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Don't be afraid if your dreams are ablaze.
By Samantha Maffucci — Last updated on Aug 06, 2022
Many of us have dreams about our teeth falling out or dreams about our crush, but fire dreams are not so common. Still, fire in a dream is a spiritual symbol whose properties are helpful in interpreting its meaning.
If you’re having recurring dreams about fire, it’s time to do some self-analyzing and discover what needs to change within your life. Because unique symbols, such as a fire in a dream, can make you question its meaning.
What does it mean when you dream about fire?
Fire is untamed energy; it is hot and provides warmth. But fire is also consuming; there are times when fire cannot be controlled, although it can be used positively to promote regrowth. Additionally, fire symbolizes boundaries, the value of maintenance and control, and can be a symbol for the soul.
At its core, fire represents passion, creativity, and determination — all positive attributes.
While some dreams about fire can feel especially scary, particularly if you or someone you love is burned to death or the circumstances of the dream include destruction, fire dreams can mean a variety of things.
In general, fire in a dream represents anger, transformation, having strong feelings for someone, and the release of emotions. Fire dreams also symbolize the impending danger, and your strength when faced with dilemmas.
According to Phyllis R. Koch-Sheras, PhD, a practicing clinical psychologist and co-author of several books on dreams, “Fire, in general, can represent a powerful life force or energy. It can also symbolize purification.”
It's essential to pay very close attention to the circumstances of your dreams, and the symbols within them.
"Dreams are often particularly vivid experiences, with settings that are as distinctive as the characters and events that unfold in them. There's a message there, and it's worth looking at,” Koch-Sheras adds.
"The setting is a clue about when and where an issue that surfaces in your dream occurred before in your waking life. The same symbol in different dreams can have different meanings, so look for connections with an open mind and don't jump to conclusions."
What It Means If You Dream About Fire Flames
Just as fire represents rebirth and new beginnings, so does dreaming about the flames of a fire. While a positive interpretation relates to success and creativity, on the negative side, flames in a dream can indicate a loss of control in relation to your anger.
What It Means If You Dream About Being Burned By Fire
If you are burned by fire in your dream, it means that your passions are not coming to fruition as you had hoped, or that you are extremely focused on achieving your goals, no matter how impossible they may seem.
Another interpretation of this dream relates to your sexuality and the need to express how you feel towards someone, as well as yourself. It's a wake-up call to remove any worries and push forward towards your desires.
“Being burned by fire may indicate that you see something in your life as very threatening or painful. Sigmund Freud saw fire as a symbol of masculine power or control,” Koch-Sheras says.
What It Means If You Dream About A Campfire
A campfire can symbolize the desire to seek out a companion or love interest, but the inability to find that person. Though you may not yet have the relationship you want, if you have this dream, it's important to look inward and really focus on the qualities you wish to attract in a potential partner.
What It Means If You Dream About Lighting A Match
To light a match in your dream signifies multiple things, including a connection to the spiritual world, independence and innocence, and, most importantly, that your troubles will end soon. This dream indicates that you will have good fortune in the future — you just have to believe it.
What It Means If You Dream About A House On Fire
If you dream of a house on fire, it's not necessarily a good sign for your real life. In fact, a house fire signifies your inability to maintain control over certain aspects in your life, and you are incredibly worried about it.
Whether it's related to your career, finances or relationships, a house burning means you're experiencing a loss of some kind; the house is on fire, which symbolizes your life, and you are struggling to deal with it.
What It Means If You Dream About A Forest Fire
A forest fire dream represents that you are unleashing your anger onto others and need to control these negative emotions. It's not only a warning from your subconscious mind, but from the Universe, as a whole.
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What It Means If You Dream About Someone On Fire
While this dream is no doubt traumatic, the circumstances of it are important. Specifically, whether or not the person on fire was in pain, or if they have a certain relationship with you in your waking life.
This dream denotes your feelings of worry towards this person, and your desire to protect them from harm they may experience, particularly if you are close with them. However, if this is a person you hold resentment for, you might have the desire to have them experience real pain of some kind.
What It Means If You Dream About Sitting Around A Fire
When you dream of sitting around an open fire, pay attention to how you feel in the dream. If it's a pleasant situation, it indicates that your future holds much happiness, fulfillment of dreams, and connection to a spiritual life.
What It Means If You Dream About Fire And Smoke
Seeing smoke along with fire in your dream indicates a plethora of problems for you in your waking life. No matter what aspect of life they relate to, it's a warning to do some work internally; be sure to give yourself time to decompress and relax, and don't succumb to the pressure.
What It Means If You Dream About Fire And Water
Dreaming about both fire and water means your personality is currently divided and you are in need of balance between the two. Think of this as your head versus your heart; where your head may be telling you one thing, your heart is telling you another.
Consider this dream the nudge you need to reconcile conflicting parts of yourself. Be sure to remain focused on the bigger picture at hand.
What It Means If You Dream About Putting Out A Fire
Putting out a fire in your dream symbolizes your desire to end difficulties plaguing you. Just like the expression "putting out a few fires," this dream, similarly, addresses the concerns you may have in your waking life about tending to something specific.
Furthermore, this dream may indicate that someone close to you is deceiving you, or that you want to let go of any suffering you're currently experiencing.
What It Means If You Dream About Being On Fire
If you dream of a fire burning and you burn along with it, it means there's something in your life that is consuming you, or that you're feeling quite powerful in your real life. This dream is a reminder that change in life is good, but we can't let it take over our entire lives.
What It Means If You Dream About An Out-Of-Control Fire
Fiery dreams like this may feel overwhelming, but this dream specifically relates to your emotions. To dream of a fire that has gotten out of hand means you aren't fully expressing your emotions or are holding them back.
So, this dream serves as a warning to be sure you are openly expressing yourself; otherwise, these feelings will build up and come out explosively.
What It Means If You Dream About Building A Fire
Just like survivalists build fires to, well... survive, a dream about building a fire signifies just that: having the skills to pull through. This dream indicates that you're a very independent person who is self-sufficient, but that you must make your decisions carefully.
What It Means If You Dream About Walking On Fire
If you have a dream about walking on fire, it means you are about to take a giant leap that may be quite risky, but will ultimately prove how resilient you are. Whether you make it through the fire in your dream or not, know that you will come out the other side much stronger.
What It Means If You Dream About Fireworks
Just like fireworks symbolize a cause for celebration, dreaming about them indicates that you will soon receive good news or experience something that brings joy. This dream also relates to your love life, and means you will enter a new phase with your partner.
What It Means If You Dream About Saving Someone From A Fire
Some dream analysts and dream interpreters suggest that this dream relates to the compassion you feel towards others in the waking world.
But despite how empathetic you are, you've failed to take care of yourself for a long time. So, think of this dream as the nudge you need to put yourself first sometimes.
What It Means If You Dream About Being Rescued From A Fire
If you dream about being rescued from a fire, it means you have an innate need for others to help you. Depending on the person who saves you from the fire, it could also mean that you wish this specific individual to help you.
When you have a dream like this, it should be a warning to reach out for help if you need it. Don't hesitate to express your emotions!
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Samantha Maffucci is an editor for YourTango who has written hundreds of articles about relationships, trending news and entertainment, numerology and astrology. Follow her on Twitter for more.