Wolves are in the news these days especially with the controversial Alaskan aerial hunting policy being a focus of public attention. Since these animals are getting more attention in the outer world, they may be more likely to show up in your inner psyche as dream symbols. Wolves in dreams may take on many forms and have many meanings - pack leader, protector, predator, personal totem, or even the shape-shifting werewolf. Here are some ideas on what wolves may symbolize in dreams.

Leadership

Wolves are pack animals and as such they have a leader, a guide who is responsible for directing the pack and keeping it safe. If a wolf appears in your dream and you have a positive association with the wolf, it may symbolize the maturation of your own leadership abilities. Wolves in dreams may also symbolize the need for trusting your own internal leader - the soft howl of your own intuition.

Howling at the Moon

While wolves certainly do howl, it is a myth that they howl at the moon. The wolf's howl is actually a form of communication. Wolves may howl as a form of socialization, or as a warning, or to indicate that they are lost and need help. Is your dream wolf howling? If so, what emotions accompanied the dream? Do you feel lost and in need of guidance, do you feel like you've lost your "pack"? Do you feel threatened or feel the need to let others know they are crossing your boundaries? Or are you simply filled with a sense of joy that can only be expressed in a non-verbal howl?

Predator

Wolves can be fierce hunters, and often appear in folk tales as the force that is either lying in wait, or disguised as something harmless when in fact it is there to do great harm. Are there any wolves in sheep's clothing in your life? Often we have intuitive feelings about people or situations, feelings that these people or situations should be avoided, but we ignore them based their harmless outer appearance. Wolves in dreams could be indicators that there are hidden predators in your life. Never ignore your intuition because it doesn't make logical sense. Your intuition exists to guide and protect you and it can spot a wolf long before it removes it woolen suit.

Werewolves

Werewolves may not seem like terribly positive symbols, but again, this all depends upon your own association with them. In its negative aspect, the werewolf could symbolize some part of yourself that is completely out of control, some aspect that could be harmful not only to you but to those around you. In contemporary mythology, the werewolf's transformation is something over which he or she has no control, a transformation that is dictated by the cycle's of the moon. Therefore, the werewolf in a dream could symbolize a life altering or dramatic change over which you feel you have no control. It could also symbolize an emotion or a reaction to a situation or a person over which you feel you have no control, something or someone that pushes your emotional buttons in such a way that your automatic response is beastly.

However, werewolves in mythology were not traditionally bound by or linked to a lunar cycle. In fact, in their original mythology, werewolves were actually shape-shifters - people with the metaphysical gift of changing their shape, people with the ability to transform themselves into a shape of their choosing by making some sort of connection to the animal they chose to become. For example, if one wanted to morph into a wolf, one might collect wolf's teeth, place wolf's skin on, or ingest or carry some herb like wolf's bane. Therefore, in its positive form, the werewolf could actually symbolize a powerful, profound and well-controlled transformation into a more powerful creature or a transformation into someone who more accurately fits your idea of what your interior self actual looks like.


As always, sleep well and dream out loud!


The new U2 cd, No Line on the Horizon is a howling good musical time. You can get your own copy and hear the four Irishmen's latest musical transformation by following the Amazon.com link below: