Dream Interpretation › Flying - Dream meaning and symbolism

Flying - Dream meaning and symbolism

Goya - A Way of Flying

Main symbolic meaning

Freedom

Be free as a bird! To dream about flying is an easy symbolic way how to leave problems or past behind. Flying represents the desire for independence from social norms and other boundaries. You can fly and do what you want (often good) as the fictional famous hero Superman.

Creativity and courage

Flying is the gate in the realm of fantasy. The dream meaning can highlight your talent and creative vision: to fly as "to boldly go, where no man has gone before" (famous Star Trek phrase). Flying is symbolic for leaving aside everything what holds you on the ground, such as doubts, anxiety, low self-esteem or genuine depression.

Sexual arousal

The orgasm is considered as something rare, "unearthly" or as a "heavenly" experience. It is no coincidence that the penis is also often called "cock" or "bird". Yet the dream meaning may be latently sexual in many cases.

Detached view

Flying has also deep symbolic meaning in the very special panoramic view of the world. When you fly, your sight is far-reaching, all-encompassing and you see problems from another new perspective. The dream helps you to find new point of view or to be on top of things. Symbolically flying means to see everything in its "entirety", or at least in proper broad context.

Unbridled energy

The dream meaning of flying may be simply the aim to overcome natural human limits and abilities, to fulfil high and demanding goals.

Spiritual growth

Flying is uplifting humans towards the heaven. The symbolic meaning is often connected with the intangible soul and its rise and improvement. Moderate flying may be symbolic for your never ending process of maturing and becoming more and more wise and experienced.

Excitement / escape from reality

To dream about flying is in some regard similar to breathtaking drug experience or to drunkenness (suddenly everything seems to be so easy). Thus it may be partially a substitute of such real inappropriate practice. When you dream about flying you may be trying to escape the burden of your real life (debts, quarrels, unfulfilled tasks and other problematic circumstances). The dream meaning in this case is rather negative and warning, because you should fight the real problems and not run ("fly") away from them.

Draper Herbert James - Mourning for Icarus
Draper Herbert James - Mourning for Icarus, 1898

Dream meaning

Sometimes when we fly in our dream it seems as we have always possessed such extraordinary skill, yet maybe we only forgot it in the waking life. The dream meaning of flying is usually related to those three essential questions:

  1. Are your feeling pleasant? Are you enjoying the flight or is the situation fearful (the fear of falling)? Is something going wrong?
  2. How much effort the flying needs from you?
  3. Where is the power of flying stemming from? Do you use any artificial means to help you (balloon, waving the wings etc)?

Waving the wings / feather

To fly with help of feather wings is the very common and natural way of moving from one place to another for other animals and beings. Birds have wings and angels almost always too. Flying with the help of feather wings refers to the ancient aim to get into the air. It is often symbolic for the spiritual uplift (angel wings) or the dream meaning can point out towards the excessive pride and the Greek story about Icarus and his fall.

Stride in the air / levitate / hover

When you dream about flying without any additional means, you experience the bare ability or "knowledge" – you can fly similarly as you can walk or talk. In such case flying seems to be very natural to you and also to your waking life. Weather it is an attempt to gain more freedom, escape from problems or get new summarizing opinion, this way of managing your life seems very instinctive to you.

Airship / balloon / obscure vehicles

To fly with an hot air balloon (invented 1793) or with an airship (invented 1852) means to relay on a very old fashioned and obsolete tool in your dream. Would not be better to directly stride in the air or to travel with the modern jet? Balloons and airships are slow, unpredictable and unreliable in comparison with aircrafts or helicopters. It seems you probably feel awkward or at least not comfortable while leaving the ground (you were not used to "do not stand with both feet on the ground" till now) – you probably love steady life, stable procedures and all the well known background. Flying with obscure vehicles similar to Leonardo da Vinci's flying machines goes one step further. The dream meaning may be that you are really longing for freedom or some relieve, but that it is very "unnatural" to you, or that you are only at the very beginning of some creative process that should liberate you from the everyday stereotype.

Airplane / helicopter / glider

All the modern means of transport serve as symbols of efficient travelling – you can use them as  tools solving one important issue, namely moving fast from A to B. Thus dreaming about airplane or helicopter symbolizes the reliance on the invention and technology. To fly with the help of an airplane in your dream means to be realistic. Dreaming about flying the plane often means to have the ability to come up with a very productive and useful solution. The helicopter may (or may not – according its movement) symbolize the indecisive hovering. Finally, the hang glider is a very individualistic, original but unsafe vehicle. That affects profoundly also its dream meaning as an rather egoistic, eccentric but risky symbol.  

Obstacles

You may encounter different obstacles (smokestacks, wires, birds, bats, insects and other objects) while flying. They are symbolic for the real obstacles, you encounter in waking life. High voltage wires may symbolize the "stress" and the "dangerous power" other posses etc. Think always about the character of the obstacle and what it reminds from the real life.

Flying carpet

It is the magical carpet from the One Thousand and One Nights folk tales collection. To fly on the carpet in your dream means to be very comfortable in your effort, to feel secure and open in your bold aims.

Leonardo Da Vinci - Flying Machines
Early flying machines

Art

To take a look on art can be very helpful for finding the inspiration when exploring and interpreting your dream.

Video

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