30 Common Dream Symbols

sleeping boyThirty common dream symbols - Dream Interpretation & Meaning

Here are 30 different dream symbol that appear most common in the world and these dreams meanings.


Animals
Animals can usually be linked to survival or the instinct to keep going no matter how difficult things are. It can mean you’re holding things back that you should express. Dreams of an animal symbolize that you are connecting with your wild side, basic instincts and survival needs. Consider the type of animal. Babies
Babies most times just mean that you want to continue your life and family, and want to share your knowledge with your next of kin. They might also mean you’re holding something back. Something new comes into your life. A new idea or a new creative project at work. Symbol of new possibilities and potential for growth in multiple areas of your life. Lost
Being lost in your dreams may signify that you have lost your true purpose in life. It may point to soul loss or your disas- sociation from an important aspect of your personality. If the theme of being lost recurs, it may point to a need to seek guidance spiritually or psychologically. Naked
Dreams of being naked or seeing someone naked represent a desire for honesty and intimacy. It can also represent the fear of others knowing your private thoughts and feelings. If you are comfortable being naked, then you feel you have nothing to hide in intimacy. If you are uncomfortable, ashamed, or embarrassed, then this dream is telling you to do some ego-integration work, and begin the process of releasing your own judgments and criticisms. Trapped
If you dream of being trapped, it means that you feel confined and restricted in a friendship, career or romantic relationship. You may be feeling bad physically because of your emotional worries. This dream can also mean that your rivals will get the best of you if you are not careful. If you successfully escape the trap in your dream, you will triumph over your rivals and your relationships will improve in real life. Buildings and Houses
Building a house may signify construction of a new project in your business or building a totally new life. Building with Legos or building blocks may comment on needing to play with your ideas before putting them into action. Clothing
Clothing in general reveals the image that you want to project to the world. Each article of clothing reveals different concerns, qualities, beliefs, attitudes, and expressions Even the color and conditions of the clothing may reveal significant information.

For example, clothing that is tattered or torn may signify that you feel emotionally shredded by an experience. You may also be expressing a "poor me" attitude.

Cry
Dreams of crying symbolize that you are healing, grieving, cleansing, and releasing that which no longer supports you, as you make room for that which does support you. Consider that this might be a cry for help and that you would be wise to seek support to help you through this challenge you are going through. Keep in mind that you can’t heal what you can’t feel. Death
Dreams of death are very common in that it is the job of our subconscious mind to keep us alive, so your dreams are assisting you to process your fears of death and dying. If you dream of your own death, then you are contemplating the value and impact of your life. Dreaming of someone else dying is about transformation and change in your relationship with then, not necessarily a forecast of a literal death (though sometimes it does). You might also be venting out your fears of losing someone that you love. Often the dream of death represents the ending of chapter in a person’s life, and that a new cycle is about to begin. Keep in mind that the Native Americans believe that the most powerful way to live is as if death were always just over your shoulder. This dream is suggesting that you consider what aspect of your life is ending, how can you harmoniously participate in completing this cycle, and what new beginning is wanting to come into your life. Demons
To see demons in your dream, represents negativity and distress. It also forewarns of overindulgence. If you dream of being possessed by demons, you are feeling helpless about something. Dogs
Dogs are man’s companions and loyal " friends and thus can come in a dream to represent a real friendship, fteca dog’s extreme loyalty to its owner, the appearance of a dog can represent a tendency toward being too loyal to-your friends and thus sacrificing yourself and your needs. A dead dog can come to represent the death of a fnendship, and the birth of a puppy can come to signify the amval of a new friendship. A bite from a dog can be a response to an argument with a fnend. Dogs as guardians can signify the need for personal protection, or they may comment that you feel watched, as by a watchdog. Drowning
Sinking into the unconscious, helplessness, lack of planning in your life. Being washed away by the flow of emotions. Fear of being swallowed up by the unconscious. As in Suffocating, where the issue is to get more air, here it is a matter of being safe in the Water, about feelings and (emotional) needs that bring more energy and inner strength. Falling
Falling in your dream may come as a response to some failure. It may comment on feelings of loss of control. It may also be a response to falling from grace or falling from your stature in life. Falling dreams may recur when you have lost a significant relationship, or have faced a personal disaster in your career, or have been diagnosed with a particular illness. Fire
Fire is a punfying element that is destruc tive yet transforms everything eventually. Setting fire to your emotions may act as the cleansing agent of the soul. It can represent the passion that fuels the heart and the sacred ember of your sexuality. A fire in your house may relate to some anger that is destroying the peace at home. Fire may also signify destructive behavior on your part or that of another family member. Flying
If you dream you are flying so high that you can actually touch the moon and stars this portends many different types of global disaster that you may soon hear of. If you fly high with black wings you are warned that you are headed for a let down of magnitude. Flying dreams are normally a good omen and if the flight is pleasant, with no worries and anxieties, you can look for happiness and plenty to follow. Food
People often dream about food. All types of food are a consistent part of a dream life. Anything from meat to elbow macaroni comes up through our unconscious and leaves vivid memories upon awakening. Food is symbolic of a large variety of things. It could symbolize pleasure and indulgence. To the perpetual dieter, the dream could have a "compensatory" function where the food that is denied to the individual during the day shows up in the dream state. Dreams could additionally symbolize physical, mental, spiritual and emotional nourishment. Chased
Being chased by shadows shows the need to escape from something previously repressed, such as past childhood trauma or difficulty. To be chased by an animal generally indicates we have not come to terms with our own passion. Horses
A horse may offer its power to the dreamer as a vehicle for moving forward in life. Horse brings the attnbute of strength to deliver you to your destination.

