We use stairs many times during the day, and they become a place of transit that facilitates going up or going down, getting you to where you want to go. Because of the repetitiveness of this action, the image of stairs is embedded in our subconscious mind, and it surfaces during our sleep. This dream represents our ascend or our descent in life or one of our endeavours. Continue reading to discover the hidden meaning of dreaming of stairs.
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Dream dictionary: What does it mean to dream about stairs?
Staircases are a common and essential day to day object, and this is why it's not surprising that they make an appearance in our dreams. The meaning is clear: the progression of our lives and projects, or the exact opposite, a downward spiral. According to our dream dictionary, when stairs appear in our dreams, they represent our progression in life.
Sometimes, stairs are just the backdrop of a dream that symbolizes a particular story, although other times the dream is only about people (or ourselves) going up and down the stairs. When this happens, the central concept of ascending and that of the descent takes on new dimensions and could offer vital information about our continuous growth.
It's important to remember the direction we were climbing in, the material it was made out of any other details which could suggest money gain or loss, prestige and social recognition, professional achievements, overcoming difficulties or relapsing in a crisis.
Dreaming about stairs: different types of stairway dream
The meaning of each staircase dream, especially when the stairs are a central element, is revealed by the details and nuances of each dream. Pay close attention.
Dreaming about going up the stairs
This dream predicts success as a direct result of the hard work and dedication you put into your job. More than the idea of progress, dreaming about climbing stairs suggests the concept of reward after a sustained effort, although it can also be a metaphor of social and professional growth.
Dreaming about going down the stairs
Dreaming about going down the stairs represents the deterioration of your personal life, and even though this dream could relate to many aspects of your life, more often than not it's connected to your finances. This dream suggests your inability to overcome professional or financial obstacles which push you into freefall. Your subconscious sends you a message of failure and loss of money and prestige.
Dreaming about going up and down the stairs
This is one of the most common dreams when we talk about staircases, and it suggests a nervous state of mind, but not in a negative way. Your spirit is bubbling because of the energizing phase you're going through: you're exuding creativity, and you're highly motivated to start new projects. The dream also predicts a period of ups and downs, success and failure, that you need to face with positivity.
Dreaming about broken stairs
Dreaming about stairs reflects a period of insecurity and low self-esteem, with an increased risk of falling. If you dream about one of the steps breaking, or that the whole staircase is deteriorated, that is your subconscious manifesting a real feeling: you're incredibly doubtful, and you lack self-esteem. You need to regain your self-confidence and get things back on the right track.
Dreaming about wooden stairs
In this case, wood has a double symbolistic, tradition and frailty, and carries a compelling message: you're slowly but surely advancing in life, basing your progress on constant values and principles. Every time you take a step you're fearful that the staircase will break, which is why your advancement is slow and cumbersome.
Dreaming about escalators
The opposite of dreaming with wooden stairs is seeing mechanical stairs. The idea behind them is of modern advancements and audacity, skyrocketing to progress. If you dream about escalators, you must have a stringent need to progress as fast as possible, and for a person with your young spirit and innovative vision, success is only a matter of time. You're a winner!
Dreaming about spiral stairs
This is more frequent than you think and its an unconscious manifestation of the idea of vertigo. You're going through a dizzying ascent, and you will experience sudden success. This dream also indicates the fact that you're involved in an exciting project, and you're hopeful about the outcome. Changes will happen swiftly and unexpectedly, leaving you with no reaction time.
Dreaming about people going up and down the stairs
When you're not the main character of the dream, and you see other people going up and down staircases, it symbolizes their struggle to get ahead, some being more successful than others. This dream suggests competition in your workplace, a tortuous working environment, a fierce battle for success that you are involved in.
Dreaming about falling down the stairs
Dreaming about going down a flight of stairs represents entering a problematic period symbolizing failure and loss. Dreaming about falling down the stairs is even worse, and the message behind it is betrayal and problems that push you into the pits of despair. You're going through a recession, you've lost control of the situation, and there's nothing you can do to regain it.
Conclusion
Generally speaking, dreaming about stairs indicates an initial starting point (our life at the moment) and the journey to another place, be it positive (if we go up the stairs) or negative (when we go down the stairs). Therefore, it foresees crucial changes in our lives.
Depending on the material the stairs are made out of, your ascend could be spectacularly fast (escalator dreams) or slow and conservative (seeing wooden stairs), which also suggests your state of mind: be it firm and self-assured or unsure and unstable. If you dream about falling down the stairs the message is that you feel like you're at destiny's mercy, spiralling out of control.
The more you pay attention to your dreams the more you'll be prepared to manage this change with creative energy and positivity.