Background

What are river dreams about?

Rivers are natural streams of water. They often run from places of higher elevation to places of lower elevation. There is constant change and flow in rivers. The DreamWell Dream Dictionary is based upon insights from 1,200 dream symbols in over 200,000 dreams. Let’s see what the data has to say about river dreams.

The word cloud above shows the words that are specifically associated with river dreams. These are the words that make river dreams unique compared to all other dream symbols. Just examining the graph and reading the words of river dreams can be illuminating about show rivers affect our dreams. Be sure to check out the example river dreams at the bottom of the page.

The circular bar chart above shows how rivers in a dream will affect dream content as compared to other dream symbols. Higher bars indicate that river is more related to the specific symbol in the graph. Lower bars indicate that river is less related to the specific symbol in the graph. Specifically, river dreams have more natural places than 91.8% of dream symbols, more sad dreams than 87.5% of dream symbols, and more disasters than 86.5% of dream symbols. On the other hand, river dreams have less schools than 75.0% of dream symbols, less hatred than 74.0% of dream symbols, and less romantic partners than 69.4% of dream symbols. Every dream is unique. These are general patterns observed in an analysis of over 200,000 dreams. This analysis is a tool to help you make sense of your dreams. It is best to look at the differences. See how your dream of rivers is different than dreams of rivers in general.

2.1%

of dreams have rivers

How common are river dreams?

2.1% of dreams have the rivers symbol within the dream. That's about 1 out of every 45 dreams. Considering all the dream symbols, it is relatively common.

Identification

How are river dreams identified?

This symbol is identified by words like stream, river, and creek. This symbol is part of summary dream symbols places and bodies of water.

Most related

What is most related to dreams of rivers?

Rivers dreams are notable because they have substantially more emaciation, Princess Leia, Algeria, pheasants, canoes, Gimli, Kuwait, banks, landslides, kayaks, talismans than 95% of other dream symbols.

Least related

What symbols least related to dreams of rivers?

Rivers dreams are notable because they have substantially less jackals, Serbia, Singapore, Venezuela, guest rooms, Dobby, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, C-3PO, Chewbacca, Han Solo than 95% of other dream symbols.

Deep dive into river dreams

Get an overview of characters, emotions, places, events, dream events, and senses in river dreams.

Who is in dreams of rivers?

Who is in dreams of rivers?

Dreams of rivers are more related to animals than dreams in general. They are less related to unnamed people, less related to strangers, and less related to peers.

more than usual
the same as usual
less than usual
the same as usual
less than usual
less than usual
less than usual
less than usual
What are the emotions in dreams of rivers?

What are the emotions in dreams of rivers?

Dreams of rivers are more related to grief and sorrow than dreams in general. They are less related to embarrassment and less related to hatred.

the same as usual
the same as usual
more than usual
less than usual
the same as usual
the same as usual
the same as usual
less than usual
the same as usual
the same as usual
Where do dreams of rivers take place?

Where do dreams of rivers take place?

River dreams are more related to transportation and much more related to natural places than dreams in general. They are less related to work and less related to schools.

the same as usual
less than usual
the same as usual
more than usual
much more than usual
the same as usual
less than usual
What happens in dreams of rivers?

What happens in dreams of rivers?

River dreams are more related to disasters than dreams in general. They are less related to sex and less related to health events.

the same as usual
the same as usual
less than usual
more than usual
the same as usual
the same as usual
less than usual
How do dreams of rivers related to the type of dream it is?

How do dreams of rivers related to the type of dream it is?

River dreams are more related to recurring dreams, more related to good dreams, and more related to sad dreams than dreams in general. They are less related to nightmares, less related to bad dreams, and less related to weird dreams.

the same as usual
less than usual
more than usual
the same as usual
less than usual
less than usual
the same as usual
more than usual
more than usual
How do dreams of rivers related the senses?

How do dreams of rivers related the senses?

River dreams are less related to taste.

the same as usual
the same as usual
less than usual
the same as usual
the same as usual

How can you make sense of rivers in dreams?

River dreams are relatively common. Among other things river dreams are Do you think this is true for your dream of rivers? How might your dream of rivers be different?

All dreams have meaning

All dreams have meaning

You can gain insight from thinking about any dream, no matter how strange. Only you, as the dreamer, have final say on what your dream may or may not mean. Each dream is unique.

Look for the differences

Look for the differences

The DreamWell dictionary provides information on how each dream symbol appears in dreams in general. Finding how experience rivers in dreams can be a key to understanding its meaning.

