How many times has WATER appeared in your dreams? Probably a lot! Water represents your emotions. Dreams of water reflect how you feel about your life each day, particularly when you are experiencing some form of change.  

Water is a symbol of the elixir of life. We use water to cleanse our bodies. We drink water to quench our thirst. Our adult bodies are comprised of 60% water. We must have water to survive.

And water changes form. It can be soft, like the gentle waves lapping against the bank of a small pond. Water can be strong, as when ocean waves crash against the seashore and change the formation of rocks. Water can be impenetrable such as when it freezes and turns to ice.

And each of these forms of water depict your current emotional state.  If ice appears in your night time dreams, notice if you are feeling indifferent, flat or shut down. There may be ‘frozen emotions’ lurking beneath the surface.  

When water shows up in your dreams pay attention! Psyche is bringing information into your awareness about how you’re feeling in ways that you are not conscious of in waking life. For example, you may be going through a relationship break-up and think you are feeling “fine.” But then, you dream about you and your ex walking on a beach along the ocean and next thing you know, a tsunami appears and begins to crash itself over you and your ex, dragging you out into the ocean. You thought you were “fine” but your dreams are painting a vastly different picture.

What happens when you are unaware of your feelings? They tend to come out sideways, which means someone around may get hit with your pain, anger, anxiety, or fear. Or you may push your feelings down and ignore them which can lead to an illness, addiction, depression and so forth. 

WATER dreams differ from other dreams in that the FEELINGS are prominent. Dr. ErnestHartmann, known for his dream and sleep disorder research, refers to these as “tidal wave dreams.” Hartmann found a correlation between our waking life upset and the intensity of emotions during dreamtime.

In my own experience, I have had many dreams where the emotions were KEY to understanding the deeper message. Frankly, I believe that the emotional energy in dreams is often downplayed. Many experts focus on dream images and themes. And too often, a dream is analyzed – an intellectual process – leaving the feelings in the dust. 

How Water Appears in Your Dreams is Significant.  

What is the SIZE of the body of water?

What does the water LOOK like? Is it cloudy, clear, muddy, frozen?

How DEEP is the water? The deeper the water the more you’re penetrating the unconscious realm.

The sea is a classic symbol of the depths of the unconscious and the unknown, untapped or fearful aspects you hold within the psyche.

What is HAPPENING with the water? 

To dream of stormy seas may reflect an emotional crisis in your life. As you process this dream and your feelings about what is happening, you may notice that a little while later, you dream about sailing on an ocean that has become calm. This is representative of the emotional growth that you have achieved.

The Alchemy of Water

Water depicts the power to ignite an alchemical transformation. We know that our emotions produce chemical reactions in our bodies. Transformation means change, change means letting go, and letting go often requires some degree of grief. Water often depicts grief. I believe that we are greatly deprived of grief-work. Psychologist James Hillman, who studied with Carl Jung in the 1950s, delved deeply into dreams and believed so strongly in the need to keep our emotions balanced that he allowed himself to grieve thirty minutes every day. Water represents tears that need to be released. Emotional tears shed hormones and other toxins which accumulate during stress. Grieving during dreamtime is one way that psyche expresses itself so healing can occur. When water appears in your dreams, ask: “What emotional weight or burden am I carrying that needs to be released?”

In all ancient folklore, water often reveals an initiation into a process of self-discovery. Keep in mind: WATER in dream time is always a gift to help you become more aware of what you are FEELING, which is why dreams about water are so significant.