There are deep meanings of dreams that we can find in our nightly trip away from reality. Most people find their dreams to be unintelligible scrambles of mixed messages and cryptic symbols from things they encountered in their day. The subconscious mind is a much more remarkable machine than it is given credit for. Precognitive dreams are dreams that are designed by your subconscious mind to make you feel a certain way or even tell you something.

Disturbing dreams are often linked to tragic or traumatic incidents in your life. Situations involving trust can cause you to have bad dreams. However, a disturbing dream can also be tied to a significant risk you are taking. It is possible you are realizing just how bad a particular situation could become. Some dreams might just be reflecting your fundamental fears but others could be warning you that action is needed to prevent the worst from happening.

Some time before he was assassinated, it is said that Abraham Lincoln had a dream that there would be a funeral at the White House. In his dream, he asked an onlooker who was the person that had died. The onlooker replied “The President of United States has died.”

When Lincoln told his wife about having this dream she told him that he was going to be killed while he was in office. Two weeks later, Lincoln was assassinated.

The precognitive power of our minds is a very real phenomenon. The subconscious mind often relays these precognitions through our dreams. Our different interpretations of these dreams may adversely affect the outcomes of the situations they inform us about. The symbols in our dreams can have direct or indirect interpretation when it comes to the meanings of our dreams. That is to say that a symbol can be interpreted directly as it appears or it can be used metaphorically. Most often it is the latter which is true. In any effort to interpret what the subconscious mind is telling you in your dreams, you must be aware of the margin for error within the realm of dream interpretations.

Some of us are as different as night and day. As such our subconscious minds may communicate with us in different ways. Some people fear snakes. Within their minds a snake may be a symbol for fear or danger, where in the mind of someone who respects and idolizes snakes, a snake may be a positive symbol reflecting future accomplishments. What we make of our dream interpretations may reflect the way we deal with challenges in our normal lives.

Because our minds often work differently from person to person, it can be difficult to gauge the meaning of a particular symbol appearing in the dreams of one person to the next. However, there are many inherently similar common dream symbols with distinctive and sometimes surprising meanings. In order to help you understand some of the hidden meanings in dreams, here are eight commons symbols which appear in dreams and their different meanings.

1) Dreams of Death

To dream of your own death or the death of a family member can be very upsetting. If you believe the dream to be prophetic it can seem like cause for concern. Your subconscious mind often looks at death as a stage or phase that is part of life. A dream of death often symbolizes the end of an era or phase in your life. People who are approaching a graduation or certification often have dreams involving their death or the death of a loved one. Likewise people who are considering separation and divorce often have similar dreams.

2) Drowning and Dreaming of bodies of Water

Many people think that if they are drowning in their dream that it may be a precognitive dream and they should avoid exposing themselves to anything involving water or possible drowning. Water is a symbol in your subconscious mind for the portrayal of emotions. Dreams of drowning may in fact signify that you are overcome or ‘drowning’ in your emotions.

3) Fire

Fire is one of nature’s most destructive forces. People who dream of fire may believe there is some form of disaster approaching. They may even have fears that they will be burned to death. Although it is true that fire destroys, it also acts as a cleansing and purifying agent. Fire can often symbolize passion, intense desire and even sexual arousal.

4) Predatory Creatures

Although we often associate animal predators with fear or danger, different animals may have different interpretations. If you dream of a wolf which is in a peaceful state it could signify coexistence with a potential threat. However, dreaming of a wolf on the prowl may indicate possible treachery. Some creatures indicate a clear threat and the best way of judging the type of threat the symbol represents is by the attributes of the predator itself. A shark is a clear indication of an emotional threat, as their natural habitat is water and water represents emotion. Spiders, though they have the power to harm you, are tiny creatures who’s bite typically produces an irritating effect. Therefore a spider can signify small annoyances or irritants going on in your life.

5) Cats and other non-threatening Animals

Cats often represent femininity. A large cat, such as a lion or tiger can symbolize a woman in your life who holds a position of power or respect. With some animals it might be a simple metaphor. Dream about a rat: I smell a rat!

