Flood

(1) Water may symbolize the unconscious, and being swept away by a flood may mean your conscious ego feels threatened by something in your unconscious. Identify the source of the threat and make some sort of pact with it whereby its demands for expression can be met in a way that will increase the well-being of the total psyche.

(2) Water may be a feminine symbol, and the threatening flood may be your mother or your attachment to mother, who / which may be hampering your individual development.

See also Mother.

(3) Flood-water is destructive but also fertilizes and makes new growth possible. (Myths of a flood are universal; and they always represent a purging that prepares the way for something better.) The flood in your dream, therefore, may signify both a need for personal reconstruction and that the only way your new and true self can come into existence is through the ‘death’ of the old self - or, rather, of those things (negative attitudes, lopsidedness or whatever) that have been hindering the unfolding of your true self. Flood-water may be compared with the waters of baptism.

See also Baptism, and Introduction, page 44.

Being overwhelmed; an enemy is about to attack. Fear of drowning in emotions; being thrown back into the world of animals; being thrown back into the world of physical urges.

The female archetype.

The powers of the intellect and reason standing against the assault of nature on the conscious, civilized life. You need to learn how to “swim,” which means being ready to swim in the water like a Fish. Both meanings are included here: to swim, and to give in and flow with the river of life, staying flexible.

A sign of being very emotional. You are overwhelmed and swept away and, in the dream, you are afraid of this, even if you would really like to give in. Incoming and outgoing tide: the rhythm of tension and relaxation in everyday life.

Feelings seem to be taking over.

A feeling of being imprisoned because of physical drives and unconscious needs. Warning of psychotic behavior.

If this dream image is accompanied by fear and appears often, psychotherapy is indicated.

Seething emotions.

A frequent dream symbol when fearful of ones own emotions.

(Inundation, Torrent) Flood in a dream represents enemy attack, harm, destruction, sickness, a toilingjourney or the inundation of a town. Ifthe water flows toward a river in a dream, it means that he will escape from a dangerous enemy. Fighting a flood or trying to prevent it from entering one’s house in a dream means fighting with one’s enemy to protect one’s family and property. However, if people still benefit from its waters for their wells or farms in the dream, then it represents a prosperous year and a good harvest, or it could represent good irrigations and strong dams. In a dream, a flood also represents lies, hypocrisy, wasting one’s speech, or it could mean falsehood.

If one sees his town flooded with blood in a dream, then it represents God’s wrath and punishment for people’s sins. Inundations in a dream also could represent a rainfall, one’s tongue or a sharp spoken woman.

If one’s house is flooded in a dream, it represent past deeds that will bring later benefits. Flood in a dream also represents liquid nourishment such as honey, milk, or oil.

If one sees himself collecting the waters of a flood in jars and people seem happy about it in the dream, it means the availability offood products in abundance and falling or stabilization of prices.

A flood in a dream also means blocking the roads to extremism or isolating a danger. When one sees a flood in his dream but outside of its season, it means that he is following some psychic influences or pursuing religious innovations. It also means wrath, destruction, impeachment, penalties or a plague, unless if it is falling from the skies, then it means rains and blessings. Ifone sees himselfcoming out of his home to swim into an inundated town in the dream, it means that he will escape from a ruthless tyrant. Should one fail to cross, and if he is rather forced to return to his house in the dream, it means that he shouldbe careful about staying in that town or about disobeying his boss. Stopping the flood from reaching or entering one’s home in a dream also means reconciliation with one’s enemy.