Birds underwater

Over the years I've had several dreams about birds living quite happily underwater, flying underwater, breathing etc., having their whole habitat in an element that is alien to them. I find the idea intriguing and I wonder if it carries meaning for me. If we think of water as symbolising emotions and birds as airborne creatures rising above restrictions and having a certain distance from everything, perhaps the idea behind this image is my desire to negotiate emotions with freedom and ease? (Something I'm not good at!)

I don't know, but oh what a lovely thought!

I remember an old book about the weather began, "We live in a sea of air."

Fish have "wings" yeah? But breath through water and take what they need. Birds have "fins" yeah? But breath what we breathe and take what they need. Sea birds eat fish. If fish had feathered wings would they still be prey? Would feathered fish prey on sea birds? OR would they then be equal? It's an Alice thought. I quite like it. If your emotions and thoughts are at conflict, perhaps your birds do need to breathe water. It does speak still of thought over emotions a bit, but there is much more "equality"

I'd be a bird rather than a fish. And it would be lovely if my bird understood the depth that fish do, instead I fly high and far to escape instead of diving deep to discover.

....and that's the end of my Alice thinking.

I like that idea, of serene birds navigating the waters of your dreams with ease.

The symbolism of birds is wide and varied. Are they any particular kind of birds? Do they appear in certain situations? Or numbers? Like the magpies in the rhyme -

One for sorrow, two for mirth,
Three for a wedding, four for birth,
Five for silver, six for gold,
Seven for a secret never to be told

I give weight to a dreamer's own interpretation more than any other, though. And I like yours.

With birds as messages, I would look at them as perhaps emotions you feel comfortable keeping to yourself. Maybe even suppressed emotions. Unless the birds are flying out of the water, it seems the messages feel safe kept inside.

I get the feeling of our ordinary atmosphere being "thicker " than normally experienced, and time moving slower.

Thank you I didn't expect so many responses to my quaint thoughts!

I like the idea of a sea of air. I was thinking of these underwater birds because I'm writing a little piece to go with my exhibition and I noticed that a good few of my drawings show birds in connection with water (not sea birds, but songbirds or birds whose habitat is the deep forest), one or two even show them flying through water as if it were air.

I wanted to add yesterday that I have a lot of opportunity to observe black guillemots here where I live. They fly like any other birds through air, but they also use their wings as fins when they dive. It fascinates me no end.

In one of my dreams, the birds were small colourful songbirds. They stayed quite happily underwater. I could even put my hand in the water and stroke them and clearly feel their fluffy plumage. In another dream, it was a pair of red macaws. They came diving out of the water and flew away into the woods. I don't remember the context of this dream though.

Hi BrightEye, this is an older thread but I only now stumbled upon it.

IMO, clear water and animals underwater can mean inspiration and clear thoughts - ideas coming to you. Birds could be a sign of your artistic creativity and ideas, and you're now easily catching them from the currents of your own mind (water). I think the series of dreams is basically communicating to you that you are well in touch with your creativity and ideas are there waiting for you to go and observe or even catch them.

Like Saskia, I just saw this too.

Birds in a dream are often messengers as was already noted, but they can also represent our hopes and dreams. I would guess that your dream of song birds being underwater & living there happily and easily is your ability to have control over your emotions and perhaps your dreams and goals too. Its interesting you were outside of the water, and dipping your hand in and able to feel the birds plumage. soft and fluffy you stated. So to me, it seems as if you are in total control here. What do you think?

I think everyone has great symbolism ideas but wanted to add about the Birds. Many birds do swim underwater, even some song bird types! The American Dipper is a song bird which goes under water like it's flying (but swimming) but it's dark grey and not colourful. Birds normally go underwater in that way to get food!

Your colourful forest song birds are out of place going underwater, perhaps this is about feeling out of place emotionally in some way as a theme?