The 100 Best Dream Symbols
If you are hungry for the prophetic, than these 100 Dream and Vision Symbols will be an amazing resource for you! Each of these have been taken from The Way of Dreams and Visions Symbol DIctionary by Apostle Colette Toach, get your own copy today by clicking the button below!
Tabernacle
The dwelling place of God.
Positive: The manifestation of the presence of God
Negative: Disobedience
UNIVERSAL SYMBOL
POSITIVE
Just as a house in a dream represents our life and desires, the tabernacle of the temple speaks of God’s life and desires.
In the Old Testament, a tabernacle was needed as the throne of God. In the New Testament, we are now His tabernacle! He dwells within us. So to see a tabernacle has one of the two meanings:
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It represents God in you. His desires and plans for you to fulfill in this earth on His behalf.
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It represents His Church. His desires and plans for the body of Christ as a whole.
Determine what you were praying at the time when you saw the tabernacle. There are many elements that make up the tabernacle – many that I have already covered.
"And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God." - Revelation 21:3
"But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation." - Hebrews 9:11
NEGATIVE
Because the tabernacle was a place of holiness, we should keep this trait of the Father in mind when approaching Him. The high priest could only enter the Holy of Holies once a year – with blood! Priests could not sacrifice if they had not been cleansed. There is no such thing as “adding” to God’s plan and desire for your life.
If you see a tabernacle that is being destroyed or missing a piece it means that you are messing with God’s perfect plan. He has a set goal and desire for you and for His church. It is for us to be obedient, not tell the potter how to form the clay!
Tears
An external expression of intense inner emotion whether positive or negative.
Positive:
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The release of desire, fear or joy
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Conviction of sin
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To sense and release the heart of God through action
Negative: The sign of unhealed, hidden hurt
CHARACTER SPECIFIC SYMBOL
It is common to sometimes cry in your dreams. When dreams are intense like this, they are simply an indication of a purging that is going on inside of you at the moment.
If your dream relates to people from the past, then this is a healing dream and you do not need to be concerned. In fact, this is a good sign that the Lord is doing something in you right now, and you should just let Him finish the job!
UNIVERSAL SYMBOL
POSITIVE
Tears can be a sign of pain, but also of conviction, healing and joy. It is very common for people to cry when we minister to them.
I started to notice this especially when we played music. One by one, people would just begin to weep before the Lord as they felt His presence.
This is a good sign and it means that God is doing a work.
NEGATIVE
If you have a vision of someone crying, then it is an indication of a pain they are still carrying with them.
Sometimes I will see a person crying at a certain age. I know then that they experienced something around that time of their lives that still needs a touch from the Lord.
The Minister’s Handbook is a fantastic book to learn how to minister inner healing or also overcome your own hurts from the past.
"And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." - Revelation 21:4
Teeth
The current condition of the health of your soul.
Positive: The blessing of the Lord
Negative: Bitterness prevalent in your life
POSITIVE
White and healthy teeth speak of the blessing of the Lord and walking in abundance.
"His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk." -
Genesis 49:12
It means that the Lord is pleased with you and wants to give you the desires of your heart. Your heart is good before Him and as a result your convictions are strong and your standing in Him is good right now. This is an encouraging dream, especially if you have had doubt about your right standing with God. A dream of having your teeth fixed or getting new ones is the Lord saying, “I am proud of you! You have overcome! My blessing is on you.”
NEGATIVE
To dream or have a vision of gnashing teeth speaks of the attack of the enemy. It is a curse of destruction and its intention is to tear you down.
"He tears me in His wrath, and hates me; He gnashes at me with His teeth; my adversary sharpens His gaze on me." - Job 16:9
To dream of your teeth becoming rotten and breaking means that there is something inside of you that is rotten. This “fruit of the flesh” is destroying the blessing that God intends for you.
This is a very good picture of bitterness, and how it destroys you from inside out.
