Ocean

Personal associations to explore

The ocean exceeds a river or lake in its symbolic significance: it is boundless, unfathomably deep, and conceals most of itself beneath the surface. In dream interpretation it represents the collective unconscious, the incomprehensible, and the primordial ground of being.

Standing at a calm ocean can symbolise deep peace, but also awe at one's own limitations. Swimming in the ocean means actively engaging with the unconscious. Diving to the depths represents the courage to explore the hidden.

Storms on the ocean symbolise emotional crises or overwhelming life circumstances. The horizon over the ocean represents the aspiration towards the unknown and the possibility of the new.

For journaling, note the scene, your emotion, and what happened just before and after it. If this image recurs in your own dreams, you may choose it as a personal dream sign and then do a reality check; recurrence is your observation, not a fixed meaning.

Questions for your journal

• What emotion was strongest around Ocean?
• What in the scene felt familiar or unexpected?
• Has this image recurred in your own journal, and in what context?