Lion Lioness

Lions appear in many dreams, and usually signifies anger, desire to hurt, aggressiveness; or fear of these feelings in others or ourselves. We may feel fear of our own anger due to it threatening injury to others in a way that would reflect upon self, and devour our other feelings and desires. The lion can often express feelings of love that cannot express normally, and become aggressive instead. If we see someone we love showing interest in another, or if we feel ousted by brother or sister for parents’ love, our feelings may seem to us like a terrible lion. Daniel in the lions’ den is a beautiful symbol representing how these feelings may be calmed and changed if our life is given to the influence of love.

The power of our physical strength, of our temper, of our emotions or sexuality; love that has become anger through jealousy or pain; leadership; ones father or fatherhood, or mother if it is a lioness; an image of the father/mother God; leadership; watchfulness or guardianship; self assertion or boasting because of the power of the lions roar. The story of Androcles and the lion shows how the pain felt by our ‘animal’ life process, if tended by the conscious personality, brings a loving relationship between conscious and unconscious.

Many children experience recurring dreams of a lion chasing them through their house. This is most likely due to a developing struggle with their natural feelings of anger and aggression. This because their parents might attempt to quieten or control the child’s temper, or criticise it as ‘bad’.

Being frightened of an attack or possible attack from a lion suggests an ‘attack’ of anxiety or fear about something. Consider the rest of the dream to define what.

Many people dream of being chased or run in fear when they see a lion in their dream. But your dreams are simply a projection of your own emotions or fear upon the screen of your sleeping mind. So why don’t you rerally express those emotions instead of being afraid of your own feelings. Why not roar back!!?? But please see Nothing can Hurt You in Your Dreams

 As an example of what you can do in your dreams, here the dreamer ‘roars’ back!

 Example: When I arrived at the attic I put the dog down. But now the attic was empty and dark. I could feel my hair stand on end and my skin ‘crawling’. Actually I feel it all again as I write this. The feeling arose because there was an unformed dark shape creeping around at the far end of the room. The dog was really afraid and came into my arms. Then the dark creature leapt at me, transforming into a massive mouth with huge fangs and awful demonic face. Immediately I leapt at it in the same way and smashed against its face with my own huge fangs. This utterly disarmed it because it had felt, in its primitive way, to terrify me. It surprised me too that I could so immediately transform into a monster when necessary.

Example: A huge black panther chased me. I fell and it clawed my back. I/it was about to chew my back to bite me. I didn’t know whether to relax or struggle. After being floored by the Panther I managed to get up. I later did active imagination. I allowed the panther to eat me, and I thus became the panther. Then I, as the panther, noticed a tiger. Feeling enormous temper – anger – hate I leapt upon the tiger to claw and devour it. I really felt strong temper. It kept really appearing to get smaller and smaller. Eventually I saw it as just a toy cuddly tiger. Then its head came off as a pantomime horse does, and I was amazed to see that my cousin Sidney was inside it, who I felt had mercilessly teased me as a child. The panther was my own feelings of anger.

As an astrological sign, the lion is the sign of Leo, a ‘Fixed’ ‘Fire’ sign. In the dream of a person born with the sun in Leo, the lion may represent their basic character. It is said to be the heart of the Zodiac. In it all the activities of Aries have been concentrated and given purpose, permanence, passion and a certain nobility. It is the Royal Sign denoting Love, the Ruler of Life. Subjects of this sign are said to be proudly ‘faithful’ and scorn what is weak, small-minded, or mean. It is the sign of the Sun – the physical and also the Divine Sun. In terms of human evolution the sign of Leo represents rulership of the animal kingdom, to become a dominant creature, expressing the best of the instinctive and natural within human nature. Thus in The Witch and The Wardrobe, the greatest strength and unifying influence is the lion. But there is a step beyond this into independent awareness where one recognises oneself not only as the powerful and creative universal animal life, but as an individual human being as well.

Useful questions and hints:

Are there signs that this is about anxiety or anger – if so can I define what they connect with?

If the lion suggests strength and protectiveness, am I relating well to it?

What do I feel if I imagine myself as the lion?

What are the key words I use in describing this dream?

See: key wordsBeing the Person or ThingMammal Brain

Comments

-Sam 2013-11-08 14:30:45

Hey Tony! I had a dream about a black lion try to get into my yard and I got scared so I closed the door on him then I watched him slowly getting away from that place, then I got in a car with my brother and started driving and I hit a car further along the road. What does it mean?

