Did you know that the average person has 1,460 dreams per year? This equates to 4 dreams per night!
According to The Dream Encyclopedia, the word “dream” comes from the German word draugmas, meaning deception, illusion, or phantom, or from the Old Norse word draugr, meaning ghost or apparition. Some believe it could also be related to the Sanskrit word druh, which means seek to harm or injure.
Although the origin of the word “dreams” would have you think that all dreams come from a dark place within the soul, many dreams have positive messages for us that the universe wants us to know. Of course, interpretations of dreams are largely subjective, but the following dreams seem to be a recurring theme in many people’s lives, and provide answers to questions that the conscious mind simply cannot know.
Carl Jung, the founder of analytical psychology, believed that dreams help us tap into the unconscious mind and offer us advice, like a therapist or counselor. The universe tries to communicate with us through many different mediums, so dreams serve as another way to learn essential soul lessons, even in our sleep.
Here are ten common dreams people have (and what they mean):
1. Dreams About Falling
This is probably one of the most common dreams people have. Dream experts believe that it means you feel you don’t have control over a particular aspect of your life or have hit some major road bumps in an important area of life. Usually, the dreamer never hits the bottom of the place they’re falling but continues to fall until they return to an awakened state. It might also mean that you need to let go of something in your life that holds you back.
2. Being Chased
Another very common dream, being chased can mean a few different things. The most popular interpretation is that you need to face something that you continually run away from; you need to confront your demons head on rather than finding ways to escape. Your subconscious wants you to focus on whatever you have put on the back burner, and tackle your fears instead of searching for places to hide from them. It could also mean that you feel someone or something is out to get you, which makes you flee in fear of getting hurt. Some people interpret this dream as a sign of imminent danger, since you probably perceive whatever is chasing you as a threat.
3. Being Nude in a Room Full of People
Many of us have probably had this dream at least once, and as you might have already guessed, it means you feel vulnerable and exposed. The fear of other people seeing you naked actually symbolizes embarrassment about a certain part of your soul that you wish to hide from others or a secret that you don’t want anyone else to know. It normally has nothing to do with body image, but rather, insecurity about how other people perceive you. If you have this dream often, take it as a sign to work on self-confidence and feeling comfortable in your own skin, despite what others may think.
4. Dreams About Flying
Flying is always a fun dream to have, especially if you have mastered lucid dreaming, so you can actually control your flight path through the universe! This dream normally means that you desire freedom, and want to break the chains that bind you so you can finally soar above these limitations. It can also be a symbol of success, suggesting that you have recently achieved one of your goals and now look down on the world with a feeling of accomplishment and pride.
5. Sexual Desires or Fantasies
While this dream could represent unfulfilled wishes of intimacy with someone, it can also mean you desire emotional closeness with another person. This dream can mean that you feel isolated or lonely, and crave connection with other people. It could also mean that you desire a greater understanding of yourself, and your unconscious mind could be telling you to venture deeper within your own soul.
6. Dreams About Death
Contrary to what you may think, death does not have to signify something negative occurring in your life. It actually can mean a positive shift in consciousness or a rebirth of the Self. It normally means the end of one chapter in your life and the beginning of another. If you have felt stuck in your life recently, this dream could signify a new start for you in the near future.
7. People
People that you know well and have a close relationship with might appear often in your dreams, which simply means that you long to get to know the aspects of yourself which they portray. Seeing people in your dream often means that you have certain aspects of yourself that you need to work on in order to become whole yourself.
8. Taking a Test in School
Life can be viewed as one giant test, where we learn lessons along the way in order to prepare for the big exam at the end. If you dream about taking a test in school, you might feel that your every thought and action are being closely analyzed, and you fear failure or disappointing others. Tests usually point to our own insecurities, and our need to compare ourselves to others. We don’t want to feel left behind or shunned from the pack, so dreaming of taking a test could mean that you have doubts about your own abilities and strengths.
9. Dreams on Traveling Somewhere
Whether by car, bus, train, or plane, this dream signifies your need to create movement in your life. You feel restless and bored with your current situation, and long to make a big change in your daily life. It could also mean you are running from yourself, fearing what you might find.
10. Being in an Out of Control Car
Just like the falling dream, this one symbolizes a lack of control in your life. It means you have let others take the wheel instead, giving up your own power to create a new reality. This vision means you need to reclaim your own power and start working on those aspects of your life that you feel you can’t manage effectively.
