The Meaning of Kangaroo Dreams | Sleep Matters Club

What Does it Mean to Have Kangaroo Dreams?

The kangaroo is almost completely synonymous with Australia and it’s an emblem and symbol of the country. However, it’s not just Australians who dream about kangaroos – it’s a common dream across the world. In this article we explore the different types of kangaroo dreams and what dream interpreters believe them to mean.

The Dream:

You’re driving through the Australian outback with nothing but open road ahead of you. The sun’s shining, the radio’s turned up loud and life is good. You get out of your camper van to stretch your legs and take a break from the long drive. Then, out of nowhere a kangaroo appears and it’s bouncing towards you. Suddenly it’s on its hind legs and it wants to fight. This kangaroo is strong and powerful – and its feet are huge.

Before you know it, you’re boxing the kangaroo. You’re terrified but one thought dominates your mind – kill or be killed. Despite its size and power, you keep throwing the punches and manage to wrestle the kangaroo to the ground. You can’t believe it when it’s dead by the roadside…

Variations of Kangaroo Dreams

Kangaroo dreams can vary widely – and they can be bizarre. You may dream about a kangaroo jumping, a kangaroo attacking you – or even have a dream similar to the one above, where you’re killing the kangaroo. Your kangaroo dream may be about baby kangaroos, a mother kangaroo or a giant kangaroo. When you have a lucid dream like this it’s natural to wonder what it might mean for you in your waking life.

Meanings of the Dream

Carl Jung considered dreams as a natural expression of the unconscious psychic process.

Similarly, Sigmund Freud said: “The interpretation of dreams is the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious activities of the mind.”

Depending on the scenario in your dream, the meanings of kangaroo dreams can vary widely, signifying everything from success to failure. They can also symbolise maternal love, romantic adventure, wasting your time or reconciliation.

Rather than taking your dream at face value, it’s worth considering how it can be applied to your life and what’s going on for you personally. To help you do this we’ve explored some of the most common kangaroo dream meanings below.

Maternal (or Parental) Love

Kangaroos are symbols of maternal love. We naturally think of them with their joey in their pouch and have an image of how kangaroos care for their young.

If you dream about a kangaroo it may mean you want to express your mothering or nurturing nature. Auntyflo.com explains: “If your dream consists of seeing or being near a kangaroo it means that in some part of your life there is a huge need to care and mother someone close to you.”

It’s natural that you want to make sure your children are well-protected and, of course, you’re very much involved in building their lives. However, this dream could be a reminder that you shouldn’t just consider your personal preferences, but also think about the needs and wants of your children. It could suggest that there’s a situation in your family life where you’ve acted in an overprotective way.

Success

Rather gruesomely, it’s believed that killing a kangaroo in your dream may signify success in your waking life. According to psychologist world: “If you kill one, you will succeed in spite of enemies and obstacles.”

Dream interpreters at checkmydream.com agree, saying: “If you won the fight with a kangaroo, this plot foreshadows success in an important and dangerous business and victory over the enemy. To kill a kangaroo in a dream is an unconditional gain in a difficult undertaking.”

Failure

On the other hand, dreaming of a dead kangaroo can signify failure. While most kangaroo dreams are believed to be positive, this (and the following) are two of the rare instances where they’re not. Dreaming of a dead kangaroo can be a sign that a creative idea you’ve come up with will lead to undesirable consequences. Your failure could also be related to an insidious and manipulative person.

Low Ego or Lack of Self Belief

Dreaming about a small kangaroo is believed to mean you have a feeling of low self-worth. Potentially, you’re not satisfied with something in your waking life, perhaps your job or the respect you get from those closest to you.

According to dreamchrist.com: “A little kangaroo in a dream shows that you are not satisfied with what you are doing. You don’t believe that the things you do are right. You must learn to accept yourself as you are, along with your strengths and weaknesses.”

Answering the dream:

Freud believed dreams represent ‘a disguised fulfilment of a repressed wish’. If you experience kangaroo dreams and you’re interested in finding out what they mean for you, it’s worth taking some time for self-reflection. It may give you an opportunity to deal with your emotions – perhaps through therapy or meditation, or by simply facing an issue head on so you can move forwards in a positive way.

Notable appearances in popular culture:

While there aren’t many instances of kangaroo dreams across popular media and culture, kangaroos do play a role in a variety of TV shows, films and cartoons. ‘Skippy the Bush Kangaroo’ was the star of the 1960s children’s television series, while ‘Crocodile Dundee’ features a scene in which the title character frightens away kangaroo hunters by making them think that a kangaroo is shooting back at them. Kangaroos are mentioned in the Rolf Harris song, ‘Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport’ and ‘Six White Boomers’.

Find out more about dreams and their meanings by reading our articles on being chased in your dream, why your teeth fall out in your dream and what it means to be late in your dream.