“The first nightmare that I had last night took place in a zoo. Within the exhibit, there were 2 female tigers laying down facing each other. Between them was an adorable golden puppy. It was a big, “Awwwwwwww” for everyone involved. Then, someone came and took the puppy away from the tigers. The tiger on the right thought that the tiger on the left stole her “baby” from her, and she started viciously mauling the neck of the tiger on the left like prey. I was horrified to see blood streaming down the left tiger’s neck, as the right tiger kept chomping through. As it appeared she was killing her, I frantically called for help from a zookeeper, but there were none to be found and I went unheard. Before I knew it, the one tiger had beheaded the other, and the zookeepers were suddenly there pulling a big black tarp over them across the entire exhibit. I was deeply disturbed and in despair.
My interpretation: The puppy represented my inner child; the innocent, warm, and vulnerable side of me that needs to grow and be nurtured. And/or, it represents an immature, conceited person that I love and long to protect.
I was wondering what the tigers could have signified, reading that they can represent leadership. Later in the day today, it hit me and I just knew… The tigers are me. The tiger is my Chinese zodiac. They represent conflicting sides of me that long to protect, but one lashes out at the other for taking/letting go of the “baby”. Likely the heart vs. the mind.
My desperately calling out and not being heard represents being unable to attain the help I need during times of threat.
Using resources at my disposal, I gathered that the black tarp symbolizes a lack of love and support; death, mourning, rejection… The color is an invitation to delve deeper in my unconscious in order to gain a better understanding of myself. More positively, black represents potential and possibilities. It is like a clean or blank slate.”