hi,
I sure can use help in interpeting this dream. I dreamt that I was running in a forest trying to save my son from a pack of wolves who where chasing him. no matter how hard I ran, I could not catch up to the wolves. All of us sudden, he stopped in his track,turned around and turned into a tiger. Then he openned his mouth and swallowed the whole pack at once. then he turned around and ran few steps and jump up into the night sky and bursted into stars. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

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joann,
The forest is often a symbol for the unconscious, sometimes repressed contents within the unconscious. Running through the forest would be going within the unconscious, something that is common for someone at that mid-life stage. This time of life is when you begin to start searching your own life, looking back, trying to make meaning of it all.

The inclusion of your son may be a straight forward representation of the relationship with him. Or/and it could be metaphor for a developing masculine aspect} within your psyche. Good chance it is both but with an emphasis on one or the other. The rest of the dream may reveal which.

Having to save your son. Is there experiences in your life where you have had to 'save' him. Financially, emotionally, moral support? This would be a logical part of a relationship between a son and a mother. The wolves could represent something that is threatening in 'your life'. It could represent a fear you possess or in relationship to your son.

Note: In a woman's dream such an image could symbolize male sexuality as threatening. Perhaps the dreamer needs to come to terms with her own sexuality....Eric Ackroyd-A Dictionary of Dream Symbols.

Not being able to catch up with the wolves would suggest you are not able to overcome this threat/fear/ or aspects the son represents. His turning into a tiger may suggest he is turning into something that frightens you or is a threat to you {emotionally}.

Let's go back and consult ....Eric Ackroyd-A Dictionary of Dream Symbols on the subject of wolves and then a tiger:

A wolf may symbolize all that you are afraid of in yourself, particularly what you see as 'animal', aggressive and destructive. Probably your fear is irrational and stems from a traumatic childhood experience. This 'werewolf' anxiety is a fairly common ingredient in literature. It is nearly always a consequence of repressed instinct, usually sexual.

A tiger may be an animus figure. It may symbolize someone or something that has frightened you - perhaps some instinctive drive or other (emotional) part of you.

The tiger, an instinctive aspect, has swallowed the wolves those aggressive/destructive impulses.

Then your son jumps into the night {another symbol for the unconscious} sky {transcendence-aspects of your true self} and burst into stars {guidance, or you are making the most of what you are}.

Could it be your son represents something that you never had? That would be a desire you never accomplished, a developing masculine aspect that was 'swallowed' up by some aggressive tendencies {or lack of them}. Look at the sexual aspects, not in the relationship with your son but undeveloped possibilities in your own sexual life. Your son would represent something you never had, his development to be something more in his life.
Your opinion of your son would be important to this possibility. It may be fears you possess about his bursting into stars, his development as person. But also the sexual promise you never had.

This is more a round about way of interpreting this dream but such a short dream is hard to pinpoint. Look at the dream as addressing unconscious attitudes and fears you possess about yourself and possibly your son. Development make be what he needs to achieve and perhaps something you never did. The sexual aspect could be relevant.
But it could be some other aspect of the relationship, and some devouring aspect about your own sexuality. Or love. Because sex and love are from the same level of the Kundalini it may be addressing general aspects of love.

Past and/or future dreams may shed light on the possibilities.

Jerry

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Dear Jerry,

I Did not reply to your interpetation because I am a private person. I saw this dream when my son was 5 years old. I could not figure it out until he was diagnosed with Lupus at the age of 10. The word lupus means wolf. I started to figure out some of the dream. The wolves represent the Lupus conditon. The tiger is the aggression stage that he is in right now. He is 16 and mad at the whole world and is not responding very well. Turning from a tiger into stars I don't understand fully. Maybe because I am feeling so much pain for him. He has class five lupus. IN the dream there were 5 wolves running after him. So you see, this dream was a vision about what was going to happen to him and I did not realise that. I am trying to see some good in this vision and pray to God he helps me and guides me. If you can shed some light that would be great. thank you!

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The Constellation Lupus

joann, Let me take a deeper look at your response later today. It is interesting that lupus does mean wolf {Canis lupus}. There is also an association to the Constellations -- Lupus which belongs to the constellations of the Southern Hemisphere roughly between DECL=-30 degrees and DECL=-55 degrees and RA=14h 20m and RA=16h 15m, respectively. Perhaps that is what the dream is directing you when stating 'look to the stars'. I'll give the dream another look after I take care of some personal business. Jerry

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joann,
Again, thanks for your response. It sheds a light on possibilities of the dream that is not often given in a dream. The Dream Forum is a learning place and every dream teaches us something new.

When did you have this dream. Your statement in your response 'this dream was a vision about what was going to happen to him and I did not realise that' would be a vision unless it was before he had the dream or at the least his condition before it was known it would evolve to a class 5 status. Dreams are seldom prophetic, they compensate what you already know {see my page Precognitive Dreams}.
Knowing your son has lupus provides greater insights into what your dream may be trying to communicate. Much of my original interpretation does seem to apply, the straightforward representation of your son and the relationship with him of course being the focus of the dream. Your desire to save him also fits as does the threat and fear {of his disease}. That aspect ' a fear you possess in relationship to your son' looks to be the central theme of the dream. As in almost all dreams a good interpretation will provide at best a periphery of the dream and not the actual experience {something only the dreamer can know}. After that, with what little information known about the dreamer, much is left to the dreamer to fit with their waking life {the dream is about the dreamer's emotional life, at the time the dreamer has the dream}.

In the dream the statement 'All of us sudden, he stopped in his track, turned around and turned into a tiger' would be about your actions more so than your son's. This may be a reflection of the 'aggressive' nature of your own emotional conflict, how aggressively your fears are turning into an emotional strain.
Note: the actions in your dream would be more about your actions although it could at the same time reflect your son's disease, it being a part of the emotional conflict.
Then 'he opens his mouth and swallowed the whole pact at once'. This would be your animus, your masculine aspect being addressed. This may be the dream making a suggestion you need to 'swallow your fears' so to be brave {a masculine aspect not only for your son's benefit but your own emotional state of mind.

'then he turned around and ran few steps and jump up into the night sky and bursted into stars'. The night sky may be referring to a need to listen to your unconscious self {which is objective and not emotionally subjective} and the stars being the guidance of this unconscious aspect {the unconscious dream as your guide}.
I can see where the tiger could represent the 'aggressive' nature of the type 5 lupus your son has { Googling class 5 lupus providing insights to the aggressive nature of the disease}. And of course the number 5 {in your dream you used the word pack and not the number 5} being his class of disease. As for the vision. Unless the dream was as stated above before the knowledge of the dream or stage of the dream then the dream is reflecting the emotional conflict with your son's disease.

I always tend to stay with Jungian theory when it comes to the interpretation of dreams. But being the objective person I am, something Jung states one must be, we must consider all possibilities. Especially in the light of the term lupus being a name of a subspecies of Canis lupus or wolf. Did you know this before you had the dream? If so then the dream would be compensatory.
But again we must inspect all possibilities. With that we may want to look at any relationship between the term lupus disease and the constellation lupus. I see an association to 'guidance' with the possible relationship, looking to the stars/heaven for strength. If you are a religious person that would fit. Your faith would be your strength.

The Constellation Lupus
The psyche is a mysterious thing. Thus my great interest in the 'deeper' psyche and what it may hold {I have stated often my interest in the intuitive mind and the greater possibilities that may be there}. Looking at the possibilities there are some interesting associations to your experiences. The Constellation Lupus belongs to the constellations of the Southern Hemisphere roughly between DECL=-30 degrees and DECL=-55 degrees and RA=14h 20m and RA=16h 15m. DECL could be associated with 'decline'. That would be the status of your son's disease. The other numbers would need to be explained and perhaps they have meaning for you. Of course this is all hypothetical. But greater mysteries have occurred that had true meaning. I tend to think one should never say never.

I know my response may not be in line with your 'vision', unless of course the dream was before your knew of the lupus condition. Dreams are therapeutic in that they attempt to help resolve emotional issues of the dreamer. Much like the immune system of the body, the dream is a therapeutic device for the mind. With that in mind my take on the dream sis as much about the need for you to be strong in a great time of despair. And possibly a reflection of your faith which itself could help you to be strong. That ever well be the primary message of the dream, to swallow your fears and look to the heavens for assistance in this time of need. Not that there will be a cure for your son's condition but as a reflection of the need for great strength. You son is having a hard time with his condition so it may be left to you to be his strength also. Your 'inner' masculine is required. Our prayers are with you in this time of great stress.

Jerry

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Jerry, I had the dream 5 years before my son was diagnose with Lupus. He was only 5 years old when I saw the dream. He was diagnose with Lupus at the age of 10. Does that make a difference?

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joann,
Again I direct you to my page Precognitive Dreams. The first paragraph reads this way:

Carl Jung believed that the unconscious could manifest {reveal} through dreams, premonitions or synchronistic experiences. Most often these intrusions were of a personal nature, commenting on the life experiences of the individual. But there were also times when the unconscious might bring a message that addressed collective issues and events. It is often difficult to distinguish which manifestations have an individual message and which are of collective import. Even then, the full meaning and ramifications of such "collective dreams" are often known only after the fact, in retrospect. But there is still value in paying attention to these images, which in many cases presage something yet to come.

