09/09/11 - I'm at home in my apartment and just cleaning or something, when I see my dad walk by the window and up to the door. I'm really surprised to see him because I had no idea he was in town. He's with his dog, Samson (who died several years ago). He used to call him "Sam the Wolf Dog" because I welcome them in and we end up hanging out on my bed, sort of relaxing. I think he's here because he had nowhere else to go.
I offer him something to drink, and tell him the only thing I have is coffee. He says that sounds great, so I make us some.
I think he might be naked, but he's under the covers, and he says he needs to borrow some clothes. I start looking through my wardrobe to see if anything looks like it will work for him. Then I think that I'm sort of undressed, too, and I start to put some clothes on.
An emblem of faithfulness, and it is in this sense that it appears so often
at the feet of women in the engravings on mediaeval tombs; in the same way the
lion, an attribute of the male, symbolizes valour (20). In Christian symbolism, the
dog has another sense, deriving from the function of the sheep-dog: that of guarding and guiding the flocks, which at times becomes an allegory of the priest (46).
In a more profound sense, though still related to the foregoing, the dog is—like the
vulture—the companion of the dead on their ‘Night Sea-Crossing’, which is
associated with the symbolisms of the mother and of resurrection. It has a similar
significance when it appears in scenes depicting the Mithraic sacrifice of the bull
(31). In alchemy, it was used as a sign rather than as a symbol. A dog devoured by
a wolf represents the purification of gold by means of antimony.
To see a dog in your dream, symbolizes intuition, loyalty, generosity, protection, and fidelity. The dream suggests that your strong values and good intentions will enable you to go forward in the world and bring you success. The dream dog may also represent someone in your life who exhibits these qualities. Alternatively, to see a dog in your dream, indicates a skill that you may have ignored or forgotten. If the dog is vicious and/or growling, then it indicates some inner conflict within yourself. It may also indicate betrayal and untrustworthiness. If the dog is dead or dying, then it means a loss of a good friend or a deterioration of your instincts.
To dream that a dog bites you on the leg, suggests that you have lost your ability to balance aspects of your life. You may be hesitant in approaching a new situation or have no desire to move forward with your goals. Alternatively, it symbolizes disloyalty.
To see a happily barking dog in your dream, symbolizes pleasures and social activity. You are being accepted into some circle. If the dog is barking ferociously, then it represents your habit of making demands on people and controlling situations around you. Are you "barking" too many orders? Alternatively, it could also indicate unfriendly companions.
To dream that you are buying a dog, indicates your tendency to buy your friends or buy compliments and favors. Alternatively, it suggest a need for you to find companionship. If you are being guided by a dog, then it suggests that you are having difficulties in navigating out of a situation or problem.
To dream that you give or send your dog away, indicates that the decisions and choices you are making now may be misinterpreted as disloyalty. You have to do what is right for you and not worry about what others think of the decision. Alternatively, it signifies rejection of friendship.
To dream that you are dressing up your dog, signifies your attempts to cover up your own character flaws and habits.
To see a black colored dog in your dream, symbolizes the shadow aspect of a friend. The dark side of someone close to you is being revealed and you are able to see through to their true intentions.
Also consider the notions associated with the word dog, such as loyalty ("man's best friend") and to be "treated like a dog".
Seeing a dog in your dream, indicate a skill that you have ignored or forgotten, but needs to be activated. Alternatively, dogs may symbolize intuition, loyalty, generosity, protection, and fidelity. Your own values and intentions will enable you to go forward in the world and succeed. If the dog is vicious and/or growling, then it means some inner conflict within yourself. It may indicate betrayal and untrustworthiness. If the dog is dead or dying, then it indicates a loss of a good friend. Alternatively, it represents a deterioration of your instincts. Dreaming that a dog bites your on the leg, suggests that you have lost your ability to balance aspects of your life. You may be hesitant in approaching a new situation or have no desire to move forward with your goals. Seeing a happily barking dog in your dream, symbolizes pleasures and much social activity. If the dog is barking ferociously, then it represents your habit of making demands on people and controlling situations around you. It could also mean unfriendly companions. Dreaming that you are buying a dog indicates your tendency to buy your friends or buy compliments/favors. Alternatively, it suggest a need for you to find companionship. Dreaming that you are dressing up your dog means your attempts to cover up your own character flaws and habits.
