Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Dreaming about a Great Beast in captivity and what it might mean (repost)


I awoke this morning from a particularly vivid dream. Usually, I don't retain dreams for very long. By the time I've washed my face and put the kettle on, they have all evaporated. However, today was different. Even as I was munching on my breakfast and doing my routine email check, followed by a quick look at Malaysiakini headlines and dipping into facebook (which is akin to opening the window and looking out at the traffic along the streets), elements of the dream kept returning to the forefront of my awareness.

So I decided I would record the dream as best I can - even though 12 hours have elapsed and I've been to the pasar malam, bought dinner and two pairs of cheap pants, got caught in a heavy downpour, enjoyed a hearty meal - and now, with a cup of coffee cooling beside me, I'm finally ready to begin...

I was in an old mansion which required a wee bit of renovation and some additional fixtures. It felt like a place I had known since childhood - or in a different lifetime. I was showing somebody around - I don't remember who, but I felt relaxed and exhilarated, the way one might feel with a new romance that's just beginning to settle in comfortably. I recall making a mental note to fill in a few cracks in the marble steps leading towards the garden, and telling my companion: "Well, now that I've been bestowed immortality, this is as good a place as any to spend eternity in. I like it here and there's always something to do; I don't think I'll ever be bored."

As we were about to take a walk around the mansion, I was startled by a loud roar approaching from a short distance. What I saw when I turned around to look was an incredible sight: a red pick-up truck was gunning up the slope pulling a huge metal cart behind it, and on the cart was the hugest bear I had ever seen. It was absolutely gigantic and as the truck came closer I realized that the bear was monstrous in size compared to the truck. It was as big as a full-grown African elephant and it was growling in fury.

The colossal bear, which was reddish gold in color, suddenly leapt from its cart onto the roof of the pick-up truck, causing the driver to swerve wildly. The truck began spinning around in a deep puddle of mud until, finally, it found some traction and sped off into the distance, with the bear still growling ferociously.


What I felt was initially a slight tinge of anxiety - more for the safety of my companion than myself - followed by intense curiosity and the sort of excitement one invariably feels when a wild beast is sighted. Then I grew upset sensing the bear's anguish at being captured by what was apparently a poacher or game hunter who was transporting his catch to be shipped off somewhere - perhaps a circus or zoo. The bear was so spectacular and magical a creature, it was horrible to witness how it was being mistreated by humans.

I suddenly felt a deep sense of sorrow sweep over me, to think that humans could behave so cruelly and callously towards a fellow creature, especially such a magnificent specimen worthy of awe and admiration. There seemed to be nothing I could do to liberate the great beast and, suddenly, the thought of spending eternity in such a barbaric world no longer appealed to me.

Nevertheless, I felt uplifted and buoyant the rest of the day, knowing that immortality was now an option. But would I choose to live forever in a reality where such hideous insensitivity can occur?

Later I began reading up about the dream symbolism of bears and found this in a Huffington Post feature dated July 2011 where "dream expert" Barbara Condron had this to say:

In the 'Universal Language of Mind' - the pioneering study conducted at the School of Metaphysics for almost 40 years - the bear is noted in indigenous cultures that honor and live close to the Earth. The bear represents the power of the warrior, often heroic and often dual, being either awake or asleep. Dreaming about bears is fairly uncommon, even though many dreams do include animals. Wild animals, like bears, are more likely to occur in someone who feels they recently spoke out of turn, acted poorly or participated in some other event where they were "untamed."

Other interpretations of bears figuring in dreams include this:

Bears are symbols of calm, stoic strength. Bears also indicate a time of introspection. If you are dreaming of a bear sleeping or hibernating, this is a message to do a little soul searching before you present an idea to the world. If a bear is chasing you, this means you are avoiding a big issue in your life, and it is time to deal with it. If the bear is standing up, this is a sign you need to defend your beliefs.

Bear has imminent domain, and when it deems that space altered, it is fully prepared to defend. Woe be to the one who provokes the wrath of the bear. In this powerfully impressive display of defense and aggression we pick up bear meanings of sovereignty, courage and themes of the warrior. To wit, in Scandinavian legend the bear was an aspect of the god Odin, and Berserkers were known to wear bearskins to enhance their ferocity in battle. Such vicious looking warriors were ensured a victory. We see more bear-dressing in the cult following of Artemis. She is a Greek huntress, and her maiden devotees would don bear dressings as a symbol of hunting prowess and power.

Does that indicate that we are about to shift into full battle mode as Malaysia prepares for the Mother of All Elections - one that will determine the fate of unborn generations? I decided to delve deeper into the mythological significance of the Bear which belongs to the Ursidae family. The word "Ursa" comes from the Latin ursus, which means bear. According to Webster's Dictionary, the Anglo-Saxon word for bear (bera) is derived from the Latin word fera meaning "wild beast" - but Wikipedia maintains that bera derives from a Germanic word meaning "brown."

Druid King Arthur Pendragon conducts
a solstice ceremony at Stonehenge
Brown, Bruno, Brawn, Bran (incidentally the name of a Celtic deity)... Interestingly, the name "Arthur" comes from the Celtic arth, related to "Ursus" - namely, "bear." From the Wikipedia entry on King Arthur: "An alternative theory, which has gained only limited acceptance among professional scholars, derives the name Arthur from Arcturus, the brightest star in the constellation Boötes, near Ursa Major or the Great Bear."

Hmmm... Arcturus! Immediately I was reminded of the Arcturus-Antares Midway Station which I first came across in Surfers of the Zuvuya by José Argüelles, who explains it thus:

Arcturus/Antares Midway Station, located interdimensionally above the planetary midpoint between Jupiter and Maldek (Asteroid Belt). Also known as “the Mother Ship” the AA Midway station is the location of the particular unit of the Galactic Federation assigned to monitoring the star system Velatropa 24.3, scene of the final dramas of the Free Will experiment.

Velatropa, Velatropa sector – Name given by advanced intelligence to galactic sector where Earth’s star and its solar system are located; specifically, quarantined zone of the “free will experiment.”

Ah so! Dreams are absolutely wonderful, aren't they - especially when you can remember them and can be bothered to dig around a bit to see what buried meanings you might unearth.

[First posted 29 October 2012]