But your premonitions may not have come just out of the blue. If there are cases where relatives have had lupus the inheritance in future generations is not unexpected. Lupus is more prevalent in African American women than Caucasian women and more so in Hispanic, Asian, and Native American people. If there are older members of the family who have lupus it may be the inheritance would not be totally unexpected. In such a case your psyche may have had warnings of the unconscious type and this spilled over into your dreams. This would be partly a case of compensation as well as precognitive dreaming. 'Most often these intrusions were of a personal nature, commenting on the life experiences of the individual.'

If it is not an inheritance issue then your dream would fit with Jung's precognitive dreaming. '

The full meaning and ramifications of such "collective dreams" are often known only after the fact, in retrospect'. As you stated you did not realize the dream was a prognosis of your son having lupus. This would make it an event from the 'collective unconscious'.
The definition of the collective unconscious:
That part of the psyche which retains and transmits the common psychological inheritance of mankind. The collective unconscious is not individual but common to all mankind, and even perhaps to all animals. It is the instinctive aspect of the psyche, just as in the turtle knowing exactly where the water is at birth and knowing to go straight for it.


The collective unconscious consists of mythological motifs or primordial (pre-dating mankind) images, for which reason the myths of all nations are its exponents. The whole of mythology could be taken as a sort of projection of the collective unconscious.

In this event, yes, your dream was 'prediction' of future events, coming from the collective unconscious.

It is a coincidence with the number 5. 5 years before he was diagnosed with lupus at the age of 5. In my last post I mentioned the Constellation Lupus belonging to the constellations of the Southern Hemisphere roughly between DECL=-30 degrees and DECL=-55 degrees and RA=14h 20m and RA=16h 15m. Notice the occurrence of the number 5. Even with the the other numbers you can get to the number 5. 1+4=5. 6-1=5. And stretching the possibilities 30+20=50, or 5. And to add to the mystery, in this post your age is 50. In your original post your age was listed as 49 {happy birthday}, 5+4 giving you 9, or 99. The number 9 is the number for the powerful feminine aspects, the true power of the psyche and not the masculine, as well as the number for completeness. 5 years short of completeness. What could this mean if anything?

The number 5 is a number for change. There have been great changes in your emotional life. But perhaps the message, if there is one, is 55. In 5 years you will be 55. What changes will take place at that age, if any?

This has been an illuminating dream. If it were not for the fact your son had lupus it would be a great topic for discussion. I am not familiar with the research on lupus but lets hope in 5 years they will discover a cure for the disease.
twat twam asi,

Jerry

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Hi Joann,

I have some thoughts on this dream which while not at all leaving lupus out and does include your son, also points more toward you. May be fruit for pondering. If I have the time while at work this evening (I should have), I'll post my musings.

Kristi

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Thanks Kristi for reminding us that there is that aspect of the dream that is solely focused on the self. No doubt there are many elements focused on the son but the deeper aspects are about the dreamer. We must always remind ourselves that all dreams have more than one interpretation and/or application. We can get carried away with speculation on numbers but the intent of the dream is what should be the primary focus. And that is always about the dreamer's emotional life.

Jerry

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Hi Joann,

I want to begin by saying that I hope my words will not be construed as insensitive to your son's condition and your position as his mother and all the sentiments/emotions encompassed in that.

I know a woman who was diagnosed with lupus as a young adult. She is in her mid thirties today and is a very outgoing, happy and successful person, a teacher at a local college. She takes several medications daily and monitors her lifestyle. Because of her condition, she could not have a child of her own. She and her husband adopted a young boy and they love him immensely.

I pose these questions for you to ponder. If the dream was or is prophetic, what purpose has it served?

Could the disease have been prevented? Have you ensured he received/receives available healthcare options, medicines, and instilled wise diet and lifestyle choices for him? Is there more you could have done, or can do?

If not, and still you are troubled by this dream, your son's behavior and your response to his behavior, then the answer may lay elsewhere...and yet still be related, perhaps even compounded by the additional struggle of dealing with the disease process, and how well that has been handled, on an emotional level.

Look at your self as a mother when your son was five years old. And look at your son at that age. Were there emotional challenges? How do you rate your ability to mother him and manage emotions at that period of your life, both his emotions and your own? How would you describe his temperament? And your own? Did he push your buttons in any way?

I can't tell you how many times through the years my own son (now 23) pushed my emotional buttons. Our children really are wonderful mirrors for us, being they inherit not just our physical aspects, but also our psychological/emotional aspects. They mirror both our positive and negative aspects. And, unfortunately, our disowned negative aspects often come out stronger in our own children. How we cope with our children is a reflection of how we cope with ourselves. I mothered my son in many ways similar to the way I was mothered/parented.