Bleeding and broken gums have a very similar interpretation. You are certainly weak in an area of the flesh that the enemy keeps playing on.
It means that the enemy is stealing your blessing through your own sin! The kind of sin here though are not obvious external ones that everyone can see, but rather ones deep in your heart.
Bitterness, pride and love of money are the first I suggest you take before the Lord.
Tombstone
The finality of a season passed.
Positive:
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Confirmation that the old has passed away
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A season of rest
Negative:
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Premature death of something God intended to live
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A symbol of death
UNIVERSAL SYMBOL
POSITIVE
When a stone was rolled over the mouth of a tomb, the message was clear, “The death process is over. It is time to allow nature to take its course.” This is nothing that you can control. You cannot cause nature to work faster or bring that thing back to life.
The joy in this, is that what God has put to death in you, is over. Sometimes when we go through dealings and “putting our flesh on the cross,” we wonder if the work is really over. To see a tomb or gravestone is a confirmation that the work is over. It is time for you to rest for a while. There is nothing more that you can do. It is up to the Lord now.
NEGATIVE
Because of its strong tie to death, a tomb or gravestone can be negative. It means that you let something die inside of you that did not need to. Is there a name on the gravestone? What does that person represent in you? Do they represent your joy or peace? The interpretation is self-explanatory!
A gravesite or gravestone is also a picture of death. Determine if what you are sensing is a spirit of death (an attack against your natural body) or if it is referring to spiritual death.
NOTE: If you keep seeing graves and people keep dying after you see them die in a dream or vision, then you are operating under a spirit of divination and you require deliverance. Refer back to The Way of Dreams and Visions for further instruction.
Trees
A representation of a group of people, ministry or nation.
Positive: To be firmly rooted in the Lord
Negative:
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Generational curses
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To be restricted by archetype
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To be full of pride
If you look at the dream Nebuchadnezzar had, you will see how he and his kingdom were illustrated as a tree in his dream. (Daniel 4:20)
POSITIVE
Trees can represent being rooted and strong. You might dream of a tree that is immovable. This would be a good picture, as it is saying that you cannot be moved. When a tree’s roots are deep you cannot pluck it up!
The Lord has often used the tree to illustrate our ministry.
I remember when we first started out and we saw saplings. We were still growing!
Then from time to time we would see this large tree that became immovable. Soon this tree reproduced, and many more trees began to rest under its branches. Furthermore, we would see various nations gathering under the branches.
What the Lord was saying was that the ministry that we had founded would remain and be strong.
He said that as we poured into others, they would also rise up and become immovable, until the whole earth was filled with the glory of God and His people who stood firm!
A lovely illustration of this can be found in this passage:
"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. 8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit." - Jeremiah 17:7
NEGATIVE
It is common for me to have many dreams where various trees and branches in a dream refer to family generations.
A branch in Scripture was often used to illustrate the various tribes and families in Israel. This is the most common interpretation in dreams.
You might dream that a tree's branches fall off or that some creature is on the tree. You might see a tree whose root has gone rotten.
In each case it would represent your family generations and the curses that have been passed down to you.
Just as in dreams, branches and roots can have negative interpretations in visions.
When I have been in personal ministry and I see a dark root in a person, I know that the Lord wants me to address a root of bitterness they have in their lives.
You can find reference to the root of bitterness in Hebrews 12:15
Divorce: Sometimes when we have prayed with divorced people, we are led to break ties with the previous spouse.
We often see the link with that spouse as a branch grafted into them. As we pray, we remove that branch and heal the wound.
In cases where the divorcee has remarried, we then ask the Lord to graft the “new branch” in where the old one had been.
A tree stump: To see a tree stump tied with a band of iron speaks of having your strengths removed from you and of being humbled. You are full of pride and the Lord has had to “cut you down to size.”
Iron band: Ordinarily a tree would grow again if it’s roots are still healthy, however the band of iron would prevent that growth.
If you see this picture, then it means that there is something that is hindering your ability to resurrect again.
