Interpreting what animals mean in our dreams is a very personal process, but some animals can create such strong impressions they may seem to overwhelm your logic. This can be a good time to step back and try to understand the animal as a symbol before going the next step of applying your own personal layer of interpretation.
One animal that is often a source of such confusion and power is the wolf. Feared, worshipped, maligned, misunderstood and revered, the wolf is a potent symbol throughout much of the world. Wolves star in folklore and fairy-tales from many generations ago, and still capture our imagination through popular films and television today.
A wolf in a dream may be scary, threatening and vicious, she may be noble, protecting and wise, or maybe she’s something else entirely – mysterious, elusive, wild.
To understand the meaning of a wolf in dreams, it is helpful to start by understanding the wild nature of these animals. Wolves in dreams can represent all that is wild and “uncivilised” about yourself. This can be a scary thing to confront. What is wild can damage, hurt and upset. But what is wild can also free, excite and release. Wild can be untamed and bad mannered, but wild can also be pure and uncorrupted. Sometimes a wolf in a dream will be a warning that you are behaving too wildly, that you may be threatening something that is important to you. But a wolf in a dream may be be guiding you to find the true, authentic nature that you are afraid to reveal as you try to conform.
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Wolves can appear in your dreams when you fear or are experiencing loss, especially of a material or financial nature, stemming from the old saying “to keep the wolf from the door” which indicates security and not going hungry. Wolves may also appear in dreams when your subconscious has picked up something is not quite right, and is trying to warn your conscious mind that we should be careful of what or who you trust, that there may be a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
But no animal itself is inherently bad, and the values that we assign to them are the result of years of cultural associations. Remember, when you dream of animals, they also represent a part of your self, and you cannot understand what your dream means by only looking up a symbolic reference. You always need to go the next step and ask yourself, “What does the wolf mean to me?”
Wolf dreams challenge us to confront what we are afraid of, and to not lurk in the shadows of our own subconscious. Wolf dreams offer the gift of strength, freedom and the ability to fiercely protect that which is dear to us. Wolves in dreams invite us to claim back our own power, to run freely and live our most authentic life possible, without fear, without shackles, without shame.
For more detailed information about the meaning of a wolf in dreams, please visit these posts at The Dream Well:
The Meaning of Wolf in a Dream
The Meaning of a Wolf Who Wants to be Tamed in a Dream
Animals in Dreams: Shamans, Spirit Guides and Shapeshifters
