Dreaming of fish can happen when we become more aware of our inner life; according to Jung the fish in dreams represent intuitions that emerge spontaneously from the unconscious, unsolicited and unsolicited thoughts that have the power to regenerate our vision of things, make us better understand reality and ourselves.
To understand the meaning of fish in dreams it is necessary to consider the close connection they have with water, the essential environment for their survival. Since water is a symbol of the unconscious, of emotions and of the female and mother figure, we also find these symbolic meanings in fish.
People in therapy, or who are on a path of personal growth, can often dream of fish swimming under the surface of the water, as a symbol of the new self-awareness they are coming to.
Dreaming of fish often can also correspond to a time when you need to develop spirit and mind, to go deep.
Fish Symbolism in Cultures
Generally the Christian symbol of fish is connected to Advent, which inaugurated the processional era of Pisces, although the zodiacal glyph actually presents not one but two fish paired in the opposite direction and joined by a bond or a yoke for the mouth , image analogous to the Chinese Tai-chi, symbol of the yin-yang polarity.
The fact remains that Christianity is the only religion born in that era that took over the fish as a symbol from the beginning, and it is therefore difficult to associate the thing with a historical or astronomical era.
Many hypotheses, even the most absurd, have been proposed as an explanation, for example the fact that Jesus declared to be the Alpha and the Omega, but if the Greek alpha remembers a fish, not so the other letter. Then why should people of non-Greek culture choose the Greek alphabet as the basis of their symbolism?
Note that a hypostasis of Aphrodite in the form of fish, Aphrodite Salacia, was celebrated on Friday by her worshipers, who ate fish that day at orgiastic rites. Anassimandro, to whom we owe the cosmological concept of the “apeiron” (unlimited), said that the fish was the father and mother of humanity, so he forbade eating it.
In Scandinavia they ate fish in honor of Freyia and Frigga, two sides of the same divinity, one more mother-lunar and the other more aphroditic, and who gave their name on Friday in Germanic languages (freitag, fredag, friday ).
However, neither in Scandinavia nor in Rome do there seem to have been graphic representations in the form of fish. We must turn to the East to find some rare examples, all of which predate Christianity. In the Middle East the Great Mother of Ephesus was represented as a woman who wore a fish-shaped amulet in front of sex; in China, the Great Mother Kwan-yin was also depicted in the form of fish.
In India Kalì is called “she who has fish eyes” and the animal in question is also a symbol of Vishnu, who appears in this form to the legislator of the current cycle, the Manu, to announce that humanity will be destroyed by a deluge and makes him build an ark that he himself then guides, always in the form of a fish, during that cataclysm. Affinity with biblical symbolism is obvious.
The conservative Vishnu of Vedanta (the other members of the Trimurti, Brahma and Shiva, are creator and destroyer) has points of contact with the future “soter”, the Christian savior. Then, in Buddhism, the fish represents the footprint of Buddha, that is, the path that frees you from desires.
Dreams about Fish – Meaning
What does it mean to dream fish? The book of dreams brings us, therefore, to an interpretation of renewal and fertility. I find it a very strong and clear symbol to interpret depending on how it looks. Think of how simple it is to represent the meaning of some ways of speaking of our linguistic tradition, such as: “being a fish out of water”; “mute as a fish”; “who sleeps does not catch fish”. It is impossible not to find them during our sleep, be it night or day.
Dreaming of flying fish can be a good sign of health on a psychic and physical level. They can represent good ideas that have darted the flight. Dreaming of fish in an aquarium could manifest the feeling of being caged, like in a glass ball or that the ideas that represent us cannot be vented. Or it could show the need to feel protected, but this depends on your personality.
Dreaming of cooked or fried fish, surely can arouse a good appetite on the part of the dreamer. Often it happens to me to go to sleep that I am still hungry and this desire to eat pours into dreams seeing food in front of me. But it could also have a meaning that brings us back to the ways of speaking listed above. Is there anyone you would like to make you fried? Or have they fried you?
Dreaming of goldfish during sleep may be associated with the most common figure of the goldfish once owned by all of us; it is therefore connected to a memory of childhood, and therefore to more reassuring aspects, or perhaps, just recently you have seen one.
But we must understand how to connect this figure to the rest of the dream. Dreaming of big and big fish, especially if you are afraid of them, these could represent little-known areas of our unconscious that has an urgent need to come out.
Dreaming of black fish could have a negative value. Work on yourself that what has been said so far can help you. (Instincts that come out of the “darkness”). What a beautiful thing to find yourself sleeping with freshly caught fish. It’s a good time in your life. Make the most of it. Something is doing well materially or psychologically. Surely you have good contact with yourself.
Dreams about Fish – Symbolism
Dreaming of fish swimming in the water (sea, aquarium, etc.) – In general, dreaming of so many beautiful healthy, living fish that swim in clear and clean waters represents the excellent conditions of your physical and mental health, the richness and beauty of your inner world, which abounds with resources.
Maybe in the dream you swim with them, feeling a sense of bliss; or you see them while you are by the sea, close to your feet. If a fish talks to you, it listens to what it says, it could be an important message, even if at the moment it seems to you that it doesn’t make sense.
Dreaming of fish in the sea – saltwater (sea) fish occur more rarely in dreams than freshwater fish, but they have an important meaning. The sea represents your unconscious, and to see fish swimming in the sea water indicates that you are exploring yourself; fish are ideas and insights that populate your inner world; they are hard to see just because they live deep inside.
Also consider the sea conditions in your dream; is it calm, clean, quiet, or dirty, rough and choppy?
