30 Common Dreams About Water And What They All Mean
Water is incredibly spiritual to dream about.
Willyam Bradberry / Shutterstock We've all had a dream or two that made us question the true meaning behind it. We may consult with a dream dictionary or other resources to determine the true meaning behind the messages our unconscious mind is telling us.
A common dream many people have involves water. But what does it mean when you dream about water?
While you may think it simply means that you're thirsty, the symbolism of water goes much deeper. You may not understand what it means when you dream about water because dreams involve the subconscious, but water dreams relate to something specific in the waking world.
And to understand the dream symbol of water, it's essential to determine what water symbolizes in the dream world.
What does it mean when you dream about water?
Water is a symbol that represents the spirit and your emotions, so dreaming about water relates to the way that you feel and your deeper emotions that remain hidden.
Dreams about water symbolize, in addition to emotions, vulnerability, renewal, intuition, spiritual energy, abundance, wisdom, growth, cleansing, and positivity.
“Water, as a symbol, is often a representation of the unconscious. Flowing waters, like rivers, may represent the unconscious flow of life. Swimming pools are more personal aspects of the unconscious. Big bodies of water, like oceans, are deeper levels of the unconscious. Water cleanses, bathes, and baptizes,” says Greg Mahr, MD, psychiatrist, author of "The Wisdom of Dreams," and director of Consultation Liaison Psychiatry at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.
On one hand, it is very difficult to live life without water, and water can also be the explanation behind severe devastation. Dreams of all different kinds involving various forms of water speak to a wide range of emotions you may feel, both in your dream and in the waking world.
Another important aspect of dreaming about water is to pay close attention to how the dream makes you feel, and the circumstances of the dream itself. Dreaming about swimming in an ocean has a different meaning than walking on water, for instance.
“Water in dreams is the restless other, the world of the unconscious. Little man-made bodies of water, like pools, suggest the personal unconscious; vast waters like the sea suggest the primordial collective aspects of the unconscious,” adds Mahr.
What It Means If You Dream About Being Submerged In Water
When you dream about being submerged in water, you might be feeling overwhelmed in the waking world. Dreaming that you are submerged and unable to inhale represents a desire for security.
Dreams about being submerged in water while swimming can be a sign that you feel like you can't get out of a situation, even though you're trying. When you have a dream like this, it's good to pinpoint your emotions. Ask yourself what is causing you to feel this way.
What It Means If You Dream About Seeing An Object In The Water
In the event that you see an item submerged in your dream, this could indicate stifled emotions that you're holding back. In addition, when you see an item sinking into the water, you subconsciously feel an opportunity will be missed.
What It Means If You Dream About Waves In The Water
In the event that you are seeing waves in the water in your dream, it could imply that you're feeling overpowered.
Regardless of whether it be in your professional or personal life, you have a great deal of uneasiness about something. You're dreading a terrible result from an occasion in your life and this concern is devouring you.
What It Means If You Dream About Swimming In Water
If you dream about swimming alone, specifically, this indicates that you are striving for liberation of some kind, especially in your everyday life. This dream can also indicate that you need to let go of the past in order to move forward.
“Swimming is one of the most common dream plots and involves a true intimacy and immersion in the waters of the unconscious. When we dream about swimming, it is important to consider the setting of the dream: Ocean or pool? Are the waters clear, or are they murky and green?" Mahr asks.
“The attitude and feeling associated with swimming in the dream represents the relationship of the dreamer to the unconscious. He may be terrified and afraid of drowning, or full of wonder at the beauty of the depths. No attitude is right or wrong; the depths are both wonderful and terrifying.”
What It Means If You Dream About Walking Alongside Water
Strolling along the seashore while looking at the water implies that you are attempting to sift through your inner issues. The seashore is an amalgamation point for the oblivious endeavoring to come to the cognizant.
“Shorelines and beaches are places of transition, where we encounter and explore the edges of our own unconscious depths. To dive into the unconscious is to enter it, perhaps recklessly, while wading in is a more careful and thoughtful entry,” Mahr comments.
