Dream Fact: We spend around one third of our lives sleeping, and six years dreaming. Studies have shown that we are not switched off during dreaming—our brain waves are actually more active during dreaming than they are in waking life...
Falling
Most often this symbol illustrates some threat that has arisen in your life from such things as uncertainty, loss of a relationship, money, work, or death of a close contact. What happens in the dream illustrates your drop in confidence, or your feelings of falling from power, grace, or love. Maybe you have lost confidence and so get the sinking feeling of the fall. It can even suggest falling in love, the fear of not being in control, or the wonder of “free fall.”
Flying
This can have many meanings, depending on the dream. It can indicate that you are flying or fleeing from something that is difficult to face. This is usually an aspect of your life that you avoid by using distractions, such as your social life or media entertainment. You can also become over-idealistic, religious, or live in a fantasy world. If you are flying you do not have your feet on the ground, so it can suggest either that you have found a positive expression of your energy, or that you have lost a practical grasp on what is happening.
Flying is positive when you are not fleeing from something. It indicates independence and the ability to deal with your emotions or fears. This type of flying suggests the desire to rise above things, to attain greater heights, to break free of limiting or cultural viewpoints. Freud explained all flying dreams as showing sexual desires, representing intercourse, or life in the womb, which in some cases is true. But flying also represents ambition, abstract thoughts, and the ability to rise above your fears. Flying in a plane or alone can be an attempt to gain insight into your future or your potential. From the air we can see forward and back. We can quickly review where we are heading, and work out the best possible direction in which to go.
Teeth
Teeth can represent your bite, your effectiveness, or your power in life. They may represent biting remarks or hurtful words. They are your ability to “chew” over a problem, or to get a taste of, or try to experience, what you are considering. If you dream of your teeth falling out, the cause may be a sense of losing someone you love or who is close. This leaves a gap in your life such as you feel when a tooth comes out. Missing teeth also suggest getting older, or feelings or fears about aging.
Crossroads
The crossroads relates to making decisions and a convergence of different desires, or it can be the need to choose a direction, and therefore a turning point in life. Alternatively, it may represent indecision, a fear of not doing the right thing.
Naked
This suggests revealing your feelings, thoughts, and reactions that you usually conceal. You may disguise dislike with a smile. If you are not pleased to meet someone, you may hide your feelings with courteous behaviour, but a child will usually refuse to talk to, shake hands, or associate with someone they dislike. Their real feelings are therefore naked to view. To be naked in a dream may show either a fear of, or a desire for, people knowing your real feelings. It can also be a fear of your real self being disclosed. Some dreams in which you are naked show extreme self-consciousness about other people seeing you.
Being chased/chasing
Anything that moves toward you in a dream usually signifies that you are becoming more aware of it and feeling it more intensely. So being chased in a dream usually connotes that you're fearing something strongly and are trying to avoid confronting it. This is not usually a good policy as you can never get away from yourself. If you are chasing something, it shows that you are making an effort to gain something. Try to define in your mind what is holding you back.
Uncover more dream meanings with Be Your Own Dream Interpreter by Tony Crisp.