Dream freshwater fish – freshwater fish (lakes, rivers) live in not very deep waters; they can represent ideas of the pre-conscious, indefinite and inaccurate, but more accessible.
Dreaming of fish in the aquarium – usually in the dream you see a large aquarium inside your house, where fish swim; this indicates that you observe and investigate your emotions and try to keep them under control.
If the water is clean and the fish is fine, it’s a good sign. If you identify yourself with fish, this could indicate that you feel trapped, observed, controlled, have little privacy; maybe you also feel isolated from the world.
Dreaming of fish that swim in a pack – you are in harmony with your fellows, with your group.
Dreaming of fish swimming in the toilet, in the bathtub – some questions are becoming more urgent to address them sooner, because they are invading your privacy.
Dream colorful fish (white, red, black, etc.) – Dream colorful fish (white, red, black, orange, blue, blue, pink, yellow, gray, etc.): color can be important to reinforce the idea that the fish represents; for example, golden fish are a sign of well-being and wealth; the silver ones emphasize the connection with your intuition; fish-colored-tropical bright fish stands out in the darkness of consciousness; a transparent fish is extremely pure, almost immaterial; try to deepen the meaning of colors in dreams.
Dream of exotic, tropical fish – surely these animals have fascinated you for their spectacular beauty; this shows your love for beautiful things, even if they are difficult to obtain; you have the patience to cultivate your inner life with care, from which wonderful ideas are born.
Dreaming of jumping fish, flying – Dream fish leaping out of the water: if it is a fish that is in the aquarium and jumps out, it could mean that you need to change habits, to gain new experiences. If, on the other hand, you dream of fish jumping out of the sea, or coming to the surface, this could represent a sort of “illumination”, an idea that suddenly emerges from your unconscious, like a flash.
Dreaming of fish that bites, aggressive, dangerous –Sometimes dreams can be disturbed by the presence of a dangerous fish, such as a shark, a shark or a piranha; it can be a very big fish, but also a small fish, that chases you, that comes at you threateningly; sometimes it bites you, it sucks your blood, maybe it’s even poisonous; you are afraid of his teeth, you think he will eat you.
This fish that attacks you is an emotional difficulty for you, something that is not yet clear to you because you tend to repress it or ignore it. It could be something undefined and mysterious. In fact, the bigger, the huge, the bigger the fish, and the bigger your problem is.
Dream fish that are eat each other- they could be a symbol of conflicting ideas, or that follow one another (one incorporates the other).
Dreaming of wounded fish, dying, dead – Dreaming of fish that gasp: if in your dream you see fish in a puddle, in dirty, murky waters, or that are out of the water, on the ground, on the floor, then this manifests malaise and emotional distress, a situation that does not lead to outlets, which does not allow you to express yourself.
Dreaming of wounded, stripped, agonizing, sick, dying fish can be a symptom of depression, loss of inner vitality, silent pain.
Dreaming of fish without eyes, without tails, without heads – this dream represents loss of power.
Dreaming of dead fish – disappointment, loss of power and health. Dead fish can also represent dead ideas, issues that you no longer pay attention to, no longer important to you.
Dreaming of saving a fish, freeing it – you are accepting one side of your character, giving it the possibility to exist.
Dreaming of catching fish – Fishing in dreams, both with the line and with a fishing net (or even with the hands), it can be a symbol of amorous conquest, seduction, or even trap a prey. If the fish escapes, it can herald a disappointment.
Fishing for fish can also be the action of bringing to the surface thoughts that come from the unconscious: you compare yourself with emotions that you have repressed. You caught a new aspect of a problematic issue, you came to a new awareness.
Fishing for so many fish is generally an auspicious dream; announces wealth, well-being, not only material but also interior…
Dreaming of eating fish, cooking it, cleaning it, buying it – Dreaming of buying fresh fish at the market, from the fishmonger, at the fish market: you need to make a supply of optimism.
Dreaming of fish that stinks, rotten, broken, spoiled, with worms – if you eat it, you have low self-esteem; otherwise it may represent outdated ideas that no longer interest you.
Dreaming of frozen, frozen fish – it can indicate coldness, little feeling, lack of empathy.
Dreaming of eating fish – whether boiled, fried, baked, barbecued or even raw, the fish is a very nutritious and healthy food; it is considered excellent for memory and the development of intelligence. This dream can be stimulated by hunger, but it can also mean that you are maturing, acquiring new knowledge.
Dreaming of fish bones – they represent old issues that emerged from the unconscious long ago, already brought to light and examined.
Dreaming of fish thorns in your mouth – maybe you said something you shouldn’t have said.
Newborn fish, fish eggs – they are a symbol of fertility and creativity.
Ugly, monstrous fish – unpleasant sensations, thoughts that you repress and that you don’t accept.
Fish in the ear, in the mouth, in one leg – seeing fish under the skin or coming out of the body can be a metaphor for a thought that you are holding within yourself that you repress.
Dreaming of finding yourself in the belly of a fish – inner transformation: the fish comes from the unconscious and, after devouring you, projects you towards a new life.
Dreaming of digging on the ground and finding fish – you are bringing to light the thoughts buried in your unconscious.
Conclusion
In dreams fish is normally considered a sign of profound psychic change due to a greater knowledge of themselves.
But as usual there is also the erotic aspect that can be imagined the association. Inner depth for men, and desire for a family for women. (The contrast in this case has very distant roots in our culture; I have nothing to do with it; it is the collective unconscious that speaks).
Hopefully this article was helpful and you were able to find the answer to your dream interpretation.