Lioness

As I walked the edge of the dream world last night, that misty place between waking and sleeping, where the subconscious and the universe can speak to the mind that remembers, a lioness came to me.  I was dreaming of a field expedition for anthropologists, somewhere in a jungle.  We stayed in well-furnished tents, but had to stay inside during the evening because that is when the big cats were out hunting.  I saw a pride of lions slinking and dashing about our camp, their colors blurred around the edges.  They looked more like pieces of art than actual animals, except for my lioness.  She came closer to the tent, and through a huge rush of terror, I stepped outside to meet her.  I told myself that I had to let go of my fear.  She looked at me, and I gradually became aware of the feeling that she would not hurt me.  She became my wild friend.  She was not my pet, and I still feared the other lions.  She was just there to be with me.  Feelings of strength, wisdom, wild courage, and independence radiated from her.

I can't remember the rest of the dream, though I hope more comes back to me.  I don't know what my lioness offers me yet, and I'm still trying to dissect the meaning.  The most heartening thing is that I was able to surmount my fear in a dream, which easily could have become a nightmare.