Dogs in dreams could symbolise a large variety of ideas and concepts, but mostly they are symbolic of the dreamer's defensive structure and may represent personal boundary issues. Carefully consider all of the details and the mood in your dream. First, if you have a dog, it may be natural to dream about him. We become emotionally attached to our dogs and we dream about them just as we dream about anything else that is important to us. Otherwise, dogs could symbolize loyalty and hard work.
If you hear a barking dog in your dream, your unconscious could be warning you of danger. A growling dog can be a warning that someone you know is being untrustworthy.
If you dream of being bitten by a dog, you could be engaging in activities that will cause you problems later on in waking life.
If someone calls you a dog, it is a negative reflection on your personality. If you are being treated like a dog, you are most likely being abused in some way.
On the metaphysical level, dogs are considered to be the guardians of the underworld. Finally, dogs could represent the more basic or "animal" parts of our nature and some think that they specifically represent male energy.
Dog Meaning and Dog Symbolism
To me, dog meaning and symbolism rings my bells in the realms of communication, and I elaborate on that the theme of communication on my "Dog Meaning and Symbolism in the Tarot" article.
I'll let you in on a little secret: Once upon a time, the sound of barking dogs put my nerves in a "tilt." Worse than scrapes down a chalkboard; barking and yapping dogs would send me in a nervous tailspin. I'm an audio-attuned person, and certain sounds just send rancor through my nerve-ranks.
Thankfully, that nerve-crushing reaction subsided when I met with an Iroquois native. Naturally perceptive, she noticed my jangled state while we were passing a group of neighborhood canines. Acting on her observations, she took the time to explain the intricacies and importance of "dog-speak." She shared with me how canine language is complex and vital to how dogs communicate their well-being (or otherwise), their views and the status of their community. Embracing her Iroquoian wisdom, I viewed (heard) dog-speak in a whole new light.
Now, every time I hear dogs baying in my awareness - I get quiet. I listen. I realize their speech is an opportunity to gain vital information on the status of my environment (and theirs). Intonation, pitch, guttural inflection, repetitious patterns....they all contribute to the overall message a dog is conveying. If you listen close, you can pick up on their language. It can be a true oracle. Try it sometime.
A short-list of dog meaning includes symbolic attributes like:
Fidelity
Loyalty
Assistance
Intelligence
Obedience
Protection
Community
Cooperation
Resourcefulness
Communication
Sensory Perception
The theme of communication becomes heightened when we peer into histories and discover dog meaning and symbolism is connected to the metaphysical realms. The dog has long been considered a liaison between the physical and non-physical dimensions. Ancient Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Celtic and beyond have all prescribed the dog as a sacred guardian of the Otherworlds - those realms outside our daily/mundane experience. If you hear of dogs being symbols of death - this is the connection: Dogs are the guardians of ephemeral domains, and can even serve as spirit guides in non-physical journeys.
Consider Anubis, the Egyptian god whose charge is to insure safe transitions from common reality (physical life on Earth) into the Afterlife experience. With the head of a jackal (of canine ilk), Anubis dons the super-powerful sensory perception of the dog. Further, that dog connection represents the epitome of protection, guidance, loyalty and adherence to the flow of unseen spiritual energy. To be sure, safe passage from "life" to Afterlife will be seen to success under the governance of the dog/jackal-headed Anubis. In this ancient light, we get distinct impressions of: Security, Guardianship, Protection.
