Spiritual meaning of carrying water in a dream: how to interpret it
Have you ever dreamt of carrying water? However, some dreams will bother you, and you may want to know what they mean. Jane Teresa Anderson, a Dream Interpretation Expert, says this kind of dream depends on personal emotions and life situations. It can symbolize emotional burdens, a sense of purpose, or a precious mission, depending on how the dreamer feels while carrying the water.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Key takeaways
- What is the spiritual meaning of carrying water in a dream?
- Does water quantity affect dream interpretation?
- Which symbols enhance water-carrying dream interpretations?
- Tips from expert
- Bible verses about carrying water
- What does it mean to take water in the dream?
- Is it good or bad to dream about water?
- What does it mean when you dream about a bucket of water?
Key takeaways
- Dreaming of carrying water can symbolize both positive and negative meanings.
- It may indicate good news, prosperity, blessings, and success in life.
- On the negative side, it can represent a heavy burden, leading to sickness, struggle, delay, and frustration.
- Water in dreams often represents emotions—for example, calm water may symbolize peace, while a raging waterfall may indicate anger or strong emotions.
What is the spiritual meaning of carrying water in a dream?
According to Evangelist Joshua Orekhie, carrying water on the head dream represents both positive and negative perspectives. The dream could symbolize good news, prosperity, blessings, and success in your undertakings. Negatively, it can also suggest a heavy burden imposed on a person's life. The evil load can cause sickness, delay, struggle, pain, worry, frustration, and anger.
Carrying water in a dream can have different symbolic meanings depending on spiritual traditions and dream interpretations. The dream usually points to the dreamer's emotional and spiritual state. Here are common interpretations of the dream.
1. Emotional burden or immense responsibilities
Water is usually associated with emotions. If you are carrying water in a dream, it could mean that you have deep emotions or heavy responsibility burdens. You may not necessarily be overwhelmed by the burdens, but you could be managing them carefully.
2. Physical and spiritual nourishment
Water, an essential element of life, represents nourishment. Carrying water in a dream might mean that you are positioned to assist others overwhelmed by various life burdens. You possess the water they need to nourish their lives through support and sustenance.
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3. Spiritual cleansing and renewal
Another essential use of water is cleaning and removing dirt and unwanted substances. Carrying water may mean that you have the power to purify and make something dirty clean. It may also mean that you are raring for a fresh start that will bring spiritual and physical healing and renewal.
4. Presence of life and energy
Carrying water may also signify that you are in harmony with life. It shows how well you are connected to the flow of life and energy and at peace with everything around you. However, if the water is heavy or unsettled, it may symbolize a burden or an impending turmoil in your life.
5. Manifestation of desires
Carrying water in your dream may also mean you will soon realize your desires and goals. This is especially common when you have been working hard to achieve something and are about to give up because it is not coming forth. The dream is a revelation of your near achievements.
6. Balance and harmony
If you see two carrying water in your dream, it signifies the need for cooperation and partnership. You should treat it as an invitation to share whatever burdens you with someone close to you. Sharing a burden makes it lighter, so you can live a comfortable life.
Does water quantity affect dream interpretation?
Jane Teresa Anderson, a Dream Interpretation Expert, explained in an interview that the meaning of carrying water in dreams depends on your emotional response rather than the actual quantity. She said:
The interpretation depends on the feeling the person had when they were carrying the water rather than the quantity. For example, if someone is carrying water and they're thinking, 'I am so privileged to be carrying this water for somebody,' then perhaps the interpretation is along the lines of, I'm feeling privileged to be doing something for somebody; I'm fulfilling a mission; I'm involved in something very precious.
But our dreams can also be about ourselves, our inner world. It’s helpful to look at everything in a dream as representing an aspect of ourselves. We often talk about water in emotional terms: ‘the raging waterfall,’ ‘the peaceful lake,’ and ‘the depressing rain,’ so water in our dreams might represent our emotions. Ask yourself what emotional feeling the water in your dream expressed.
