What do rivers symbolize in dreams?

A river is a flow of fresh water, moving downward and ultimately connecting to a larger body of water like a lake or sea. Rivers promote fertility and sustain life of many kinds, and they have been favored sites for human settlement since the dawn of history. Great rivers—the Nile, the Tigris and Euphrates, the Indus, the Yangtze—are virtually synonymous with great civilizations. Using dams and mills, humans have drawn energy from rivers, although at the cost of disrupting their free flow. Rivers establish boundaries, dividing one realm or territory from another. As a spiritual symbol, rivers suggest cleansing and transformation, as in John the Baptist’s ministry at the Jordan River, and the Greek myth of the spirits of the dead crossing the river Styx when they leave the land of the living. Rivers can also symbolize the passage of time and a quality of transience-in-permanence, as in the saying that you can never set foot in the same river twice. When you dream of a river, there’s a good chance it means something involving powerful movement and deep change, especially in relation to whatever you consider spiritually meaningful. It’s important to notice the conditions of the river, whether it’s high or low, clear or opaque, moving fast or slow, because these details can give valuable insight into the direction of movement and the quality of transformation this dream river offers you.

Kelly Bulkeley