Understanding Your Dreams - Common Dream Symbols

People have been fascinated with dreams and what they mean almost as long as there have been people. From the earliest civilizations to the world of today, dreams have been imbued with great significance, and people have looked to these nighttime excursions for insights and clues into their waking existence.

While dreams are not magical keys to the waking world, they can provide valuable clues and insights into the mental and even physical state of he dreamer. Dreams can tell you a lot, like whether you feel in charge or out of control, whether you feel secure or anxious, and whether you feel ready to take on the day or set adrift.

Dream analysis ranges from writing down and analyzing your own dreams for fun to therapists, psychologists and others who analyze the dreams of others as part of their careers. When studying dreams, there are a number of basic symbols whose meaning has been interpreted through many studies of dreams.

As with all aspects of dreaming, however, these symbols are highly personal. Each dream is as unique as the individual who dreamed it, and no dream symbol is truly universal. All dream symbols will have shades of meaning, and the meaning is often dependent upon the context of the object within the dream.

Airplane Dreaming about taking a trip on an airplane can mean you are ready to overcome your obstacles by rising above them. Dreaming about flaying a plane can indicate you are feeling in control and confident.

Alcohol Dreams about alcohol can mean many things, depending on the dreamer's relationship to and experience with alcohol. For instance, a recovering alcoholic may express fear of relapse through dreams of alcohol, while a devout Catholic may dream of wine as a symbol of the blood of Christ.

Angels Angels are seen to symbolize purity and goodness. Dreaming of angels bearing messages can mean there is something the dreamer needs to hear and pay attention to.

Beheading Dreams about a beheading can mean that past poor judgment or bad decision are being recalled. Loss of ones head can also indicate a lessening or loss of intellectual capacity.

Cancer Dreaming about cancer or other wasting conditions can be indications that the dreamer feels he or she is wasting his or her life and losing hope.

Couch Dreaming about a couch can symbolize love and longing.

Doctor Dreaming about a doctor can indicate anxiety about health. In some cases, the doctor can be used to represent another authority figure, such as a clergyman or teacher.

Drowning Dreaming about drowning can indicate you feel overwhelmed or out of control.

Earth Dreaming of earth, or of working the earth, often represents that your life has a firm structure.

Exam Dreaming about failing an exam is very common. Dreams about an exam can represent anxieties in either work or school.

Father Dreams about one's father have meanings that vary along with the relationship between father and child. Dreaming of an absent or estranged father can be manifestations of yearning for a lost childhood.

Fire Dreams about fire can also have various meanings. Fire can symbolize destruction, but it can also symbolize passion.

Food Dreaming of food can mean a desire for spiritual or mental nourishment, or a need to be taken care of.

Giants Dreaming about giants can indicate that you fear obstacles in your life and see certain problems as insurmountable.

Globe Dreams about a still globe can mean the dreamer's life is in control, while seeing a spinning globe can indicate that the dreamer's life is spinning out of control.

Gun Dreaming about guns can indicate a desire for protection, or a fear of crime.

Hell Dreams of hell can indicate a fear of being punished, or a manifestation of past guilt.

Joke Telling a joke in a dream can mean you take life lightly and not too seriously.

Knife Seeing a knife in your dream could indicate you fear being betrayed by a friend or family member.

Magic Dreaming about magic, or performing a magic trick, can symbolize creativity and power.

Money The meaning of dreams about money depends on the context. Dreams about wealth can indicate that the dreamer is powerful and in control, while dreaming about lack of money can be manifestations of low self worth.

Monster Monsters in a dream can represent parts of the dreamer's mind of which he or she is ashamed.

Office Dreaming of being at an office can indicate the dreamer is preoccupied with work and making money.