Dream of the week: Swimming in a pond

As a dream coach, I often receive questions about water in dreams. Water often symbolizes our emotions and subconscious, as well as the way we deal with feelings.

This week, I received a dream about swimming in a pond. A round pond with brown water and aquatic plants. The dreamer was swimming in circles in this pond. It was dark outside. At a certain point, a row of female ducks entered the pond and kept swimming behind the dreamer. The dreamer felt somewhat uncomfortable since it was their territory, and she was much too big to swim in the pond. In fact, she could stand in it. Let’s take a closer look at what this dream might mean.

Emotions & the subconscious

Water in the dream world often symbolizes emotions and the subconscious. The state of the water provides insight into how someone feels. In this dream, the water was brown and murky, which could indicate unclear or confusing emotions. However, the dreamer was not disturbed by this, which suggests a certain level of acceptance of the situation and feelings.

Going in circles

Because the pond was round and she was swimming in circles, this could indicate repetition or a cycle the dreamer is caught in. The dreamer seems to be stuck in a pattern or a certain way of thinking that she is not yet aware of. Making the same movement repeatedly but not making progress.

Breaking the pattern

The arrival of the female ducks makes her realize that she does not truly belong in that pond. She is being encouraged to find a way to break this pattern. The fact that the ducks are swimming behind her could symbolize support. Since it is a row of female ducks, this pattern might be something passed down through her maternal lineage—something inherited from grandmother to mother, from mother to daughter.

Now it is up to her to break this pattern and step out of the pond.

The Unknown or uncertainty

The fact that it is dark outside could represent uncertainty or ambiguity. It may symbolize the unknown. Perhaps she is very familiar with the pattern and the emotions associated with it. Maybe they have become comfortable, making it scary to step out of the pond and into the unknown. The female ducks following her might be encouraging her to break this pattern for all of them.

In this case, the ducks seem to symbolize her maternal lineage—the generations before her. Female ducks can also symbolize obedience and routine, support from female figures, or motherhood and caregiving duties.

Action for the dreamer

In this dream, the dreamer is made aware that she is stuck in a pattern and may find it daunting or unsettling to break free from it. The question is: what is preventing the dreamer from stepping out of the pond? Since she can simply stand up, breaking this pattern might not be as difficult as she fears.

Would you like to have a dream analyzed? Send me your dream, and perhaps I will discuss it in the next edition of Dream of the Week!

Sweet dreams!

Sabine