Many people believe that your dreams are much more than just a collection of random images that you see while you sleep and that by interpreting them, you may be able to receive spiritual messages or messages from your subconscious mind.
Dreaming of falling is something that most people have experienced at some point in their life, and to help you make sense of what it might tell you, in this post, we look at the spiritual meaning of falling in a dream.
Falling in Dream Spiritual Meanings
1. A loss of control
Along with things like losing teeth and being out in public naked, falling is among the most classic dream themes, and one of the most common ways to interpret it is that it represents some kind of loss of control.
How this relates to you will depend on your current life situation, but it could be connected to many aspects of your life.
For example, perhaps you have recently lost your job through no fault of your own, and this sudden shock is leaving you feeling helpless and out of control.
Or perhaps you are going through a difficult period in your marriage. It feels like your marriage is breaking up and there seems to be nothing you can do to turn back the clock and return things to how they were before.
This kind of interpretation is especially likely if you dream about yourself plummeting towards the ground from high in the sky, but it could also be the correct interpretation for other dreams of falling like falling off a building or falling through a hole.
2. Disappointment
Another common way to interpret a dream about falling is that it represents some kind of disappointment in your life.
In this case, the high point you were standing on represents your hopes and dreams that have been built up – and then falling from there represents those hopes and dreams being dashed.
After having such a dream, you should take the time to analyze your feelings about any disappointments you may have faced recently and then consider how you can deal with these negative emotions in the best way.
Examples could include failing an exam, not being accepted for a job you were especially keen on or being rejected by somebody who you asked out on a date, especially if you thought the person was going to say yes.
Once you realize which event it was that prompted you to have this dream, you can then think of the most positive way to react – for example, by resolving to study even harder or improving your resume so that next time, you have a much better chance of getting that job.
3. Feeling unsupported
If you dream of falling, sometimes it can be a manifestation of the feeling that you are not receiving the support you need from those around you – you feel that instead of helping you face certain obstacles in your life, the people around you are just letting you fall.
Again, you should spend time in deep thought and contemplation to examine your feelings to see if this could be the cause of your dream.
If it is, perhaps the answer could be trying to communicate better with those around you and let them know you need their help – or alternatively, you could decide that the answer is to find more inner resilience so you no longer need to rely on unreliable people.
4. Fear of risk or the unknown
When we face an upcoming risk or are taking a step into the unknown, it can cause feelings of anxiety or doubt, and these kinds of emotions can often show up in your dreams.
One way this can occur is in dreams of falling, especially if you can’t see the floor below you, because this kind of dream is a representation of the kind of fear you are facing.
When you analyze your feelings, it’s important to accept that taking risks and stepping outside your comfort zone can be an important way to grow and develop as a person and that accompanying feelings of anxiety are only normal.
However, if the risk is too great and the reward is too little, you might want to reconsider your current course of action.
5. Falling from a high tower – loss of self-esteem
If you dream of falling from a tall building like a skyscraper, it could be a dream about a loss of self-esteem – the building represents the edifice of your ego and self-worth, and falling from the top of it is symbolic of you losing your confidence and self-assuredness.
As always, if you have a dream like this, you should analyze your deepest thoughts and emotions to work out what could be making you feel this way. This will then help you find ways to restore your previous sense of confidence and self-worth.
6. Falling into the ocean – suppressed emotions bubbling up
The dark ocean in dreams often represents our subconscious mind, and falling into the ocean can be about suppressed emotions bubbling up.
It means that there are things hidden in your subconscious mind that you don’t want to confront, but these suppressed feelings or emotions are forcing their way to the surface, and you will soon be forced to face them head-on.
If you have a dream like this, you should spend time in meditation and deep thought to try to work out what might be hiding in your subconscious mind.
Did you experience a traumatic event in the past that you didn’t deal with properly? Do you need to process some kind of negative experience that you have been hiding from all this time?
If you have such dreams, it’s a good indication that your emotions are fighting to come to the surface, so it’s important to deal with them properly on your terms rather than allowing them to surface on their own, possibly when you are not emotionally ready for them.
If you know you have some kind of traumatic event in your past that you need to face up to, you might also consider talking to a professional counsellor to help you with whatever is lurking beneath the surface of your conscious mind.
7. Being pushed – being forced to do something you don’t want to do
A dream about being pushed off a high place and then falling can often be a dream about being forced to do something you don’t want to do.
This could be something you are only aware of on a subconscious level, but if you are dreaming about it, this means it’s something that’s important to you, so you should try to examine your feelings to find out where they are coming from.
Then, if you realize that you are being pressured into something, it might be the right moment to stand up for yourself rather than letting other people push you around.
8. Somebody else falling – being unable to help somebody
A dream about somebody else falling can be about somebody you are unable to help, or it could represent a kind of cry for help from that person.
Can you see who the person is in the dream? How did you feel when they were falling? This kind of dream could be a sign that you need to try to find other ways to help them before it’s too late.
9. Freedom
Sometimes dreams about falling can be dreams about freedom, especially if the dream was accompanied by feelings of happiness or euphoria rather than fear.
Take some time to think about how this could relate to your current life. Is somebody curtailing your freedom? Or do you feel trapped in a controlling relationship?
Take the time to analyze the dream – then once you understand what the dream might be telling you, you can then take steps to assert more freedom from whatever or whoever is oppressing you.
10. Change
Dreams about falling can also be dreams about change – and the possible “death” at the end of the drop represents the end of one phase of your life and your “rebirth” in the next phase.
Like in other falling dreams, the uncontrollable nature of the experience can represent fears and anxieties about upcoming change.
However, the message is usually a reminder that you need to face the future with confidence and optimism because new beginnings always bring new opportunities.
11. Hypnic jerks
Finally, we need to mention another type of sensation, the feeling of falling as you are dropping off to sleep, sometimes causing you to wake up again.
However, this is not a dream in the same sense as other dreams but rather something known as “hypnic jerks”, a kind of muscle spasm that is often accompanied by the feeling of falling as your body prepares itself for sleep.
The main point to note is that this experience is very common and is considered benign – and it usually doesn’t have any particular spiritual meaning, unlike other true dreams about falling.
A common dream you should take the time to interpret
As we’ve seen, dreaming about falling is a common experience, and it’s something you should take the time to interpret.
It’s not always obvious what the dream might be telling you, but through deep thought and meditation – and by allowing your intuition to be your guide – you will be led to the correct understanding of what your dream was about.