Dogs are sacred to Hecate, the Greek-Roman overseer of lots of things - but surely a matron bound to protect that which is misunderstood. It seems (to me) where there is senseless lashing out against that which is misunderstood, Hecate comes ferociously in justification - her dogs baying with equal verve at her side. Death, darkness, wild wandering, lunar moodiness, midnight journeying...Hecate defends the soul's right to wander in these little-known, oft-misunderstood alleyways. With her highly perceptive hounds guiding the way (and protecting the body as the spirit wanders), astral travel becomes eons easier.
Interestingly, Hecate and her hounds will also speak for (and protect) those who cannot do so for themselves. Newborns. Hecate and her dogs represent an Alliance for Defense and Protection to those who cannot defend themselves: Babies, Children, the Meek, the Mild, the Mad and the unjustly Maligned.
In Celtic symbolism, dogs are a representation of heroism. They embody heart-pounding attributes such as: Courage, Persistence, Virility. This, in large part is due to a Celtic dog's role in hunting. Dogs were even trained by the ancient Celts to assist in battle. So here we see that same thread of defense, protection and action for the good of the clan. An interesting paradox: Celtic dogs are also symbolic of healing. They are often associated with Nodens, a Celtic god of nutritive waters, hunting and healing (water is often synonymous with healing in Celtic wisdom). Dogs have also been portrayed with Sucellus, the Celtic god of protection and provision (from an agricultural view).
Native American Indian tribes have long depended upon the dog for their helpful guidance and assistance in everyday chores. Before horses, there were dogs and they were trained to help the tribe in agricultural efficiency as well as hunting. In fact, when horses were introduced to North America by the Spaniards, the term "sky dogs" was dubbed for horses because they were as helpful as their canine allies. In Native American wisdom dogs convey symbolism of: Assistance, Fidelity, Community, Protection, Friendship and Communication.
The dog is a totem of faith, reliability and mentoring. Its basic instinct is to serve a master, and even though it is often mistreated, it always answers with love. Since the dog strives to be respected by its master, it is, of course, possible to spoil it with the wrong training. Ultimately, the dog is the guardian of its master and willing to do anything for him, possibly even follow him into death. Traditionally, the dog is also guardian of secret areas and ancient knowledge. The dog's heart is filled with compassion, and it is willing to overlook human weakness. The dog can help bring these qualities to life in a person. He teaches us about mentoring, that is being the person who believes in us more that we believe in ourselves. The dog teaches us to examine one's loyalty toward one-self and others, and if a dog has arrived in your life it is a question about whether you are truly giving support.
Protection, companionship, faithfulness, warnings. Dog is a symbol of friendship and the unconditional ability to love and accept. They exhibit loyalty and are fierce protectors when needed. Examine the type of dog and what it says about you. What behaviors do you have or would like to have of the dog? Are you showing compassion for others? Are you a good companion and protector balanced with playfulness and joy? Are you serving humanity in the best way you can? Dog can teach you strength in the above qualities.
Symbolic of valour among the Romans and the Egyptians. It also
appears as a guardian in a great many monuments (8). In Nordic mythology we
are told of a monstrous wolf, Fenris, that would destroy iron chains and shackles
and was eventually shut up in the bowels of the earth. It was also said that, with
the twilight of the gods—the end of the world—the monster would break out of
this prison too, and would devour the sun. Here, then, the wolf appears as a
symbol of the principle of evil, within a pattern of ideas which is unquestionably
related to the Gnostic cosmogony. Nordic mythology presupposes that cosmic
order is possible only through the temporary shackling of the chaotic and destructive potential of the universe—a potential which (through the process of
Symbolic Inversion—q.v.) must triumph in the end. The myth is also connected
with all other concepts of the final annihilation of the world, whether by water or
by fire.
To dream of a wolf, shows that you have a thieving person in your employ, who will also betray secrets.
To kill one, denotes that you will defeat sly enemies who seek to overshadow you with disgrace. To hear the howl of a wolf, discovers to you a secret alliance to defeat you in honest competition.