If a person is dreaming, they're carrying water, and it feels very precious, and it's amazing to be doing this thing, I'd be saying to them, 'Where in your life do you feel there's something precious that you're doing or a precious mission? Or what is precious within you that needs your care and attention?'
If another person says, 'I'm carrying this water in my dream, and it's so heavy, and I don't want to be doing it, and I'm always the one carrying the water, and it's such a burden,’ I'd say to them, 'Okay, don't think about the water for a moment; think about your life. Where do you feel burdened? Are you doing extra tasks for people, or does life seem hard for you? Why are you taking on burdens? Is there another way to look at life (that it’s a pleasure to be of service, not burdened, maybe)?' It's not about the water; it's about you. It's about what you're carrying emotionally and spiritually rather than physically. I'd be looking at it from that perspective.
Which symbols enhance water-carrying dream interpretations?
Jane Teresa Anderson said that water does not mean a specific thing because interpretations are "highly personal"; what water symbolizes varies from one dreamer to another. She highlights the following:
In a bucket
If you're dreaming that you're carrying water in a bucket, and the bucket's got holes in it, and the water's draining from the bucket, you then might say, 'Where in my life do I feel like I'm trying to get a job done or I'm trying to do something, but I'm not getting anywhere because the harder I try, the more it just slips through my fingers? It disappears. Something's wrong.'
Or do you feel like you’re running out of energy (like the water draining from your bucket)? Perhaps you feel that something is flowing away from you. Perhaps it’s time to make a change: to contain an energy in your life, rather than let it fall away.
In a sack
Another person might dream of carrying water, maybe in a sack tied around their back or their front. And you might say, 'Well, that's a strange way to carry water. What does it remind you of?' And they might say, 'It reminds me of carrying my baby.'
You might ask, 'How did you feel about carrying the water in the dream?' They might say, 'Oh, I felt it was very precious.' You might then ask, 'What is it that feels new in the world to you, that you've given birth to, that has been in your life for only a few months like a baby, that you're trying to carry or to do something with?'
In a kettle
If someone dreams of carrying water in a kettle, you might say, 'Why are you carrying water in a kettle? Is it to make tea? Is it to boil the water?' And they might say, 'Yes, it is, but I've got to carry it a very long way, and it's so heavy. Then, when I get there, I've got to make the tea.'
You might say, ‘What does making tea mean to you?' They might say, 'It's nourishing, it's nurturing, it's refreshing, it fills me up, it quenches my thirst.' You might say, 'What is it in life that you would like to do that would quench your thirst? Not with water, but emotionally or spiritually? Where are you feeling thirsty for something? Thirsty for love, thirsty for business, thirsty for attention, thirsty for something else? And instead of being able to quench that thirst, you feel like you can’t. The task is too heavy?’.
The expert further explains that water in dreams often represents emotions. She said:
Sometimes, water can turn up in dreams to represent emotions, and it's how we see or how we describe the water in our dreams that lets us know what emotion it is that we're processing or dreaming about. But because symbols aren't the same for everybody, water in our dreams is not always about emotions.
The key to interpretation is asking the dreamer questions to try to discover how they felt about carrying the water in the dream. Their answers reveal a parallel feeling in life.
She shared the following examples:
- Rain may be seen as wonderful and refreshing to one person, and another individual might find it to be depressing.
- A pool of water may symbolize calmness, while a raging waterfall could indicate anger.
Tips from expert
Jane Teresa Anderson said the essential step in dream interpretation is to explore how the dream mirrors the dreamer’s life and emotional state. She explains:
A dream is like an allegory of a situation in your life. If you're driving a car down a road and it reaches a dead end, then that dream might be about somewhere in your life where you're trying to get somewhere (emotionally, mentally, or spiritually), but you keep meeting dead ends.