6) Falling in your Dreams

Almost everyone has had the falling dream in different forms. Some people have all different forms of falling dreams and there are several ways to interpret what it means. Falling can symbolize the loss of something. It can symbolize the loss of control or it can mean the loss of a material object. You might feel like you are losing out on a significant bonus at your job or you might be more deeply affect than you think about the loss of your teddy bear.

7) Cheating Spouses

It is more common than you think to dream about your spouse having an affair or cheating on you. Your first instinct might be that your dreams are telling you to suspect your lover of cheating on you. These dreams can actually be your subconscious mind’s way of reaffirming your commitment to this person. Your dreams could be telling you that you care about this person by invoking one of your strongest and most primal emotions: Jealousy!

8 ) Sleeping with your Friends

We’ve all had weird sex dreams about someone we know and felt strange or even creeped out about it. People often wonder what a weird sex dream means. Sometimes you dream about sex as a way of expressing certain affirmations in your mind. It can often indicate that people on some level satisfy an emotional need for you.

An important thing to understand is that you experience hundreds of dreams every night and you could very well go through all of these dreams in one night. When you go to sleep you have three stages of sleep. The first stage is a period between awakening and unconsciousness. You may start to dream a little in this phase but you can be awakened easily. The second phase is REM sleep. REM stands for rapid eye movement and this is the phase where your subconscious mind is rapidly showing you dreams. The third is a phase of sleep is a deep sleep where your body rejuvenates and replenishes itself. During sleep you frequently drift back and forth through the latter two phases of sleep. During REM sleep very detailed and seemingly lengthy dreams are experienced in a manner of seconds. You could potentially dream up to a thousand times a night.

The dreams you remember are the ones which are most significant to whats going on in your life. When you are deeply affected by a symbol in one of your dreams it can likely be telling you of a major problem in your life that needs dealing with. Either physical or metaphysical.

What weird dreams have you pondered the meanings of? Have you ever dreamed of your spouse cheating or had the falling dream in a more extreme than usual way? Have you interpreted any of the dreams you’ve had?

Charisma is defined as those magnetic qualities in certain individuals that enable them to dominate, influence others, and to win mass support. Since it is a basic trait of human nature that we all want to be admired, don’t hesitate to admit it. If we imagine about it, looking into many of our actions, we are really finding ways to validate ourselves and to satisfy this craving of being liked.

Have you ever found someone and immediately took a liking towards them? You can’t elucidate why, but you find a fondness and you wish to do things to help them. Here I’m not only discussing sexual attraction, but a real and guiltless feeling of affection towards another person.

In a job interview, you are more probable to be employed if the interviewer is attracted to your personality and unique look. In a business affair, you are more probable to get deals done and gain privileges. In a personal affair, you are probable to gain trust and loyal friendships.

When we make a decision that we like someone, it is a mental process that we cannot rather articulate. It’s not a mystery that we make decisions with regard to our emotions and rationalize them using logic. So, does this indicate that we can overpower an emotional decision that occurs subconsciously?

I suppose that decisions can be overpowered. I believe that the qualities of an admirable person can be figured out and developed in an effective manner.

Charisma - How to Get It

Apart from being gentle, polite and respectful, there are numerous other things we should care about. I’m not telling you to be a pretender, but be attentive to these traits when engaged in a conversation. These little qualities make quite a big difference in how others evaluate us.

1- Building a Presence

The primary component of charisma is “presence.” Presence, as described here, pertains to the ability of commanding gracious attention.

To shed light on presence further, look upon it more particularly as how you bear yourself. Imagine a Lotus in a parking lot of Fords. The Lotus stands alone - as a European sports car, it’s glossy and elegantly detailed as compared to the traditional and tedious Fords. It’s not in action, it’s not moving - it’s not doing a single thing and yet you’re attracted to it because of its sleek features. That’s what we call Presence…

Presence is very essential in the whole Charisma thing… It is the most basic step of creating a “first impression”. As various elements constitute charisma, so do various elements create presence.

