Common Dream Symbols

Every dream has a story to tell, a lesson to teach. The messages that each dream conveys are open to interpretation of the dreamer and should be plotted in context to the life of the person.

As more and more dreams get reported to researchers and analysts certain symbols emerge as pretty common in dreams among large cross section of people.

Some such common dream symbols are discussed below –

1. Animals
These bring out human instinct and reactions to various situations in life.

2. Baby
A baby or a child is related to something absolutely pure and innocent. It also symbolizes something that is new or is being created.

3. Clothes
These are representation of your image. It may be how you think others see you. Or it may also represent your own idea about who you are deep within.

4. Death
Death is philosophically considered to be a transition of one state of existence to the other. As such death in dreams symbolizes change or transformation. It may also denote transition from one phase to another.

5, Examination
Examination is a time for evaluation. In dreams it can mean being evaluated by someone. It may also mean self realization.

6. Falling
More often than not it has been seen that when a person is dreaming of a fall the person wakes up before the bottom is hit. As such researchers relate falling dreams to a call of awakening or to draw attention to something that was probably skipping your mind.

7. Food
Food is considered to be nourishment. However when they appear in your dreams they do not necessarily mean nourishment of the body, it may also mean awakening or knowledge of the mind.

8. Games

Symbolism of this one depends upon the game that you see in your dreams. Individual games are reflection upon the person’s patience, focus and direction; while interactive games tell of the attitude of the person while facing any challenge or competition. Games also tell of your mental agility and reflex.

9. Hair
Strangely researchers and analysts have related hair dreams to be a reflection of the condition of the dreamer’s mind and the quality of thoughts the person nurtures.

10. Hands
Hands are used for action in real life. In dreams they are related to intention of action.

11. House
Analysts and researchers have related dreams about house to thoughts of the mind. Psychologists are of the opinion that there are seven different degrees of consciousness in the human mind. Each storey of a house represent each of those levels, while the actions you perform in your house represent the various thoughts and emotions that play in your mind.

12. Killing
Killing in a dream relates to action oriented changes in your life. These dreams often indicate that you have undergone some change or transformation in your life where you have had some active role to play.

13. Marriage
Marriage is a sense of fulfillment. In dreams this denotes fulfillment of desires and hopes. Marriage may also represent harmony and equilibrium in life.

14. Money
Money denotes what the dreamer values in life. How the dreamer uses the money is the most significant indicative factor denoting the objects to which the dreamer attaches highest importance.

15. Mountain
Mountains represent the various obstacles one faces in life. How you see a mountain in your dreams would tell you how seriously you take the challenges that have come to you and how or whether you would take them to your stride.

16. Naked or Nude
Nothing could be more stark than naked. As such naked or nude represents openness and honesty or transparency. It would also denote that the dreamer is ready to disclose something or that the dreamer does not hold any secret.

17. People
Various people in your dreams tell of the various nuances that your inner self portray. The various roles that the people appearing in your dreams play denote the various aspects of your “self”, or at least the way you perceive them to be.

18. Radio
Radio symbolizes communication. Radio symbolizes transmission of message.

19. Roads
Roads in dreams are universally accepted to denote direction or goals. The way you see the roads determine the path which would take you to your target and the condition or nature of the journey (easy or rough) that would lead you to your destination in life.

20. School
School is a place of learning. Seeing school in a dream denotes that you are eager to learn something – it may be something subjective, or it may even relate to the various lessons that life may teach you.

21. Sexual intercourse
For the purposes of dream analysis, man and woman are considered to be the conscious mind and the subconscious self by the researchers and psychologists. As such when you see union of man and woman in your dreams it is a union of your conscious and subconscious self. This also denotes that the dreamer has achieved a harmony between the conscious and subconscious states of being.

22. Teacher

According to psychologists a teacher represents the state of super consciousness of the human mind. This is believed to be the state of mind that is superior in knowledge and ideas. Since teachers are related to learning and knowledge, teacher is related to super consciousness in dreams.

23. Teeth
Teeth are the tools with which the body assimilates or digests the nourishment it receives via food. As such when teeth appear in dreams it is generally representative of how well you can assimilate the various lessons and messages that life brings your way.

24. Vehicles
Vehicles form an integral part of modern life and are often reported to be parts of dreams, especially by people who live in the urban areas. Vehicles may represent the physical or emotional state of being. For example a luxurious car may represent prosperity in your waking life, or it may also represent your innate desire to acquire wealth or a certain position or status in the society. An outdated car in your dream may represent that you are being unable to cope up with the present.

25. Water
Water is what sustains life. In dreams water represents emotions – emotions and feelings and the various nuances thereof are what sustains the mind. Water is often deep and often has undercurrent – it may look calm from the exterior but may be turbulent within. This can be related to the various shades of human emotions and the expressions thereof.