If clouds of black, choking smoke appear and there is no fire, what are you missing in waking life as there is no smoke without fire?
Smoke and smoking in dreams typically suggest a feeling of danger and if you are smoking, you are trying to control your anxiety. Smoke can also represent passion that has not yet flared into being. Contradictory interpretations are that smoke signifies cleansing and purification, as with incense, or contamination.
If you watched the glowing embers of a dying fire in your dream, this may suggest either that a passion is dying out, or a fondness for someone or something just won’t die out. It could also suggest that underneath your calm exterior you are smoldering with anger and resentment.
If you were raking over the ashes in your dream, upon which aspect of your past are you reflecting? Ashes in a dream often indicate penitence and sorrow, and the feeling that there is nothing more than can be, as the ashes or memories are all we have left. The important thing now is to learn from the experience. And bear in mind that your unconscious may also use the dream images of smoke, ember and ashes to warn you that you are at risk of physical or emotional burnout. [1]