When making up an aura of charisma, you’re making use of this instinct to your advantage (which most individuals can’t command because they’re unaware that it is something occurring in their subconscious). Let’s look at this analogy: If you look like a gangster, you’ll be evaluated as probably being a gangster. If you look like you’re gay, you’ll be evaluated as probably being gay. And if you look like a magnetic person used to respect and even admiration, you will be evaluated as a person who is probably charismatic and worthy of respect and even admiration.

2- Mirroring

Mirroring is defined as the habit of imitating the other person’s physical mannerisms, movements and facial expressions when engaged in a conversation. You become a mirror image of the person you’re trying to imitate.

Mirroring occurs naturally in social interactions, but when you are attentive of it and are conscious of its affects, it can be employed as a tool in effective communication for generating rapport.

Mirroring a person strongly will make you feel what they’re feeling (to a particular extent). I did a mirroring exercise myself, in a group of three, on a workshop. The first person initiates by envisioning a scene; imagination, feeling and experiencing it closely. The second person copies this person’s facial expressions and physical postures. The third person lines up the second person’s facial expressions and physical postures until he’s convinced that they are identical. Later on, the second person clears up what he/she was feeling. Not only does the second person feel the feelings of the first person, but will at times see what the first person is seeing in his imaginativeness. I was kind of astonished after trying this out, myself.

Try mirroring facial expressions, posture and body language when get a chance while engaged in a conversation with someone. You will soon discover that the conversation abruptly feels very friendly, open and favorable.

For instance, you are sitting across the table from someone. You see them holding a glass of water with their left hand and gently inclining forward, then to the right. You mirror them by taking up your glass of water with your right hand, leaning forward and towards the left.

It’s a fun thing to do!

3- Remembering Names

In person, I’m quite impressed when others I’ve just seen remember my name and use it in a sentence. Our family, parents, teachers, friends, and family, have hard wired the sound of our name in our brain since birth. It is obvious to attract your attention without any delay. It makes us feel authoritative and honored, filling our desire for attention, love and affection.

Remember the last time someone who you just met parted by saying “Nice meeting you, [insert your name]!” Didn’t you like it? They are actually paying enough attention to remember your name, and you naturally feel like showing them the same respect.

Always try to make an effort to remember people’s names.

4- Be Interested

As I’ve already discussed, people love talking about themselves, badly!

Don’t hesitate to ask questions that the other person will love to answer. If you’re talking to a complete stranger, start with the basics and dig deeper. Repeat their words to ensure you really understand what they’re saying. You can imagine this technique as verbal mirroring. When you’re asking questions about their interests or feelings, you actually mirror their interest in themselves.

Pay attention to the other person’s answers. Only when you are listening will you truly take up what was expressed and will actually feel interested. If you come across an uninteresting conversation, find ideas that do interest you and re-focus the conversation. Ask questions. Play it!

5- Allowing Others to Talk

Besides asking questions, it’s very important to allow the other person to talk. This says, stop talking. Stop talking about yourself, stop putting in your views, and avoid interrupting.

When you are engaged in a conversation next time, try not to talk about anything after asking a question. This means do not speak for a few minutes. Even when the other person appears to be finished, try not to speak for another 30 seconds. Most often, the person is still thinking, is actually pausing, and will start speaking again. With this technique, you are probable to dig up a lot more depth from that person.

Many females I know hain theve these interruption problems (males too!). Work harder on this skill; and you’ll be shocked at the wealth of thoughtful goodness coming from your partner. Being a humble listener is an excellent way to connect with and get to know other people.

Things to do: Ask a question and then zip up. Listen and learn.

6- Intention

Give out the intention that you would love to get to know this person better, to really listen to them and to be there for them. I’m always astonished at the power of intention, which I believe is the source of starting anything, whether it is an ambition or a relationship.

Make a wish for the other person you’re talking to/ interacting with. Give out a positive intention for your interaction.

7- Offer Help

We are naturally self-seeking and are driven by motivations that help us, leaving off some extreme cases and parent-child relationships. But let’s face it; we are mainly self-seeking because it is a natural element of our survival instincts. Yet if we are working on a good cause, we always have a reason for helping that is personally gainful.