For the hero, the horse cames him to his mission, perhaps over long distances, and thus it may signify the need to travel. A wild horse can represent unleashed and untamed power. Horses may also trot into your dream to indicate the need to stand your ground in a power struggle.

Jumping
  • The act of jumping can be somewhat ambiguous in a dream. It can indicate either jumping up attempting to attain something better for ourselves or jumping down, which can mean going down into the unconscious and those parts of ourselves where we may feel we are in danger. Jumping on the spot can indicate joy and has the same significance as dance (See Also: Dance).
  • Repetitive movement of any sort in a dream usually indicates the need to reconsider our actions, to look at what we arc doing and perhaps to express ourselves in a different way. On a psychological level, jumping up and down in a dream may indicate being caught up in a situation without having the power to move either forwards or backwards.
  • In certain religions, spiritual ecstasy is induced by jumping. This is a way of employing the physical in order to reach the spiritual.
  • Also See: Jumping
Kiss - Kissing
Affection. In this dream you may be expressing feelings that are difficult to express during the day. Kissing is usually an indication of warmth, affection, and happiness. If you don’t receive enough love and affection in your daily life, then this could be a compensatory dream, where the dreamer is comforting himself. If you are kissing the object of your affection, the dream could be a form of wish fulfillment. Superstition based interpretations say that if you are kissing strangers, you may have a need to conquer. If the kissing is insincere, you are pretentious while if you see your partner kissing someone else, you may be afraid of infidelity. Money
Money in dreams does not necessarily represent hard currency, but more the way in which we value ourselves. This symbol appearing in dreams would suggest that we need to assess that value more carefully, and equally to be aware of what we ‘pay’ for our actions and desires. If there is a feeling of self-denial in our making savings, particularly to the point of miserliness, we may not have managed our resources properly in the past and are having to suffer for it now. We may also fear the future. If someone else gives us their savings, we are able to use their knowledge and expertise. Paralysis
  • When paralysis is felt in a dream we are probably experiencing great fear or suppression. Feelings that are emotionally based are experienced as paralysis in order to highlight the physical effect those feelings can have.
  • Imagination can often play tricks on us, and we experience as real some kind of reaction we would not normally allow ourselves. Paralysis is one such reaction.
  • Paralysis can signify spiritual inadequacy, inability to create movement, and inertia. There is a condition which sometimes occurs during development when we are forced into facing our own fears, and this can be experienced as paralysis.
Pregnancy / Pregnant
To dream you are pregnant signifies growth and development in your personal life. You may find that you are unprepared to act on it or to even discuss the matter with other people. It may also symbolize the birth of new ideas, projects, directions, or goals. To dream of being pregnant with a dying baby suggests an undertaking you worked hard for is suddenly doomed to fail. It denotes anxiety over things that are unfolding in ways you never expected. A pregnant woman having dreams of her pregnancy usually conveys her worries in various stages of her pregnancy. First trimester dreams are usually consists of small creatures, furry animals, flowers, fruits, and water. Second trimester dreams usually cover birth complications and self-doubt about motherhood. You may also dream of giving birth to a non-human baby. Finally, in the third trimester, you tend to dream of your own mother. When a man dreams of getting a girl pregnant, it is a warning that serious consequences may result from his sexual activities. Prison
