Water is the basis of life. Our bodies consist of mostly water, we need water to survive, the animals and plants around us need water to survive, which is why water is such a strong and commonly recurring symbol in our dreams.
Water is used to bless, renew, and purify. However, water can also be used to torture and kill. Water can be peaceful and life-giving, or it can be powerful, over-whelming, and dangerous.
- Lying in a calm pool of water can be restful to our body and soul.
- Riding on a wave of water can be exhilarating and exciting.
- Falling into a deep ocean of water can be dark, directionless, and full of unknown terrors.
When we cannot properly express our emotions during the day, they may take form in our dreams at night. Therefore, finding the meaning of our dreams, will help us understand ourselves better, as well as improve our emotional and physical well-being.
To find the deeper meaning of our dream about water, we need to look at the details of our dream, within the context of what is currently happening in our life.
Our Dream of Water – What, Where, How
Dreams about water can have many different interpretations depending on –
- How we interact with the water.
- How we feel during and after the dream.
- What type of water appears in our dream. A clear ocean, a fast moving river, a swampland, a swimming pool, or a lake, will all have different associated meanings.
- What objects and people are in the water dream.
1. How we interact with the water
There are many ways with which we can interact with water. Different actions, have different purposes and effect, and therefore a different meaning.
Positive interactions –
- Swimming in water indicates that we have a new goal or destination that we are moving toward. We could be finding a new direction in life, starting school, moving, or changing jobs. Swimming with the current, shows that our journey is going well, and we are happy and confident with our circumstances. Swimming against the current, signals that we are having difficulties and have to work hard to move forward. Being carried away by the current, suggests that the journey is too challenging, and we are no longer sure that we can reach our goals. In this case, we may want to re-evaluate our future and current actions.
- Diving into water can signify a need to delve into our own emotions, needs, actions, and inner psyche. Alternatively, we may be trying to understand the goals and intentions of someone close to us, or how to solve a current work issue.
- Crossing a body of water captures a yearning for freedom, independence, and change. We are moving from what was known and safe, to what is new and not constrained by old rules and old doubts.
- Playing or frolicking in water signals the awakening of a new love or a new passion. We could be looking forward to a new relationship, a new work project, or learning a new skill.
- Walking on water suggests that we are in control and are confident that we can face whatever challenges are currently in our life.
- Listening to water shows a need for reflection, and to be at peace with our emotions.
- Pouring water on someone else may mean that we are helping a friend recover, helping her embark on a new journey, or offering her new opportunities and blessings.
- Drinking water from a water fountain, cooler, spring, or other nourishing source, suggests that we are seeking to be refreshed and renewed. On the other hand, drinking dirty water implies a fear of getting sick, continuing sickness, or some other contamination of the body and mind.
Negative interactions –
- Drowning, rising water, or being swallowed up by a stormy sea indicates anxiety, dread, or a feeling of being overwhelmed by external forces. We could be experiencing a lot of stress from work, from our friends and relatives, or from our current environment and circumstance. We may have lost our job, lost someone we love, and may feel that we no longer have control of our emotions or our life.
- Breathing under water suggests a wish to return to the womb, in particular, a need for safety, security, and freedom from responsibilities. We may be facing difficult issues in life and be overburdened by commitments, therefore we are looking to return to a simpler and safer place.
- Bailing out water is a signal of future troubles or difficulties, which we have currently forestalled with hard work and effort. However, there is uncertainty as to whether we can hold-off the coming tide.
- Looking or thirsting for water may mean that recent setbacks or current life experiences (e.g. work, health, relationships), have left us feeling empty and depleted. Therefore, we are looking to be refueled or reborn. We need to take time to nurture ourselves.
- Falling into water captures a feeling of momentary helplessness, of not being in control, regrets on mistakes made, and possible unpleasant consequences.
- Splashed by water symbolizes a wake up call. We need to focus, get our thoughts straight, and stop living in self-denial or self-delusion. Otherwise, we may end up in a dead-end job, a bad relationship, or a life full of regrets.