When others genuinely offer their help, we feel particularly warm-hearted towards them. Why? Offering help is a positive gesture that involves a respect and admiration for you. And when we put ourselves in their shoes, wouldn’t it be beneficial to offer help to others?

I strongly believe in giving more than I take in return. Offer help to others accept help when you need it.

8- Smile

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy. Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful.”
- Thich Nhat Hanh

Do you retrieve how you felt when you saw a genuine smile? Or clumsily standing in an elevator full of strangers and suddenly someone smiles at you? It is actually contagious and shifts your state to a positive one.

Smile genuinely. Take the first step by smiling at friends. Make an effort to lift the spirits of passing strangers.

9- No Fear

If you wish to have mystique, you’re going to have to drop all irrational fear and be a rockstar! That doesn’t suggest you won’t get scared if someone comes to you with a gun. It just entails if your life isn’t in any real or perceived danger, you don’t blench.

Don’t be terrified to say what other people are frightened to say, or do what most people want to do, but are afraid to. Don’t be nervous to be controversial, but don’t just do it deliberately. Controversy gets people thinking, and that helps you to be the center of attention.

10- Authenticity

Any of the above skills will work by themselves, but become highly efficient only when combined with genuineness.

Always be authentic and be your complete self, no more and no less. When you are totally sincere and speaking from your heart, you will triumph a kind of energy that people cannot help but to connect with. In that moment, you are perfect, expressive, and radiating your true self. When others find out that side of you, they are truly seeing a reflection of that part of themselves.

Just be yourself, and you will simply be awe-inspiring.

The human mind is a tremendous thing - there are so many facts revealed about it, and so many things which still remain an enigma for us. Science is struggling to explain such strange developments, but still unable to describe their actual origins. Although majority of us are already familiar of a few mental conditions on this list, several others are very strange, unfamiliar and beyond the boundary of logical domain. Here is a collection of top 15 strangest conditions of the Human Mind.

1- Prosopagnosia

Prosopagnosia is a mental condition in which a person is ineffective to distinguish faces of people or objects that they should know. People going through this disorder are typically capable of using their other senses to recognize people – for instance a person’s perfume, the shape or style of their hair, the sound of their voice, or even their gait. A famous case of this phenomena was mentioned in the 1998 book (and later Opera by Michael Nyman) called “The man who mistook his wife for a hat”.

2- Fregoli Delusion

Fregoli delusion is an uncommon mental condition in which a person holds the impression that different people are, in fact, the same person in an assortment of disguises. It is frequently related to paranoia and the impression that the person in disguise is attempting to persecute them. The delusion is named after the famous Italian actor Leopoldo Fregoli who was renowned for his skill to make quick changes of appearance during his stage act. It was first accounted in 1927 in the case study of a 27-year-old woman who thought she was being persecuted by two actors whom she often went to see at the theatre. She reported that these people “pursued her closely, taking the form of people she knows or meets”.

3- Capgras Delusion

Capgras delusion is a mental condition in which a person believes that a close friend or family member has been replaced by an identical looking faker. This could be associated with the old belief that babies were slipped and replaced by changelings in medieval folklore, and the modern idea of aliens seizing the bodies of people on earth to live amongst us for reasons unknown. This delusion is frequent among those who are schizophrenic; however it can also occur in other disorders.

4- Nihilistic delusion

Nihilistic delusion is a condition whose theme centers on the nonexistence of self or parts of self, others, or the world. A person with this type of delusion may have the false hallucination that the world is ending.

5- Erotomania

Erotomania is a mental condition in which a person starts to think that another person, usually someone of higher status, is in love with him or her. It is, however, rare for people with this type of delusion to try to contact the other person (through phone calls, letters, emails, gifts, and sometimes stalking).

6- L’esprit de l’Escalier

L’esprit de l’escalier (French= stairway wit) is the sensation of thinking of an ingenious counter when its too late. The phrase can be used to portray a comeback to an insult, or any witty, quick remark that comes to mind too late to be helpful—when one is on the “staircase” leaving behind. The German word “treppenwitz” stands for the same condition. In English, the phrasal idiom describes this condition as “being wise after the event”. This condition frequently comes with a feeling of regret at having not thought of the riposte when it was most required or appropriate.

