Dreaming of storms can offer a treasure trove of symbolic meaning.
I had torrential downpours in my dreams this week. And, whilst logging onto Twitter this morning, I saw @coachoncall , Cheryl Richardson (The Coach on Call) had a thunderous dream encounter too.
This synchronicity prompted me to write a few thoughts on symbolic meaning of dream storms.
My symbolic lexicon identifies storms with the elements of air and water. These elements run a symbolic parallel with thoughts (air) and emotion (water) amidst the cosmic consciousness. Ergo, dreaming of skies, clouds and storms may be akin to “stormy thoughts” or emotionally-centered thinking.
Storms brewing in dreams may indicate challenges in expressing thoughts, mis-communication, misunderstanding, or conflict between heart and mind. This may include an inability to make a decision or holding grudges (just as clouds accumulate and hold water, so too can thought & emotion).
Rain storms are symbolic of water, and water symbolism deals with cleansing and emotional stirrings. Stormy dreams may indicate an accumulation of unhealthy or unclear thoughts needing to be washed away from the psyche in order to continue on the Path.
Lightning is symbolic of a stroke of genius, clarity, or epiphany. It is also symbolic of action, power, and assertion. Many dream interpreters consider it to be a divine oracle as Native Peoples have established lightning as a “sign from the gods” in cosmic consciousness.
Dreaming of thunder also holds the potential for messages from the divine. When thunder rumbles through my dreams, I fancy it’s the Celtic god Taranis hammering at my heart – knocking down the layers I’ve built up around the soul – demanding entry so that my spirit may be emboldened by his presence.
Further, when I dream of rain or any kind of storms I consider the personality of the element. I propose Undines and Sylphs are not simply mythological creatures, but in fact, they are the personification of water and air (respectively).
When stormy weather visits the dreaming mind – I like to think these elemental spirits are paying me a visit – speaking to me through the language of dreams.
Whether you prescribe to these symbolic meanings of storms in dreams, or have your own symbolic identifications – you owe it to your highest selves to interpret them according to your own personal perspective.
There is infinite gold to be mined from these cavernous oracles. Start digging!
Other pages of interest:
- Symbolic Meaning of Water
- Symbolism of Wind (from a Northern Native American perspective)
- Dream Meanings (portal page)
- Undines – Element of Water Personified
- Sylphs – Element of Air Personified
Avia, I read your post with interest, as I have dreams with storms in them every so often (cyclically?)
Most recently, I dreamed of a powerful tornado, accompanied by the usual dark and threatening clouds. This time the tornado was close and felt very personal, as if it were searching for me as I hid in my house…the feeling was of being hunted. This all occurred around the time I was retrieving deeper memories from my body and psyche about sexual abuse at the hands of men in my family.
However, in past years I have dreamed of seeing tornadoes from further away, at a distance. They felt feminine, sinewy, mean.
I have always been fascinated by the power and concentration of energy of tornadoes, and would love to see one in real life (as long as I am not in danger!)
What are your thoughts on tornadoes?
Much love,
licia
Licia,
Dr. Liara Covert of http://blog.dreambuilders.com.au/ suggests dream tornados imply a concentration of energy vibration and reminds you travel between worlds is possible.
My friends from http://www.analysedreams.co.uk/ suggest “tornadoes or any type of storm can be symbolic of one of two things: either your emotional state or a force with which you must contend. Do you feel that an emotional storm is brewing in your life? It can be related to work, your home life, or anything else. Or is there someone in your life that is prone to temper tantrums or emotional outbursts that upsets you?” (excerpted from their site).
Here’s another good resource on dream tornados: http://www.unclesirbobby.org.uk/dreamdictionarytornado.php
Avia,
Thanks so much…this is affirming of what is happening in my life. Once again, dreams show me that there is so much going on beyond what I am intellectually aware of!
In Gratitude,
Licia
Hi … the last time (one of only two times) I dreampt of a tornado, it was indeed indicating an emotional force I had to contend with; someone who was prone to temper tantrums or emotional outbursts that were upsetting to me.
That individual has since receded from the emotional landscape of my life … no more tornadoes, dreamy or otherwise.
D~
Thank you, yes, I can see the emotional outburst side of things…but it seems more in my case the fact of impending uncertainty, and the feelings of deep anxiety caused by that. Perhaps this is the emotional storm referred to in one of the resources!
Interestingly, in the last, recent dream that I mentioned where I felt “hunted” by the tornado and wicked black clouds, they felt masculine to me, whereas in older dreams from years ago, the far-away tornadoes felt feminine, and that I was observing them from afar rather than them “noticing” me or interacting with them in any way.
It is fascinating to examine the way our psyches work with things and tell us stories through our dreams!
licia
Yes, it is fascinating … and wonderful that Avia gets our thoughts going with her intuitive posts, hm? I love it! D~
Oh yes, Avia is the best….so glad to have stumbled upon her!!
Thank you a thousand times, Avia.
Love and Blessings,
licia
I’m new to understanding dream interpretation. This is my dream:
The traffic that was heading towards the east coast turned around in a frantic and rushed quickly away. Towards the east coast I could see a huge lightening storm with 3-4 pillars of water quickly approaching. My family and I were in a rush to pack and race out of town. My mom refused to come and said that someone told her it hadn’t hurt them before. But then she thought, “Maybe it was because this person took shelter… Oh well.” She refused to come along, and stayed in the home. The storm was so large, and formed like a tornado; no one could see on it’s other side. My mom was not concerned with losing all of her possesions or her life with the storm. Everyone raced out the door, as the storm is almost here. *Awake*
Ive had dreams about tornadoes before, dont like them at all. Just had to force myself awake from one now, weird thing is, it was like an electric tornado really bright, was at my house that I lived at with my parents. My brother and mom was there, told my brother he said there was nothing there, then something anout its clear and wont do anything like it would go straight through us, cant remember exact words, my mom went into the room my brother closed the door, and I didnt move fast enough didnt know where to go, next thing I feel like my throat is twisting, snapping kind of thing and felt alot of pressure, thats when I forced myself, awake. Scary..
hi,
in my dream my family and i were sleeping and woken by a HUGE Electrical tornado outside my bedroom window…It lit the whole sky up and there was lots of forklightning.. I grabbed my family and hid underneath my youngest daughters bed as we watched this huge electrical tornado waiting to see what was next..
It quickly spun off away from us and disappeared.please help me understand this dream??