The wave dousing the visionary can be seen as an allegory for being overpowered by enormous emotions. The activity is to discover better approaches to control your feelings.
For instance, some strategies may enable you to deal with your feelings while also making you feel less overpowered by them. Water showing up as pools regularly alludes to some kind of passionate regulation.
What It Means If You Dream About A Swimming Pool
Dreaming about being in a swimming pool represents your desire to get in touch with your inner self, while dreaming about the water itself in a swimming pool means you are in harmony and are in a peaceful mindset.
Adds Mahr, "A swimming pool, because it's a small man-made body of water, often represents the personal unconscious."
What It Means If You Dream About Diving Into Water
To dream about diving into water might be an indication that you want to pick a riskier behavior to release your anger, yet you feel a person or thing keeping you down.
Additionally, diving into water in your dream means you must address your deeper unconscious to determine what you truly want in the waking world, in order to overcome obstacles.
What It Means If You Dream About Wading In Water
Entering water and wading through it means that you plan things out a lot and are very meticulous in your everyday life; however, you may be stressed out from this.
The type of water is also important to pay attention to. For example, certain bodies of water carry differing meanings. If you wade through the sea, your emotions are in need of control, and if you wade through a river, it means you have bad habits related to food.
What It Means If You Dream About Spilling Water
Spilling water in a dream can show concealed enthusiasm for someone, as well as indicate that the choices you're making now will produce positive results. Whether it's a personal matter or career-related, you're on the right course to achieve success.
What It Means If You Dream About Drowning
A dream about drowning may seem terrifying in the dream world, but it delivers an important message related to real life: you are feeling overwhelmed and are suffering from emotional turmoil.
Consider this dream to be the nudge you need to take a step back and recover. Dreaming about drowning may be the chance you need to embrace renewal, and overcome your fears and stressors.
What It Means If You Dream About Breathing Underwater
If you breathe underwater in your dream, this indicates that your thoughts and emotions are causing you to feel overwhelmed and insecure. This dream also means that you are struggling to understand your suppressed emotional state in the waking world.
What It Means If You Dream About A Flood
To dream of water flooding can represent vulnerability as a circumstance. Dread, stress, or disappointments are an excessive amount to deal with, and the negative emotions evoked in this dream interpretation relate to circumstances out of your control, as they relate to exhaustion and suffering.
What It Means If You Dream About Clear Water
If the body of water you dream of is clear, this is indicative of finding clarity and balance in the emotions you feel and express. Overall, this dream is positive in nature and suggests that you are leading quite a balanced and peaceful life in the real world.
What It Means If You Dream About Dirty Water
A dream about dirty water indicates that you have negative energy around you and are in need of emotional balance. This dream can also mean that you have real-life difficulties coming your way, and will need help overcoming these issues to be successful.
“Dirty water dreams are common, probably reflecting a fear of being ‘soiled’ by instinctual material. The dream may be reminding us that those fears are misplaced,” adds Mahr.
What It Means If You Dream About Falling Into Water
When you dream about falling into water, you aren't quite certain about where you're heading on your life path. You may also feel like you aren't in control of your destiny. This can symbolize emotions associated with confusion, fear, and helplessness.
What It Means If You Dream About A Waterfall
A dream about a waterfall is a good sign and represents personal growth in certain areas of your life, whether it's related to your job, relationships, or other areas. No matter where you are in life, know that this dream means you are currently feeling satisfied.
What It Means If You Dream About A Tsunami
Dreaming about a tidal wave or tsunami can feel overwhelming, and directly mirrors your emotions in the waking world — your emotional state is currently one of guilt and conflict, and you might be in need of some sort of healing as a result.
“Floods, tsunamis, falling into and drowning in water are often related to being flooded or overwhelmed by the inner or unconscious world," says Mahr. "This can be a good thing, as sometimes our self-centered personal ego needs to drown, so we can live a deeper and richer life."
