It was Tuesday, and I woke up just as dawn was breaking. My mind was still filled with the images from the dream I’d just had—a herd of enormous water buffalo charging through my backyard, their hooves pounding the ground with a thunderous thud, leaving the earth covered in mud, and the wind carrying the scent of dirt.I sat up, my heart beating fast, and hurried to the kitchen to pour myself a cup of coffee. As I drank, I thought: This dream was so real. What was it trying to tell me?
Many people say that dreams are nonsense, but I think that sometimes they are like a friend quietly handing you a note with something written on it that you didn’t notice during the day.
I began to recall the details of the dream bit by bit
I knew that in order to understand a dream, I had to remember it first.So I immediately took out a notebook and wrote down everything I could remember: How many water buffaloes were there? Were they running fast? Was I afraid or curious? Did I hide? Did I call for help?
I realized that the water buffaloes in my dream weren’t attacking me, they were just rushing past me like a gust of wind. I stood there, unharmed, but a little unsteady. It felt like something in my life was passing me by quickly, and I couldn’t quite keep up.
I originally wanted to search online for “what does dreaming about water buffalo mean,” but I saw a bunch of interpretations, like “symbolizing wealth” or “foretelling good luck,” which sounded like fortune-telling and didn’t feel real. Later, I saw a comment from an auntie on a gardening forum. She said she dreamed about water buffalo because she was taking care of her sick mother alone at the time, and she was so tired every day it felt like she was carrying a mountain on her back. She said:Water buffalo are so heavy and walk slowly, but they never stop, just like the things I do every day, which weigh me down so much I can’t breathe.“
Those words struck a chord with me.
Dreams about water buffalo may be related to ‘pressure’
I gradually realized that many people dream about water buffalo not because they like animals, but because they are familiar with that ”heavy feeling.” I sorted them out and came up with three situations:
- First: Feeling overwhelmed by too many things.
Water buffalo are large and shake the ground when they walk. If you dream of them charging at you, it might be because you have too much on your plate lately, and your mind can’t handle it all. For example, you have a pile of work to finish, family matters to handle, and you feel like you’re being squeezed. - Second: You’re stuck on a problem.
Some people dream of a water buffalo standing in the middle of the road, refusing to move no matter what you do. This is like having a difficult problem in your life that you can’t resolve, change, or get rid of. For example, you’re having a disagreement with a colleague, and no matter how many times you talk about it, you can’t resolve it, leaving you feeling frustrated. - The third type: You’re actually stronger than you think.
There are also opposite dreams. Some people dream of standing in front of a water buffalo, which charges at them, but they don’t run away, and the buffalo stops on its own. This type of dream actually indicates that you have strength, but you haven’t noticed it before. It’s like when you think you can’t handle something at home, but when it actually happens, you handle it calmly and well.
My dream was actually telling me not to panic
A few days later, I went to the supermarket to buy something. There was a long line at the checkout, and the person in front of me was slowly taking out their change. I started to get impatient and thought, “Why is this taking so long?”
Just then, the image of the water buffalo from that day suddenly popped into my head—the way they charged forward was completely different from the chaos of the line. But strangely, I suddenly smiled.I said to myself, “Hey, it’s not the end of the world, it’s just a little slow.”
At that moment, I realized that the dream wasn’t meant to scare me, but to teach me. It used a herd of charging buffalo to tell me, “You’re always nervous about little things, but you’ve been through bigger storms and you can handle it.”
Dreams aren’t answers, but they can be clues
I don’t consider myself a “dream interpreter” now. Dreams don’t spell out exactly what you should do like an instruction manual. But they’re like a mirror, reflecting the feelings you haven’t voiced.
For example, on the surface, my dream was about water buffalo trampling in the yard, but in reality, I was worried about not being able to finish a new project and was so stressed that I couldn’t sleep. I just didn’t admit it during the day, so at night, my dream showed me a “herd of buffalo trampling” to get my point across.
So, if you also have strange dreams, don’t rush to look up the “standard answer.” Try this instead:
- First, write down the scene in your dream in as much detail as possible.
- Think about whether you’ve been feeling anything similar in your life recently—tired? Annoyed? Afraid?
- Don’t worry about whether it’s “right” or “wrong.” Just ask yourself, “Does this dream seem to be describing a state I’m in?”
A final thought
Dreams are personal and unique to each individual. Someone else might say that “water buffaloes represent good luck,” but to you, they might just be a reminder that you need to rest.
So, don’t be superstitious, but don’t ignore them either. Listen to the voice of your dreams as if you were listening to an old friend. Not every word will be useful, but occasionally, it will say something you’ve been hiding deep inside for a long time.
Like my water buffaloes, they didn’t bring wealth or disaster; they just passed through my dream and left a message: “Don’t be afraid; you can do it.”
