Wolves have a deep spiritual significance in many cultures, particularly in Native American culture.
They carry a strong symbolism and are often revered and even worshipped as well as being both feared and admired.
What does it mean if you dream about wolves? Wolves appear in dreams as a symbol of intuition, freedom, self-reliance, conquering your fears, and personal development.
Dreaming of a wolf often indicates that you are currently at a crossroads and unsure of which direction to take.
This decision may feel overwhelming but it’s important to listen to your inner voice and trust your intuition.
What a dream about wolves means can differ depending on your current situation and the events that are unfolding in your life.
In this article, you’ll discover the most common dreams about wolves, their meaning and symbolism, and how they may relate to your life.
Here are some key themes and topics associated with dreams about wolves:
- Intuition
- Gut feelings
- Self development
- Freedom
- Self reliance
- Change
- Wisdom
- Strength
- Power
- Telepathy
The Symbolism of Wolves
Wolves are highly symbolic in a number of cultures, including Native American, Japanese and Celtic.
Native American Wolves Symbolism
Wolves are extremely important in Native American culture and feature strongly in the mythology of virtually all Native American tribes (1).
Wolves are associated with courage, strength, and loyalty and are revered as a spiritual guide, with many Native American tribes considering wolves to be sacred animals.
Japanese Wolves Symbolism
In Japan, the indigenous Ainu people who live mainly in Hokkaido believe that their ancestors come from a wolf-like creature and a goddess (2).
In the Shinto faith – the indigenous faith of the Japanese people – wolves were strongly associated with the mountains and thought to be messengers of the Shinto gods, known as “kami.”
In fact, the Japanese word for wolf is “okami” which is derived from the old Japanese opo-kami which means”great-spirit.”
Medieval Celtic Wolves Symbolism
Wolves are seen as valiant warriors in Medieval Celtic mythology.
In many Irish/Welsh myths, wolves were helpers and guides, and there were also deities that appeared in wolf form, including the goddess Morrigana (3).
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The Spiritual Meaning of Wolves in Your Dreams
Here are the most common spiritual themes that show up in dreams about wolves, and what they mean:
- Intuition and Gut Feelings
- Self Development
- Freedom and Self-Reliance
- Strength and Power
1. Intuition and Gut Feelings
Wolves can often show up in your dreams when you’re struggling with making a decision and you’re not listening to your gut instinct.
It’s important that you listen to both your head and your heart when you’re making big decisions. But often we forget to pay attention to our gut feeling, or intuition.
Intuition is a psychological process in which the brain uses past experiences to make a decision.
Wolves are extremely intuitive animals and are able to sense danger and act both instinctively and intuitively.
If you’re struggling with a decision and you have a dream about wolves, it’s a reminder to listen to your gut feeling and trust your intuition.
2. Self Development
Wolves are sensitive and loyal to their pack. They are pack animals and do not generally in solitude, although adult wolves are capable of surviving alone.
When a wolf shows up in your dreams, it can be a reminder that while it’s important to foster strong relationships with others, it’s equally important that you focus on your own personal development.
Try to find a balance between being there for others while also taking care of your own mental health.
If you need a break from socialization, that’s completely fine and also completely normal.
Likewise, take the time to focus on your own self-development.
A regular meditation practice can be a great way to do this, along with adopting a regular morning routine to start your day off right.
3. Freedom and Self-Reliance
When you dream about wolves, it can often mean that you crave more freedom in your life.
Wolves roam the land and travel as much as 30 miles per day while hunting, which is symbolically related to your desire for freedom.
Likewise, the expression “lone wolf” is symbolically linked to your desire to branch out on your own.
However, what may be holding you back from the freedom you desire is doubting your ability to be self-reliant.
Perhaps you’ve always lived with someone else and aren’t sure you can look after yourself.
Maybe you’re thinking of leaving your job and starting your own business but you’re doubting your abilities.
Dreaming about wolves is a reminder that in order to have the freedom you desire, you need to work on becoming self-reliant.
Trust your intuition, focus on personal development and things will start falling into place.
4. Strength and Power
Native American’s consider wolves to be a symbol of strength and power.
If you have a dream about wolves this can be a reminder that you have an inner strength that will allow you to get through challenging situations, overcome life’s hurdles, and experience transformation.
Is Dreaming About Wolves Good or Bad?
Rest assured that even though you may feel fear or anxiety in your dreams about wolves, dreaming about wolves is positive.
The appearance of wolves in your dreams generally indicates that you are currently going through a period of transformation and have some decisions to make.
If you trust your gut feelings and intuition and take the steps required to succeed without resting on your laurels, then things will start turning out in your favor.
However, if you dream about hunting wolves then this can be an indication that you are self-sabotaging and you’re not willing to do what it takes to achieve the freedom you desire.
Summary
Dreams about wolves can give you strong insights into your inner self and a reminder to listen to your intuition or “trust your gut.”
It’s important that you take the time to think about how your dream about wolves can relate to your own life because everyone’s situation is different.
It can be helpful to keep a dream journal where you write down exactly what occurred in your dream, how it made you feel, and how you think it may relate to your personal circumstances.
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References:
1. Native American Wolf Mythology. nd. Retrieved from http://www.native-languages.org/legends-wolf.htm
2. Wolf in Japan. Kinga Wolk. April 10, 2018. Retrieved from https://k9hacking.com/wolf-in-japan/
3. Raph Häussler (2016) Wolf & Mythology: Celtic, retrieved from https://ralphhaussler.weebly.com/wolf-mythology-celtic.html