◇ Depends on the scene Lucky or not depending on the scene — see "In this scene" below
A warning that small expenses and losses add up; also sometimes read as a lucky sign of growing family or wealth.
Category: Animals (how to read this category)
Psychology
A swarm of small animals reflects fear of things trivial alone but uncontrollable together: small payments, piled-up notifications, little promises gnawing at your time and money.
Folklore and history
Edo-period Japan knew a type of sum named after mice multiplying. Prolific mice symbolize thriving families, yet in Europe rats later came to be linked with the spread of plague. They carry both the blessing and dread of increase.
An encyclopedia of terms and origins related to sorcery and magic rites — a reference for our sorcery-themed articles.
Encyclopedia of Sorcery and Magic Rituals (Kazuho Fujimaki / Futami Shobo)
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This site's view
In this site's view, your feelings decide the omen: cheerful bustle means people or wealth gathering; being engulfed means too many small tasks. Only hearing them in the ceiling means unseen costs are quietly growing.
Going deeper: our reading
Mice multiply quickly because they grow up fast and give birth to many young at once. In this site's reading, people who dream of swarms of mice are often startled or anxious that things which were each small have become unmanageable by the time they noticed. It may be spending, favours asked of them, or small misunderstandings with people. If the mice all ran in the same direction, your heart may be sensing a large current or change before it arrives. If they carried food back to their nest, it may be a good sign that steady savings are surely growing. This is our speculation, but if the mice parted to either side as if to avoid you, the way through your problems may be more open than you think.
What to do on waking
List this month's small expenses and look for subscriptions you no longer use. Plugging one hole lightens the mind.
In this scene
- ◎Good It comes close or is friendly: help is near (good)
- ▲Warn It attacks or bites: a held-back feeling or friction nearby (warning)
- It is dead or weak: the strength it stands for is running low
- Big, white or gold: the meaning is stronger; white and gold lean lucky
- 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
Turning a bad dream
In Japan, people once tried to turn a worrying dream for the better: a baku charm under the pillow, telling the dream to a nandina bush, or reciting an old dream-turning poem. Read the column on dream trading and dream-turning
A study of the Shinano miko who channeled the words of the dead and the gods through kuchiyose (spirit-calling) — a reference for our mediumship articles.
The Shinano Miko: Traveling Spirit-Channeling Shamanesses (Yohei Nakano / Showado)
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FAQ
Q. Is dreaming of swarms of Mice a good or bad sign?
A. Lucky or not depending on the scene — see "In this scene" below. A warning that small expenses and losses add up; also sometimes read as a lucky sign of growing family or wealth.
Q. Why do I keep dreaming of swarms of Mice?
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 swarms of Mice?
A. List this month's small expenses and look for subscriptions you no longer use. Plugging one hole lightens the mind.
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 "Animals"
- Swarms of Cockroaches
- A Flying Cockroach
- A Giant Cockroach
- A Cockroach Crawling on You
- Being Chased by a Cockroach
- Being Bitten by a Mouse
- Catching a Mouse
- A Dead Mouse
- Mice Running Around the House
- A White Horse
- A Black Horse
- Being Kicked by a Horse
※ Dream interpretation here is entertainment drawing on psychology and folklore — it is not scientifically proven. "This site's view" is our own interpretation.
