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10 Dream of Water Meanings

Water is the essence of life. Without it, humans can not survive. At the same time, it is also one of the feared ways of dying. It is also an integral element in many pieces of art, literature, and mythology. Religiously speaking, Jonah got swallowed by a fish, and Noah built an ark to survive a flood.

The symbolism of water represents the unconscious and the hidden, purification and cleansing, life and death, and change and renewal. In dream language, water can depict our emotional life.

To put all of this together, the meaning of water dreams depends widely on the context. So how can you know what your water dream means?

In this article, we take a detailed look into the topic and explain what different water dreams can mean and what questions you should ask yourself. Let’s begin!

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10 Top Water Dreams & Their Meanings

1. Flooding can mean you are overwhelmed

You dream of being swallowed by the water. Maybe it is the aftermath of a tsunami or a storm, but all you see is flooding. Dreaming about water in the sense of flooding is a metaphor created by your subconscious. It refers to a major emotional event of your life that left you overwhelmed.

It means you need to protect yourself from negative emotions and negative thoughts.

However, if you haven’t experienced anything of that sort lately, you might have had a different vibe from the dream. In this case, your unconscious mind might hint toward water’s cleansing and purifying symbolism.

You may need to cleanse yourself and your life from bad habits and unhealthy relationships that leave you with more tears than smiles.

2. Drowning can mean you feel out of control or helpless

Dreaming of drowning in water is one of the most terrifying variations of seeing water in your dreams. It is also one of the most difficult ones to understand.

Drowning can mean that you are unable to control your emotions and their intensity in real life and feel as if you’re drowning in your emotions. For example, when you feel like you’re drowning in your sadness. Or, you may feel helpless about situations in your waking life.

It can also mean that you are holding on to an issue from the past that remains unresolved but still bothers and overwhelms you. To understand what this dream means in your case, a  bit of self-reflection is essential.

3. Driving into the water can mean your anxiety is taking the wheel

Surprisingly, dreaming about driving into water is a common dream among many people. Unfortunately, these dreams lean more toward anxiety than anything. The dreamer may feel like they are getting judged or punished for their actions, gradually losing control— or worse, running out of air.

In these dreams, the vehicle usually depicts your subconscious mind. It refers to a conflict inside of you regarding a problem you need to address.

4. Falling into the water can mean you are suppressing your emotions

If you see yourself involuntarily plunge into the water, it may strike the feeling of vulnerability and fear. Such dreams may represent suppressed emotions that are now making their way into your conscious mind.

Alternatively, these dreams can represent baptism, which offers washing away every sin and a fresh start in life. Hence, offering a complete spiritual cleansing.

Other times, these dreams don’t offer good luck but are related to misfortune. For example, situations where you struggle to stay afloat.

Ultimately, this can mean you are undergoing an emotional crisis, suffering through depression, or want to be freed from managing your responsibilities. Hence, you feel the need to jump into the water.

Another variation of this dream is voluntarily plunging into the water but climbing out of it, rescuing someone, or getting rescued. Such dreams deal with fertility as they establish a mother-like relationship with the person rescuing or getting rescued. It can mean that you or someone close to you might be expecting!

5. Water transport and waterbodies can represent the desire to explore and travel

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Dreaming about ships, boats, and other water transport in massive water bodies generally represents the desire to explore your surroundings or travel.

If you have gone through a traumatic event, you may be in a dark and uncomfortable position mentally. Hence, you need to travel somewhere better. Or, you simply need adventure and change.

If you see a ship, in particular, it can also represent success and power. Or, if it is a cruise ship, it can represent the desire to escape.

6. Dirty water can mean something is blocking your way

If you dream about murky or muddy water, the meaning is just as nasty. You are distressed and anxious and trying to find a way out of a tough situation. You feel guilty, afraid, or traumatized. The dream can mean something is blocking your way and keeping you from things you want to achieve.

Alternatively, if you dream about drinking salt water, it can represent your internal feelings, which don’t feel free or clean. Similarly, drinking water from a swimming pool represents the same. In both circumstances, it is a warning that you might be in an unhealthy place physically, emotionally, or spiritually.

7. Clean water can represent the purity of your mind

Seeing clean or clear water in your dream can represent the purity of your mind and thoughts. It can leave you feeling clean and refreshed. Or, it can represent the dreamer’s need for clarity in life.

Alternatively, the dreamer may be in search of peace and tranquility. You want to keep things simple and direct. A dream of clear water can also represent the negation of negative feelings and the vibe that ​life’s path is right this time. Thus, representing emotional healing and emotional cleansing.

In other cases, this dream means your real life is like calm water, which ultimately means you have inner peace.

8. Drinking water can mean you need something refreshing

If you went to sleep without drinking water, having a dream about it is normal. But, if you’re hydrated, this dream could mean you need refreshment and rejuvenation.

You have felt bored and empty to the point of overwhelm, and you wish for a transformation that brings you relief and newness. Well, that only means one thing, it’s time to prepare for new beginnings!

9. Water inside your house can represent anxieties and fears

Whether it’s coming from a faucet left open or rushing in from another source, dreaming of water inside your house can represent the fluidity of unconscious emotions. Plus, your ability or inability to manage them.

It means you have been feeling dread, anxiety, and panic in your waking life. Traumatic events of the past, which took place in the house, can also serve as a trigger factor. Generally, these dreams deal with negative energy with the water symbolizing real-life worries.

10. Breathing underwater can mean you are comfortable with your feelings

In your dream, you are trying to hold your breath as you swim through the depths of the water body. Until you can’t hold it in anymore and take a deep breath— only to find out that you can breathe. With that discovery, you decide to stay a bit longer and go on an underwater adventure.

The meaning of this dream is just as the dream suggests: delightful. It can mean that you are about to approach situations where you don’t know what will happen. Naturally, you are cautious and anxious as you approach this scenario.

Plus, taking a breath underwater in the dream means that you can breathe in your waking life too. Here, you are immersed in your emotions and comfortable with them and also your feelings.

Questions To Ask For Dream Interpretation

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With dreams about water, the key is to look in the right direction. Below are some questions that will help you uncover what your psyche is trying to convey.

1. What type of water?

Water type matters because larger bodies of water, like the ocean, could represent deep emotions. On the other hand, showering in the rain could mean cleansing.

2. How did the water behave?

Try to recall the behavior of water in your dream. Turbulent water could represent turbulent emotions. Murky water could represent unclear feelings.

3. How much distance was between the water and you? How did you react?

If you were observing the water from afar, it could be that you are avoiding your emotions. If you are drowning or lost, the meaning is clear enough: your emotions are overwhelming you.

4. What is your current emotional state?

Have you had any new thoughts lately? How have you been feeling? The emotional state in your waking life greatly influences your dreams. Sometimes, the answer is right in front of you.

5. How do you look at the dream?

Although we have covered most of the water dreams, you might have one unique to you, for example, drowning in hot water or cold water. Here is where intuition comes in. Ask yourself what the dream symbolizes to you. Try trusting your gut. We encourage you to enlist the help of a professional, too.

Last Words

Despite the abundance of variations, dreaming about water represents how we are handling our emotions in waking life. So, the next time you see water in your dreams: dive in!

Hopefully, you will learn new and better ways of dealing with these emotions, which ultimately means growth and freedom for you!

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