THE DREAM I arrive at a jetty where there is a shocking life threatening game (like gladiator) where people try to swim to the end of the bay and back without being eaten by sharks. There are tonnes of blood and animal flesh poured into the water to attract the sharks.The bay water is half red/blood. I see swimmer after swimmer make it half way only to have a shark try to attack. The swimmer fights with his/her hands whilst bleeding from the teeth tearing the hands. Then I see myself in the water, closer to the shore. An elder but healthy man informs me to stay close to the shore as the sharks only go in the deeper end. So I made it with his guidance without getting attacked. And we won the competition. Yet at the end of the dream I kept thinking how stupid it was that we were allowed to win such a dangerous game in such an easy way. I could not believe it.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION At the time of the dream the dreamer had just called off her marriage because of arguments with her fiancés mother. She felt that there was no way forward as her fiancee would not stand up for her. She was angry at her mother in law interfering and ruining her wonderful relationship with her fiancee.

DREAM ANALYSIS: The dreamer made an obvious connection between the shark and reality. She thought that the shark represented her future mother in law and all the arguments and bad feeling that she caused.

It seems very unlikely that this dream is NOT about this situation. We dream about important issues in our lives and there is no issue as important as this. So all we have to do is work out what the symbolism means.

The shark is an excellent symbol for the mother in law who was causing the problems. She was as ruthless as a shark in starting arguments. She showed no mercy in her vicious criticism!

The gladiator style game seems to represent anyone who had to deal with the mother in law. Engaging in an argument with her seemed like mortal combat and few were likely to survive her criticism.

The dream ends in a very clear way. It captures this thought "It's easy to avoid this shark!" This portion of the dream is probably the key part of the dream and central to the meaning of the dream. Perhaps it mirrors real life and captures this thought "Its easy to avoid all this stress and vicious arguing. I simply call off the marriage."

This last portion of the dream is key to understanding the dream but its meaning is not entirely clear. But it does seem to suggest that the dreamer is looking for a solution. It does seem to link in some way to "avoiding the mother in law". It also seems to hint at this thought "The solution is easy I just need to avoid my future mother in law. That will solve everything." Though one solution may simply to call off the marriage, in that way she would avoid her forever.

The precise meaning of this dream seems elusive. It is likely that the dream captures one particular thought in conncection with these problems involving he marriage plans and her fiancés mother. However, the shark is almost certainly a symbol of her and all the confrontation that she causes.