Recurring Image

Dreams. I am fascinated by them. Mine tend to come in waves that alternate between the bland and forgettable on the one hand and the unbelievably vivid and powerful on the other. They say you shouldn't talk too much about them because people tend to create a generalized platform to interpret them - which may not always ring true. I believe the reason is that there are a flurry of discrete factors that are unique to only the dreamer that an objective eye could not possibly entirely understand. Such things as past experiences, current situations, depth of emotion - to name a few.

For the past few years there has been one creature that has continued to show up one way or another in my dreams: a lion. Much like the animal, the dream is one that makes its presence felt - subconsciously. More freakily the suggestions of the dream tend to translate into a reality. The context always changes though. In these dreams I am feeding them, dancing with them, being attacked by them, attacking them, running alongside them or actually being one.

So, as a kind of tribute to the abyss that is my subconscious, I have decided to investigate the nature of this creature. Here are a couple of interesting facts:

• Most cat species live a fundamentally solitary existence, but the lion is an exception. It has developed a social system based on teamwork and a division of labor within the pride, and an extended but closed family unit centered around a group of related females.
• Females do 85 to 90 percent of the pride's hunting, while the males patrol the territory and protect the pride, for which they take the "lion's share" of the females' prey
• The pride usually remains intact until the males are challenged and successfully driven away or killed by other males, who then take over. Not all lions live in prides
• If one lion kills another when joining a pride the defeated lions cubs will be killed.
• The hyena is one of the lion's greatest competitors for prey
• A lion's roar can be heard up to 5 miles away
• For the lion and lioness couple, it's all about quantity, not quality. Though romps usually only last for 10 seconds, the process is repeated up to 40 times a day - now that's stamina!
• The lion is the only member of the cat family with a tasseled tail, which serves a purpose beyond aesthetics. It's often used to signal to other members of the pride, with messages ranging from directional, "this way" commands to flirtatious, "come hither" invitations.
• An ancient symbol of the sun, dominion, power, ferocity and bravery, the lion was often used on heraldic shields, flags or banners by medieval European rulers.

There is an old chinese proverb that says a 'lion's pride does not come from the size of its mane but from its ability to build a stable family and social network.' Okay I totally made that up but I have to say I think there is some truth to it.