-tracy 2013-10-30 11:13:04

hello, i have had a dream that on a church step i was protecting a little boy as he was crying he was homeless and he needed me later in the dream someone said they caught me on a video phone helping the boy as his “parents came around, behind where we were was a handler holding a lioness and a tiger out of no were a 2ndrd tiger took out the handler so 2x tigers and a lioness was free everyone was running around and screaming but the animals did not touch anyone, i was ablivious to the whole thing on the video and without knowing the tiger lioness and tiger sat behind me while i was protecting the boy from these two nasty people, i was shouting at the parents but these tigers and 1 lioness did not attack me they just sat there as i walked off on the video they dissapiered into thin air? could anyone tell me what this may mean as i have had a bad experience lately? and all dreams are worrieng butn i did not feel scared,

Kind regards

-ysaias 2013-10-08 16:29:31

I dream my German shepherd was protecting our small dog from a female lion in my back yard and was about to get killed by the lion but I ran out and shot the lion with my shotgun and killed it. I was going to take a my dog to the hospital but when I did there was a tiger in the car with us sitting next to my dog very calm. Could you explain this dream.

    -Tony Crisp 2013-10-10 8:24:18

    Vsaias – Have you had a disagreement with someone who is a threat to your own vulnerable self – you little dog?

    The lion is often representing a male, and the shotgun is your feelings of anger. Then because you need healing from the emotional hurts you go to the hospital, and the tiger in the car is your own female strength and power.

    Of course it could all have taken place inside you. We often think things that result in creating anxiety. See http://dreamhawk.com/news/avoiding-being-my-own-victim/

    Tony

-Paula 2013-10-04 5:12:50

A year ago I dreamed 3 Male African Lions chased me to a fence that I hopped over and escaped from them. A couple nights ago I dreamed 3 lions (the same lions) walked calmly into the room I was in and sat down like a pussycats….at 1st it startled me and I got up to run then I realized they weren’t trying to chase me. I asked someone had their teeth been removed, the answer was no so I sat back down right across from them and they watched me like Morris the cat and I just sat there looking back at them…..then I woke up. Can you tell me what that dream means?

-chryssa 2013-09-20 19:04:09

hi!! i had a dream of a lot of lions trying to get me and my family ,for a long time we kept escaping from them but at the end i saw that they got my mother and my son….pls reply.

    -Tim 2013-10-01 6:14:16

    I dreamt I was searching in a pool of water for two animals. My partner on the mission already caught a toad. Suddenly a lioness appears, I start running, the lioness following. Suddenly I’m in a long small hall with little boxes stapled upon each other. I climb on the boxes, jumping to the next etc. down the hall, knocking some over in the progress, making some people mad. Finally at the end of the hall, a man waits, telling me the lioness just wants to play. The lioness starts walking like a human and we start to air-drum (more like tapping the air&each other’s arms) a Vocaloid song, like playing a level on Project Diva f.

-Sarika 2013-08-22 3:17:08

This morning i dreamnt that i am returning home and in near my building there were lions, lioness and ther cubs.It seemed as if they were also scared an dtrying to protect their children.I somehow wanted to get away from them and go to a safe place.So i started running and shouting so that i could scare them away and show them that i am superior than them.They did got scared and i tried to reach my building gate by i saw there more lions in d gate,so i couldnt find a safe place.

-wendi howieson 2013-07-31 11:01:29

Hi Tony, my dream was, I was looking at a calm lion and lioness, I was stood looking calmly at them and they were both calmly looking at me they were both laid down and very close too me… I have read the interpretations and it makes sense to me, I have been doing a counselling course, I have been accepted to do the degree but issues arose within the class with three colleagues that totally refuse to interact with the rest of the class the said they had decided to stick together as a group and didn’t want to interact with us other girls and so they have segregated themselves off from the rest of the class and they also said they did not agree most of the time with our tutor who I think is an amazing woman of whom tells me she feels very psychologically connected to me, anyway I feel in light of what we have been learning throughout the course these colleagues have gone against everything and have literally said when they were told they don’t give anything and don’t interact enough that they were going to rebel, it blew my mind and I have struggled to understand and see things through their frame of reference this has frustrated me and I felt so angry about it that I wondered if I could keep my emotions in tact and deal with this appropriately because my true self wants to tell them some very unpleasant things, I realise I have taken issue with this and need to deal with it I am starting to work this out for myself and I know I can do this so this dream makes perfect sense to me now…

-Mimmi 2013-07-14 20:27:40

Hi Tony, I dreamt about being in close proximity to two lionesses and not being afraid. What does that mean please?

