Clearing evil or decay, or taking in good, is symbolized as devouring it - that is, eating it greedily. Kali, the Hindu mother goddess, as the keeper of the graveyard, demonstrates this, as do the devouring Gods such as Dionysus. Such clearing is a way of returning to source and receiving spiritual upliftment. Shamanic belief puts forward the theory that we take on the power of that which we eat. We are not allowed to eat our own totem animal, however. If we ourselves are devouring something in a dream we may need to consider the way we nurture ourselves. We perhaps are not paying attention or giving enough respect to what we are doing. When we dream of being devoured we are facing our fear of losing our sense of identity; of being consumed by something such as an obsession, an overwhelming emotion or drive, or of having to deal with something we cannot control. Also consult the entry for Eat/Eating.