Dreaming of Cows: Symbolism of Prosperity, Longevity, and Firmness
General Meaning: A cow in a dream symbolizes longevity, prosperity, and, at times, fertility. Different attributes and actions of the cow in the dream provide further insight into the dreamer's life and spiritual state.
Positive Symbols of Cows in Dreams
- Black or yellow cow: Represents happiness, prosperity, and a good harvest.
- White spot on a cow’s face (early part of the year): Signifies firmness and stability.
- Piebald cow (middle of the year): Represents firmness.
- Fat cow: Symbolizes longevity, prosperity, and may also represent a pious woman.
- Drinking cow’s milk, eating its meat or fat: Means prosperity and lawful income for the year.
- Riding a black cow or a cow entering the house: Symbolizes money, good business, and relief from anxiety, sadness, or distress.
- Receiving a cow hide as a gift: Indicates receiving money from someone in authority.
Negative Symbols of Cows in Dreams
- Emaciated cow: Represents drought and difficult times.
- Cow with horns: Symbolizes a rebellious woman.
- Cow refusing to be milked: Signifies dissonance and discord.
- Cow butting against the dreamer: Indicates losses and mistrust in one’s own family or that God is displeased with the person.
- Slaughtered cow: Represents a calamity or disaster.
- Shipment of yellow cows: Means a plague or the spread of unknown diseases.
- Attacked by a cow or a steer: Indicates punishment or even death in the same year.
- Herd of ugly cows entering a city with smoke: Symbolizes a raid, an enemy, or unwanted soldiers controlling the town.
- Cow scratching the dreamer: Foretells illness.
Special Symbols of Cows
- Servant milking a master’s cow: Means the servant will marry the master’s wife after his death and become rich.
- Hitting a cow or biting it: Represents the dreamer's sins.
- Seeing the calf of the Children of Israel: Symbolizes dissension, temptation, or a miraculous event.
- Stripped of a cow’s hide: Represents a fine or penalty the dreamer will have to pay.
See Also: Counting cows
[1](1) The cow mav represent your mother. Please note: this does not mean your mother (or mother-in-law) is either fat or stupid! Rather, the cow is an obvious symbol of motherhood, since it produces an abundant supply of milk from its prominent udders.
(2) The cow is also a symbol of fertilitv, signalling a possible new development in your life, new personal growth.
(3) The cow may be an anima figure, representing a man’s feminine psychic components (for anıma see Brother / Sister, sections (4)-(6)).
(4) A cow may represent a primitive awareness; intuitive knowledge that comes, not from making a detached, objective examination of things, but from an inner oneness with natural things and processes.
(5) Cows (and cattle generally) may symbolize dignity, strength, passive endurance.
(6) Is the cow chewing the cud? Well, are you ruminating over something? Perhaps your unconscious is telling you not to. What’s the point of turning something over and over? Once you have the necessary information, only a decision will change things - change your life - for the better.
On the other hand, your unconscious may be telling you that you need to think things over, and not to be in too much of a hurry. Perhaps you need to take time off from frantic - compulsive - activity to meditate on the meaning of your life with a view to re-orientating yourself, giving yourself new values and more positive goals.
[2]Although it is infrequent that it appears in dreams, the cow is related to maternity, goodness, patience, and fertility. So, fat cows signify richness, whereas skinny cows signify the benefits that you will await. It could equally denote a tolerant attitude. Maybe the dream is warning you that you should slow down and reflect more on your decisions. Cows, on the other hand, are also associated with dignity, strength, and passive resistance. For a man it symbolizes his feminine side; for a woman, it could be a reflection of her maternal instincts.
For the hindus, cows are sacred and represent the protection and care of their gods. Krisna, for example, was the one who taught the shepherds that they should not worship the divinities that they could not see with their own eyes, but rather the cows. In them resides God.
[3]In our dreams, this simple domestic animal can represent a variety of very important and deeply-felt issues. In some cultures the cow is a sacred symbol, representing divine qualities of fertility, nourishment and motherhood. Consider the details in your dream and make attempts to identify the individual, (it could be yourself), to whom the symbolism applies. Additional characteristics to consider when interpreting a dream with cows as one of the primary symbols are passivity, docility and general contentment with life.
The cow is mostly a positive dream symbol, and superstition-based dream interpretation say that grazing cows are symbols of prosperity, contentment and happiness.
See Also: Animals
[4]Symbol: In the Mediterranean region, the cow symbolizes the goddess of love and fertility.
Vision: Looking at one or more cows is a sign of personal good luck, unless the cows are malnourished, in which ease it means bad luck.
A cow barn means a recovery from an illness soon. Watching while someone else is milking a cow: you suspect that somebody is taking advantage of you. Being chased by a cow: through sheer stupidity one of your friends is becoming a danger to you.
