My dream went something like this:

I was in a natural preserve of some kind, I knew that only people with permission were allowed in. The animals there were living naturally as best they could and I was there to observe them. A guide took me to a fork in the trail and then kind of disappeared... It was getting darker... kind of dusk... and I was walking through the woods, when I saw both a wolf and a lion out of the corner of my eye...

They were doing what animals do at dusk... hunting for food... this made me nervous, when I came upon a wolf laying on the ground... I was very nervous that I would startle him, when I realized he was dead. I walked over and for some reason picked him up and started to carry him... he was heavy and I was very nervous that he would wake up or wasn't really dead, when I looked down a ravine and saw a lion eating an animal...

I froze and was worried that he would sense me... he did and looked up at me... my fear grew as I held the wolf... worried that I had a dead wolf under my arm and that the lion could see the wolf as another meal... I felt like a wanted to protect the wolf from the lion for some reason, but also realized that this was very natural for the lion and the wolf and wanted to set the wolf on the ground without startling the lion... I woke up

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 54 California

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J,
There are always two possibilities to every dream. This is the first I see in your dream.

My sense from this dream there are two opposing forces in your life that you are having to confront. Both are natural forces but could cause conflict if not handled properly. One aspect is probably having to do with general expectations in life, work, family, responsibilities {this is the lion}. The other would be the greater expectations beyond those responsibilities. At 54 we may be looking at creative aspects {wolf}which lie dormant, but could be awakened if not for the responsibilities in life. You are carrying this 'wolf' around with you {unconsciously}, afraid or unable to give it life because of the expectations of the social duties in life.

At the age of 54 you are at that stage of realizing the two aspects of life. One is what society requires of us, the career, life responsibilities, the lion. The other, which has always been within but lying dormant, is the creative aspect, or what Joseph Campbell calls the 'bliss' in life. That bliss is what you truly like doing most in life and it usually involves creativity and/or spirituality. I sense the dream is addressing these two opposing forces in your life.

The other possibility.
This would involve the waking life and opposing forces. One is an aspect you carry with you {the wolf} and the other a force that threatens, albeit unconscious, the first {lion}. Both are natural aspects in your life with the lion being the dominant. The 'wolf' would be something that seems dead, perhaps a relationship, a career choice, etc, but in the back of your mind is only 'sleeping' {perhaps waiting for something to awaken it}. You can not revive this wolf aspect because of the demands, or threats of the other controlling aspect in your life {lion}. There is a sense of a need to protect one aspect from the other. But the 'lion' is a natural aspect of life. You want to protect the lesser without awakening the 'lion'.

Is there some aspect in your waking life that fits with this?

The fork in the road, perhaps it is time to make some real choices in your life.

Jerry

Age & Gender & Location {Required}: 59 Murfreesboro, Tn

Have You Posted Before? Date of Last Post {Use Search and Your Post Name to Help Find Last Post} Male