- Throwing water at others suggests the onset of an emotional outburst, or the need to show more emotion. Getting water thrown at us, indicates that we may be the target of someone else’s anger or strong emotion.
2. How do we feel during and after the water dream
- Feeling bold and laughing at the stormy sea indicates that we are ready to meet adversity, we are ready to transition into something new, we are confident we can sail through the difficult circumstances, and come out victorious on the other side.
- Feeling anxious and fearful of the water is a signal that we are afraid of the unknown. We may be unsure of the direction to take on a vast trackless body of water, or we may feel that we have no control of where our life is taking us.
- Feeling calm and peaceful about the water captures our feelings of safety, security, and contentment while in our mother’s womb. We feel safe in our current situation, our work life is progressing smoothly, and the people and environment surrounding us gives us peace.
3. What type of water appears in our dream
The type of water in our dream is also significant. In particular –
a) Size and depth of the water
- Large or deep bodies of water (ocean, lake, or well) indicate the unknown, hidden secrets, uncertainty, and greater danger.
- Small and shallow bodies of water (a pond, swimming pool or puddle) are safe, familiar, and known. Even if they are associated with negative emotions and actions, they are more of a nuisance or minor setback, rather than a life changing phenomenon.
- A path of water (stream, creek, or river) signals movement to a particular destination, or having to choose which direction to take.
b) Condition of the water
- Clear water indicates confidence, clarity in thinking, or that we are in tune with our spirituality.
- Still or calm water shows that we are at peace, or that we are seeking peace and relaxation.
- Murky or stagnant water, for example in a swamp or bog, is a sign of apathy and depression. We may feel lost, that our life is going nowhere, that we will never find love, or that our achievements are meaningless. We may be struggling with negative emotions, and find it difficult to take positive action, or indeed any action at all. Fog, is perhaps a weaker symbol, which indicates that we are having trouble reaching clarity, or taking action.
- Ice represents repressed emotions, or some disturbing past experience that still haunts us. Melting ice signals that we are ready to face our past or childhood trauma, and start unraveling our repressed emotions.
- Falling water, for example standing in the rain, under a shower, or in a waterfall denotes a cleansing or need for self-renewal. We may need to heal emotional scars or let go of pent-up emotions, that is causing us sadness and pain.
- Fast moving water, for example in a river, may signify that our life or emotional landscape is changing too quickly. Similarly, boiling water indicates emotional turmoil and great stress.
- Tsunamis, tidal waves, storms, tornadoes, hurricanes, and other acts of God captures a strong sense of being overwhelmed by events that are beyond our control. They may also suggest a hidden guilt or sin, that is greatly weighing on our psyche. We may feel that we need to be, or are going to be punished.
4. What is in the water
Finally, the objects or people related to our water dream can also be significant.
- Boats, jet skis, water skis, water floats, and other objects that give us the ability to stay on top of the water, suggests self-confidence. In general, objects that provide us with more control and more speed, signify greater belief in ourselves and our actions. For example, speed boats and jet skis > sail boats > row boats > paddle boats > water floats.
- Hose, faucets, or other objects that allow us to control the direction and flow of water, also suggests that we are in control, and have the emotional fortitude to take charge of our life and actions.
- Other people swimming in the water with us, helping us get to the surface, or helping us get to shore, indicates that we have support from friends and family in our current troubles. On the other hand, being held back or pushed down into the water, suggests that we have enemies or competitors, who are trying to sabotage or impede our progress.
- Fish and other sea creatures can have a variety of meanings. Mermaids and fantastical sea animals, show a need for change or an urge to escape into a different life. Being attacked by sharks, alligators, or sea monsters, implies that we are feeling harried in many aspects of our life, or that we are worried about embarking on something new and unknown. Observing fish and other sea life from a distance, represents a feeling or indifference, and an unwillingness to explore or to engage in the happenings of our life.
- Barriers in the water or hitting some impediment, signals some complication that is preventing us from reaching our goal. We may be unwilling to take some risk, unable to commit to some action, or make a required sacrifice.