Being in a prison may comment on feelings of being persecuted or punished for doing something wrong. A prison may also mention that you are imprisoned by your own thoughts or beliefs. Since a prison represents lack of personal freedom, it may point to a relationship that restricts your freedom, such as a bad marnage. Sexuality - Sex
Dreams of a sexual nature are very common and act both as an emotional release and a reassurance that everything is in order with your sexuality. Being intimate with a stranger is a fantasy that many people enjoy and this type of dream may indicate a wish for new experiences or experimentation. Intimacy with your partner in a dream acts as a reassurance of your love, and serves to strengthen your bond in your own mind. Snakes
The snake is a powerful dream symbol, associated with the feminine, healing and spirituality. Being bitten by a snake in a dream is actually positive, meaning you are accepting all parts of your nature as you grow into a stronger person. If you dream about you or an animal attacking, wrestling with or trying to kill a snake, you will have to defend your reputation against nasty gossip. If the attempt to kill the snake was successful in your dream, you will succeed against all hostilities. Spiders
In a dream, a spider represents a malicious woman, or a weak, perfidious and a distant man. A spider in a dream also represents a weaver, an ascetic or a monk. Ifone sees a spider in his dream, it may mean that he will meet a pious and a religious man. Weaving a web in a dream means becoming weak. A spider in a dream also could represent a pleasing wife. If one sees a spider hanging down from the ceiling in a dream, it indicates a severe winter in that area. Teeth
Hostility or an attack, such as when dream figures deliver "biting words" or "bare their teeth. " Losing teeth in a dream may reflect words said in haste, or losing the ability to speak candidly. Because this bony part of the body endures long after death, it has some associations with the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. In this context, losing teeth might equate to losing the will to live or having your personal power taken away. Rotten teeth equate either to the fear of old age, or someone whose words are filled with so much insincere sweetness that decay in that relationship is inevitable. Having teeth pulled out represents an end to suffering that is aided by an external force. Vehicle - Vehicles
If you dream of riding in a vehicle and someone else is driving, you will soon take a business trip at your bosses convenience. If you are riding in a vehicle where you or a member of your family are driving, then your trip will be for pleasure or personal business. Walking or Running
A running dream is basically a dream of escaping a certain situation, person, or thing. If you succeed in running away from, or elude a pursuer, then you will be able to change those things in your life that has you ‘on the run’. If you dream of the desire to run but cannot get your feet to obey it shows a lack of self confidence and perseverance on your part. Try sticking to your guns and see how much your life will change. Water
It is a mirror of your subconscious mind.

The quality of water often describes the situation of your emotions. Crystal clear, clean, adulterated, calm mostly provides strong insights about the state of your feelings.

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Sources and Authors

  1. Common Dreams by [Back to dream]

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