If you dream of climbing a mountain and you're going up and up, but you just can't find the way down, that might be an allegory for somewhere in your life where maybe you're going up a career ladder at work, but sometimes you just want to get down and get grounded, and you can't.
The same with all the water dreams. Look at them and say, 'In what way is this an allegory for something that's happening in my life? How does what is happening in this dream help me to understand what is happening in my life?'
Bible verses about carrying water
What is the spiritual meaning of water? Biblically, water signifies purification and sanctification. Therefore, carrying water in your dreams indicates the need to cleanse yourself from harmful or dirty things.
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It may also represent your sacrifice to selflessly serve others as the Lord did by washing his disciples’ feet with water. Below are Bible verses indicating the significance of water.
- Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. – Hebrews 10:22
- For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. – Isaiah 44:3
- They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them. He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water. – Isaiah 49:10
- I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. – Matthew 3:11
- And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward. – Matthew 10:42
- He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty, I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. – Revelation 21:6
- You, God, are my God. Earnestly, I seek you; I thirst for you. My whole being longs for you in a dry and parched land where there is no water. – Psalm 63:1
- Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life. – John 4:13-14
- Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. – Revelation 22:1-2
- Husbands love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word. – Ephesians 5:25-26
- After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. – John 13:5
- If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. – Proverbs 25:21
- And this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also - not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. – 1 Peter 3:21
- Surely, no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have. – Acts 10:47
What does it mean to take water in the dream?
Drinking water in a dream symbolizes taking responsibility to satisfy your emotional needs. It may also mean self-awareness to care for your interests or tapping inner strength to face your issues and find a solution.
Is it good or bad to dream about water?
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Dreaming about water may have good or bad meanings. It is a good symbol if the water is calm, clean, abundant, and not heavy. The dream signifies doom if the water is turbulent, dirty, and heavy. You should not worry about your dreams if you think they are a good symbol, but if you have bad water dreams, you should pray about them to prevent any bad happenings.
What does it mean when you dream about a bucket of water?
A basket of water dream has different meanings depending on whether the bucket of water is full, empty, or overflowing. Evangelist Joshua Orekhie elaborates this dream on his YouTube channel, saying:
Dreaming about a bucket of water represents happiness and good news. This dream means your wish will come true soon. Seeing yourself carrying a bucket of water in a dream means your problem will finally be resolved. The water in the bucket represents faithfulness, revival, and joy. If you are carrying an empty bucket in a dream, it means an empty vessel. It means the person is too lazy to take responsibility for big tasks. If you see an overflowing bucket in your dream, it means you will soon experience an abundance of God’s blessings in your life, showing that God has given you more than you requested.
The spiritual meaning of carrying water in a dream may be positive or negative, depending on the nature of the dream. In most cases, it is a good dream that you are about to receive abundant blessings because water is associated with goodness, such as purification, sanctification, and happiness. If you have a bad dream about water, you should pray about it so that any imminent harmful occurrence may not happen.
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Muhunya Muhonji (Lifestyle writer) Muhunya is a graduate of Agricultural Economics from Egerton University, Class of 2014, with a passion for storytelling and content creation. Since joining Legit.ng as a writer in July 2021, he has covered diverse topics such as entertainment, technology, business, and biographies. His journalism journey has seen him complete multiple professional courses, including the AFP Digital Investigation Techniques course (2023), the Google News Initiative course (March 2024), and Fact-Checking and Research training (September 2024). Email: muhunyah@gmail.com
Mary Ugbodaga (Lifestyle Journalist) Mary Ugbodaga is a Legit.ng journalist with 7 years of experience in journalism and media communications. She graduated from Covenant University in 2018 with a Bachelor's degree in Mass Communication/Media Studies. Mary previously worked as a journalist at TheCable, CNBC AFRICA, Voice of Nigeria, KPMG Nigeria. Email: mary.ugbodaga@corp.legit.ng.
