When I asked for dream symbols to discuss here, one of my friends offered this: “I dreamed a lot about wolves after 9/11, and I never had before. But that’s pretty obvious.” Not having the narratives of those dreams handy, my guess is that the wolves appear as threatening, symbols of viciousness and appetite that could be associated with the attackers in the events of 9/11. As the Taschen Book of Symbols notes, “Particularly in Christian iconography they are the rapacious spoilers of sheep-like innocence.” [p. 274] Witnessing the deaths of innocent people would naturally bring such a predator to mind in a dream.
But I already know the obvious, that after the attacks I felt that innocence had been betrayed. I don’t need my dreams to tell me that. Instead, my dreams offer this image, which in my imagined version carries overtones of a nightmare, in order to make sure I’m paying attention. After all, I can’t easily forget a nightmare, and so the symbols linger longer than the ones from a pleasant or neutral dream might. So what other associations could the dream be offering to deepen my understanding of the attacks on American civilians?
It helps to remember that the wolves in these dreams are also symbols of me, the dreamer. They may represent my own desire for revenge, carefully shrouded from my civilized view of myself, the urge to take my pack with me to attack the attackers. But when I step away from the ancient human fear of the wolf, I can also see the animal’s positive qualities. The pack is a network of support, in which the young are cared for by several adults and loyalty to the community is evident—in this sense the wolf represents my community, and so shows up in my dreams after 9/11 to remind me of what is good and important in my life. My community expanded after 9/11 to include sympathizing people from all over the world, and in those displays of support I found enormous comfort.
The system of establishing a pecking order in a wolf pack offers a symbol, as Ted Andrews suggests in Animal Speak, of expressing strength without resorting to violence. “Often a glance, a posture, a growl is all that is necessary to determine dominance….The Wolf teaches you to know who you are and to develop strength, confidence and surety in that so that you do not have to demonstrate and prove yourself to all.” [p. 324] If the attackers had had that inner strength, their attacks would have been unnecessary.
Andrews also notes the balancing dynamic between the autocracy of the alpha wolf and the democracy of pack, which sometimes overrules the alpha. It echoes the checks and balances of many constitutional governments, and for me suggests the balance between the individual’s needs and the community’s needs. “Wolf helps us to understand that true freedom requires discipline.” [p. 324] And the fact that wolves gorge when they kill, can “remind us not to waste.” [p. 325] If there’s reminder that the first world constantly needs, it is this one.
In my imagined version of wolf dreams, all these levels come into play: Family, government, community, loyalty, give and take, and strength without unnecessary violence. Imagining dreaming of wolves after 9/11, I can’t escape the thought that times of crisis tend to unite communities, and that the dreams would be suggesting building on that community to create a more balanced world.
6 thoughts on “Wolf as a dream symbol”
Thanks, Laura. I’d have to go back to my dream diaries for specifics, but my recollection is that the dreams involved being stalked by wolves, wolves coming out of the bushes and threatening me on the sidewalk, wolves coming into a cathedral where there were bloody bones, things like that. They definitely felt threatening. And it was so odd because, as I had said, I had never in my memory dreamed about wolves before, and I don’t think I have much since either. It’s not a conscious fear, and I’ve been hoping they were going to re-introduce wolves to RMNP. It must be language from old fairy tales.
Those old fairy tales carry a lot of cultural weight, so their symbols come up easily in times of stress. But I would argue that even if the wolves felt threatening in the dream, the other layers of symbolism are worth looking into.
Hi Laura. Thought you might be interested in this blog post from another Boulder woman, which discusses a lot of myths about wolves and wolf packs. Cheers. http://thislivelyearth.com/2010/09/03/wolves-and-dominance-the-myth-of-the-alpha-dog/
Thanks, Claudia. That’s interesting info.
Excellent discussion, Laura, about “wolves” as a symbol (and super cute video!) I think of wolves in dreams and fairy tales as a reminder of “what vulnerable part of me am I allowing to be easily preyed upon?” and at the same time “what part of me has a sense of longing and is roaming in search of prey to satiate an inner hunger?” The paradox of being both the “hunter and the hunted” for me creates an unsettling sense of deep unsatisfied spiritual hunger, akin to the Buddhist image of the hungry ghost. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungry_ghost
Imagining myself as a dreamer experiencing wolf dreams after 9/11, maybe the intensity of the tragedy triggered my survival instinct, not only for my physical well being but also for my spiritual well being as well.
Love this! Somehow I missed the discussion the first time around. I dream of wolves a lot too. When they show up they are prehistoric in size – GIANT WOLVES! Thanks for the comments on wolves destroying innocence…I usually don’t go there and that’s an important layer. Enjoyed your writing on this immensely, Laura!
If anything should be added to wolf significance maybe it’s the role of “teacher” to native Americans. They watched the wolf and learned much about how communities should be structured and function. Whenever I dream of wolf I think of my own qualities of “teacher” that I can bring to my community. Especially if wolf bites me on the arm or finger, this may be my calling to take up the cloak of teacher to others of my tribe.