Colors are actually a common dreams symbol and should be considered as part of the message to be interpreted. Any color that is obviously being pointed out in the dream should be taken as a main component of the dream meaning.
For instance: I had a dream about a room with chocolate brown carpeting and my vision in the dream zeroed in on the carpet and in my mind was BROWN, BROWN, BROWN... :-) See what I mean? It was so obvious I couldn't miss it.
Numbers and letters are probably the most difficult common dreams symbols to interpret simply because we are surrounded by them in waking life and they can represent just about anything. However, they are very meaningful symbols and worth the trouble of interpreting them.
The trick to getting some idea of what is being conveyed is to pay attention to WHERE the numbers are. The surrounding environment will clue you into the underlying message.
For example, seeing a number circled on a calender may show an important date of some kind. Or, a phone number on a piece of paper could be a nudge to communicate with someone, depending on the dream content.
If the dream seems particularly mysterious, it could be that the numbers are being used in the archetypal sense...or from the collective unconscious.
Numerology sources can be very helpful and there are scores of books and websites devoted to this subject. Number meanings in dream interpretation dictionaries are generally using numerology behind the definition and can be useful in getting ideas.
We all have common dreams from time to time about being in school. Sometimes it is a generic setting and other times, it may take you back to the classrooms of your childhood.
The classroom is a place of learning, including social development. In this environment, in addition to the academics... we learn about ourselves in the constant feedback from our teachers and fellow students.
Our attitudes about learning are reflected in these common dreams and can be very helpful when relating the dream content to our waking lives.
For instance, if you are a person who is comfortable with the learning process and your ability to apply what you've learned, your subconscious may use the classroom setting to bring up important information relating to your current thoughts.
Pay attention to any words that may be written down, or book titles, instruction being giving by the teacher, or even behavior coming from the other students.
On the other hand, your classroom dream may be nightmarish, bringing up old feelings of inferiority and shame, resistance to authority or possibly showing narrow mindedness.
These scenarios and feelings are being brought up for a reason, so it's important to relate them to your current thoughts and situations to help you see where you are creating trouble for yourself.
As always, the emotions in the dream are your marker for the intent behind the messages. The trick is to compare those emotions to situations in waking life.
This is probably one of the most common dreams questions I get...dreaming of ex-boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands and wives. If we are no longer attached to this person, why on earth are we dreaming about them?
Dreaming about your Ex doesn't necessarily mean that you secretly long to be with them again :-)
Your Ex is someone that you were involved with intimately and like it or not, you are still connected to each other on some level. Like most other characters in your dreams, they may represent aspects that you despise, or it could be that you are seeing something positive that resonates within yourself.
Something else to think about are issues of closure. Break-ups are generally messy affairs and it takes time to separate yourself emotionally from that person, even if you are now with someone else.
Your dreams can be of great help in bringing these feelings to the surface for examination so that you can finish processing them and put the matter behind you.
Cars are very necessary for many of us and we rely on them without question. We are so intimately tied to them that in dreams we use them as a common symbol for how we are getting along in life.
They show the overall manner in which we are operating and the feelings associated with our current happenings. Here are some good questions to ask yourself about this type of common dreams:
Who is driving? If you are at the wheel, it shows that you feel you are in charge of your own life at that time. If someone else is driving, pay attention to who that person is. Are you being influenced by that particular person in some way? Or perhaps it is a particular aspect this person represents that is governing you.
What is happening with the car? Are you gliding along serenely from point A to point B, or is the car being driven recklessly in a haphazard pattern? If you experience a spin out or a crash, this is a sure indicator of strong emotion that you need to be aware of. Perhaps you are feeling overwhelmed about something, or know on some level that mistakes are being made somewhere that need to be corrected.
Pay attention to the type of car and its condition...Generic? Fancy? A Beater? Does the color have some significance? The physical characteristics may give you clues as to what you believe about your current situation.
As always, record your emotions and reactions from the dream as they are important reminders of how you really feel. You can't lie to yourself in your dreams!
Houses and other buildings are very common dreams, but can be confusing to the dreamer as to what they really represent.
Houses and buildings generally reflect ourselves and also parts of our bodies. Each room in a house can show a particular body part or quality. For instance, the kitchen can depict a place of creativity, or nourishment of either the body or soul.
The trick is to think of your own self as a the building in the dream and ask some of these questions:
What kind of house or building is it? (A private home, or a public place?)
What condition is the building in?
Is the whole house or building being shown in the dream, or just certain rooms?
What is going on in the house and what feelings are being conveyed?
and so on. Keep asking yourself questions and answer them as best you can. You'll begin to get a feeling for what the dream is really saying. If you get stuck, you can use a good dream dictionary and get ideas to jump-start your intuition.