To see a wolf in your dream, symbolizes survival, beauty, solitude, mystery, self-confidence and pride. You are able to keep your composure in a variety of social circumstances and blend into any situation with ease and grace. You are also a loner by choice. Negatively, the wolf represents hostility, aggression, or sneakiness. It may reflect an uncontrollable situation or an all-consuming force in your life. This could point to an obsession, an addiction or something that is beyond your control.
To see a white wolf in your dream, signifies valor and victory. You have the ability to see the light even in your darkest hours.
To dream that you kill a wolf, indicates betrayal. Certain secrets will be revealed to you.
To hear a wolf howling in your dream, represents a cry for help from somebody in your waking life.
Seeing a wolf in your dream, symbolizes beauty, solitude, mystery, self-confidence and pride. You are able to keep your composure in a variety of social situations and can blend in with any situation with ease and grace. You are a loner by choice. Negatively, it represents hostility and aggression. It may also reflect an uncontrollable force or situation in your life. In particular, if the wolf is white, then it means valor and victory. You have the ability to see the light even in your darkest hours. Dreaming that you kill a wolf indicates betrayal and secrets revealed.
Wolf Meaning and Totem Symbolism of the Wolf
To understand totem wolf symbols, one must first understand the heart of the Wolf. This takes time because the Wolf has had to endure many false stereotypes, misconceptions and misunderstandings.
Not at all the picture of ferocity or terror, the Wolf is a creature with a high sense of loyalty and strength. Another misconception is that of the “lone wolf.” To the contrary, the Wolf is actually a social creature, friendly, and gregarious with its counterparts.
The Wolf is an incredible communicator. By using touch, body movements, eye contact as well as many complex vocal expressions – the wolf makes his point understood. Those with totem wolf symbols are of the same inclination – they are expressive both vocally and physically. Those who have the wolf as their totem animal are naturally eloquent in speech, and also have knack for creative writing.
A quick-list of totem wolf symbolic attributes include:
Intelligence
Cunning
Communication
Friendliness
Loyalty
Generosity
Compassionate
Totem wolf symbols belong to those who truly understand the depth of passion that belong to this noble creature. The Wolf is a representative of deep faith, and profound understanding.
Further, the Wolf possess a high intellect, and have been observed using strategies about hunting, habitat and migration.
In history, the totem Wolf symbol appears with the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus. Legend has it that the two founding brothers were raised and suckled by a she-wolf.
In Norse mythology, the Wolf is a symbol for victory when ridden by Odin and the Valkyries upon the battlefield.
As a Celtic symbol, the Wolf was a source of lunar power. Celtic lore states that the Wolf would hunt down the sun and devour it at each dusk so as to allow the power of the moon to come forth.
In Asia, the wolf guards the doors that allow entrance to heavenly, celestial realms. The Wolf is also said to be among the ancestry of Genghis Khan.
When this gracious creature appears to us, and serves as a totem in our lives, the Wolf beckons us to ask these questions:
Are you thinking about a different form of education?
Are you being a true friend, and are your friends being true to you?
Are you communicating yourself clearly to others?
Are you being loyal to yourself?
Are you incorporating strategies and planning to achieve your goals?
Are you spending enough quality time with yourself, friends and family?
The wolf represents your inner teacher. It will help you to find your life path.
Royalty, spirit, strength, friendly, family, sociable, intelligent, ritualistic in nature (applies to all of life), balances flexibility to establish harmony and order in life, new paths and journeys, freedom to move within the realms of insights and attachments. Teaches able to be steadfast, familial protection, Epitome of the wild spirit. Wolf guides the use of resources and the lesson of adaptability along with teaching and instruction. Wolf helps to tap into inner strength and intuition. Sometimes transformation accompanies Wolf's lessons. Are you using your resources wisely for the greater good? Are you nourishing your family and those around you? Are you listening to your instincts to avoid confrontations? Wolf will add in balancing harmony and wisdom to take control of your life.
