I dreamed that I was walking down a two lane road with someone that I don't know, and came upon a white bear lying dead on the road that had obviously been hit by a car. I continued down the road and came upon another dead white bear, obviously having been hit by a car. I remember being very confused and upset saying "why are these bears on the road, and why are they white?". Then, to my horror, I looked down the road as far as the horizon and saw many dead white bears all along the road as far as I could see.

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Linda,
It is difficult to pin point the meaning of your white bears but the fact that you are traveling a two lane road may be a clue. And the bears all being dead suggests something 'big' has come to its 'end'. The color white often symbolizes something pure and/or innocence. There is a good possibility the dream is reflecting on your past {since at mid-life reflection is a big part of that transition}. And while on the subject of transition, bears can also symbolize the cycle of life and death and renewal. The two lane road {the road being the path you have traveled in your life}, one may be the past and the other your future. Reflecting on those days of innocence and looking forward to the 'end'.

Jerry

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Thank you for your insight...I have been doing a lot of reflecting on my life, lately. I also find myself thinking that the end of my life is something to look forward to, mainly because of all the things that will finally become clear and I can be at peace.

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Linda,
If there is one phase of life when dreams start to exert themselves it is at mid-life. The changes at this mid point, physical and psychological, are a 'natural' part of life and although one may not take the proper time to examine why the life is the way it is, our dreams do. Dreams are therapeutic in they attempt to help sort through those unresolved emotional issues that have accumulated throughout life. I equate the therapeutic value of dreams to that of the body's immune system which helps prevent illnesses and restores the body's natural defenses when most needed. Dreams are a natural response to the psychological imbalances.

On the issue of death. I tend to place more value in an old mystical Islamic proverb when it comes to death. It reads this way....

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When the angle of death approaches it is horrific
But when it reaches you it is bliss

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That fits with the Buddhist idea that life is all sorrowful. It is the suffering that ceases upon death and new life {the Buddhist idea of reincarnation where the next life is always better than the last} comes about. Of course Buddhist believe the cessation of suffering can be achieved in this life by following the 8 Fold Path.
Life is a journey to be lived to its natural end. And the suffering is a part of that journey no matter how good the life is. It is the psychological suffering that must come to an end while walking this earth and that can be achieved by one method or another. For most proper counseling can be the 'way'. For others it may require medications to bring balance to the physical makeup {a chemical imbalance of the body}. Whichever it may be there are solutions and our dreams attempt to help resolve whatever it is that is out of balance {psychological but also in many cases physical}. Your dreams are you and understanding who you really are, and why you are the way you are, is a primary purpose of these nightly intrusions into the world of dreams.

Jerry

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Thank you so very much for the extremely thoughtful comments you made regarding my feelings about the end of life. The ideas you put forth and the references to Buddhism were so helpful to me, and even more so, comforting, at a time when I really needed it.

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Linda,
Death is a hard subject to talk about. But it is one that does need great discussion, especially as we age and with the realization that death will one day over take us. Not being afraid is the position one should work toward in this aspect.

'When the angel of death reaches you it is bliss'. No one knows for sure what comes with death but small clues from obscure words may provide true insights. I believe the human psyche does have 'links' to knowledge beyond the rational mind. I am not one who believes in great supernatural phenomenon {extra-ordinary events} but I do believe in the natural world of 'psyche' phenomenon {the psyche's natural relationship to what is not known or seen}. Just as 'intuitiveness' is a natural aspect of the human psyche, there are other such aspects we all possess that can provide insights to what can not be understood {and are thought of as extra-terrestrial and/or not of the natural world}. Just as Buddhists believe in re-incarnation, I may not subscribe to the concept but I do believe there are 'psyche' associations to this belief to give it at least some credence of belief. And if their belief is that each new re-incarnation is better than the last life, added to the 'bliss' when the angel of death arrives, to me that is great comfort for the next experience to come {for me life is an experience for the soul and the soul survives death while the body does not.

But in the end we just don't know about death. So my final thought would be something that Woody Allen commented on when asked about death.

"I'm not afraid of dying, I just don't want to be there when it happens".

Jerry

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