It is common in ministry to be called to let everything go and to go through a death of a vision. It is even common to be called to let go of your strengths for a season.
However, the Lord will not keep you there! His intention is for you to resurrect again.
Trophy
A symbol of having completed the direction God has given to you.
Positive: Success
Negative: Striving in the flesh
UNIVERSAL SYMBOL
POSITIVE
To accomplish the goal that has been set before you and to pass with flying colors! A trophy is a “job well done.” So often we run the race, but feel like we are not getting anywhere! To see a trophy or to get a prize means that you followed through to the end and that the Lord is proud of you.
Race: If you dream of running a race and getting a ribbon or crossing the finish line, the meaning is the same. You have pressed forward in everything that God has given to you and you have overcome! A race goes hand-in-hand with the prize, because while the race is the journey God has put you on, the prize is a symbol of having accomplished just that.
"I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 3:14
NEGATIVE
If you dream of losing your trophy or it being stolen, it means that you have given something up that you should not have. You stopped running the race! Its time to get back up again. Keep running and reach your goal.
"Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind" - Colossians 2:18
Unbrella
A protection against your present attack. This includes your spiritual covering and the hand of the Lord on you right now.
Positive:
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Protection against the enemy
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Security against circumstances that are assailing you
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Your spiritual covering
Negative: A hindrance to the blessing of the Lord
POSITIVE
An umbrella in the natural protects you against the elements. It means that the Lord has you covered! It does not matter what is coming against you right now, because you are protected by Him and your spiritual covering. You have no need to fear.
NEGATIVE
To dream or see a vision of a torn umbrella means that you are under attack and do not have any spiritual covering! You need to determine if the covering you have is failing or if you are not standing under the covering that God put you under.
If the rain is positive and the umbrella is hindering the water from getting to where it needs to go, then this speaks of a spiritual blockage in your life right now. Something is preventing the blessing and anointing of God from getting to you.
Umbrella is very similar to the interpretation for Roof.
Vine
The steady growth of what you have invested over the years.
Positive:
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Blessing and prosperity
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Our position in Christ
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Our relation to others in the Lord
Negative: A curse
POSITIVE
A vine speaks of the blessing of the Lord. Whenever the Lord gave a promise in the Word, He would promise to give each man a vine. Its not just any kind of blessing though, it is a blessing that has resulted in your continued obedience over the years. Season by season you have planted and harvested by being obedient. Now it is time for you to eat the fruit of your labor!
He also refers to Himself as the vine and us as the branches. It speaks of the blessing of the Lord, both spiritual blessings and natural blessings! (John 15:5)
The grapes from a vine are a result of each person playing their part. The grapes grow on the branches, not on the main stem. This is a picture of the fruit of the spirit in our lives.
Because the vine is a perfect picture of the church, the branches speak of ministries and our own Christian walk. As each branch feeds of the stem (which is Jesus) we will bear good fruit!
To see a healthy vine speaks of walking in the spirit and producing the fruits of the spirit.
Pruning: Although pruning might seem negative to you, there is no higher compliment of your righteousness in the Lord. The Word says that the Lord only prunes those that He sees fit.
If you are a prophet and you are praying for a person or a church and see a vine being pruned, then it means that change is coming! The Lord is about to take that church through the fire to burn off the dross. It is likely that people will leave. It is likely that pressures are going to come on them.
However, the good news is that this will result in a massive new spurt of growth afterwards. Not only will the members in that ministry grow spiritually, but so will the numbers also.
I cannot tell you how often I have had the Lord warn me of a “pruning” season in our ministry only to see it shoot up to new heights not long after the cutting shears are done!
"Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit" - John 15:2
Remember: The Lord only prunes those that are already bearing fruit, so that you can grow even more. This is not a punishment, but the highest form of excellence.
NEGATIVE
You can get a vine that does not bear fruit or that is wicked. This refers to a curse that is stealing God’s blessing in your spiritual life. Just like blessing comes from continued investing, so does the curse come from something that has been repeated over a period of time.
