A spiritual cleansing may be necessary in order to preserve our integrity, such as before a magical ritual. Such an image will often arise spontaneously as our knowledge increases. Since water is a symbol for emotion and the unconscious, washing stands for achieving a relationship with our emotional selves and dealing successfully with the results. Dreaming of washing either ourselves or, for instance, clothes suggests getting rid of negative feelings. We may need to change our attitude, either internally or externally. Washing other people touches on our need to care for others. Consult the entry for Water for further information.