Zach and the Lion

He awoke crying, distressed and confused. Running from room to room, it was clear that he was unaware of where he was or mine and my partners presence. "No, no...I can't, I can't," he moaned and sobbed, shaking with fear. When he finally came back to us, he told us what he saw...

He was in a shop, buying some sweets and things for the weekend. Some other boys which he didn't know were also there, but, "the things they were buying were weird," and he chuckles with amusement in the telling. With glee he describes how a man walked into the store and started to buy, "everything thats there," piling his basket high with goods; it is clear from his expression that this pleases him. Suddenly a huge Lion enters and begins to chase those within, in particular it chases Zach, both his terror and tears are real. "I can't get away," he tells me, "I'm running and running but I just cant...I can't..."

The Lion is Zach's birth Totem, revealed to me before I even knew that I carried him, and in his creation I sacrificed my freedom, the horse.

The Lion has long been symbolised as both strength and the sun; the patience we require as we reach towards our personal pots of gold. It suggests the need for cooperation and a gentle approach; although strong, brute force is not always neccesary, is the message of this Totem. They avoid confrontation but will not back down if forced to defend themselves and suggest the need to integrate the feminine within. The beast may be tamed by the gentle strength of love. It is a symbol of new birth and of power emerging, that of creative experession, intuition and the imagination. If these gifts are use then this power will grow.
In reverse the Lion offers an implication of pride, being to rigid, to inflexible, willful or domineering, creating problems within life. Goals cannot be accomplished in this way. This Totem tells us not to lose our nerve or to surrender, to roar if we feel threatened and defend the path we walk.

For Zach it's a case of walking a fine line, he wants to be king of the jungle but his youth holds him back. He is fearful of his own power and tries to use control dramas to compensate. Since entering the age of reason, at seven, has moved away from creative and imaginative pursuits; he is no longer bound to his Mother's side and is developing more masculine traits. The dream implies that he is not afraid to stand alone and that it is male company which he seeks; despite the fact that they may seem strange or weird to him at times, he appears to revel in the unusual. He is without doubt able to stand his ground, if he is willing to confront his fears and utilise the power which he currently holds within.