A Smiling Lion

[Chrysopaelian]

In the dream I was at a kind of Seaworld type of attraction. I was with my parents at an enormous pool, the size of at least two football fields, probably closer to 3. In the pool were 3 Orcas and, to my surprise, a single water-logged lion. Not a sea lion--a lion like you would see on the savanna, but it was obvious that it had been swimming for a while.

I don't remember exactly how it happened, but I was somehow launched through the air at a high angle and into the far side of the giant pool. I remember swimming back toward my parents with the orcas circling me. There were a couple of tamers on a flotation device nearby that said that I didn't have to worry, because the orcas wouldn't attack me. I got back to the side of the pool near my parents, and all that was left to deal with was the lion. I was able to get out of the water, but I had attracted its attention, and it tried to climb out of the water after me, swiping at me with its claws.

Thus began a strange cycle. I would hit the lion on the nose and it would shrink back for a minute or so. Then it would try again to claw at me from the pool, and I would bop it hard on the nose again. This continued for a long time, and I wasn't able to see any of the show with the orcas because I was too busy monitoring the situation with the lion. I became annoyed with this cycle and tired of it.

Then came a sort of moment of realization. I noticed that I was in a dream, and I felt rather silly for continuing something frustrating like this. "You're in a dream. You don't have to fend off this lion! You can change this!" and... well, I decided that I would remedy the lion situation once and for all with a bit of mind over matter. The lion changed as my mind warped its flesh. It became sillier, more cartoonish, harmless, and wore a big stupid grin on its face. It stood perfectly still, looking very out of place, but was no longer a threat.


I woke up soon after this and realized that this is a metaphor for how I have dealt with my life ever since discovering the level of control that I really can have over what happens to me. I have nullified the threats to my being, I have rid myself of annoyance and unproductive cycles, (mostly depression related) but I haven't done much with my newfound freedom.

Right now, metaphorically speaking, I am standing in front of a smiling lion. It's inert, it's harmless, but it could be so much more. It's a lion, MY lion, and with time and effort I could control it to do all sorts of great things with me. I'm not riding my lion into the sunset yet--it's just standing there looking silly. There's still a long way to go, and at times I have mistaken relief from pain for pleasure. It's wonderful, really truly so, that I am not experiencing the painful, confining, annoying life that I was experiencing at one time, and I am very grateful for that. Still, I have become comfortable, maybe too comfortable, just experiencing what comes to me without taking the reigns and guiding myself in a specific direction to a specific long-term end.

[Passemoon]

It’s great that you are able to interpret this dream and its meanings. I always have lucid dreams filled with strange ongoings and symbols and imageries. Sometimes I cannot for the life of me figure out exactly what they are supposed to mean or stand to represent in terms of applying to my own situations. I think I still need much practise in terms of dream interpretations.