Hi Andy, JuliA and Astrobean,
Adding in to the discussion so far:
In both dreams, Andy, there were issues of the vulnerability of the babies. Either you wanted to reach out to them or the mother tried to protect them. In the second dream, if the mother moose died, the babies would be left to fend for themselves.
So you have new and vulnerable babies, possibly about to take their first steps towards independence, and a dying nurturing, protective adult, caught between letting go and still wanting to protect something new and vulnerable.
It is the nature of life to die - for death of the old to give way to birth of the new. It is in the nature of things for the new and vulnerable to grow and mature to wisdom and strength, though this process can be hard to do when there is too much protection.
Sometimes dreams alert us to attitudes in our life which are dying too early, giving us the chance to revive and resuscitate whatever is sliding away. Most of the time, death in our dreams is a necessity, reflecting what we are letting go of in order for new attitudes and ways of life to grow.
There seems to be a connection between the military and protection (and the words you used in describing your dream "attack and defence") on the one side .... and vulnerability and help on the other. Do you feel the changes you have been wishing to make have been held back, to some extent, by feelings of needing to protect or defend your present lifestyle or your future wishes?
You are standing on the ice and the moose is dying on the ice. This puts you both in the same picture. The dying moose which needs to protect something vulnerable and new is a part of yourself - or was, at the time of your dream.
Ice is also a barrier. When it melts it becomes flowing water and it reveals the flowing water beneath its surface. Protection and defence are also barriers - barriers to a more flowing vulnerability below the surface. Do you feel you have a surface barrier which helps to protect something more vulnerable and flowing below the surface?
The moose will have specific symbolism for you, so do spend some time letting it reveal itself to you. Protection/attack - maybe start thinking about antlers and how moose defend and protect themselves. How does this relate back to you?
There may also be a dream pun on calves - think of the calf muscles of the legs. This is a possibility only, but are your calf muscles tight (iced) and over-protected, or vulnerable? Could you do with some stretching in that area?
Even here there is an analogy between calf muscles and attitudes: if you exercise your legs but don't stretch them adequately, the calf muscles stay tense as if 'protected' and ready to run or attack, but in this un-stretched state they are highly vulnerable to tearing and injury. They do not have the necessary flexibility to withstand sudden actions. So over-protection can cause weakness and vulnerability to injury, whereas releasing protection and substituting flexibility/adaptability permits a fuller range of (e)motion and capability.
Finally, the outcome of both dreams, given time, would be that the vulnerable calves will find themselves alone, without the protection of an adult and so they will grow, according to nature, to wisdom and maturity. Knowing this is a natural process, feel free to allow a similar process of letting go and growing blossom within you.
There are so many levels of meaning to a dream ... as you can see through the replies here, each touching on something relevant...
May you enjoy going with the flow (or watching the ice floe going as it melts ;)
Jane Anderson |