Depth Psychology: The cow is a symbol of femininity, longing, and motherhood. In a woman’s dream, it can indicate sexual desire that can be found only in the safety of a sound relationship.
[5]An omen of good luck and prosperity if the ani- mal was contented, grazing, chewing its cud, good look- ing, and/or being milked; however, if it was skinny, ugly, or it chased or at- tacked you, it represents threats to your most cher- ished plans, and the fore- cast of the outcome de- pends on the degree of the animal’s disagreeable ap- pearance and/or the out- come of the action.
If you escaped, you will overcome all obstacles; but if you were trapped or injured, you must be prepared for a period of hard work without much joy.
See Also: Calf.
[6]The cow is rich with mythological symbolism in many cultures. However, at the heart of a modern interpretation, the power of the cow connects to basic sustenance and nurturance. Between the milk these animals provide as a food staple and the meat that is consumed by billions of people on the planet, the cow relates to having such basic needs met. Through the image of milk, the cow relates to fertility and the power of the feminine principle. In a dream, a cow is offering access to having basic needs met as part of its medicine.
[7]In ancient societies, a person’s wealth was defined by the number of cattle he or she owned. Cows have also long been a symbol for love, nurturing, kindness, and generosity.
Dreaming of a live, happy cow, especially one with a calf, is almost always a positive symbol, and other symbols in the dream will shed more light on exactly what’s going on.
A dead, sick, or ailing cow, however, indicates that future plans may be in jeopardy, and action needs to be taken.
See “Bull”, “Calf”.
[8]See Also: Milk.
A symbol for mother. It appears only very rarely in mens dreams, and only when there is a strong connection to the mother. It has also been a prophetic symbol—of a lean or productive year. Remember Pharaoh’s dream about the seven lean and the seven abundant years, as interpreted by Joseph? In India the cow is seen as the earth itself, and in Egypt the cow represents heaven (Hathor).
[9]Similar to the bull in many ways but suggesting the female aspect of a person’s nature, in particular a willingness to put the needs of others before one’s own. Cows can symbolize motherliness, receptiveness, nurturing and the feminine energy that can lead or direct the masculine energy in oneself. They may also indicate being taken advantage of by someone in some way.
[10]The appearance of a cow in a dream may indicate passive, docile, or fertile aspects. It may also indicate nourishment and fulfillment if the cows are waiting to be milked. To dream of contentedly grazing cows usually signifies prosperity and happiness.
[11]Dreams of a cow symbolize sacredness and maternal qualities. Since cows produce milk, which converts to many of the dairy products that sustain us, it is associated with providence, nourishing, food, and life itself.
[12]Similar to the bull, but representing the female side of one’s nature, especially the easy self-giving of oneself and body to others, or a baby, one’s mother or the mother role. Idioms: sacred cow; milch cow; till the cows come home.
[13]As the nurturing aspect of the feminine, the cow may come to offer you some mothering.
The arrival of cows in a dream may predict prosperity. In its negative connotation, “as big as a cow,” a cow may represent obesity.
[14]A sign of home and comfort. You will want for little.
If you are milking the cow, then you will have to work hard most of your life but will be well rewarded for it.
[15]The eternal feminine, especially the mother or mother figure, is often depicted by the cow. This is partly because it provides milk and nourishment.
[16]A dream of plenty in proportion to the number seen (Artemidorus); a symbol of the earth as mother of all things.
[17]1. If a single cow, maternal instinct.
2. Herd of cows signifies paying too much attention to others.
3. Victim.
[18]It Is good Luck to dream of one or more cows.
The prediction is of peaceful and profitable pursuits.
[19]Often used as a sacred symbol, represents nurturing and feeding; sustenance through love. Motherhood.
[20]Milking cow is a sign of riches.
To be pursued by a cow indicates an overtaking enemy.
[21]Symbol of prosperity or famine, according to whether cow is fat or lean
[22]Oppressive, wealthy women who live in leisurely ease, Amos 4:1
[23]Cows in dreams represent wealth, happiness and femininity.
[24]It symbolises the current year or a woman.
[25]See Also: Dream Dictionary: Animals
[26]See Also: Animals
[27]lucky numbers: 03-12-21-24-41-49
barn: a haven from il ness.
being a: your sexual urges are patient and calm.
being chased by a: a friend’s sheer stupidity puts you in danger.
but escaping: watch your own affairs careful y.
Guernsey, a: feel like a smal loan bank.
herd of, a: pay little heed to other’s opinions.
grazing in the field: stop and chew your cud, then make your decision.
milking a: your attitude towards motherhood wil bear fruit.
watching someone else: someone is taking advantage of your maternal instinct.
several: great prosperity in al ventures from wel -nourished investments.
tripe at dinner, serving: an asociate wil undermine you to get your position.
malnourished: pain at losing your maternal instinct.
worshiping a: are malnourished of mother love.
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