- Familiar objects under water implies that we have repressed or hidden feelings related to those objects. We may feel reluctant to examine or confront those memories.
- Water lily is a symbol of grief and separation. It indicates feelings of sorrow and bereavement.
What Is the Meaning of My Water Dream
Dreams are made of symbols. The interpretation of dreams involve identifying which symbols are important in our dream, and then translating what they each mean to us.
Some symbols have broader cultural significance, while others may have narrower meanings, or may pertain to specific experiences that are special or unique to us. Therefore, dream interpretation is partly a study of symbology, and partly a study of self.
In this article, we examine many of the broader meanings of water, in its various forms and contexts. However, always be aware that our personal experiences and histories also play a very big role.
To fully understand the meaning of our water dreams, we must not only understand the cultural significance of water, but also be brave enough to look into ourselves, and read what it signifies to our soul.
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I dreamt walking into a room where there the floor was covered in water, when I looked up I saw that the corner of the ceiling was broken and that is where the water came trough. I don’t think it was my house because I do not recognize the bedding it was black silk but i was wet from the water.
I had a dream that my son and I was in some sort of huge hotel right in the middle of the ocean.. it was almost and peaceful in the beginning.. Out of nowhere, sirens began to ring, high winds began and everyone was frantic.. We all returned to the inside of this enormous hotel and shut all doors.. as we sit there and watch the waves rising I come up with a plan to o to the highest point of the building.. which was 30 stories. I grab my sons hand and tell him “everything will be okay”.. So we get finally get to the top floor and on that floor was a group of survivors… somehow my son and I got separated in this frenzy.. And at this point I look out the window and half of the building was under the ocean as levels continue to rise. This I glance and see a woman with tattoos grabbing and pulling on my son going towards the opposite direction…At this point I’m fill with all kids of emotions, most of all helpless.. wile searching for him I happened to feel something run into me. I look down and it was my son. He had on a white t-shirt so I could clearly see that he had some kind of mud or plaster all over the front of his shirt. He whipes the shirt clean with his hands and says look. He has two plywood screws drilled through his back and the tops of them were sticking out of his chest.. but with no blood, just the mud.. I asked a doctor that was near by what to do.. and he pulls a drill from nowhere and says “well, we can just push them all the way through” . So of course I didnt agree to that. I kneel down and hug my son and ask him who did this to him and what happened.. bythe didnt respond.. then ask him “Are you ad at me”? And then he responds in a soft, raspy voice, “yes I am , because yo didnt save me”.. I woke up with a broken heart and worried. Could you help me out and try to give me some advise as to what this dream meant..? Thank you in advance
I had a dream last night that I had I vision of a woman in a clear water lake, majestically moving blossoms across the water without using her hand. Then I was sitting on the train with a man and the same woman to the same destination where I seen in my vision. I was sitting above the lake on what looked like a willow tree, gracefully peaceful in the night blue sky. I felt anxious and hesitated as I was told you to enter the water, I slowly made my way in water cover up to my stomach. I felt my gliding my hands above the water watching the bloosoms float around me. Then I woke up
I am dreaming of a womAn abusing me and I abused back at my family shop and then I got to know that this woman has some problem .the Muslim lady performed some ritual with knife without getting touched her clothes .and then that energy decreased. And then too that lady came back after me. And I ran down. And then I had the knives in my hand.what is the meaning of it?
Seeing my self in a boat but I fall under the clean water…
From a nap I dreamt I was in this huge long ware house that had this deep pitch black water . I couldn’t see the start or the end of the warehouse or the water. I was on this old white army boat that was calmly passing along. There were other people on the boat. I went to the very top of the boat sat down and dangled my legs over. My perception of distance changed my feet were touching the water even though the boat was higher up. I want to get more water on me so I pushed the tip of the boat down ( almost dunking it it) but the water started gushing into the boat, sinking it. It sunk in seconds. When I went under water it looked clear and I could see above. I got out of the water and heard a feminine voice say “don’t get back in the water, or I’ll get you” in a playful threatening way. Almost like a serpent. I woke up from the dream not particularly scared just confused because I heard that exam same voice and words in a dream not long before but it didn’t really stand out as much.