What It Means If You Dream About Drinking Water
A dream about drinking water doesn't necessarily mean you should be drinking more of it in the waking life; however, it does indicate that you are currently feeling fulfilled.
The meaning of this dream also depends on the type of water you drink. If it's salt water, it's a warning sign to beware of people who have ill intentions for you; if you dream of drinking clean water, it represents inner healing of your toxic thoughts and feelings.
What It Means If You Dream About Scuba Diving In The Water
A dream about scuba diving has both negative and positive interpretations. This dream means you may be facing a toxic situation in the waking world but aren't trying to find a solution; it also can indicate an unhappy marriage or even issues in the workplace.
On the positive side, a scuba diving dream means you're paying attention to difficulties in the waking world, and are taking steps and digging deep to resolve those issues.
What It Means If You Dream About Holy Water
If you dream of holy water, pay attention to the circumstances of the dream itself, as that determines its meaning.
For example, dreaming of being blessed by holy water in a church, a baptism, means you've been holding yourself back from accomplishing something due to fears. If you dream of drinking holy water, this indicates that you will find success and luck in the near future.
What It Means If You Dream About Throwing Water
To dream of throwing water at others can represent emotions that aren't under control and are negative in nature. You might be angry or upset deep down, but are struggling to express yourself. If others are throwing water at you in your dream, this indicates that someone is taking their anger out on you.
What It Means If You Dream About Water Inside Your Home
If you dream of water overflowing in your own house, similar to a flood, it represents your own overflowing emotions that you are having a hard time trying to control. You may be ignoring difficult situations in the waking world and are now facing the consequences of not acting.
“Water in the home suggests that unconscious material has entered the safety of where you, meaning your ego, lives. This may be a call to reexamine your life and how you relate to your inner world. You may be ignoring your inner world, so it has to sneak in,” says Mahr.
What It Means If You Dream About Walking On Water
When you dream of walking on water, this means you are in control of your emotions, and are also in tune to the emotions of others. You may be empathic and able to absorb the emotions of others, and take repose in having time to yourself to relax.
What It Means If You Dream About A Shower Or Bath
If you bathe in your dream, whether in a bath or shower, you are in the process of renewal. This means you're letting go of toxicity and situations that no longer serve you. If you dream of a full bathtub, however, this is a sign that you need to give yourself time to relax in the waking world.
What It Means If You Dream About Rain Water
To dream of rain water means you are in the process of healing and cleansing yourself, just as the rain does. Rather than succumbing to your setbacks, fears and anxieties, you've decided to move forward, heal from the past, and focus on personal growth.
What It Means If You Dream About A Puddle
While a dream about a puddle may seem small due to the size of the body of water, its meaning is much more significant. This dream means that you may be struggling to see a clear picture and aren't acknowledging your true feelings. But it's essential to express yourself and overcome your confusion.
What It Means If You Dream About Sweat Or Tears
If you shed tears in your dream, this indicates compassion, release of pain in a healthy way, and cleansing yourself emotionally. If you dream about sweat or sweating, it means you need to keep moving forward if you want to achieve your dreams.
What It Means If You Dream About Boiling Water
A dream about boiling water represents your anger in the waking world, which is being caused by certain situations that may feel out of control. This dream indicates that you need to stop bottling up your emotions, or else you risk losing your mental well-being.
What It Means If You Dream About Frozen Water
Frozen water in a dream, whether it's snow or ice, means you are having trouble expressing emotions and may feel emotionally numb. There may also be specific circumstances in your life that are holding you back from growth, leaving you unable to move forward.
What It Means If You Dream About Blood In The Water
To dream about blood in the water means you will soon face obstacles that will prevent you from abundance and progress. Instead of ignoring these problems, it's important to find solutions to those problems so you can move ahead.
Samantha Maffucci is an editor for YourTango who has written hundreds of articles about relationships, trending news and entertainment, numerology and astrology. Follow her on Twitter for more.