The emotional barometer

Calm, clear water often reflects emotional peace or clarity; rough or stormy water, turmoil you are weathering. A flood can represent feelings that have overwhelmed your defenses, while a drought or empty riverbed can point to emotional depletion. Reading the water is largely a matter of reading its weather.

Depth and what is below the surface

Deep or dark water frequently represents the unconscious — what is below your everyday awareness. Diving, sinking, or being unable to see the bottom can reflect a pull toward feelings or memories you have not fully examined. Being on or in clear shallow water tends to feel safer because nothing is hidden.

Drowning and being swept away

Drowning or being pulled under by a current is a common, intense variation that usually maps to feeling emotionally overwhelmed — by grief, stress, or a relationship — and unable to come up for air. It is often a signal to find support or a way to lighten the load you are carrying.