Rain in a dream is often more sound than sight: a patter on the roof, a steady hiss outside the window, a sudden drumming that wakes you inside the dream. The old dream books were fond of rain, which is not surprising in books written for people who lived by the harvest. What worried them was the storm.
| Variant | What the old books read | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy rain | Trouble and misfortune, then success; dangers and losses | Golden Wheel 1862; Miller 1901; Artemidorus |
| Gentle rain | Success in any undertaking; prosperity | Golden Wheel 1862; Miller 1901 |
| Getting wet | Escaping a wetting, plans that succeed | Miller 1901 |
| Rain inside the house | Depends on whether the water is clear or muddy | Miller 1901 |
| Rain on the roof | Domestic bliss and joy | Miller 1901 |
| Watching from a window | Fortune and love returned | Miller 1901 |
| A rainbow | Health, prosperity, a happy marriage | Golden Wheel 1862; Miller 1901 |
What does it mean to dream about rain?
Artemidorus, in his Oneirocritica (2nd century; Krauss's 1881 translation), gave the plainest verdict: rain without storm or strong wind is good for everyone, except travellers about to leave home and people who work under the open sky, for whom it means hindrance. He read showers as good for farmers and small business for everyone else, and a cloudburst, whirlwind or storm as dangers and losses.
The Golden Wheel Dream-Book (1862) kept the same line: a gentle rain was "a good omen", success in any undertaking, while a violent rainstorm with thunder and lightning meant trouble and misfortune, though still with "ultimate success" at the end.
Miller's 1901 dream dictionary wrote the longest rain entry of the three, and the most domestic. He cared where the dreamer was: out in a clear shower, watching through a window, listening to the roof, standing under a leak. He closed with a flat rule: "Stormy rains are always unfortunate." None of the books mentions rain falling while the sun shines.
Heavy rain, gentle rain
These are readings from the old dream books, reported as history — no dream foretells the future.
What does it mean to dream of heavy rain?
A downpour that blots out the street. The Golden Wheel Dream-Book (1862) read a violent rainstorm as "much trouble and misfortune, though ultimate success", and Miller's 1901 dream dictionary read rain from murky clouds as alarm over the seriousness of one's undertakings. Artemidorus read a cloudburst as dangers and losses, except for the poor and people in difficulty, for whom it meant release. Psychologists hear feeling arriving all at once, more than the gutters can hold.
Was your dream different? Dreamlock reads the one you actually had →
What does it mean to dream of light rain?
A soft, steady drizzle, almost pleasant. The Golden Wheel Dream-Book (1862) read a gentle rain as success in any undertaking, and Miller's 1901 dream dictionary read being out in a clear shower as pleasure "enjoyed with the zest of youth" and prosperity to follow. Artemidorus read showers as very good for farmers. Light rain in a dream often goes with relief: tension that has broken without drama.
What does it mean to dream of rain and sun at the same time?
Sunlight on the wet street while the rain keeps falling. The old dream books have no entry for a sun shower. In modern terms it is a picture of mixed feeling, two weather systems in one sky: sadness and relief, an ending that is also a beginning. Many dreamers remember it as one of their gentlest dreams.
Where the rain found you
What does it mean to dream of getting wet in the rain?
Caught without a coat, soaked to the skin. Miller's 1901 dream dictionary read seeing rain approach and escaping a wetting as plans that succeed and mature quickly. For a young woman, getting her clothes wet and soiled in the rain meant indiscreet company and the suspicion of friends. The modern reading depends on how it felt: being drenched against your will, or finally letting yourself stand in the weather.
Was your dream different? Dreamlock reads the one you actually had →
What does it mean to dream of rain inside the house?
Water through the ceiling, a bucket on the floor, the drip you can't find. Miller's 1901 dream dictionary read a house leaking in the rain by the water itself: clear water meant an unexpected illicit pleasure, filthy or muddy water the reverse, with exposure. Psychologists read rain indoors as feeling that has got past the walls you built for it: a worry brought home, something private that has started to show.
What does it mean to dream of the sound of rain on the roof?
Lying awake inside the dream, listening. Miller's 1901 dream dictionary read the patter of rain on the roof as "a realization of domestic bliss and joy", with fortune arriving in a small way. It is one of the warmest lines in the old books. The modern reading agrees in its own terms: shelter, safety, the pleasure of being dry while the world outside is wet.
What does it mean to dream of watching the rain from a window?
Inside, warm, watching the downpour through the glass. Miller's 1901 dream dictionary read sitting in the house and seeing a downpour through the window as fortune to come and "passionate love will be requited". The window is the point: the rain is close but it doesn't touch you. Psychologists often read it as observing your own feelings from a safe distance, sometimes a healthy pause, sometimes a reluctance to step outside.
What does it mean to dream of an umbrella in the rain?
The umbrella that won't open, or one you are holding over someone else. Miller's 1901 dream dictionary, under "Umbrella", read carrying one as trouble and annoyance, borrowing one as a misunderstanding with a warm friend, and a torn or broken one as being misrepresented. In modern terms an umbrella is protection you chose, and a dream that breaks it often comes when your usual defences feel thin.
What does it mean to dream of a rainbow after rain?
The rain stops and colour stretches over the wet fields. The Golden Wheel Dream-Book (1862) called a brilliant rainbow an excellent dream, "the brighter the better": health, general prosperity and, for lovers, a happy marriage. Miller's 1901 dream dictionary read a rainbow as unusual happenings and affairs taking a more promising turn. Here the old books and modern readers agree completely: something hard has passed.
What does a rain dream mean psychologically?
Psychologists most often read rain as emotion, and specifically as emotion that falls rather than rises: sadness, grief, the kind of tiredness that comes after a long effort. That does not make rain dreams sad. Rain also cleans, cools and makes things grow, and many people dream of it in the days after a good cry or a hard conversation, when something has finally let go.
The detail that matters most is your relation to the rain. Standing in it, sheltering from it, watching it through glass and hearing it on the roof are four very different positions, and Miller seems to have sensed that too: his readings change completely depending on where the dreamer stands. If the rain in your dreams is heavy, unending and matches the heaviness of your days, that is worth taking seriously and talking about with someone you trust. More often, rain is simply the weather of feeling, and it passes.
A question to sit with
What would you let yourself feel if you knew the rain would stop by morning?
Miller can tell you what a leaking roof meant in 1901. He can't tell you why it always rains in your dreams of your old school, or why the rain stops on the nights you sleep well. That pattern only appears when your own dreams are kept together. Dreamlock, on the App Store for iPhone, is a private dream journal built for it: it listens to your dream, paints it, and remembers the weather.