○ A mirror of the mind Read less as luck and more as a mirror of how you are now
A beast that falls with lightning: sudden events or flashes of insight.
Category: Japanese yokai (how to read this category)
Psychology
A beast falling from the sky with lightning can reflect sudden events or a flash of insight. It may come when unexpected news shakes you, or just before a long-pondered answer appears. Whether the beast was wild or gentle shows how you are taking the change.
Folklore and history
Raiju were said to fall to earth with lightning and appear often in Edo-era essays and broadsheets, drawn variously like dogs, cats or weasels. Scorch marks were sometimes blamed on their claws. Some think real small animals lay behind the tales, as people tried to grasp lightning through familiar creatures.
The second entry in the "Scary Floor Plans" true-ghost-story series by Tanishi Matsubara, the comedian who lives in stigmatized properties — a reference for our stigmatized-property and floor-plan analysis articles.
Stigmatized Property Ghost Stories: Scary Floor Plans 2 (Tanishi Matsubara / Futami Shobo)
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This site's view
In this site's view, what happened after the fall is what counts. Raiju in tales often thrash about or are caught, unable to return to the sky. A panicking beast means your heart has not caught up with sudden change; a calm one looking at you means you are ready to turn surprise into strength.
Going deeper: our reading
In the Edo period, when raiju tales spread, some people are said to have read claw-like marks on lightning-struck trees as the trail of a beast running down. You can sense people trying to understand a frightening natural force by giving it a living shape. In this site's reading, those who dream of raiju are trying to name an unexplained event so their minds can settle. Has something happened without reason, like a sudden transfer or a shift in a relationship? If you held the raiju in your arms, you are beginning to accept the sudden change as your own. Watching one in a cage puts you at a distance from someone else's uproar. This is our speculation, but returning to the sky with it suggests a wish to ride an inspiration away from where you are. Decide where you will land.
What to do on waking
Keep a notebook or memo app at hand for sudden ideas today. On unsettled days, check the forecast for thunder.
In this scene
- ◎Good It helps you or gives treasure: like the zashiki-warashi, luck is coming (good)
- ▲Warn Tricked or taken: a hidden trap, or words to doubt (warning)
- Seeing what it really is: a fear becomes clear and fades
- It felt good: the lucky reading gets stronger
- ▲Warn It felt frightening or painful: the warning reading gets stronger — rest first
- The same dream again and again: something your mind has not settled yet
Outdoor haunted spots in the mountains, old tunnels, and abandoned schools can see the weather turn fast, with sudden rain or strong wind. A wind-resistant, oversized umbrella lets you stay dry while still holding a flashlight or camera in one hand, and at 116cm across it can cover two people.
Wpc. Folding Umbrella 'WIND RESISTANCE', Extra Large, Sun & Rain Use, Navy RWS-UXW2406-002
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FAQ
Q. Is dreaming of a Raiju a good or bad sign?
A. Read less as luck and more as a mirror of how you are now. A beast that falls with lightning: sudden events or flashes of insight.
Q. Why do I keep dreaming of a Raiju?
A. A recurring dream usually points to something your mind has not settled yet. Research suggests such dreams tend to stop once the underlying worry is resolved. Keeping a dream diary helps you notice what triggers it.
Q. What should I do after dreaming of a Raiju?
A. Keep a notebook or memo app at hand for sudden ideas today. On unsettled days, check the forecast for thunder.
Related dream essays
- True Dreams and Reverse Dreams: Why We Read Dreams Backwards
- Buying Dreams, Turning Dreams: A Japanese History of Dream Trading and Dream Charms
Read this dream with your own scene in the Dream Dictionary →
More dreams in "Japanese yokai"
- A Hungry Ghost
- A Satori
- An Azukiarai
- A Burning Wheel
- A Pillow Flipper
- A Shape-shifting Fox
- Amabie
- A Kudan
- Nure-onna (The Wet Woman)
- Jorogumo (The Spider Woman)
- Sunekosuri
- Kamaitachi (The Sickle Weasel)
※ Dream interpretation here is entertainment drawing on psychology and folklore — it is not scientifically proven. "This site's view" is our own interpretation.
