I was in the kitchen in our Huntsville home, looking out the door window into the yard. A herd of whitetail deer was passing through, as frequently is the case in waking life. Suddenly a moose appeared by the edge of the woods! My mind was aware that there are no moose in Pennsylvania, so the moose instantly became a large whitetail buck. Then it suddenly appeared at the kitchen door, looking through the window directly at me.
In the next instant, I was no longer in the house, but inside a cave which was under a small hill, with a cave entrance out the hill's side. I looked toward the cave entrance and saw sunlight shining on trees and grass outside. Then a small fawn appeared, standing on the side of the hill and looking down through the top of the cave entrance at me. I sensed that it was the same individual as the transforming buck and moose. Without using any audible words nor body motions, I called it to me; and it came down the hillside and into the cave next to me. I reached down and petted its head, and as I was petting it, the fawn became a black panther. The panther took my hand into its mouth -- not gently, but not with intent to harm, either. The transforming animal and myself seemed to be peers. I was not its superior, nor was it mine. One of it's fangs became caught on a ring on my left hand (despite the fact that I do not wear any rings in waking life), but I could not dislodge the tooth. This called for care and delicacy on my part.The tension was relieved as the panther turned into a Rottweiler, because a dog is a safer animal with which to deal than a panther! I have always loved dogs and felt a deep kinship with them.
Then I became aware that my tribe's members were asleep on the floor of this cave to my left, and my two children and husband were asleep on the floor of the cave to my right. My husband awoke, and threw his sleeping bag over the head of the dog, in a teasing act of play as if it were one of our cats. I became alarmed, and warned him that the dog would bite if he did not show a more care! This is where the dream ended.
I will not give an analysis of this dream here, except to say that I am still shaken by its profound mythic imagery and prophetic accuracy. And I am no longer the chieftain of that tribe.