-Elyse 2013-05-30 4:45:08

With zodiac Leo sign, recently I had quite long and vivid lion dream. At first, I was chased through an old ship. Looking around, I’m now at a forest looks more like zion, with red rocks and cliff. Witnessing someone older who tried to protect me struggling with a lion. He stabbed a lion then a lion turns into him .. I don’t think this is the same lion who chased me earlier. After witnessing this, I start to move on. The lion runs and runs so fast. I caught my reflection as the young lion with mane waving around. I feel free.

The next morning, I dreamt about a dog

-Harishri 2013-02-10 18:11:49

I get a recurring dream about a Lion running after me, but he doesn’t harm me, the moment I reach my home or building he stops and stares at me and then he goes. Can anyone interpret about this dream?

-Kawohi 2012-11-22 12:32:40

I have had 3 dreams where lions featured:
The first a lion was in a room I entered. He just sat there, roared but I was not afraid and neither was he.
The second I was in an affection embrace and we were cuddling and I was scratching her head.
The third, I walked outside onto this wide cobblestone road with walls either side like in Bali. There was this mad (not crazy) elephant, very large with fat trunk he was flipping around. The mahouts were trying to calm him and suddenly he and they disappeared and there were many lions everywhere. It didn’t feel threatening but I thought it a good idea to go inside! As I was walking in a male lion was also entering. I stopped suddenly and thought to walk out and the lion also stepped back having second thoughts about entering the room with me. I stopped to see what he would do and woke up. How do you interpret these 3 dreams? Thank you in advance.

-Priya 2012-11-20 2:01:07

Dear Tony,
I had a very peculiar dream of being eaten up by a lion and its cub. I am being eaten with my willingness. I understand that the lion and cub are hungry and I am being offered as their food. I say it is okay with me if it does not involve pain. Then some saint-like person says, ok you wont feel the pain while being eaten. I agree and as they eat me i dont feel any pain. i dont see the whole process of eating, but finally when they are done, I am still there without my body. I can still see them and I dont panic and all, just feel ok, i satisfied their hunger. What do i make out of it?

-Elena 2012-10-05 3:11:29

I dreamt that there were lions everywhere I turned but they were not attacking, which confused me, the odd little roar but not specifically at anyone, I seemed the only concerned person and I just kept away from them as much as possible, but didn’t seem to hide as such. What could this possibly mean?

    -Tony Crisp 2012-10-07 12:34:15

    Elena – Lions, and so many of them, are about your inner strength, the sort of strength we get from being a natural person rather than one who is so conditioned by rights and wrongs. Someone who says what they feel and does what they feel is right. You are slightly afraid of your enormous strength, but there is not need to be. Animals have very good sense of where they fit into their surroundings. As you say, you are the only person concerned. But you have learnt to keep away form your power as much as possibly.

    Please do not hide the wonderful power that you have. It is not something to hurt yourself or others.

    Tony

-linda 2012-03-03 10:06:53

During my acupuncture treatment I received an image of a lion. The lion was a sketch at first, as a kid I enjoyed drawing a lions head. The lion then came alive and was right in my face. Wasn’t at all scared in fact quite in awe and admiring the beautiful features and feeling very honoured to be in his presence. Very commanding presence, a sense of calm yet strength and confidence. Then he casually turned and walked away proudly. I felt somewhat disappointed to watch him leave.
Can you tell me what this might mean?

-Jody 2012-02-10 0:44:01

Last night I encountered an Owl on top of a Deer’s head. The Owl’s wings were spread and then it lifted off of the Deer and landed on it’s head again. The Deer was young and following it’s mother, it started to run when the Owl landed again and the Owl then flew off. I thought about it all night long.
When I went to bed last night, I had a dream that my children were small (they are usually small when I dream about them) and we were just heading outside, I was ahead of them in the yard. Suddenly a Male Lion came running towards me fast, I could see the Lioness behind him. I turned around and was yelling to the boys to quickly get back in the house, as I was waking I felt sure we were not going to make it, the animals were almost upon me.

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