I dreamt about a pit with black /dirty water and water leaves inside but as soon as take water out of a pit using a bucket, the water is clean.
I dreamed about in a shack with little children, then their eyes change into white like in a convulsive state then a man came and said throw those with these kind of eyes to the water then we ran ran to the water but we stayed on a boat with the others and i saw that in the clear water those thrown children with hair and head floating in standing position all of them so many dead and drown wih this positon i am shock and ask myself why so many have died until i woke up
I dreamt of worshipping blocked water body
From the terrace me and one of my closest cousin saw a swimming pool and headed there, I never knew how to swim in real life and in my dream i was quite aware of that, even ehen i tried swimming, low-key i was playing with water too. I was suprised myself that i am doing so well in the pool without having no experience. So at the corner of tge pool there was a cupboard filled with floaties and I took one intentionally. But instead kept that floatie on my arm and dived cautiously in the water to test if it will bring be up. So i tried this two time and it felt Like i was really in watter, my cousin sis was playing by herself. I guess a little rain included but it didn’t fell on me. So when I got out of the pool my mom yelled at me for swimming in a dirty pool (but it was not dirty) at that moment I felt like throwing the water and i almost couldn’t breath like i tried to vomit out the water, by that I woke feeling exactly the same, like i was really swimming just a bit ago… It went for a minute before i became normal.. but i like tgat dream it was fun and something new , its my first time dreaming underwater..
I gad a dream that I was walking with my kids and yelling about them playing and not listening and we was going around this grassy circle barrier and in the middle was a hole that had water at the bottom and my youngest son dived in the middle laughing I was so angry and scared at the same time, and he was just swimming his pants came off and I was telling him to get out and claim back up but he was yelling he wanted his clothes and starting swimming back to the middle to go get his pants people was standing around worried and I just fell to the ground crying and praying not cause he was hurt because he wasn’t i was just so tied and frustrated cause he was being hard headed than when I got up his older brother my middle child had climbed over and started walking down the thing to go pull him out because he saw that i was so upset , thats when I woke up still angry because he doesn’t listen and think everything is a joke .
I dreamt that a young girl fell or jumped into deep waters and sank immediately as she could not swim. I thought about jumping in to save her but hesitated. The water was murky and wasn’t sure what to expect.
Please let me know the meaning of this. Many thanks.
My boyfriend and I broke up like a week ago. So I dreamt that he was in a very big pool swimming with his sister.I really enjoyed watching him though. Sometimes afterwards I started diving in the water it was such a fun moment with a lady friend of mine who I can’t recall the face, I saw two chihuahua dolls in the deep end inside the water. On getting out of the pool I see some, maybe 4-5cows different colors grazing. As I woke up I kept thinking about my dream, what does that dream mean?
What is means to dream about sleeping in water with your partner and in that has so many frog
Hi , I am really concerned about the dream I had last night .I hope somebody can help me about the interpretation …
Lately my fiancé and I are having problems with negative feelings , like losing faith and inpatient. I feel very depressed and angry .
Last night i had a dream Like we were in Egypt and we were into some dirty waters , conscious that something can attack us . And it happen but not to me , they attack my fiancé. When I woke up I contact him and he told me that his two daughters had dreams with waters too .
