Last night, I had an utterly bizarre dream. Water was everywhere—murky, yellowish river water flooding the streets. The old house I lived in as a child was actually floating on the water. Even more bizarre, a goat was standing on the roof, staring at me with a perfectly calm expression. After waking up, I felt deeply unsettled. My mind was restless all morning, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that this dream wasn’t as simple as it seemed.
In the past, when I had dreams like this, I’d just casually search “Is dreaming about floods a good sign?” and call it a day. But this time, I wanted to take it more seriously. I dug out that old book my grandmother gave me years ago—a book about the symbolic meanings of dreams. Though it was covered in dust, I’d never brought myself to throw it away.
Writing down the dream is the first step to interpreting it
I sat down, sipping coffee as I recalled the details. Taking out my pocket notebook, I jotted down every memory: the water was muddy yellow, like sludge; the house was the two-story building I lived in as a child; the goat was black and white, and it even winked at me… My handwriting was messy, but I didn’t care—the key was to record everything before forgetting.
Then I opened the book, flipping through page by page searching for the keyword “water.” As I leafed through, I discovered the text mentioned that water in dreams is never just “water.” It often represents emotions, life circumstances, or even deep-seated pressures. Especially when combined with stories from the Bible, many water-related dreams actually have clear roots.
What Does Water Really Symbolize in Dreams?
The book summarizes several common scenarios. I’ll try to break them down in my own words:
- If the water is calm and clean, like a clear stream or a still lake, it usually means you’re in a good mood lately and life is relatively stable. As the Bible says, “God’s grace is like living water.” This kind of dream might be reminding you: your mindset is solid right now, so don’t go stirring things up unnecessarily.
- If you dream of rushing currents, or water that’s filthy, black, or yellowish, take note. This often signals a period of high stress and emotional turmoil. Much like the flood in the Bible that befell Noah, what appears as disaster can also be a “reshuffle”—the end of the old, the beginning of the new.
- Dreams of massive floods, bottomless pits of water, or even being trapped by water are the most frightening. Yet they don’t necessarily portend misfortune. Instead, they seem to say: “Your current situation feels passive, but it might be the very moment for change.” Like Moses leading his people through the Red Sea—what seemed impossible ultimately became a path forward.
Reflecting on my dream, the murky yellow water and the floating old house mirrored my recent state—work projects piling up, daily overtime, feeling like a drained battery. That drifting house might represent my inner anxiety about “home” and “stable life”: fearing that amidst the chaos, I’d lose even the most basic rhythm of daily existence.
What on earth did that goat mean?
What baffled me most was the goat standing on the roof. After hours of research, I found no interpretations for the “goat + flood” combination. Then it suddenly hit me: when I was a kid, there really was a wild goat near my home that often ran onto people’s rooftops. Neighbors would laugh and say, “That thing’s tough—even water can’t drown it.”Perhaps the goat in this dream isn’t some mystical symbol at all, but rather a comfort from my subconscious: no matter how dire the circumstances, there’s always an “unflappable” part of me holding me up.
The Dream’s True Meaning: It’s Telling You to Stop
Realizing this brought me a lot of relief. The dream sounded scary, but it felt more like my inner voice shouting: “You’ve been pushing yourself too hard for too long. It’s time to rest.”
Like after Noah’s flood, when the world started anew. I don’t need to wait for the sky to fall to make changes. I can start with small steps now: like declining an unimportant overtime request, or turning off work notifications on weekends to get a good night’s sleep.
Ultimately, dreams aren’t prophecies or codes. They’re more like mirrors, reflecting emotions and needs you overlook during the day.
As for that goat? I actually find it kind of cute now—maybe next time I’m stressed, I’ll ask myself: “If it were that goat on the roof, what would it choose?”
