Originally Posted by illidan
. I usually get chased by them. Now, you probably think I have a lot of nightmares, but it's not like that. ...it's much more annoying than frightening, at least most of the time, when looking back at it now, that is – some of the dreams were quite frightening though and some of them were funny.
........
I was running down a hill and it was following me,
but whenever I would stop running and turn around it would stop as well.
Instinctively I kept running.
I was hunted by a tele-porting lion (female?)
I, not being equipped with any weapons, was at the lower part of the food chain,
I still remember how I felt the puff when the lion materialized directly above me.
Then everything turned to light and colors …
I hope this works ... I used the double quote button to reference both of your posts.
If you can suspend your disbelief in God for a few minutes, see if this doesn't make sense. It would be just like a loving God to chase you, but keep a distance if you turned around to challenge His approach. He would never force Himself on you. But He will stick with you. This is why the God representation came to mind. He would, of course pursue you in a way like this just because you DON'T believe in Him. In other words, He may SEEM threatening, but keeps a non-threatening distance.
The other symbolism in that dream could support this idea too.
You are not particularly frightened most of the time.
You are running downhill (possibly taking one or more downhill paths in life? We all do, by the way.)
If you don't believe in God, it would be frightening, as you wouldn't recognize Him for what He is. You would instinctively continue to run.
Being chased by the female lion could possibly be a vision of the more nurturing side of God (who has no gender, but has all the male and female attributes which he divided up between the materialized sexes.)
BUT, IN COMBINATION WITH ALL OF THE ABOVE, HERE'S THE PART THAT REALLY SUGGESTS THE GOD IDEA:
You felt the power of this lion when he/she could appear anywhere in an instant
Rather than hurt or threaten you, everything turned to light and colors. (God being light, enlightenment, love, harmony and the sum total of everything in existence, and the creator of all that exists. These are usually associated as feminine qualities.)
You are amused by this dream rather than threatened, even though you equate this with being on the bottom of the food chain (humbled, aware of your helplessness in the presence of such power.)
Originally Posted by illidan
Although the dreams can be slightely frightening, the moment I am awake the fear is almost immediately gone, so it's not really like a nightmare.
...In the dream there was a lion who chased me and pushed me off a cliff. ....
To be honest I don't really think it has anything to do with god. I am a convinced atheist. ...
But I've never associated a lion or tiger with the my feminine side but rather with dignity and power.
Although I had a variety of wild animals in my dreams, I don't remember ever having dreamt of a wolf.
Taking one statement at a time:
These aren't nightmares, but could be warnings to pay attention to what you are brushing off. Something you are meant to be doing with your life, but won't go there because it's leading you to something you don't believe in. So, you don't recognize it for what it is.
You didn't mention how you felt about being pushed off the cliff and that's an important factor. Maybe the idea of believing in God makes you feel like you're being thrown at the mercy of the unknown. Maybe that dream caused you to see, or exposed your existing view of God as a big bully who'd shove you over the edge without mercy.
If you had a strong feminine association for the lion, much of my idea would not apply, but you associate lions with power and dignity (as compared to power and destruction or violence.) This is why God is referenced as a lion... (as in the Lion will lay down by the Lamb.) Everything in Christian teaching involves God's power and dignity, and humans created in His image. (Not that all preachers have done justice to that.) Despite being shoved off the cliff, you still see lions as a symbol of power and dignity, as if you admire these qualities rather than fear them.
My comments about wolves were directed to melizma06 comments about the wolves mentioned in those dreams.
I don't mean to be preachy here as I know this isn't a conversion forum. BUT, if you want an accurate understanding of your dreams you have to consider all possibilities, even if you don't believe in them. So much of your imagery is consistent with this possible interpretation that it's worth considering, even if it's wrong but leads you to the right one.
I don't put much stake in Jung's idea that everyone and everything in a dream is an aspect of the dreamer. But I still consider it when I'm stumped, as this may be true for an occasional dream or just part of a dream.
If you aren't familiar with the Old and New Testaments, dreams are a common way for God to speak to humans. If this is what's happening to you, you are experiencing something very special, and have been all your life.
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