Common Themes in Dreams

Many of us have had a dream in which we show up for an exam but realize we have not studied for it, or that we are in a play but have forgotten our lines, or we show up naked for an event. These are common themes in which we feel unprepared, vulnerable or ashamed. Other common dream themes are cars, houses, falling, loosing teeth, flying, meeting an old friend, finding a treasure, death or sexuality etc.
Car dreams could suggest your “drive” or how we are being driven in life. It could suggest our ego because just as the ego, as the executive function of the psyche, helps us execute a plan, so the car enables us to execute that plan in reality.
The house may suggest different themes depending on the different areas of the house. The kitchen may inquire, “what’s bubbling up?” in the psyche or “what is on the back burner?”, or “what we are taking out of cold storage”. Food may speak of spiritual food. Is it nourishing and digestible, or is it distasteful? The bathroom may represent, cleansing and refreshing the soul, getting rid of waste, or getting rid of shadow elements that we wish to relegate to the unconscious.
Teeth dreams suggest our identity since they are the most enduring aspect of our physical being, and our dental records are often used as a means of identification. Loose teeth or decaying teeth may suggest loss of identity or low self esteem.
When we dream of meeting an old friend it is instructive to recall the attributes and qualities of that person. This may help us to understand what qualities they represent in us that are coming up now for review.
Death dreams often suggest an aspect of ourselves that is no longer serving us and that needs to die off.
Sex dreams may suggest becoming intimately connected to the opposite “other” in our psyche. The opposite other may be the anima or animus. Or it may suggest bringing something to a climax or being closely in touch.
These are simply some suggestions of possible dream interpretations they are not set in stone. Each dreamer must make their own associations to the their dream image. A guide to a good interpretation is When it resonates or rings true and there is an aha moment.