- A dream about a tree is traditionally read by its state: green and fruiting means health and gain, bare or fallen means loss.
- Jung read the tree as an image of the self and of psychic growth, rooted below and reaching upward.
- Content analysis finds outdoor and natural settings in a substantial share of dreams, and they carry more positive emotion on average than indoor or urban ones.
- Jung read the tree as an image of growth and of the self: roots in the past, crown toward what is still to come.
- Dream interpretation is a tradition of reading symbols; it does not predict events.
What does it mean to dream about a tree?
Folk dream books read the tree the way farmers read an orchard. A tree in full leaf is health, a growing family and prosperity; a tree in blossom is a hope about to bear fruit; a tree heavy with fruit is reward for patient work, though fruit out of season is a warning. A bare tree in the wrong season is a loss or a friend grown cold; a dead or withered tree is the end of a matter, or illness in the family; a tree struck by lightning is sudden misfortune; a fallen tree is a protector gone. Climbing a tree is advancement and a wider view; falling from one is a reversal. Cutting a tree down is a loss you bring on yourself, unless the tree was rotten. Planting a tree is a plan for the long term. Sitting in a tree's shade is protection and rest. An oak is strength, a birch renewal, a willow grief, a fir endurance.
Three ways to read a dream about tree
| Reading | Who says it | What the dream is taken to mean | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dream books | Folk tradition, Miller (1901) | Folk dream books read the tree the way farmers read an orchard. A tree in full leaf is health, a growing family and prosperity; a tree in blossom is a hope about to bear fruit; a tree heavy with fruit is reward for patient work, though fruit out of season is a warning. A bare tree in the wrong season is a loss or a friend grown cold; a dead or withered tree is the end of a matter, or illness in the family; a tree struck by lightning is sudden misfortune; a fallen tree is a protector gone. Climbing a tree is advancement and a wider view; falling from one is a reversal. Cutting a tree down is a loss you bring on yourself, unless the tree was rotten. Planting a tree is a plan for the long term. Sitting in a tree's shade is protection and rest. An oak is strength, a birch renewal, a willow grief, a fir endurance. | Custom |
| Psychology | Freud, Jung and later authors | Jung gave the tree particular attention as an image of the self and of psychic growth: it is rooted in the dark, unseen ground, rises through a trunk that is the living present, and branches into the air of consciousness. A dream tree's condition, in this reading, is a report on the dreamer's own development. A tree with shallow roots is a life without grounding; a tree that has stopped growing is a person stuck; a felled tree is a self cut off from its source. Family trees enter as well, so an old tree can carry the ancestors. Freud, more briefly, read trees among the upright forms that stand for the body. The dreamer's action matters: climbing seeks perspective, hiding in the branches seeks refuge, cutting down is a decision to end something that once gave shade. | Clinical interpretation |
| Sleep research | Sleep laboratories, surveys | Sleep research finds outdoor and natural settings in a substantial share of dream reports, and dreams set in nature tend to carry more positive emotion than those set in buildings or cities. Trees appear as part of these landscapes without a research meaning of their own; specific trees follow the continuity hypothesis, so gardeners, foresters and people who have recently walked in woods dream of them more. Dreams of falling from a height, including from trees, are among the typical dreams reported by most people at least once. Falling or fallen trees in dreams also cluster after storms and news of them, an instance of memory consolidation. The tree's condition tends to match the dream's mood rather than forecast anything. | Measurements and surveys |
Tree in the dream books
What each source says, in its own terms. Dream books are quoted as tradition, not as fact.
A tree in leaf is health and prosperity; in blossom, a hope about to bear fruit; bare or dead, a loss or an ending; struck by lightning, sudden misfortune; climbing one is advancement; cutting one down is a loss you cause yourself; planting one is a long-term plan.
The tree is a central image of the self and of psychic growth: rooted in the unconscious, rising through the present, branching into consciousness; its state in a dream reflects the dreamer's own development.
Trees and other upright natural forms belong to the images through which the dream represents the body.
Tree dream meaning, by variation
The details change the reading.
| In the dream | Traditional reading | Psychological reading |
|---|---|---|
| A green tree in full leaf | Health, family and prosperity. | A self that is growing; a life with roots and reach. |
| A dead or bare tree | A loss, an ending or illness in the family. | A part of your life that has stopped growing; grief or depletion. |
| A tree falling or fallen | A protector gone; sudden misfortune if struck by lightning. | Loss of something that gave shelter; a structure in your life giving way. |
| Climbing a tree | Advancement and a wider view. | Seeking perspective or refuge; effort towards a higher position. |
| Cutting down a tree | A loss you bring on yourself, unless the tree was rotten. | A decision to end something that once gave shade; ambivalence about it. |
| A tree full of fruit | Reward for patient work; a fruitful year. | Results arriving; a sense that your efforts have matured. |
| Planting a tree | A plan for the long term; a child or a legacy. | Investment in a future you may not see; hope with patience. |
| Sitting under a tree or in its shade | Protection and rest. | Being held by something older and larger than yourself; the family, a tradition. |
When in the night do such dreams happen?
Vivid, story-like dreams happen mostly in REM sleep. REM periods are short early in the night and get longer toward morning, which is why a dream like this is often the last thing before waking.
Spiritual meaning of tree in a dream
Spiritual writers read the tree as the axis of the world and the image of the soul: roots in the earth, crown in the sky, the two joined by a living trunk. A dream tree is taken as a message about the dreamer's connection to their source, a flourishing tree as alignment, a withered one as spiritual neglect. Ancestors are often read into old trees, and a tree of light or a tree bearing unusual fruit as a gift or a revelation. Planting or tending a tree is read as service to what will outlast the dreamer.
What is the state of my roots right now, and what am I drawing from them?
Where in my life have I stopped growing?
What have I cut down, or am considering cutting down, that once gave shade?
Questions people ask
What does it mean to dream about a tree?
Folk dream books read the tree by its state: green and fruiting is health and prosperity, bare or fallen is loss. Jung read the tree as the self and its growth, roots and branches together. Research finds natural settings among the more pleasant dream environments.
Is dreaming about a tree a good sign?
Usually, in dream books, unless the tree is dead, fallen or struck. There is no evidence that dreams predict events; the tree's condition mirrors how your own growth and grounding feel, which is worth attention but not a forecast.
What does a dead tree in a dream mean?
Folk books read it as a loss, an ending or illness in the family. Psychology reads it as a part of your life that has stopped growing, or as grief and depletion. Ask which area of your life feels bare.
What does a falling tree in a dream mean?
Traditionally a protector gone, or sudden misfortune if lightning struck it. Psychologically, a structure in your life giving way, a person or an institution you leaned on. Such dreams also cluster after real storms.
What does climbing a tree in a dream mean?
Advancement and a wider view, in the folk reading. Psychology reads it as seeking perspective or refuge. Falling from the tree reverses the meaning and belongs to the common falling dreams.
What does it mean to cut down a tree in a dream?
Folk books read it as a loss you cause yourself unless the tree was rotten. Psychology reads it as a decision to end something that once sheltered you, and the dream often carries the ambivalence of that choice.
- Freud S. The Interpretation of Dreams, 1899
- Jung C. G. Man and His Symbols, 1964
- Hall C. S., Van de Castle R. L. The Content Analysis of Dreams, 1966
- Nielsen T. A., Zadra A. L. et al. The typical dreams of Canadian university students. Dreaming, 2003
- Folk dream books
Each symbol page sets three readings side by side and names where each one comes from. Dream books are quoted as tradition. Last reviewed on the date in the header.