A vine that does not bear fruit speaks of being lukewarm and disobedient to God's Word. According to Scripture, such a vine would be cast into the fire.
Speaking of Judgment
"And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." - Luke 3:9
A vine with branches that looks shriveled means that you have been walking in the flesh and so fulfilled the lusts of the flesh. The anointing and the gifts of the spirit will begin to wane.
Walking in love and peace will become more difficult. The good news? It takes just a moment to repent and to tap into The Vine once again. Walking in the spirit takes a moment of decision. Make that choice right now.
Wall
There are walls that we build around ourselves for protection. Some are to keep people safe, while others are to keep people out.
Positive: To stand firm against the enemy
Negative: To restrict the access to your heart from others
POSITIVE
If you are building a way to keep the enemy out, this is a good picture. It means that you are solid in the Word and are overcoming the enemy.
If you dream of being able to hide behind a wall to escape trouble, this is also good. It speaks of your security in the Lord and being able to rest in Him.
The Scriptures speak of the angel of the Lord encamping around us. In this context, the wall speaks of protection and security.
I often see the Lord placing a wall of protection around a person, and when I speak blessing this is one of the blessings I like to pray. I see a large wall surrounding the person as a fence, and not allowing anything harmful to come to them.
City Wall: There is also the wall that surrounds a city that the watchman stands on. This wall refers to the position of the prophet who watches out for the children of God. It is also a form of defense and protection against any work of the enemy.
The Lord has often shown me His watchmen upon the walls, watching and speaking out his decrees.
In fact, I put this very concept into action when I founded the Prophetic Network.
I set up a “prayer wall”, where prophets from all over the world would take a time to stand on the wall (spiritually speaking) to watch out for attack, and also to cover their fellow members and church in prayer.
A lot of revelation and words of decree continue to come through the prophets that remain vigilant on that wall!
Speaking of the Lord's Protection and Strength:
"For You have been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat; for the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall." - Isaiah 25:4
NEGATIVE
We all build figurative walls around ourselves through life. You do this to hide parts of yourself from others. However, when you are trying to come into a relationship with the Lord, this is a hindrance.
If you dream of strong walls being around you, it means that you have closed your heart off to others and no one can reach you.
If you struggle to show love and affection to those close to you, then this is a confirmation of why you are struggling.
A wall can also speak of an obstacle. Many times I have seen someone come up against a wall in their lives or ministry.
At times I have even been released of the Lord to put a wall in someone's path, to prevent them from continuing in the direction they are going in.
This is a prophetic office function though, so I do not encourage anyone to speak such words, unless they are released to do so from the Lord and stand fully in prophetic or apostolic office.
Speaking of putting someone “between two walls”:
"Then the Angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side." - Numbers 22:24
Speaking of a wall as an obstacle:
"Therefore, behold, I will hedge up your way with thorns, and wall her in, so that she cannot find her paths." - Hosea 2:6
Wash
A process of putting aside the things that mar the real you.
Positive: To break free of everything that is hindering you
Negative: To keep dealing with the same sin repeatedly
In the Old Testament the priest had to ceremonially wash very often. This was a type and shadow of what Jesus would do for us on Calvary.
Although the priests had to wash often, we only need to be washed once.
Isaiah 1:18 says that although our sins are as scarlet, that they will be made as white as snow. The process of washing is a picture of dealing with the contamination and sin in our lives.
Jesus offered to wash His disciples' feet, not their entire body. He was illustrating that as believers when we walk in the world, we become contaminated with it.
We end up falling into temptation or picking up things from others that are not of Him. All that we need to do is get into His presence and receive His cleansing once again.
To dream of washing compulsively means that you keep dealing with the same sin again and again. Let it go! The blood of Christ has cleansed you already. Now you must stand in faith and move forward. You cannot stay on the cross – it is time to resurrect and walk in power!