Dream Analysis: Common Dream Symbols and Their Meanings

Dreams are best interpreted by you and in the context of your particular dream.

Your recent mood and waking life experience can also play a part in your analysis.

Common Dream Symbols

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Animals

often represent the part of your psyche that feels connected to nature and survival. Being chased by a predator suggests you’re holding back repressed emotions like fear or aggression.

Babies

can symbolize a literal desire to produce offspring, or your own vulnerability or need to feel loved. They can also signify a new start.

Being chased

is one of the most common dream symbols in all cultures. It means you are feeling threatened, so reflect on who is chasing you (they may also be symbolic) and why they are a possible threat in real life.

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Clothes

make a statement about how we want other people to perceive us. If you dream symbol is shabby clothing, you may feel unattractive or worn out. Changing what you wear may reflect a lifestyle change.

Exams

can signify self-evaluation, with the content of the exam reflecting the part of your personality or life under inspection.

Death

of a friend or loved one represents change (endings and new beginnings) and is not a paranormal prediction of any kind. If you are recently bereaved, it may be an attempt to come to terms with the event.

Falling

is a common dream symbol that relates to our anxieties about letting go, losing control, or somehow failing after a success.

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Faulty Machinery

in dreams is often caused by your language centers being shut down while asleep, making it difficult to dial a phone, read the time, or search the internet. It can also represent performance anxiety in life.

Food

is said to symbolize knowledge, because it nourishes the body just as information nourishes the brain. Food for thought?

Demons

are sneaky evil entities which signify repressed emotions. You may secretly feel the need to change your own behaviors for the better.

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Hair

has significant ties with sexuality, according to Freud. Abundant hair may symbolize virility, while cutting hair off in a dream shows a loss of libido. Hair loss may also express a literal fear of going bald or becoming unattractive.

Hands

are always present in dreams but when they are tied up it may represent feelings of futility. Washing your hands may express guilt. Looking closely at your hands in a dream is a good way to become lucid.

Houses

can host many common dream symbols, but the building as a whole represents your inner psyche. Each room or floor can symbolize different emotions, memories and interpretations of meaningful events.

Killing

in your dreams does not make you a closet murderer; it represents your desire to “kill” part of your own personality. It can also symbolize hostility towards a particular person and the desire to see them suffer.

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Marriage

may be a literal desire to wed or a merging of the feminine and masculine parts of your psyche.

Missing a flight

or any other kind of transport is another popular dream, showing your frustration over possibly missing out on important opportunities in life. It’s most common when you’re struggling to make a big decision.

Money

can symbolize self worth. If you dream of exchanging money, it may show that you’re anticipating some changes in your life.

Mountains

are obstacles, so to dream of successfully climbing a mountain can reveal a true feeling of achievement. Viewing a landscape from atop a mountain can symbolize a life under review without conscious prejudice.

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Nudity

is one of the most common dream symbols, revealing your true self to others. You may feel vulnerable and exposed to others. Showing off your nudity may suggest sexual urges or a desire for recognition.

People

(other dream characters) are reflections of your own psyche, and may demonstrate specific aspects of your own personality.

Radios and TVs

can symbolize communication channels between the conscious and subconscious minds. When lucid, ask them a question…

Roads

aside from being literal manifestations, convey your direction in life. This may be time to question your current “life path”.

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Schools

are common dream symbols in children and teenagers but what about dreaming of school in adulthood? It may display a need to know and understand yourself, fueled by life’s own lessons.

Sex

dreams can symbolize intimacy and a literal desire for sex. Or they may demonstrate the unification of unconscious emotions with conscious recognition, showing a new awareness and personal growth.

Teachers

aside from being literal manifestations of people, can represent authority figures with the power to enlighten you.

Teeth

are common dream symbols. Dreaming of losing your teeth may show a hidden fear of getting old and being unattractive to the opposite sex.

Being trapped

(physically) is a common nightmare theme, reflecting your real life inability to escape or make the right choice.

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Vehicles

may reflect how much control you feel you have over your life – for instance is the car out of control, or is someone else driving you?

Water

comes in many forms and can symbolize the subconscious mind. Calm pools of water reflect inner peace while a choppy ocean can suggest unease.

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> Common Dream Interpretations | World of Lucid Dreaming