Yes, I think it does. I feel that you should always trust your own interpretation of what an image or a symbol means in a dream. An interesting dreams related book or website is still worth a read though because they can point the way for you and then you can test it against your own intuition. But books that state seeing 'a' = 'b' full stop I wouldn't bother with, I prefer a more abstract/philosophical sort of approach.
So, at this point do you have a deeper understanding of your dream:
What was the dangerous task being performed? Who were (you?) being targeted by? What did the circle of black panthers signify and why did that make you happy? In the monastery/cave who were represented by the 3 candles?
PS to Crowan - you do know that I'm not trying to tell you off or anything in #7....
So, at this point do you have a deeper understanding of your dream:
What was the dangerous task being performed? Who were (you?) being targeted by? What did the circle of black panthers signify and why did that make you happy? In the monastery/cave who were represented by the 3 candles?
So many questions! Well it's a deep one, I'll have to carry it round with me for a while to figure it out. So far by feel ......it represents an inner journey of some sort, the panthers represent powerful helpers/allies, they also feel quite supernatural for want of a better word! It could also be a forecast of things to come.
If Shamanism according to yourself Crowan has nothing to say about black panthers or any other animal, could you remind me what (essentially) Shamanism is to you...?
Shamanism is the travelling to the spirit worlds at will, in order to negotiate with spirits on behalf of the human community (and to negotiate with humans on behalf of spirits). This is not simply what it means to me it is what shamans do worldwide.
To me, it is also a belief system and a way of life.
You seem to be a bit sniffy about "power animal meanings" being at best from one culture - which seems a lot like you berating another cultures belief in order to bolster your own
No. If you are part of (for example) Tuvan culture then a particular animal (for example) a fox would be considered (in this case) bad luck. This is in no way a criticism of Tuvan culture but, unless we are Tuvan, it can have little meaning to us. An owl can be a symbol of bad luck in one culture and good luck in another. How can this help us, here in this culture? And why would we want to rip off native beliefs?
How can you be so sure that they're made up?
I know a few shamanic writers who have done just that.
You seem to say "publishers know what sells books" in a disparaging way - is your book self-published, and are people buying it in the quantities that you hoped?
My book is published by The Random House Group. Of course publishers know what sells books. It is their job. My editor tried very hard to persuade me to include a list of power animals and their meanings. She said that it would improve sales, since such lists ensured that more books would be sold. I chose not to because I believe such lists mean nothing.
So I suppose that just leaves your with your own interpretation....
Im not an expert on dreams, but in shamanism yes - your interpretation and the interpretation of your spirits. The best person to ask about the meaning of an animal encountered in a shamanic journey is the animal itself.