Read more details about these common dreams including a walk-through (room by room) in the February 2008 Dream Log Ezine
Dreaming about your teeth falling out is a common dreams subject associated directly with your self image. It conveys feelings of intense insecurity and a loss of personal power.
For instance, years ago I had a really vivid dream about beginning to brush my teeth when they all started falling out into the sink and I felt completely helpless. Panic took a hold of me to the point where it woke me up.
In waking life, I had just started a new job that was very demanding and I had a 'sinking' feeling that I didn't have the adequate ability to keep up with it. I felt powerless for several months until I began to master the work. The dream I had released all these feelings that I was keeping at bay to keep myself from falling apart at work.
If you have a similar dream, just think about what's going on in your life that is making you feel powerless. Sometimes, just being aware of how you feel about something starts a healing process to help you gain confidence.
Most of the time we are the participant in our dreams, experiencing dream events through our own eyes. We see, hear and interact in the dreamscape as if we were really there and we feel the emotions involved.
Have you ever been the observer in your own dream? This is when you are looking at yourself playing through a scenario as if you were watching a movie. This is not exactly in the common dreams category, but many of us do have dreams like this from time to time and it is worth wondering about.
The reasons for such a dream are unique to our own current situation in life. Think of it as a way of stepping back and looking at things from a birds eye view.
The viewpoint is detachment, you're in total observation mode. Perhaps you are in a process of change, integrating new aspects of yourself and need that bigger picture for more understanding. Or, you may be too involved in something to be objective and switch to being the observer to gain clarity.
In any case, there seems to be a need to be divorced from the body and it's sensory processes in order to go beyond the aspects of personality.
If you have a dream like this and have no idea what it means. Try closing your eyes and going back into the dream in participant mode. See if you can get insights from sensory input to help you determine the situation being observed.
One dream I had long ago in observation mode dealt with repetitive conversation going on between various people. In waking life, I have a profound hearing loss and in groups of people, I often lose the string of conversation because I can't keep track of what's being said.
It is a source of great anxiety for me and these dreams showed me that much of what is said between people is repetitive. I can still get the gist of it even if I don't hear it all.
So, you can see what I mean about it being unique to the dreamer! Pay attention to these not so common dreams and look for their valuable messages.
Have you ever dreamed of a loved one (and some not so loved) that has passed on?
This is one of the most common dreams and if you think about it...we still think of them even though we no longer see them, so why wouldn't we dream about them as well? The big question I get from readers is, "Am I being contacted from the other side?"
Who knows? It's certainly possible. It's also possible that our subconscious minds are simply using them as a dream character to illustrate an aspect, just like any other dream character.
However, some people know without a doubt that they have been contacted. The difference seems to be the overwhelming emotion and 'knowing' that usually doesn't come about in a regular dream.
I’ve had many body dreams and you probably have too. These common dreams tend to focus on a particular area and so your subconscious mind is obviously pointing something out.
Arms and hands are common in dreams as well as hair, teeth and feet. If you think about it, arms, hands, feet and teeth are parts that we use for manipulation and communication in the physical world. Hair has always been a sign of virility, strength and sexuality.
Overall, body dreams tend to depict mental and emotional aspects. For instance seeing yourself washing the dirt off your hands in a dream could mean getting rid of something unpleasant in your life.
Another example is dreaming that you are having trouble walking or stumbling over your own feet. This could represent an area of difficulty you are having in waking life.
Dreaming of a certain body part, or even the body as a whole can also point to a physical illness depending on the dream content.
To read more in depth on this common dreams type see the January 2008 Dream Log Ezine which also lists a basic dream dictionary of body parts.
There are a couple of different levels of intensity in these common dreams about falling. The first level is a dream where you trip, take a small tumble or slide backwards on a hill. These falls do not necessarily wake you up and are actually part of the story that is evolving.
These level one falls may be showing insecurity, loss of control or pointing out a situation that is not working for you. See the fall as an area of your life that needs correction in some way.
The level two falls are the ones that most people are referring to in dreams about falling. These falls are high in intensity and often from a great height such as a cliff or building. The person falls and jerks awake suddenly just before hitting the ground.
There is some question among dream analysts whether these are true dream images since these falls generally happen while you are actually ‘falling’ asleep, or just about to wake up.
Your muscles may respond to physical changes while sleeping such as blood pressure, body temperature and body position with jerks and twitches. Sometimes, these jerks and twitches will translate into one of these falling experiences.
Another explanation I’ve read is that this experience could be the rapid return of the astral body after travelling…a bad landing so to speak. Apparently, this too will cause the muscles to twitch and jerk you awake.
I don’t usually bother translating the level two falls, as they generally seem to be coming from external stimulus.
