move around he says no...

I looked in my dream book and the gator is some kind of caution warning (which could be true - I'm stressed beyond belief). Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

[FarieAngel]

Well me I dont really know much about dreams,but I think on my opinion on this dream is tring to tell u to be careful of what u deciding or warn u about making decisions...So I guess the symbol of the a alligator does mean some kind of warning and the chef that stops u kind of means be careful.Cause maybe if the alligator came out of the lid it might cause some kind of trouble.I hope this kind of help since I'm no expert on dreams.But I hope this tells u some little detail. :)

[Eirwen Hartsock]

The first thing that comes to mind is Pandora's box, having the alligator in the box could be a sort of Pandora's box thing, where something does not need to be let out, a secret maybe?

Another thing to look at is what does the color red mean to you, because red alligators are rather unusual, unless you have stuffed animal red alligator. Some people relate red to anger, love, or passion. The color I’m sure is very important here…also not many people dream in color, more people dream in black and white, just a little trivia there.

Another thing I was thinking of is the fact that the alligator is being confined in such a small space, and Alton said not to let it out. Did you grow up, or are you in a very controlling environment? The fact that the alligator is being controlled might be a reflection of you (if you are in or have been in a controlling environment.) It could also be a reflection of a person you are close to that is in a controlled environment. If this is the case it might be a warning or a wake up call that you know someone needs help and that you need to take actions to help them, or possibly yourself.

I don’t know about having Alton Brown in your dream, to be quiet honest I don’t watch the food channel much. If you do, or watch his show a lot, then having him in your dream could just have to do with the fact that he is someone who you would recognize.

Other than that, I really don’t know what else to say, and I’m not a psychologist or professional dream analyzing type of person. So if anyone has a different idea that is fine. And these ideas might have nothing to do with you, because I think it’s harder to analyze dreams if you don’t know the person that well. But again, I’m not a professional, hope this does help a bit.

[Raevyn]

A good way to figure out dreams is to write down each symbol and how each made you feel. Your feelings and interpretations of symbols are far more important then any symbol you might find in a book - since it's your dream things are going to come from your own viewpoint; dream symbol books are good for common themes and ideas but can't beat your own interpretation. Dream interpretation is very personal.

What does an alligator mean to you? Were you afraid, or were you annoyed, or..? What does your friend in the dream remind you of? How did you feel when he spoke to you?

For instance, for me an alligator might make me think of a God, Sobek, who was depicted as a croc. Since Sobek has showed up in my dreams like that before, I'd probably immediately think of him if I saw a red alligator. Because he was locked up in a tub tote, I might think my spiritual self or connection with Sobek is being "held down" or hidden. I might even think about whether a tub tote refers to my domestic life, and whether my mundane concerns are what's causing problems.

[mol]

You will probably get even more help in the divination forum.

[mol]

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[Flar's Freyja]

I agree with what everyone else has contributed and also that it's helpful to look at what these symbols mean to you personally rather than the meanings listed in books.

What comes to me intuitively is that the alligator represents some part of your behavior or personality that you are feeding and don't want to let go of that may need to be dissolved or restrained.

The psychological meaninig of the alligator is - you! Perhaps you are being snappy all the time due to your stress and realize this? It is also a symbol of aggression or falseness; i.e., could you or someone close to you be shedding "crocodile tears"?

The psychological meaning of opening a box is the revealing of things that have been hidden. The dream may indicate spiritual exploration - as above, you are recognizing that your stress is affecting your behavior and you may want to take a look at this.