River Rafting in a Convertible: Water, Journey and Cars

(photo by Horia Varlan)

This is a dream from a friend of mine. In his dream he was river rafting but not in a boat but rather a convertible car with some other people. He went to go down a chute and got thrown clear and then had to swim through the rest of the rapids on his own. He asked me what I thought this dream meant.

Water, as an image, symbolizes the emotional state. For example, if the water is calm and still, you are feeling calm and still. If there are rapids you are feeling turbulence. Travelling on water in any kind of vehicle represents a journey. Choppy water means the journey is difficult.

The convertible could represent different things depending on how one feels about convertibles; for example, freedom, recklessness, or loss of youth. My friend didn't say whether or not he was the driver. In my blog entry, Driving a Car, I talked about the significance of the driver. If my friend was driving, he was in control (or rather out of control). If it was someone else, my friend was feeling that he had given the control to someone else.

The chute image in the dream represents a tunnel (like to a different dimension or state, or reality). The fact that he got thrown from his vehicle and had to navigate the rest of the rapids on his own makes me think that maybe he is part of an organization or group of friends that he feels he needs to leave to go his own way.

Swimming symbolizes the effort my friend has to make, or is making, to get through his difficulties. It's great that he saw himself making it to the shore. This is a dream that could have played out as a nightmare, but my friend "rode it out" (like you would if you were really rafting) and came through on the other side. I think my friend can feel hopeful and confident for the future.

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Driving a Car, Road Conditions, Near Death Experience

In my dream I was driving my car by myself. I was headed up a mountain but there was a traffic jam. The people in the car in front of me rolled down their windows. The car was filled with women I had been acquainted with in my past. They warned me that the road was icy. I didn't know that. But when I tried to turn my car around I spun in circles on the road. I couldn't get control and I thought for sure I was going to go over the edge of the road and into the water below. I was prepared to die. I felt like a part of my soul left my body and then I felt calm and accepting of whatever happened to me. I noticed that I was again driving straight down the road but the other cars were coming towards me.I was concerned that I was in the wrong lane but then the other cars started to drive the same way as me and I felt good about that, relieved.

According to various dream dictionaries, a car represents our own personal space and the one who is driving it symbolizes who has control in our life. (I have dreamed before of driving with my spouse or my mom at the wheel).

A road represents the conditions of our journey. That in my dream the road was icy means that I am facing difficult conditions. Obviously, I felt unable to control these conditions in my dream (and in my real life situation).In other dreams, I have experienced an uphill road, a winding path, the road conditions mirror the challenges we are having in our waking life.

I have experienced the sensations of my "near death experience" in dreams before as well as real life. It is a strange feeling of a part of my body (my soul I guess) coming out and then a feeling of peace and calm. I think it is surrendering to the circumstance. (Like being unable to control a car in real life as well as in the dream).I don't see it as a prophesy for death in any way.

In my dream I end up "going against the flow" of traffic. This very much mirrors my real life where I feel I have to make a decision or follow a path that may be unpopular with most people. It is interesting to me that the traffic then changed to go my way. This makes me feel hopeful that people will come around to my point of view and everything will work out okay.