Ten Common Dreams Decoded

Original Article posted on http://www.harmoniousliving.co.za

by Tanja Jaeger

on Wednesday, 14 May 2008

When you are in the dream state, you receive symbolic messages about your life, but it can making sense of these messages can be, well, a nightmare. We bring you an interpretation of the ten most common dream images.

We all have the ability to dream, as it is a normal part of our sleep cycle each night, when we slip into an altered state of consciousness. This means that as we relax the number of brainwave cycles we produce per second is lowered and hence altered.

Dreaming is an important part of our well being. It not only allows us to rest our physical bodies, but also allows healing and re- energising to take place on deeper levels. The subconscious mind responds to the language of symbols. In the dream state, we receive messages about our lives in this symbolic form.

We need to look at the different symbols and relate these to how we feel about them or what we interpret them as. For example if we hate snakes, and we dream about this creature, it will not be a positive omen. However the African people honour the snake because they believe it is their ancestors, so to them a snake would be a positive omen.

Each case is very different, but there are universal symbols that can be applied, such as water which represents emotions, or cars and houses can represent the body. It is still important to look at the dream as a whole to gain a proper perspective.

Ten most common dream images

Water
The most common of symbols is water, which represents the emotions. Smooth water means that you are going through a good period in your life. Choppy water indicates turmoil either within yourself, or with people around you. Dark or murky water could mean that there are unseen or hidden feelings present, or that people around you are harbouring negative feelings towards you that are unseen. Again there is some turmoil ahead.

Swimming deep into water or even drowning (depending on the feeling you have while dreaming this) can be a sense of connecting with deeper parts of yourself or great emotional growth. Drowning in this sense could mean being able to absorb the emotions within yourself or to do so with others whether negative or positive, without harm to yourself. However if the feeling is panic or struggle, you are literally drowning in your emotions and not coping.

Vehicles
This dream image represents the body and you need to look at what is happening to it to make sense of the dream. If the vehicle is damaged or in an accident, this could be a warning that you are not taking enough time out to rest and could become ill.

Often people dream that they are speeding along and have no control over the vehicle. This means that you need to look at your life and see what is causing you to feel out of control.

The same applies if someone else is in the driver seat or the vehicle is overloaded. You may be giving your power to someone else or taking on too much responsibility for others.

But if you are driving and going along quite happily, this is a sign that life is going well.

Teeth
Teeth are another very common images. If they are falling out or crumbling or you discover that teeth are missing in your mouth, this represents a subconscious fear of not coping with an aspect of your life, of failing and not achieving recognition or being unable to meet your needs. Hair falling out has the same meaning.

Nudity
Being naked in front of other people and trying to cover yourself, indicates a feeling of being vulnerable and exposed. This could point to emotions or things that they are trying to hide away, even from yourself. Your subconscious is bringing this part to your attention, so you do not hide it away. However if the nudity in the dream is not an issue and the person is comfortable with it, the they have nothing to hide and don’t mind being exposed.

Being chased
A common dream is being chased by something unseen and feeling so scared that you run as fast as you can but cannot get away from what is behind you. This represents a fear that you are covering up or hiding something from yourself, and thus it grows into a dark monster, which is often unseen. It mostly never catches you, and you wake up sweating with a pounding heart.

A good way to deal with this is to use dream control, where you tell yourself:” I am in control of my dreams” and then during the dream, tell yourself to turn around and face this fear. Often there is nothing there or you see yourself, and the dream image does not repeat itself.

Falling
Feeling yourself falling is also a fear of not coping and losing control. Again, by affirming “I am in control of my life” before you go to sleep, you can change the dream.

Ladders, staircases and mountains
Climbing ladders, going up winding staircases, and scaling mountains means that even though you may be struggling the outcome will be positive, so keep moving in that direction.
It stands to reason, that going down means that you are going backwards, there is strife and you should stop and assess where you are at.

Pregnancy, babies and birth:
Babies mean the birth of new ideas, or the ending of a cycle and old patterns. Something that has been created will come about, such as a new career, a project or business opportunity. It can also mean that you should become more creatively involved as this energy is ready to produce results.

Pregnancy can indicate that something is growing on the inner planes, like thoughts before they manifest into concrete form.

In some cases, babies can mean a birth, but then the dream would be prophetic dream of what is to come in the future, rather than symbolic.

Death and funerals
Funerals and death indicate new beginnings, and endings to the old ways. They should not be taken literally, as they are given to us in the language of symbols.

The people in dreams mirror aspects of yourself; both the good and the bad. So if someone is dead in the dream, look at what this reflects about yourself, and which part of you is no longer an issue and can be put to rest.

Flying
Dreams about flying can be one of the best experiences. In the dream you know the formula for flying and feel a sense of freedom. This dream has a few meanings. At night the soul leaves the body and is free to roam. It is attached by a cord and this is why when you are just falling asleep and get woken up, you jerk awake suddenly.

Dreams of flying also represent obstacles overcome. For example: if you are flying over a school, it represents the challenges from this place that have been overcome.

Sometimes flying higher or faster can bring about feelings of uncertainty and fear. This indicates that you have reached a certain level but need to be careful not to go too fast or reach to high too quickly. It may also mean that there could be insecurity in reaching for something higher and fearing failure. The lesson is to place more trust in yourself.

Our dreams are a part of the rich tapestry of life. They acknowledge parts of ourselves that we often fail to see. By developing a deeper understanding of how we ‘tick’, we are able to identify who we truly are. By opening up to the dream state we can begin to heal our fears and issues from deep within.

 

Tanja Jaeger is a third-generation psychic and angel practitioner. She lives in Cape Town and sees clients from all walks of life to help them to find their inner truth, with the help of her angels and guides. She also does readings on email. She offers services from psychic readings, dream analysis, energy healings, psychic development courses and house cleansings.
www.tanjasangels.co.za
tanjasangels@gmail.com