It can be one of the scariest dreams to wake from: the world has ended and everything you love has been wiped away. Dreaming of the apocalypse, or the end of the world can leave behind shaky emotions even after you wake up.
So, what does it mean to dream of the apocalypse or the end of the world? Dreaming of the ending of the world is a sign that you are undergoing a massive shift in your life. You may not see things changing in your physical reality, but under the surface, you have gone through a deeply spiritual or energetic transformation that will cause your reality to change over time. It may also be a sign of deep suppressed fears and emotions coming to the surface.
The meaning of your end of the world dream can vary depending on the other symbols or events that happen in the dream. To find out what your apocalypse dream means, this article will discuss 5 meanings of “end times” dreams.
The most common end of the world dreams include:
- Dreaming of the apocalypse as it is happening
- Post-apocalyptic dream (dreaming of surviving the apocalypse)
- Rapture or “end times” dreams
- Doomsday or preparing for the end of the world dreams
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5 Meanings For Your End of the World Dream
After waking up from an alarming apocalypse dream, it is hard to stop thinking about it. These dreams bring up a lot of emotions, and when you dream of it, it usually means that there are emotions coming up that you are ready to face.
So, what are the common meanings of your apocalypse dream?
Meaning #1: You Are Going Through Emotional Turmoil
Dreaming of the apocalypse is a sign that deep emotions that have been buried in the subconscious that are coming to the surface.
If you think about it, the worse fears that most people have include losing loved ones, losing shelter and fighting for survival. These are all emotions that arise in an apocalypse dream.
These emotions may be coming to the surface because you are ready to bring something new into your reality but need to push out other energies in order for new energies to find a place in your life. Often, if this change in your reality is big, it can bring up a lot of deeply suppressed emotions.
For example, if you start dating someone and start to feel like committing to them as a life partner, you may start to have apocalypse dreams. This is most likely not a bad omen that the relationship will cause death and destruction to all that you care about.
More likely, the relationship is triggering emotions related to fear of loving, because it is hard to lose the things you love.
If you have had periods of suppressed grief from past relationships, it may be these emotions coming to the surface so that you can process them, so that you can begin to love again.
Apocalypse dreams can show up anytime your reality is shifting, stirring up those deeply hidden fears. Just remember, even though these dreams seem scary, it is a good sign that better times are on the horizon.
Meaning #2: You Feel Out Of Control
It is common to have a dream about the end of the world when you feel out of control in your life. This usually shows up as a “doomsday dream,” or preparing for the end of the world.
A doomsday dream is similar to an apocalypse dream; however, the apocalypse has not occurred yet. It is a dream about preparing for the ending of the world before it actually happens.
This dream can be just as stressful, if not more so, because you don’t know what to expect. You fear for your survival and try to prepare you and your loved ones the best you can.
What does a doomsday dream symbolize? A doomsday dream represents fear for the future. It is often the result of a sense of instability in your political, financial or spiritual life.
Doomsday dreams are often trying to help you process stress that you have subconsciously taken on about events outside of your control. There is a fear that no matter what you do to help prepare yourself to be successful, anything can happen that can destroy you.
Meaning #3: You Are Experiencing A Spiritual Awakening or Revelation
It is a common Christian belief that the Book of Revelations represents the end times and something that will come to pass in the future.
Regardless if that belief is true or not, I do believe that there is a lot of symbolism in the Book of Revelation that can teach us a lot. This is because it represents what happens in our reality when we have a sudden spiritual revelation.
According to historical sources, the word Apocalypse means “unveiling” or “revealing of divine mysteries” which is why it was called the book of Revelation. [Source]
In terms of mystic symbolism, I believe that the apocalypse can be best represented by the Tower card in the major arcana of the Tarot.
The lightning represents a sudden revelation, or spiritual awakening, that effects the crown chakra. The crown chakra is the 7th chakra or energy center and is related to spiritual matters.
That sudden spiritual awakening or new revelation completely dismantles any false belief systems. Because our reality is built on our belief systems, this causes total chaos in the reality that those beliefs were built upon.
When your core values change due to a sudden revelation, your reality has to change with that. It may manifest as losing your job, leaving a partnership, moving to a new location, letting go of toxic friends, and many more.