I dreamed that my husband and I were with a group of people, I guess we were all tourists walking alone a path of water. (Like those little thing that you drop pennies into and it goes down in a swirl) that if you fell it was into the deep water. So we were at the top and I slipped with someone else. I went deeper and deeper into the water floating away while the other man made it up and waved bye to me and I saw my husband screaming and crying. I did wake up scared and anxious
I had dream that there us a semi circular space with multiple door and amongst them only one door you can open. The door is so huge with ancient architecture. And all the door and everything is made up of glass including the wall which us crystal clear. There is a huge sea with clam and clear water and there is a crossway . I have seen this dream multiple times. Sometimes I have also seen boat as well as multiple food marta. I have also seen war in that deep blue sea. Please explain
I saw dam ..with uncontrollable water ..me and a friend of mine we have to do something to save our family ….but in this dream she just going to that boy or person who cause something bad to break dam ..but suddenly she said she’s with me and I trusted her again but when I need her she’s not with me !! I have waterphobia and afraid of hight too in dream and in reality ! I feel anxious… irregular heartbeat and struggling alone in dam full of water
I just woke up from the worst dream, my 2 daughters 2,3 years old were playing together and then all of a sudden were being really cheeky and ran away so I chased them, I got my 2 year old first because she was the slowest than I went for my three year old she was running faster then usual, she then jumped into this swamp like thing and I couldn’t find her I woke up instantly I was so scared please help me with this meaning
In my dream I heard nearby places were experiencing Earthquakes while where I was there had been flooded areas and the water was rising, I was helping my friend save his daughter who was trapped and would of drowned if I didn’t help, we got her to safety back at her home and she was able to play inside.
The waters where she was was drying up fast .
My friend and I went to help others who were in trouble I remembered in my dream that my Friend had passed away before Christmas in real life but my thoughts quickly went to a very loud roaring noise like nothing I ever heard , the Canal I was standing near was filling up fast as it turned into a running river the sky was blue not a cloud in the sky it was warm out and we had shorts on, the roaring noise got louder and a shadow blocked the sun, my mouth dropped as I saw a 100 foot tsunami it was a beautiful turquoise blue I could see right through it it was breathtaking but it was coming fast, I called out to my friend to take cover and I looked passed him and saw buildings and people were being claimed, I kneeled down now my back turned arms covering my head and I thought this is it I am going to die but I felt peace cover me from head to toe as the tsunami rolled just inches above my head but not a drop of water touched me I was overflowing with Joy and said out loud I am still alive.
I wanted to see the aftermath but I woke up from this dream, I am still feeling the Joy of the Lord.
My husband dreamt my daughter was standing in a stream of dirty water & it started rising to her head while her daughter was at the end if the stream crying, then he heald my daughter by her hair and pull her out, then he woke up.
What does this mean.
Am puzzled
I had a dream my mom my sister her son and me and my 2 boys were on a boat and all of a sudden the water started getting choppy and the boat started rocking and me my sister and our kids fell off I went under water to find my son but then I woke up in another dream I was sleep on a boat everybody was having fun but I had to go make sure my son was ok so I went and I seen 2 more of my sisters they were in line on another boat my sister asked the our kids to stay with her when I to go get them they were no where to be found and then the boat started having failures and flipped.. the last thing I remember saying before I woke up was can i get off this boat. (I think it was a ship)
I keep having a dream about water, first night me and my husband and a new born baby are in an aquarium ( i don’t have any babies. ) and my kids dad who resantly died appears and walks around with us . the second night we was at the beach just me and my husband and sat on a lino in the sea was again the kids dad . The third night it was just me at the beach I cross the sea on a lino and kids dad takes my hand smiles and sends me back .I can remember details in a of these dreams. and very rearly remember my dreams at all so I am very confused as to what it means .
I keep having a dream about water, first night me and my husband and a new born baby are in an aquarium ( i don’t have any babies. ) and my kids dad who resantly died appears and walks around with us . the second night we was at the beach just me and my husband and sat on a lino in the sea was again the kids dad . The third night it was just me at the beach I cross the sea on a lino and kids dad takes my hand smiles and sends me back .I can remember details in a of these dreams. and very rearly remember my dreams at all so I am very confused as to what it means .
I dreamt of water all over Initially calm and I was on a platform which could be of a resort or a huge ship … then the tides got huge touching sky but I didn’t feel scared I started making video of it and later in my video the tides got afar and I also saw lots of new born puppies … someone packed them in a bag not to hurt them but to carry them from one place to another.