Dreaming of water in Haitian Vodou: meaning
Water plays a large role in Haitian Vodou. Agwe rules the sea, Simbi springs and fresh water, and Damballa the primordial water. After death the soul according to tradition stays for a time beneath the water. A water dream is therefore rarely read as feeling alone.
Within this tradition
In Vodou cosmology there lies beneath the water, lanvè dlo, a world where the lwa and the souls of the dead dwell. According to tradition the gwo bonanj of a deceased person goes there, and after a year and a day is called back with a ceremony, so that it can become an ancestor. Water is thus a boundary between the world of the living and that of the spirits.
Different lwa belong to different water. Agwe, depicted as a naval officer, rules the sea, ships and those who cross the sea; his wife La Sirène is connected with the mermaid and with music and wealth. Simbi belongs to springs, rivers and fresh water, and to communication between worlds. Damballa to calm, pure water.
Along those lines a dream about water is read by practitioners on several layers. Clear, calm water can point to blessing or nearness of the lwa. The sea or a ship to Agwe. A spring or river to Simbi. A deceased person coming out of the water or standing in it can be connected with the soul that stays beneath the water, and with the request to be remembered.
Wild water or drowning is not read as a prediction in the Vodou reading on Dreamkin, but as something that overwhelms you. Whoever finds such a dream weighs heavily discusses it with a houngan or manbo.
Common variations
Clear, calm water
Blessing or nearness of the lwa, like Damballa.
The sea or a ship
Recalls Agwe and La Sirène.
A spring or river
Recalls Simbi, and communication between worlds.
A deceased person in the water
The soul beneath the water; a request to be remembered.
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Write your dream in the appFrequently asked questions
What does beneath the water mean in Vodou?
Lanvè dlo: the world beneath the water where according to tradition the lwa and the souls of the dead dwell.
Who is Agwe?
The lwa of the sea, ships and those who cross the sea, depicted as a naval officer.
Should I do something after such a dream?
Dreamkin does not prescribe ceremonies or offerings. Whoever finds a dream weighs heavily discusses it with a houngan or manbo who knows them. Lighting a candle or remembering an ancestor is always possible.