7- Grandiose delusion

In this type of delusion, a person overdraws his / her sense of self-importance and believes that he or she has special powers, talents, or outstanding skills. At times, the subject would believe that he/ she is a celebrity (for example, a rock star or Jesus Christ). Normally a person with this delusion is convinced he/ she has achieved some great accomplishment for which they have not received enough credit or recognition.

8- Presque Vu (Almost Seen)

Presque vu is almost similar to the “tip of the tongue” feeling - it is the strong sensation that you are about to go through an epiphany - though the epiphany rarely happens. The condition of presque vu can be very disorienting, perturbing and distracting.

9- Jamais Vu (Never Seen)

Jamais vu stands for a familiar situation which is not recognized. It is often regarded the opposite of déjà vu and it comprises a sense of eeriness. The observer does not distinguish the situation despite knowing logically that they have been there before. It is usually described as when a person shortly doesn’t recognize a person, word, or place that they actually know. Chris Moulin, a researcher at Leeds University, inquired 92 volunteers to write up “door” 30 times in 60 seconds. He accounted that 68%of his guinea pigs showed symptoms of jamais vu, such as starting to doubt that “door” was a real word. This makes clear that jamais vu might be an indication to brain fatigue.

10- Déjà Senti (Already Felt)

Déjà senti is the mental process of having “already felt” something. This is totally a mental phenomenon and rarely remains in your memory subsequently. A person diagnosed with Déjà Senti has accounted that “What is occupying the attention is what has occupied it before, and indeed has been familiar, but has been forgotten for a time, and now is recovered with a slight sense of satisfaction as if it had been sought for. The recollection is always started by another person’s voice, or by my own verbalized thought, or by what I am reading and mentally verbalize; and I think that during the abnormal state I generally verbalize some such phrase of simple recognition as ‘Oh yes—I see’, ‘Of course—I remember’, etc., but a minute or two later I can recollect neither the words nor the verbalized thought which gave rise to the recollection. I only find strongly that they resemble what I have felt before under similar abnormal conditions.”

You may consider it as the sensation of having just mouthed, but acknowledging that you, actually, didn’t utter a single word.

11- Déjà Visité (Already Visited)

Déjà visité is a rare mental phenomenon and it exemplifies a preternatural knowledge of a new place. For instance, you may have a go at it your way around a totally new town or a place you may have never been before, and knowing that it is not possible for you to have this knowledge. Déjà visité is related to spacial and geographical relationships, while déjà vécu is related to temporal happenings. Nathaniel Hawthorne reported about an experience of this condition in his book “Our Old Home” in which he visited a ruined castle and had eerily known everything about its layout. Later on, he was able to trace the experience to a poem he had read many years early by Alexander Pope in which the castle was precisely described.

12- Déjà Entendu (Already heard)

Déjà Entendu is a sensation in which sounds or voices have been heard in the past.

13- Déjà Vécu (Already lived through or experienced)

Déjà vécu is what most individuals are actually going through when they think they are experiencing deja vu. Déjà vu is the feeling of having seen something before, whereas déjà vécu is the sensation of having seen an event before, but in great detail - such as recognizing smells and sounds. This is also typically accompanied by a very strong feeling of recognizing what’s gonna come next. In my own experience, I have not only recognized what was going to come next, but have been able to tell those around me what’s gonna come next - and I was 100% correct. Well, this is a very strange and unaccountable feeling…

14- Déjà Voulu (Already Wanted)

Déjà Voulu is a sensation of disturbance of memory in which an individual believes that his or her present desires are incisively the same as desires held some time earlier.

15- Déjà Vu (Already Seen)

Déjà vu is the experience of being sure that you have experienced or seen a new situation before - you experience as though the event has already occurred or is repeating itself. This condition is typically accompanied by a strong sense of familiarity and a sense of strangeness, eeriness, or bizarreness. The “previous” feeling is generally assigned to a dream, but from time to time there is a very sure sense that it has really happened in the past.