The wearing of skins by the Roman eagle-bearers appears to be of
totemic origin. Without attempting to establish any theoretical connexion between a Sacher-Masoch’s concept of ‘skins’ and their habitual use by women,
this possibility must not be forgotten. The spotted skin of an animal (such as a
panther) or a multicoloured or shot fabric are symbols of the Whole (the god Pan).
In Aurélia, which abounds in symbols, Nerval says: ‘and the goddess of my
dreams appeared before me, smiling, dressed in Indian-style garments. . . . She
began to walk among us, and the meadows grew green again and the flowers and
plants sprang up over the earth at the touch of her feet.’ In another passage,
Nerval causes the drapery and designs of his beloved’s dress to become so confused with the flowers and plants in a garden that they grow indistinguishable.
To dream of seeing clothes soiled and torn, denotes that deceit will be practised to your harm. Beware of friendly dealings with strangers.
For a woman to dream that her clothing is soiled or torn, her virtue will be dragged in the mire if she is not careful of her associates. Clean new clothes, denotes prosperity.
To dream that you have plenty, or an assortment of clothes, is a doubtful omen; you may want the necessaries of life. To a young person, this dream denotes unsatisfied hopes and disappointments
Dreaming of your clothes, is symbolic of your public self and how you are perceived. It is indicative of the act you put on in front of others. Clothes is also an indication of your condition and status in life. Dreaming that your clothes are soiled and you are trying to clean them means your attempts to change something about your character. You may need to change your old habits and old ways of thinking. Dreaming that you are wearing brand new clothes means new attitudes and a new persona. You are finding a different way of expressing yourself. If the price tags are still attached to the clothes, then it suggests that you are trying too hard to adapt to this new attitude. Perhaps it is not who you really are and you are not quite fitting in. Dreaming that you are constantly changing your clothes, represents the need for change and your need to fit into a new situation or role. You need to establish a new self-image. Dreaming that your clothes fit too tightly means that you feel restricted in some way. You may feel constrained in a relationship or held back at work. Dreaming that your clothing is torn or ripped indicates that there is some flaws in your thinking or thought process. Your logic is not making sense. You need to alter your reasoning and make a stronger argument. Dreaming that you are shopping for or buying clothes, represents your anxieties about trying to fit in or being "well-suited" for your changing role. Dreaming that all your clothes in the closet are white, suggests that you need to lighten up. You may have recently been feeling a little on the depressed side. Perhaps you were going through some crisis. It is time to move on. You need to change your attitude and get a grip of your inner emotions.
To dream that you are drinking or need your coffee, suggests that you need to gain some insight and knowledge before making a decision or tackling some project/relationship. You may be acting too hasty and need to slow down. Alternatively, it may imply a need for you to change your routine.
To dream that you are drinking coffee with someone, indicates that you might have feelings for that person. Alternatively, having coffee with someone denotes your hospitality and sociability.
To see a coffee pot in your dream, signifies hospitality and sharing of knowledge, hopes, concerns and/or ideas. It may also represent neighborliness, comfort, and companionship.
To dream of drinking coffee, denotes the disapproval of friends toward your marriage intentions. If married, disagreements and frequent quarrels are implied.
To dream of dealing in coffee, portends business failures. If selling, sure loss. Buying it, you may with ease retain your credit.
For a young woman to see or handle coffee she will be made a by-word if she is not discreet in her actions.
To dream of roasting coffee, for a young woman it denotes escape from evil by luckily marrying a stranger.
To see ground coffee, foretells successful struggles with adversity.
Parched coffee, warns you of the evil attentions of strangers.
Green coffee, denotes you have bold enemies who will show you no quarter, but will fight for your overthrow.
Dreaming that you are drinking or need your coffee, suggests that you should gain some insight and knowledge before making a decision or tackling some project/relationship. You may be acting too hasty and need to slow down. Alternatively, it may imply a need for you to change your routine. Dreaming that you are drinking coffee with someone indicates that you might have feelings for that person. Seeing a coffee pot in your dream means hospitality and sharing of knowledge, hopes, concerns and/or ideas. It may also represent neighborliness, comfort, and companionship.