14 common dream symbols and what they could possibly mean

Dreams are often a representation of something much larger and deeper. These are 14 of the most common dreams and their meanings

by Ishani Ghose
January 27, 2018

Everyone has dreams; sometimes good or sometimes not so good. All of our dreams and what we see and experience in them is directly linked to our waking life. It is important to try and understand what your inner consciousness is trying to tell you. Certain things in our dreams are symbols of something else and often represent something a lot bigger and deeper.

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These are 14 of the most common dream scenarios and what they mean:

#14 Sex

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When a person dreams of sex or sex is in some part of the dream it could just be a simple outlet of a repressed fantasy or some sort of sexual expression. Dreaming of sex could also represent the powerful and intimate connections that a person has with themselves as well as with others.

#13 Houses

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Dreaming of houses could be a showcase of the dreamer's mind where the different rooms and levels are linked to the various degrees of consciousness. Most often the basement represents things which have been neglected or pushed back into the memory. The house can also mean that the dreamer is unaware of the waking life and the bedrooms are a symbol of a person's innermost thoughts and feelings.

#12 Food

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When food and food items appear in a person's dream, it is a representation of energy, knowledge, and nourishment. Food can also be linked to our emotions and spirituality. Dreaming of food can also mean that we are hungry for more, hungry for new things and insights

#11 Babies

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Babies represent the start of a new life and a new beginning, so when a person dreams of a baby it often means that they are looking for some sort of a new development in their life. Sometimes, it could be a literal meaning itself which is the want and desire to have a child.

#10 Nudity

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When a person dreams of nudity or being naked it often means that they are allowing themselves to be vulnerable or emotional in their dream. It means that they are willing to drop their defenses and embrace whatever it was that they were trying to hide. A body part exposed can give more insight into the emotions and hidden truths that our dreams are helping us to uncover.

#9 Falling

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Most people tend to associate falling dreams with something that is negative or scary. Some dreamers believe that a slow type of falling means serenity and peace and is the symbolic act of letting yourself go. However, falling from a great height at a fast pace could mean that there is something in our waking life which feels out of control.

#8 Flying

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Flying in a dream is directly related to how much control we feel have over our own individual lives and how confident we are to achieve our goals and ambitions. When a person is flying high it is one of the best feelings in the world and that represents a state of bliss and content. However, flying low to the ground could mean that one is trying to fly but is being blocked by obstacles.

#7 Death

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Dreaming of death is often looked at as something which is super negative. However, it is mostly related to any sort of dramatic change in your waking life; meaning the end of something old and the start of something new. Dreaming of death does not necessarily mean that there is going to be such an incident in your waking life.

#6 Paralysis

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Most people are unaware of the fact that the body is in a state of paralysis while they are dreaming. This prevents the body from physically doing whatever it is that they are experiencing in their dream. Dreaming about paralysis is normally the overlap between the REM stage and waking stage of sleep

#5 School or Classroom

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When a person dreams of a school or classroom it often means that they are confronted with a test which they are not in a state to take or are just underprepared. The tests and lessons that we face in the classroom are ironically the lessons we need to learn from our past. A lot of these sorts of dreams are seen by people who have left school a long time ago.

#4 People

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Seeing other people in your dream is directly linked to different thoughts and aspects of yourself. Sometimes, those who appear in your dreams can relate to certain characteristics which need to be developed. If you are dreaming of specific people, then it normally means that there is some sort of personal issue which you need to work through. It can also often mean that you are feeling detached to the people you see in your dreams.

#3 Vehicles

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If you are dreaming of a car, airplane, or train then it reflects what kind of direction are life is taking and what direction we are moving in. It also shows us how much of control we feel we have over the path that is ahead of us. Dreaming of vehicles is linked with how vehicles give us the power to make the transition and we see ourselves getting to the destination.

#2 Water

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Dreaming of water often represents our emotions and our unconscious minds. There are different qualities of water which often provides insight into how we manage our emotions. Shaky and turbulent waters often represent a cloudy and disturbed mind while calm waters show a relaxed and easy mind.

#1 Being chased

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This is one type of dream which most people have had at some point or the other. This is often a result of all the anxiety that we possibly feel and hence the fear is something that we are trying to run away from. It is not really about being chased but more like what we are trying to hide from. Whatever it is, it needs our attention and we need to turn around and face it.

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