The first dream featured a large Kodiak male that was something like a ghost, and was at times invisible. It was inside a house I was staying in for the night, and even worse, Tristan was with me. He was oblivious to the bear, but I was terrified, because it had the ability to hurt us, and I knew it. Twice we were trapped in a room by the bear, and in the end I was holding a flimsy bedroom door shut, listening as the bear snuffed us out. I woke just before the bear tried to open the door. I was terrified, absolutely terrified. Scared enough to wake Kevin up and ask him to hold me.
The second dream involved my grandparents' farm. A mother bear went into the sheep pen, and I was worried that she would hurt them, but then discovered she was gathering her cubs.
It ended up where I was pressed up against a flimsy door, looking through the peephole, aware that should she want to, she could break the door down. I had further to travel, and my trip was being held up by her and her cubs on the front porch. I was afraid of her in a different way.
Both dreams featured a bear on the other side of a door that offered no real protection, and that bear was keeping me from completing the trip I had planned. But there was a difference, in that the first bear was intentional about hunting me out. It was also very unnatural- able to become invisible, haunting a house's upper levels, etc. The second was obviously very natural, and did no harm to the defenseless animals around it, but still barred me from continuing my journey.
From the dream dictionary:
Attic (the ghost-y bear came from the attic)
To see an attic in your dream, represents hidden memories or repressed thoughts that is being revealed. Alternatively, it signifies difficulties in your life that will hinder you from attaining your goals and aspirations.
Bathroom (the first room I was trapped in was the bathroom)To dream that you are in the bathroom, relates to your instinctual urges. You may be experiencing some burdens/feelings and need to "relieve yourself". Alternatively, it may symbolize purification and self-renewal. You need to cleanse yourself, both emotionally and psychologically.
Bear To dream that you are being pursued or attacked by a bear, denotes aggression, overwhelming obstacles and competition. You may find yourself in a threatening situation.
Bears
A bear in a dream is a very rich and complicated dream symbol In order to understand it, objective association need to be made. Bears are solitary animals and the females are solitary mothers. They hibernate in a cave and they are generally not predatory animals. A bear is only aggressive when provoked, and as such times he is dangerous and deadly. Bears in dreams may represent a period of introspection and depression. However, this may be a part of a healing cycle, where the dreamer has retreated into himself in order to regenerate and in order to create something new and valuable in his life.
a door that opens into the inside, denotes your desire for inner exploration and self-discovery.
To dream that the doors are closed or locked, signify opportunities that are denied and not available to you or that you have missed out on. Something or someone is blocking your progress. It also symbolizes the ending of a phase or project. In particular if you are inside the locked door, then it represents harsh lessons that need to be learned.
Traveling
To dream that you are traveling, represents the path toward your life goals. It also parallels your daily routine and how you are progressing along.
So if we put that all together, in my dreams I am traveling, so it's about my life's progress towards goals. The traveling is put on hold by a bear, which could be a symbol of depression, and it certainly makes itself an obstacle in my dream.
I think the door definition just isn't right- I am relying on it in the dram, but I know it is merely an appearance of protection, not actual. In both dreams the door can be broken down by the bear, and it is only by some miracle that the bear does not break in.
But there is good news. In the first dream, the bear was breaking in, and I knew that I would have to take Tristan and go out the window. In the second dream, the mother bear didn't want to come in. She was just doing her job as a mama. I believe that this bear was more about a healing cycle.
I was afraid, but in the end, I was overwhelmingly impatient. I wanted to distract her and get on with the journey. I even thought about this in the dream- I realized that if I just relaxed and waited, she would eventually head off, and we could continue. But my fear at her presence and my desire to just go already was overwhelming.
So what do you guys think? I'm now much more interested in your comments and readings, since I think I got what I needed to out of it. What do you think?
