As fires and record high temperatures bake parts of the planet, others are locked in snow and ice, freezing those places with record low temperatures. So with such extremes of weather around us, it is no wonder that a potent symbol like ice might start appearing in our dreams. For those melting in the heat, dreams of ice may provide a welcome relief, at least at a subconscious level; while for those in freezing conditions, to dream of ice may be the subconscious mind calling on images and sensations close to hand to form part of a bigger story.
But as we know is so common with dreams, very rarely will a dream have simply such a literal meaning as those above. What then, is the role of ice in our dreams? As usual, that will depend very much on what the circumstances of our lives are, and what our personal associations to ice may be.
As water is often a reflection of our inner emotional, creative or spiritual state, to dream of ice may be an indication of some feelings we have turned off inside so that we no longer feel them – freezing them and not letting them flow. These feelings may have even been frozen for so long, that we now do not recognise or remember them. If the ice is melting, this could indicate that long forgotten feelings are starting to come to life, thawing just as the ice does in spring to let the new life emerge. This is a wonderful dream symbol and a reason to be excited! If the ice is only starting, it could be a sign of great hurt or shock, and an inner desire to freeze any feelings so they cause less suffering. But this dream can be a warning, for feelings are not meant to be frozen but to flow freely. If our subconscious shows the start of ice, it may be a sign to seek emotional support, or do some soul searching and recognise where in our lives we are starting to shut ourselves off, before a real ice age sets in.
Ice is cold, so when relating to our emotions, this can indicate that we
are some how being cold in life, and maybe should consider showing someone we know some warmth. Alternatively, ice dreams may be reflecting the “frosty” reception we feel we have received from someone else, who perhaps was not welcoming or gave us the “cold shoulder.”
Ice in dreams can have other meanings beyond frozen emotions. As we freeze foods to keep them longer and we know of fossils being found in ice, ice can be a symbol of preservation. We may dream of ice when we feel we are working hard to “simply survive” either emotionally or financially, or when we feel we have successfully emerged from such a time with our souls intact.
Icy landscapes also have a certain beauty, which can symbolise wildness, extremes, adventure or isolation to some. Ice dreams to some may be cleansing and purifying, and refreshing to the senses. Or sometimes to dream of being in icy water or of having an icy shower can be a wake-up call, shocking our senses into something that we had perhaps become too relaxed about to notice, like taking a cold shower.
We can also look at how ice may used in language and what was hapenning in our dreams. If we are “skating (or walking) on thin ice” we may know subconsciously that we are taking a large risk, and perhaps should be careful. If in our dream we are “breaking the ice” it may indicate that perhaps there is someone we should approach and get to know better, or maybe we recently have started to.
Unless ice is a part of our regular existence, it is likely that ice dreams are reflecting a temporary state, like the state of water which can move between fluid, gas or solid as ice. If we dream of ice it may be time to look at our feelings, our creativity and our behaviour. It may be time to let the sunshine into our lives, and to feel the warmth and flow of life again.