Dream interpretation water flood
By Gillian Holloway, Ph.D.
Water is a very important and mysterious image in dreams. In response to numerous requests for information about the symbolism of water I'm sharing the observations I've made about these images. Use these ideas to the extent that you find them helpful. If they don't seem to apply to your dream or to fit your experience, don't force them on yourself.
Different Forms of Water Have Different Meaning
The meaning of the water in a dream depends on the form it takes (whether it is a river, a puddle or a pool) and on your relationship to it. Sitting in a wet spot has different implications from swimming in the Olympics. If raindrops are falling down your cheeks and into your collar, the meaning often has to do with crying or sadness because the image is so much like the shedding of tears. On the other hand, if you are being swept through town by a flash flood, the image has much more to do with overwhelm, crisis and a sense of devastation. The water in a flash flood may also have connections with emotion, but it may largely represent a very mobile and turbulent condition in your life that has recently "taken over." So when examining the water in your dream consider what qualities it has, and also notice your relationship to it. Here are some general interpretations that tend to predominate in the dreams I've seen. Use these ideas as a short cut, by all means, but please continue to follow through with your own conclusions.
On a River: The Passage You're Moving Along
Rivers can symbolize the flow of our lives in much the same way that a highway or path can represent the road of life. This is particularly probable when you dream of traveling down a river in some kind of craft or boat. This type of dream can provide a reading on how you're handling the particular phase you're in, and whether your skills and responses fit the challenges you're facing. Typically this type of dream is either exhilarating or frightening. You either feel ready to deal with the rapids, the twists and the current, or you're falling out of the boat, losing passengers and narrowly escaping death. This type of dream is common to people who are bright, capable and who enjoy using their brains and abilities to handle life. They can be all the more frustrated when the powers that usually serve them well are not suited to the particular condition they're dealing with, or when their sense of control over their fate is being battered by a rocky passage.
Crossing a River: A Transition
Another common image is coming to a river that must be crossed before you can go further. The necessity to cross a river is often symbolic of a phase that you must move through prior...
