Rabbit
Meaning & Symbolism
The Rabbit, with its quick movements, alert posture, and tendency to freeze at the slightest sign of danger, symbolizes feelings of worry, nervousness, or anxiety. These emotions are natural responses to perceived threats or uncertainties in our environment, much like how the Rabbit responds to the possibility of predators. However, when these feelings become overwhelming or constant, they can prevent us from living fully and freely.
Processing these emotions involves first acknowledging them—recognizing that worry and anxiety often arise when our needs for safety, security, or certainty are not being met. For instance, if you’re feeling anxious about a work project, it may be because you need more clarity on expectations or support from your team. Addressing these unmet needs can help alleviate the anxiety. Additionally, practicing grounding techniques, such as deep breathing or mindfulness, can help calm the nervous system, much like how a Rabbit might seek the safety of its burrow when feeling threatened.
It’s also important to evaluate whether the concerns are based on realistic threats or if they stem from stress, assumptions, projections, conditioned voices, or past trauma. By distinguishing between real and false threats, we can better manage our responses and focus on what we can control. You can question the validity of your fears to the point where it dissolves, if it’s untrue (See Byron Katie’s “The Work” to help you question what’s true for you).
* Try shifting feelings of worry, nervousness, or anxiety toward comfort & satisfaction (Maine Coon Cat) by considering the following needs: trust, perspective, safety, boundaries, reassurance, acceptance, stability, consistency, order, shelter, support, purpose, sustenance, belonging, play, creativity, movement, confidence, authenticity, presence, self-expression…
The Rabbit’s natural ability to leap and make sharp, quick decisions in moments of danger reminds us to trust our instincts when navigating life’s unexpected turns. Life isn’t always linear, and, like the Rabbit, we can learn to take leaps in the direction that feels right without overanalyzing every step. This teaches us to embrace spontaneity and flow, rather than getting stuck in overthinking. The agility of the Rabbit can serve as a reminder that we are capable of adapting to new situations and making rapid changes when needed, provided we stay present and in tune with our intuition. By focusing on the present moment rather than projecting fear into the future, we can move with more grace through life’s challenges.
Rabbits are incredibly fertile. This symbolizes the potential we all hold for creativity and growth. When we stop letting fear dominate our lives, we open up space for new ideas, opportunities, and connections to flourish. Rabbits remind us that we have everything we need to manifest our desires, but we must first confront the fears that hold us back.
Another key symbolism of the Rabbit is its keen ability to listen. With ears that can move independently, Rabbits teach us the importance of listening closely to both our inner voice and the external world. By cultivating deep listening, we can gain a clearer sense of what is needed to move forward. This attentiveness to subtle cues can help us make decisions that align with our true path, guiding us to safety, growth, and wisdom. Just as the Rabbit uses its whiskers and sensitive hearing to navigate its environment, we too can hone our senses to better understand the energies and opportunities surrounding us.
Additionally, the Rabbit’s teeth, which never stop growing, symbolize the need for self-care and maintenance. As Rabbits require constant attention to their teeth, we are reminded to tend to the things in our lives that need nurturing and care—whether it’s our physical health, emotional well-being, or personal relationships. By honoring these aspects of ourselves, we ensure that we remain balanced and capable of thriving, much like the Rabbit in its natural habitat.
-Tanya Casteel ©Cosmic Animals
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I want to hear about your Rabbit experiences. What stories or dreams have you had? Please share and join in the conversation below!
Hie ..my rabbit died today ..he was perfectly fine and this afternoon he was dead..he was a star rabbit ..is it a negative sign?? Or its just a normal life process?? He was just 6 months old..how should i take this??
Dear Tanya,
I found your page by typing in “cosmic serpent” into duckduckgo as a serpent came to me in a shamanic journey yesterday. I quickly came upon your painting of the rabbit and it literally jumped at me immediately.
I have dreamed of two rabbits about a week ago, who were alight with fire, jumping, twisting together into a massive fire ball, landing, looking right at me before joining together again in a ball of fire. Looking for a dream interpretation of the rabbit no description really resonated with me, most of them focussing on sex actually. And then I came upon yours. I`m sitting here with tears of joy framing my eyes. I do not leave comments often, however I wanted to say Thank you. Keep doing what you`re doing, your heart seems to be in it :).
With love,
Alexandra
I dreamt I was hunting a burrowed animal with a shotgun. I just shot into the burrow and hit a rabbit that hopped out. It looked like a pet, soft, chubby and two toned brown. I hopped for a bit then later down to die. I wanted to end its misery but didn’t know what kind of shot was in the gun and it I should shoot it point blank. I rushed around to find something to shoot to find out and shot through my coveted ammo box. Then reloaded it was like a .22 shot and went back to the dying rabbit. In its final act of life, as I put the middle of gun to its head, it nuzzled the gun muzzle looking for comfort. I felt gutted to see it reach out in love before death. I was hunting for food in the dream, but I have never done this is waking life. This was the second dream about a rabbit in a few weeks!
Hi Tanya
Thanks for this.
While viewing a piece of countri f ied property, a cute little rabbit ran across the entire width of this land with the brightest bushy white tail,reminding me of a white tail i found once on the property im living on now. Was The rabbit saying buy this and be at peace?
It’s best to check in with the feelings that came up in your body during this moment. If you felt an invitation for peace arise within you, then I would say yes.
A wild rabbit sat near me in the garden today, he/she was not afraid & waited a long time before making an exit!
What a sweet moment
I knew for a long time I had an affinity to rabbits. I knew for sure that this was my totem animal after I had a positive dream about bunnies. There was a box of bunnies, and I was so excited, and I picked one up, and it was so soft and it made me so happy. i was looking at the other bunnies, and the last one had huge alien-like black eyes. i knew this was the psychic bunny, and I knew in the dream that I was also the psychic bunny. What a positive and symbolic dream! When I woke up, I looked up rabbit as a totem animal, and confirmed that indeed, that was me! Hop hop hooray!