I have strange dreams. Now and then, I remember one of them quite clearly for a long time, though more typically, they fade as soon as I wake up.

African elephants … in three sizes. Photo credit to Wild for Wildlife and Nature.

Last night’s dreams were particularly vivid. A full day has passed and I still remember them clearly. It wasn’t one dream but two in a row, both about animals. Not my furry children. Wild animals with whom, to the best of my knowledge, I am unacquainted.

I dreamed first about an elephant. He was an old elephant and communicated with me telepathically. He told me he was very old and extremely tired. He said he wanted to be allowed to pass away because it was his time and he needed to rest. I have no idea what this might mean or why he would communicate with me in particular.

In the next dream — which followed directly on the heels of the elephant — concerned a big bear who came in from the woods to visit me. He laid down next to me on the sofa, and hugged me.

Nice, but I don’t get it.

I recall that the bear was wearing a navy blue sweatshirt, probably not a typical wild bear outfit. Although I have never had a close relationship with a bear or an elephant, but I’m pretty sure in the wild, bears confine themselves to wearing bear fur. I wonder where these dreams come from. I know the Freudian and other psychological theories. I know a fair number of alternative explanations involving miscellaneous paranormal and other worldly things. None of them entirely satisfies me.

Please visit Bear With Us at http://bearwithus.org/ to see how you can help save the bears … not dream bears, but the real ones.

Many of my dreams seem to be a peculiar combination of reality, mythology, memories, and books I’ve read recently. The images recombine in odd and apparently random ways, yet I always wake with a strong feeling that there is important information in the dreams, but encrypted. If I could find the key to unlock the code, I would learn something important. It nags at me.

Maybe some day, the key will come with the dreams. The lock will turn and many secrets will transform into knowledge.

Or maybe not.

Related articles

• Polar bears, brown bears interbred during warm periods. Is it happening again? (+video) (csmonitor.com)
• Zoo Director Talks Options For Elephants (wibw.com)
• Religious fervor drives elephant slaughter (manfly.wordpress.com)
• Meet Ilzite, the living teddy bear (time4sleep.com)
• Face to Face With a Bear… Now What?! (fox8.com)
• Big and Beautiful by Henrik Nilsson (500px.com)
• Climate Change May Push Polar Bears to Interbreed with Brown Bears (naturenplanet.com)
• Ancient Warming May Have Reunited Polar and Brown Bears, for a Bit (livescience.com)