Is it possible your mothering of your son was of a "hounding" nature. And is it possible he responded even then with a similar aggression (albeit in the guise of a five year old)? Or, was there something else in your life that was hounding you? Relations with another? Memories being stirred/reflected to you in others (your son, or another)? Was there a five year old in you struggling to get away from some aggressive, hounding aspect of life? Was there a want for a release from some hounding behavior, on your part? Or on your son's part? Even if he could not communicate that to you maturely?

It may be like the tiger energy was saying "Stop already!" to those hounding wolves, nagging at the heels of a five year old who just wants to get away, who just can't take it anymore. Bursting into stars? A wish for a release/end/transformation? Is the scenario with your son mirroring some inner condition from earlier in your own life?

Fast forward five years, to when he is ten, and diagnosed with the disease, or even just before the diagnosis. Have relations (you and he) evolved? If so, how? Are they better? Or are things worse?

And then fast forward again to his current age. Have things improved or worsened? And can it really all be blamed on the disease?

Best,
Kristi

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Hi Joann,

I read where you wrote that you are a private person. So, I want you to know I do not expect you to respond. Do that only if you feel moved to ... whatever feels right, for you. Sharing one's dreams publicly like this can produce feelings of exposing one's self, one's soul. And I know that is not comfortable at first.

Feel free to disregard anything I have offered if it does not feel right for you. I share what I do only in the effort to be helpful.

I think the fact that you still turn to the dream for understanding is significant, as if something remains unresolved and yet calls your attention. And as Jerry often reminds, most all dreams come to enlighten the dreamer of dynamics that exist within the unconscious. These dream images are powerful and hence were perhaps certainly trying to help you, at that time of your life, and perhaps, still. So, if you go back to the time when your son was five years old, not then knowing he would ever develop lupus, may you find meaning in it, there, at that time of your life?

Below is some information on the symbols from your dream. I take/borrow it from, The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols," to, maybe, get you thinking and looking in other directions for an answer:

On Wolf: "...The jaws of the monstrous wolf which Marie Bonaparte mentions in her self-analysis as being associated with childhood fears consequent upon her mother's death, must remind us, Durrand suggests, of Perrault's fairy-tales. 'What big teeth you have, Grandmother! There is a very clear convergence between the bite of members of the dog family and fear of the destructive power of time ... Mention has already been made of the initiatory significance of this symbol and it should be added that this gives the wolf, like the dog, a role as conductor of souls ... in Europe one of the wolf's recognized duties was that of conductor of souls. Evidence of this may be found in the words of a Romanian funerary song: 'the wolf knows the way through the forest and will bring you along a smooth path to the King's Son in Paradise.'"

On Tiger: "...Tigers are, especially, animals of the north and of the winter solstice, when they devour evil influences. That tigers are sometimes the steeds of the Immortals is because they themselves are endowed with longevity. In Buddhism, their strength is also a symbol of the power of faith and of the spirit struggling to make its way through the Forest of Sin, itself depicted as a bamboo-forest ... Tigers are monsters of darkness and the new moon but are also figures in the higher world, 'the world of life and growing light.' They are often depicted as 'letting humanity, represented by a child, escape [their] jaws (the child being the ancestor of the tribe, likened to the new moon, the Light that returns").

On Star: "...The star is closely linked to the Heavens on which it depends, and also conjures up the mysteries of sleep and darkness. The individual must conform and harmonize with the strong rhythm of the cosmos, to shine in personal brightness."

"Forests" are generally seen as the unconscious.

As I said before, my own son, through the years of my life, often mirrored and hence catalyzed the awakening of unconscious dynamics within my own self. I had a very difficult childhood and so even the birth of my son constellated/conjured up all the fears I faced in my childhood. But I was unable to deal with/resolve them at that time. I still work to resolve my quandaries.

The bursting into stars may show a wish/need for a release of a frustrated or otherwise contained emotional dynamic. It may also be showing the illumination/illuminating of whatever the unconscious dynamic is/was.

This is why I ask if relations with your son, at that time of your life, may have been mirroring an unconscious dynamic within your own self? And/or, was there any other stressful event at that time of your life which you may have felt you did not have the emotional strength/ability to cope with. That may have been conjuring unconscious memories from an earlier period in your life when you felt you were, metaphorically, "running in the woods, to escape a threatening force."

I personally find the tiger a positive symbol, as depicting the strength to overcome whatever this challenge is or was. Even the wolf is positive, if we see him as messenger.

I think if you focus on the dream as only potentially predicting your son's acquiring lupus, you miss a large opportunity where greater insight and emotional health/strength may be gained, through examination.

Feel free to ask questions, if you like and it feels okay for you to do that. If I can't answer, hopefully Jerry will jump in to help.

I myself struggled with a very rebellious teen, so I know how that touches a mom and how we want so much to help them. But sometimes the best way we can help them is by helping our own selves, first.

Best,
Kristi

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