But, this is always a positive sign. The Tower card in the tarot is a wonderful card to draw because it represents change. This is a change for the betterment of yourself.
In this sense, the book of revelations may be symbolic of revelations about oneself. Because when we have deep revelations and discover our truth, we go through a total apocalypse of our reality.
If you dream of an apocalypse and are currently questioning your spiritual beliefs, expanding on your spiritual practice, or having a sudden spiritual awakening, this is most likely what your apocalypse dream represents.
Your reality is changing to align with a higher version of yourself, and that may look like momentary disaster or discomfort in your waking life. It is important to understand that it will pass, and you will soon live with a higher purpose.
What Does Dreaming Of The Rapture Mean?
Dreaming of being raptured, or a biblical representation of the “end times” is similar to an apocalypse dream; however, it is related to your personal relationship with your faith.
Many people who have a rapture dream often say that they feel it was a message from God. They connect it strongly with their communication with the Divine Source that they believe in.
These dreams are often vivid and have a lot of emotion, so they can seem as though they will actually happy. However, these dreams have more to do with the internal state of balance, rather than the external one, and are often not prophetic.
A rapture dream can occur if there is fear or stress about one’s moral ethics, and whether one is “enough” in the eyes of their belief system. There is often pressure put on others to make the right moral choices, and so they put a high expectation on themselves to live the same way.
The keyword in rapture dreams is judgment.
The question to ask oneself if rapture dreams are reoccurring is “do I feel a lot of judgment or pressure from my community?” Another question could be “do I judge others around me for living a morally upstanding life, therefore, judge myself?”
Meaning #4: You Are Letting Something From Your Past Keep You From Moving Forward
Another common reason people have an end of the world dream is that there is something from their past that they are holding onto. This usually shows up as a post-apocalyptic dream.
Post-apocalyptic dreams are when you dream of the world after it has come to an end. You have survived the apocalypse and are still trying to survive in a world that you no longer know how to. You no longer feel safe and secure.
This dream represents something that you are holding onto from your past that is preventing you from moving forward and expanding your reality into a better version of what it currently is.
Are there core values from your past that you have outgrown? Are there people from your past that you need to let go of so that you can move forward with your life? Was there a traumatic event in your life that you need to emotionally process and be free from?
These are all great questions to ask yourself if you keep having post-apocalyptic dreams.
Post-apocalyptic dreams could also mean that you are holding onto a lot of survival energy. This is energy in your root chakra, and when it is out of balance, it can trigger you into a period of fight or flight.
If you are having stress about your survival in life, such as you recently lost a job, your financial situation has changed, or you have to move to a new location, these can all trigger post-apocalyptic dreams.
Meditation and getting grounded in your reality is best to process this energy in your waking life. Take your socks and shoes off and put your bare feet on the ground outside. This can help slow down that energy and help ease these dreams.
Meaning #5: You Are Surrounded By People Or Media Broadcasts That Talk A Lot About The Apocalypse
A lot of times we dream about the things that we spend a lot of time thinking about. If you spend time thinking about the end of the world, it may be the reason for your dreams.
It is important to take a step back and notice how much negative and threatening information we are exposed to throughout the day.
Reading too much of the mainstream media that exaggerates events giving us fear may be the reason for these disturbing dreams. We see so much in the news about global warming, an impending financial crisis, political instability, war and so much more. While these are important issues, it is unhealthy to be exposed to them day in and day out.
These dreams may also be a stress reaction to how fast things are changing in our modern world, and there is a part of you that doesn’t feel you can keep up. Every month I feel as though a new app or new piece of technology comes out, and I have to keep upgrading to keep up. It can be stressful.
If you keep having doomsday dreams, it may be a good idea to do a 7-day news detox or find a way to incorporate a mindfulness practice into your daily routine. This could be meditation, going to the sauna, taking a bath, or anything else that helps reduce your stress and anxiety.
Try to take back control in other areas of your life. You can establish a healthy routine. You can take time for yourself. You can cultivate a life that brings you joy and gratitude.
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Common Ways The World Ends In Dreams
To understand more about your apocalypse dream, it can give you a lot of information if you look at the ways in which the world ends.