Return to the feelings

Return to the feelings

Our emotions in dreams can help us understand its meaning. Pay attention to how you felt in the dream. Pay attention to how you feel about rivers in dreams. See how you feel about rivers now, in your waking life.

An interpretation of river dreams

An interpretation of river dreams

This interpretation is from ""The Dream Interpretation Dictionary: Symbols, Signs, and Meanings" and is provided by J.M. DeBord aka "RadOwl". He is the author of several acclaimed books about dreaming, the host of The Dreams That Shape Us podcast, and is a moderator of r/Dreams, one of the largest dream sharing communities on the internet. A river is, essentially, an obstacle, and trying to cross a river in a dream is a strong indicator of trying to get past an obstacle. The condition of the river, whether raging or calm or in between, and its size can indicate how much of a challenge the obstacle presents. For instance, a student graduating from law school must pass his bar exam before starting work. He dreams about traveling through a city before coming to a bridge over a raging river. Crossing the bridge is perilous, but he makes it to the other side, symbolizing passing the bar exam so he can take a job that has already been offered on contingency. It’s what’s waiting for him on the other side of the river, and the bar is his bridge to getting there. The dream predicts his success with the exam—he knows he’s well prepared—and indeed he passes it. The conditions of the river have many other potential uses as symbolism through comparison. For example, a rushing brown river can symbolize diarrhea. Rapids can symbolize rapid progress or pace to life or some aspect of it. It can mean you’re in rough water figuratively. Standing on the other side of a river from someone you know can show that something stands between you and that person, and/or there’s a division in your mind related to him or her. It can mean a difference of opinion or outlook. The same ideas apply to standing across from a group of people. You’re far apart from them about something. Rivers have currents, and “current” in dream-speak can mean the flow of life, the direction you’re headed, the natural progression of things. You can go with the flow or against it. Going with the flow shows you are in harmony—in your life in general, or in a specific aspect of it. For example, a harmonious marriage can be like a calm river. On the other hand, a stormy marriage can be symbolized as a raging river. Going against the current can be a way of saying you wish to go in another direction. You don’t like where things are headed. You want your own way. Or, you resist the natural progression. You’re going against your instincts. The symbolism shows in the actions involving the river, and your actions and reactions as a dream character in the story. A river can be an analogy for the course of your life, with stops representing its phases and stages—school days, getting married, starting a career, having your first child, retirement. The river connects these points of reference. Rivers are used for travel, too, adding another layer to use as symbolism, because travel and movement in dreams can symbolize the movement of your life, its progress or lack of it. The symbolism will show in your movement along the river, or a view of it. A river that splits can mean facing a decision, especially one that means your life will split off in a new direction. Family is like a river, with your immediate family as the main waterway. Rivers combine to form bigger ones, and families combine through marriage to form bigger families. Day-to-day life with family can be like floating together on a river. Time progresses like a river. The pace of travel on a river makes it a good symbol for watching the days and nights flow by. See: Time, Time travel A river can symbolize your emotions. They flow. They move. And the condition of the water can say a lot about the state of your emotions. See: Water Drowning in a river can mean that something about your life is too much—too much work, too much responsibility, too much turmoil, too much sadness or disappointment, too much emotion. A meandering river is a great metaphor for a meandering life. And of course, your personal experiences come into play. An experience such as almost drowning in a river can create a strong impression that’s likely to be used at some point in your life by your dreams, perhaps years later, as a way of comparing to some other sort of jeopardy in which you find yourself. Or a river in a dream can be a way of referencing an incident from your life. For example, a man dreams about a cold ghost, which just got out of a river, getting into his bed with him. It references the time as a child when he caught typhoid after swimming in a river. The illness made him deathly cold like the ghost, and he almost died and became a ghost himself! Ghosts are associated with the past, too, and he had the dream many years after the incident. See also: Boats, Bridges, Calendars, Captains, Drowning, Floods, Journeys, Roads, Time, Time travel, Water

Examples of dreams of rivers

Reading dreams is one of the best ways to understand dream symbols. Even though the DreamWell Dream Dictionary is based upon data, it is grounded in the experience of reading thousands upon thousands of dreams. We invite you to read examples of river dreams for yourself. These dreams are actual dreams people have had. As result, they may contain racist, sexist, violent, or otherwise offense language and imagery. This can be true even for river dreams. Read at your own risk.

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