Swimming with a bear

[distantJ]

Please keep in mind that beyond the Wharf, I have spent no time in San Francisco and not a lot of time in California in general, so I'm positive that my dream geography is off.

I had a dream that I was in San Francisco on the south side of the bay. There was no city around me, just clumps of grass and dirt. It was nighttime and almost fully dark out. I was sitting comfortably and talking with someone, though I don't know who. When I try to remember, I think for some reason it was my husband, but maybe my oldest daughter (17). To the north, we could see the Golden Gate Bridge. It looked black because of the time of day. We decided for whatever reason that it was very important to swim to the north side of the bay to the city that was there on the other side of the Bridge.

We got in and were swimming along and talking. The water was dark so we couldn't see into it, and it was deep, but we weren't alarmed. Just was important to get to the other side and the city beyond. I was swimming on the side nearer to shore, and as we talked, I looked at my companion. I was slightly ahead of him/her so could see to the west side of him/her. I saw in the water about 4 feet away from him and swimming along with us a good sized black bear. I said, "Is that a bear?" He looked to his left and acknowledged that the bear was there. The bear looked at us as well. I remember thinking we should be alarmed, but we weren't. About that time, the bear took a breath and went under water. I either said or thought, Well, I hope he doesn't pull us under water by the legs and eat us. However, I really wasn't alarmed still and we continued to swim and talk.

After awhile, I realized that we hadn't seen the bear again and didn't know where he had gone.

That's about it! I can see a lot of meaning in each element separately, such as nighttime, calm/dark/deep ocean, a bear, etc, but I can't for the life of me tie it all together.

Anyone want to take a stab at it?

[Oneironaut76]

Hi there,
I frequently have the same feeling with some of my dreams,hoping to get to that goosebump moment of revelation,that,of course,does not preclude more insights/nuances/facets to come to light at a different point. If this were my dream I would investigate what certain elements mean to me. What does San Francisco mean to you? Is that the city you felt you needed to get to beyond the bridge or was that just a city? Associations with bears?Any ideas/feelings about the contrast between sitting on clumps of earth versus the city? What I really enjoy about your dream is that you neither focus on being afraid of the dark,the water or the bear. If you feel like sharing more of your impressions on the dream,I would be eager to hear about it.
Christina

[Tony Crisp]

DistantJ - Well, without knowing your own associations with San Francisco, I can be sure it is a place you haven’t been before, an unknown that you are travelling into. So it suggests you are moving into new territory in your inner world. In fact into deep waters - deeper places you hold within you that you are beginning to explore to get to the city. An unknown city is often your Core Self. See http://dreamhawk.com/inner-life/inner-world/ and http://dreamhawk.com/dream-dictionary/core/

Swimming is a way of dipping into ones awareness of sharing with others - as you were doing with the companion and the bear. The bear is your own inner natural and instinctive self. It has its own individual independence and is your intuition and ability to explore the unknown, unconscious side of you. See http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/brain-levels-and-dreams

It dived because it was seeing under the surface of your mind. As a conscious ego/personality we usually do not ever go under the surface and dive into the unconscious aspect of us. But your mammalian brain can do that, and as you are not afraid of it, it can show you the wonders of your deeps.

Even so, there is something that can take our breath away in confronting the unconscious. Perhaps this is understandable only if you have used snorkelling equipment to swim in deep water. Some years ago I was swimming along the edge of an island in the Mediterranean. I had my goggles on and was enjoying the view of the seabed about 15 feet below me. Suddenly, and quite unexpectedly, I swam over the edge of a sheer precipice under the water. I could not see the bottom of that precipice, and the water was very clear. It literally took my breath away and I scrambled back to shallower water. Then, only bit by bit, did I dare to swim out into that amazing depth.

Explore the bear and your companion by using  http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/acting-on-your-dream/#BeingPerson 

Tony