Many people dream of the world ending by fire, water, aliens or zombies, and each of these represents certain emotions that are coming to the surface.
Dream Of The World Ending in Fire
The most common type of apocalypse dream is to dream of the world ending in fire.
What does fire represent in an apocalypse dream? Fire is the element that represents energy or passion. When this is out of balance, it can show up as anger or rage.
Is there someone or something you are angry about but aren’t letting yourself process that anger? It may be anger at a job, at a partner, or an unhappy life situation. Whatever it is, the dream could be letting you know that you are holding onto anger that may be preventing your growth.
You also may be internalizing anger from those around you. Others may be anger and you are trying to process those external angry emotions that you feel. This may be the case if you work around a lot of aggression.
If we have deep subconscious anger, that anger will start to change our behaviors on a subtle level that we might not even notice. For example, you may be driving more aggressively, thinking more negative thoughts about others, or thinking about yourself in a negative way.
If you keep having dreams of the world ending in fire, it may be good to let out that steam. Joining a gym to release stress may be helpful. Or confronting the people that are causing you anger could help you move past it.
Dream Of The World Ending in Water (Flood or Tsunami)
To dream of the world ending in a flood is another common apocalypse dream. Specifically, a huge tsunamic that wipes out the world.
What does the world ending by water represent? Dreaming of the world ending water represents your emotional health. If you dream that the world is ending by a huge wave, it may be a dream that you are experiencing emotions that are so overwhelming that seem unbearable.
This may be grief, sadness, depression, anxiety, or other overwhelming emotions.
The key thing to look for in these dreams is the people you are with. If you are with your family, it may be emotions that have to do with them. If you are with your partner, it is most likely emotions involving them.
It is also very interesting many people dream about people they don’t know in tsunami dreams. This represents feeling overwhelmed, but not being able to identify the source of that frustration. This dream means that you are blaming others when it is actually something within yourself.
Alien Apocalypse Dream Meaning
To dream of the world ending because of the invasion of aliens from another planet is also common, and terrifying.
This dream can feel so scary because it brings up very real survival triggers that we have evolved to prevent whenever possible: feeling alienated.
Alien invasion dreams can be a sign that you are feeling pushed out of your current community into unknown territory. As humans, being kicked out of the group meant death, so we have evolved to want to be included. Alien invasion dreams represent rejection, which makes us feel heartbroken, unloved and alone.
Reflect on your friends, partner, family, job, and community. Is there someone or a group of people that you began feeling insecure around? Do you feel that they are replacing you or you are no longer accepted or wanted by these people?
An alien dream may be the subconscious survival stress of foreign invaders taking your place.
Another meaning of an alien invasion dream could be a fear of something foreign attacking your body, such as an illness. If you keep having these dreams and have fear about your health, it may be a good idea to get a check-up, just to clear your mind.
Zombie Apocalypse Dream Meaning
Dreaming of a zombie apocalypse may be a result of watching too many Walking Dead episodes, or other zombie films because it is such a trend in pop culture these days.
However, if you haven’t watched zombie films and are having zombie apocalypse dreams, it may have a deeper symbolic meaning.
What do zombie apocalypse dreams represent? Dreaming of zombies is similar to dreaming of death. Death, as a spiritual symbol, represents something that is ending so that something new can begin. Generally, death is a positive sign, even though it can seem quite scary. Death means change.
However, in zombie apocalypse dreams, the zombies are dead, but not dead. This represents holding onto something that you need to let go so that you can move on to something better. Whatever your holding onto can give you no more growth, it can only bring you down.
It may be a partner, a job or an addictive behavior. Whatever it is, it is time to move on and heal so that you can start enjoying a new season with new opportunities.
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Summary
Dreaming of the apocalypse can be scary, but it can also bring up a lot of emotions that have been hidden deep under the surface. If you are dreaming of the apocalypse, it means that you are ready to face them and begin to make the choices to step into a more stable reality.
Just like with all dreams, you are the best interpreter of your dreams, so only you have the answer to your apocalypse dreams. I only provide some explanation of dreams; however, we are so different and we all have a different dream language.
Take what resonates with you, and use your intuition to guide you to your apocalypse dream meaning.
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