Snow is a common symbol that is used in nearly every form of media such as films, literature and paintings. However, snow is also a frequent dream element.
This raises the question, what does snow represent and how can it be interpreted as a symbol?
Snow is usually a symbol of purity but also new begginings, since it melts at the start of spring. However, snow also suggests coldness, rigidity since it covers up and freezes a part of one’s personality. Snow’s color, dirty or white, and form, slushy or solid, also has symbolic meaning.
Typically, snow represents purity, but if a white blanket of snow covers everything in your dream, this could imply that life’s rich complexities are being hidden.
When ice appears in dreams, it represents emotional rigidity or a lack of concern for other people’s feelings. Maybe the image was a warning against narrow-mindedness and a call to open your mind to new possibilities.
Simple snow symbolism and meaning
Snow in a dream is often a sign of prosperity.
The dream of sleeping in the snow: You are unaware of certain aspects of your subconscious, but they will come to light as soon as the snow melts. Dreams of sleeping in snow are common among people who are emotionally cold.
Dreaming of a snowman may symbolize aging, or cold, frozen emotions. It might also be a warning about being indifferent and “frosty” to the people around you, or your partner may be emotionally cold.
Making or throwing snow-balls can suggest the part of your body that is hit is either hurt or ill.
Snow may symbolize a new, clean start. Aside from being a symbol of life and death, snow is also associated with purification and transformation. Thus, snow may represent a new beginning that lies ahead. The melting of snow can symbolize the dissolving of fears and problems in real life.
Snow as purity. Because of its color (white) snow is associated with purity, coldness, but also represents chastity and virginal immaculateness.
Being in the middle of snow in dreams could reflect your emotional isolation or a cold interaction with someone close to you in waking life. As another possibility, dreaming of being in the middle of snow could be a warning that you have suppressed your emotions to protect yourself from harm.
A dream of cold surroundings, with snow and ice perhaps, can reflect emotional or attitudinal coldness, and a dream of a warm, safe environment will indicate that the dreamer feels secure and content, swallow see birds.
Seeing a snow-covered landscape can either mean being with family or loved ones and having a wonderful time, or it can mean that you’re cold and indifferent to their feelings and interest in you.
Snow can symbolize the crystallization of an important idea or project inside your mind, in much the same way snow is a crystallization of water.
Snow may indicate chilled and unexpressed emotions either in the dreamer or in someone else. This is because water is a natural symbol of emotional states, and how water often behaves in dreams is often associated with a person’s emotional states.
In general, the presence of snow in your dreams shows little enthusiasm and excessive emotional rigidity. You should live more intensely and show more warmth toward loved ones.
In literary works such as “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” and “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” snow is used as a symbol that foreshadows death.
Clean snow vs slushy, dirty snow
Fresh snow will have a radically different meaning than slush or dirty snow. Fresh snow implies purity and renewal, while slush implies staleness and pollution. It is symbolic that snow, ice, and frost each hold roughly the same weight, implying latency, as when water congeals or solidifies.
Clean, white snow may represent innocence, truth, peace, and relaxation.
Virgin snow, as you may see it covering a beautiful landscape, may represent new beginnings or a new way of seeing things.
Dirty snow may represent guilt, trauma or pain.
Dirty snow often foretells that your pride will be humbled, and you will seek reconciliation with some person whom you held in haughty contempt.
Melting snow or ice meaning
The melting of snow or ice likely indicates that repressed emotions can and should be allowed to express themselves in your waking life. The only thing that can melt the snow or ice in your subconscious is true love: total acceptance, encouragement and (where necessary) forgiveness of all the contents of your unconscious.
Melting snow in dreams could also suggest you have the strength to solve a pressing issue; there is no time to waste.
However, if you dreamt of thawing snow or playing in it or throwing snowballs, it indicates that your icy mood is slowly melting.
Snow storm symbolism
To dream of observing a snowstorm while inside a warm house means that your feelings of true love towards someone will be reciprocated.
If the flakes are large, your love interest will be a wealthy and generous person.
If the flakes are small and powdery, it is a sign of a struggle of some kind before you will achieve happiness.
Seeing or being in a snow-storm can mean one of two things:
1. There is plenty of luck to come, as well as success in business.
2. Indication of sorrow and disappointment at being unable to enjoy something long-expected. The dream is always followed by more or less discouragement.
Symbolism of snow flakes
Dreaming of thick snowflakes means you have to solve quite a few problems in your private life.
Snowflakes may also represent the frigidness of your emotions. You may be feeling cold, distant or disconnected from others.
Snow as ice
Ice and snow are a symbolic expression of loneliness and poverty. Both reflect coldness, or that romantic feelings are cooling off (either your own or another person’s).
Have your desires for someone gone cold, “turned to ice”, or on the contrary, has someone else’s desire for you lost their warmth?
In the same way that water is symbolic of emotion, ice is a symbol of ‘frozen’ emotion. This is the emotion that has been paralyzed by fear or guilt.
The ice may also symbolize sexual frigidity. Either way, melt the ice by warmly embracing the repressed feelings.
Symbolism of snow in an avalanche
An avalanche is composed of snow, and snow is frozen water. Water symbolizes your emotions, your unconscious, and sometimes even life itself. In other words, an avalanche dream is about emotions and thoughts that rapidly and violently descend upon you.
Your repressed emotions have finally been released and are now on the brink of overwhelming you.
Because an avalanche dislodges snow and ice, this kind of dream may represent a deep fear of someone’s hostility or emotional coldness, as well as its effects in your real life.
To dream of being caught and trapped by an avalanche suggests you are feeling overwhelmed by difficult circumstances in life.
Similarly, if you witnessed an avalanche, you are currently dealing with a destructive force in your life.
The dream is urging you to assume control and take precautionary steps to protect yourself from danger.
Dreams about avalanches are most likely warnings of impending disaster or fear of disaster. To identify the fear or warning, examine the avalanche itself and other images in the dream.
Is it, for example, a fear of failure? Or perhaps a sign that your life is about to be turned upside down?
Resources and references:
- A dictionary of symbols by Cirlot, Juan Eduardo
- A dictionary of symbols by Chevalier, Jean
- Dictionary of symbols by Chetwynd, Tom
- A dictionary of dream symbols : with an introduction to dream psychology by Ackroyd, Eric
- Illustrated dictionary of symbols in eastern and western art by Hall, James
- Dictionary of symbols and imagery by Vries, Ad de
- Symbolism : a comprehensive dictionary by Olderr, Steven
- Dictionary of mythology, folklore and symbols by Jobes, Gertrude
- The complete dictionary of symbols by Tresidder, Jack
- The dream dictionary from A to Z by Francis-Cheung, Theresa
- 1001 dreams by Altman, Jack
- The Watkins dictionary of dreams by Reading, Mario
- Dictionary of dreams : interpretation and understanding by Colin, Didier
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