"Do you have dreams with animals in them or are there animal dreams you have never forgotten? (This is especially important if the dreams are recurring or if at least the animal image in the dream is a recurring one. Children often dream of animals, and attention should be given to these animals. They will often reflect specific spirit totems of the child" (334).

This quote made me question my spirit animal (armadillo) somewhat; for as long as I can remember, I will always have a strange dream once or twice a year in which there are a bunch of neon-colored, dancing hippos, sort of like the scene in Dumbo. I usually don't remember my dreams, but for some reason I always have a very specific recollection of this one. I'd love to find out what it means.

Substitute hippos for the elephants and throw in some more color and you'll have a good idea of what my recurring animal dream is like.

"But if the vision was true and mighty, as I know, it is true and mighty yet; for such things are of the spirit, and it is in the darkness of their eyes that men get lost" (350).

Black Elk is talking about a specific vision here, but I think that what he's saying applies to all dreams in general. I believe that the subconscious mind (the "spirit") is the only part of a person that reflects his or her true feelings about things. Sometimes, the truth that they see in their dreams is unsettling, and it is in those confusing visions that "men get lost." Making sense out of everything we dream about is difficult and sometimes painful, but in doing so we gain a deeper understanding of our own selves.

If the iceberg is the mind, we should try our best to use the exposed ice above the water (the conscious) to learn more about the huge mass that lies below the surface (the subconscious).